Hey! This is my first time posting to this sub. And this is a lengthy rant, grab the popcorn.
I have worked a little over a year with a husband and wife team that bought a hotel. My friend had been working under the old owners for a few years before the new owners took over. They recommended me to them. Shortly after that I came in for an “interview”, signed my tax forms, and had a job. I started working for them 4 days after they had closed on the property.
I started as a cashier/receptionist at $9.50 an hour. My overall duties were fairly simple at this time and I was promised growth in their company. As more work started to be put onto my shoulders, I did receive raises.
To cut a long story short, I'm now considered the guest services manager for their hotel and make $15 an hour. Before I took this job I was working as a housekeeper for vacation rentals and made $15. I absolutely hated that job though so I took the lower pay and thought hey I'll be back up to $15 before I know it.
Now I'm here and I'm thinking maybe cleaning houses was a better gig. Even though I hated it. I feel completely overwhelmed with work. I'm considered a manager but I have no authority over anyone. I'm constantly put down by one of our staff members that doesn't do a 3rd of what I do. But he still makes $15 an hour. I'm in charge of all guest emails, guest inquiry on third party booking sites, coordinating weddings, running their social media pages, while working 5 days a week at the front desk. Only 2 of those days I have a second staff member with me, the other 3 I'm by myself completely. And we aren't just a hotel, we also have a “country” (jelly, honey, produce etc.) store, a beer and wine bar, and carry out beer sales. So when I'm working a shift by myself, I'm checking out sales, pouring beer and wine, keeping up with bar tabs, checking in guests, making reservations for walk in guests, answering the phone and generally running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
I'm so stressed to the max, I feel like I have no free time because I'm receiving calls and texts from the owners at all times of the day and night. I'm constantly being micromanaged, criticized, and dismissed. I tried to explain to my boss that making these graphics for FB and Instagram takes time. I have to sit down and design these. One of the owners used to be a teacher and claimed “Oh it doesn't take that long to make just a little flyer.” I don't know where to turn at this point.
We have a meeting scheduled this Tuesday. I've significantly cut back my work load, I told them I didn't want to work anymore than 30 hours a week. After clocking in 40 hours plus, with no over time paid, yet again, I decided to just stop. They've been out of town for the past two weeks and I've not answered emails, not updated facebook, not answered any calls or texts sent from my bosses unless it was during my scheduled hours. I just feel like im being completely taken advantage of, I'm doing the work of 5 people for $15 an hour. My local fast food place is hiring at $14 right now.
This isn't my business, it's just my job. And I'm young, inexperienced, and they really slipped all this onto me slowly and over the span of a year until I've now got so much on my plate I don't even know what I should be doing. It wasn't ever really a question of if I wanted to do it, or wanted the responsibility. All my emails are forwarded from my boss, I reply to the guest and im expected to CC the boss. So they can pick my emails apart and “help me improve.” It's all so ridiculous.
I could ask for a raise but I don't even know if they would give it to me or if that would help my mental health from declining further anyways. I realisticly need two people under me I could delegate some of these tasks to. But I don't see that happening any time soon.
Overall, this isn't the life I want to live. I want to be comfortable, make sure my bills are paid and have enough left over to enjoy. I'm sick and tired of selling my free time, working in the office 5 days a week is more than enough for me. I'd love if I could only work 3 days a week and be able to survive. I don't know how this meeting will go but I plan to air my frustrations and show them everything that's on my plate. Let them know what I feel comfortable doing for $15 an hour, that I'm not willing to “wear all these hats.”
I might get fired, but that might just be okay.