I work at a large HR, Payroll & Benefits company in upstate NY as an IT Technician. The role is stated as something different here at my company, but I hold the same responsibilities as an IT Tech, replacing hardware, getting refurbished equipment ready for use by installing our base operating system, drivers, and software. Company wide troubleshooting as well as software installations and more. In addition to this, I have created 2 separate onboarding programs for IT departments and developed a guide to walk out users through a process called Auto Pilot, which is deployed to over 15,000 employees. I transitioned from a IT partner, fielding calls to this new role and received no bump in pay for the additional work, and outside of that have only received a 3% merit increase after 3 years with the company.
I am currently making 38k a year while the average salary for similar positions pays 45k in my area. I feel I add a lot of value to the team and to my department as a whole, but the recognition never comes in the way of a pay increase. Should I revaluate and start shopping around for new positions or try to negotiate for a raise.
Just to put things into perspective even further, my wife transitioned into a paralegal role in which she has no experience, she has been with the company for 1 year and has already received two raises, both a dollar each.
I'm 32, with an associate's, and I have never made over 40k in my entire life. I'm very driven and put my all into my job, but I can't seem to get ahead. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.