Hi, first time posting here. A little background about me, I used to want to be a “boss babe” and had no issue with hustle culture until eventually becoming very burned out. I quit my high pressure sales job and got what some might call a “lazy girl job” at a small family owned company in the office. At first, I really liked it. The job was pretty relaxed, no micromanaging for the most part, and I really like my coworkers. A few months ago though, it all started going downhill. I already felt I was underpaid, but I explained it away to myself by saying that the job was low stress and that made it ok. However, I started learning more and more about the 40 hour work week (and honestly, more than 40 in most cases) and how detrimental it really is to mental health and how we as humans are just not created for this lifestyle. I'm sure I don't have to explain it to you guys. I just started having this horrible feeling that I was wasting my life away, that I was made for more but I would never be able to find it or fulfill it. About 3 months ago, I was told that they would be letting our office manager go and that I would be replacing her. I was told to keep this a secret, which I was not happy about because I really liked our office manager and I felt awful having to lie to her. I asked if this job change would include a raise and was told yes, although we didn't talk details. Fast forward to the beginning of last month, and they let our office manager go. I am expected to instantly step into her role with no training. In fact, they didn't even really know what she did, so I had to figure it out mostly on my own. For context, I have a communications degree and was hired to do marketing and light admin stuff, but would now be doing payroll, bookkeeping, invoicing, ordering, etc., which I have no experience with. I'm smart and believe most people can learn almost anything, but this stuff is difficult and I felt pretty overwhelmed. There was no job manual or anything really left behind by the previous office manager. I just had to decode all her stuff and either figure out her processes or make my own. They still hadn't mentioned a raise. After my first week in the new position, I asked again about the raise. They finally told me we could meet to have my annual review and discuss money. During the review, they dropped a bombshell on me- I would actually be expected to take on our accountant's role as well (reconciling the books, closing out the month, etc.). Mind you, I have NO experience with this. So basically, I will still be doing my original marketing job I was hired for, plus accountant/bookkeeping and office manager. I'm expecting a pretty decent raise at this point, but instead I'm told I will be getting an additional $1 per hour. I was shocked. I tried to express this but was basically shut down and told that my pay rate had to match the project manager's pay because they wanted both managers on the same level. Keep in mind, my workload changed and hers did not. I felt like I really couldn't negotiate anymore once they said that. I feel so taken advantage of and just disgusted. I've been applying to other jobs but don't see a ton in my area right now. My other concern is that even though I know I am now being way underpaid, there are certain perks to this job still. No one is a stickler about getting here on time, or about taking lunches, so if I'm running a little late or want to take a long lunch to run an errand or eat with a friend, I am able to. There is also a fair amount of downtime, and if I get everything done, I can usually just watch tv on my phone or go for a walk outside. There's not really a dress code, and no one cares about being professional all the time (we can tell the customer if they are being ridiculous, which I like). Obviously I would rather get paid what I deserve, but I'm worried that if I take a new job, it will end up being at some really strict corporate hellhole where I can't be on my phone, have to dress up every day, etc. So it's almost like a “devil you know” type situation where I'm afraid I could potentially end up somewhere worse and have to go through the job search all over again. I'm not really looking for advice but open to hearing what you all have to say, of course. More so just venting and giving an example of how even at a small family owned company, they will still treat you just as badly, if not worse, than some of the bigger corporate companies. I guess I'm mainly looking for validation- do I have a right to be as shocked and upset as I am, or should I be happy that I have a “chill” job and got a $1 raise? (I kind of already know the answer, but just curious). Thanks for taking the time to read this long post.