Hello,
I work for a nature conservatory business that oversees various parks and properties that are open to the public. I genuinely enjoy my job as i am able to further skills i will be using throughout my life as well as being able to be outside and have an appreciation for my work. I do little bits of everything from menial guest services to mechanic work to tree felling so its more of an ace of all trades type job than just your basic maintenance job.
As of right now i have only been here for a little over a year but i am starting to develop some issues with management and how things are operated here. To start off i only make $17hr, i have searched up similar jobs online and discovered i make about $5-7 less than what someone who does a very similar job for a different company, this will be important later. I am expected to do what i view as the work of a management position as i was hired to take care of upkeep and just learn how the place operates until we get more funding or employees/volunteers. So far i have learned much more than i anticipated and have IMO proved that i have the skills to manage the property i oversee and more.
About two weeks ago i had something come up that required my immediate attention and HAD to call out that day. I have only called out 3 times(including 2wks ago) and every time i am met with a Defcon 1 emergency about how im being unprofessional and lazy. Not only am i the only person who has lasted here this long but i do everything i can to try an improve my work as well as my work environment. I just cant fathom how its expected for me to just decide my life is no longer important because we either lack the resources or people to fill a space.
My second major issue behind just general lack of funding and resources is communications. It was never specified that i am on call for this job but it seems like i am expected to. I do not ever have cell service out here so its difficult to respond or even see these messages/emails and do not want to do any of that with what little time i have left at the end of the day and not be paid for it.
Ive sacrificed everything for this job. I havnt seen friends or family in over a year, i havnt gone anywhere but the store or work, i was forced to move into a shoebox because it was all i could afford. i havnt done anything other than work and sleep and it seems like my suffering is simply not enough for them
My question for you is: how do i inform my manager that,
1. In order for me to “perform like a manager” i need at a minimum $3-5hr more to actually live in an apartment that at least meets basic human needs. (Havnt eated a solid home cooked meal in 6-8mo)
2. For me to “improve” communications i would probably need to move to a 4 day week to still complete on site tasks and still be responsive to my team. This could easily be done as we will be receiving another full time associate to share responsibilities here soon.
3. Lastly, while this job is the career and field i want to work in forever, there are still things that come up that require my attention(ie. sick/mental health, funerals, dealing with housing) not really sure what is considered important here.
I really like this job and i feel confident i am a good fit and bring some inherent value to the table but it seems that because i dont have a magic title of “manager” im just the dog awaiting a command.
Please, advice needed!!