Sorry for how long this is, it just requires some context to make sense.
I've been working in an industry for over 10 years now in an administrative capacity within a large system that has over 50,000 employees spread over many sites. I work in a very niche area of that industry that is all about resolving client concerns and improving experiences for clients going forward.
I spent my first 10 years working at the main location in the system and my last two and a half years working at one of the satellite locations which is much smaller as there was more opportunity for growth (bigger fish in a smaller pond, you know.)
While in my current role I completed two different certifications and obtained a certification that gives me a special designation as an expert in my field. I met a lot of people during this time and worked on a lot of projects to improve my field organizationally. One of these projects I worked on included high-level leader within our system.
My current employer mentioned to me in February that they had recognized it and promoted me into a managerial position that came with a really nice pay raise. Prior to that I basically had been living paycheck to paycheck and struggled to make ends meet. At least now I can put a few cents away. Anyway, at the same time that high level leader within the system reached out to tell me they were impressed with my work and that they noticed I was one of only two employees within the system who had obtained this specific designation.
They then mentioned that they thought I would be excellent in a system level role providing education and training to other staff across the system. I mentioned that I had just been promoted in my own organization and that I lease a vehicle so if I was being expected to travel to educate others compensation would have to make sense in order for me to pursue any change at this time. Otherwise that role intrigues me and is something I could see myself excelling at.
They then came back and told me that they would work with my leadership in my location to figure something out. It's been months of this sort of dialogue last month when they reached out and told me they had gotten approval for me to work a hybrid job, one day a week at the system level and do the rest of my work in my current role not my current location. I asked again about compensation.
Today my boss called me into a meeting to tell me that they had worked with this leader to settle on a start date for me to take on these new responsibilities at the system level, but that the system level felt that they couldn't offer me any adjustment in pay to take on the responsibilities.
I calmly and professionally told my boss that I was bummed out that I was being recognized as an expert, and asked to teach others to improve performance at a system level, adding to my responsibilities each week without an adjustment in pay. When I agreed to be a manager in my current location it was for the work I do in this location. The work I'm now being asked to do would provide positive growth and culture change at a system level, and they can't even pay me to do it?? They feel that this is an appropriate ask of any manager within the system.
I'm now being asked to make a decision or to try it out for 6 months and see how I feel. And I really feel like I want to tell them no way, when I was so excited about it before. It feels like I'm being taken advantage of at this point, right?