I've been working as the only “outsider” in a very small family-based job for the last 6 years. My employer refused to follow general mandates with regards to COVID and now are suffering from a disease brought on by a bout of it, removing them from the business for extended periods of time. They have chosen to seek treatment from their homeopathic doctor team instead of seeking conventional healthcare. I have been dutiful and reliable for my employment, but with inflation and recent increases in home insurance, our finances are starting to struggle and I require more pay to cover my bills.
My boss is paying me less than $14 an hour for a 35 hour professional workweek in our rural community and I am overburdened with work while they are out of state seeking care from “doctors” who are staunchly anti-medication. The rest of the family is attempting to fill in the gaps, but they are not trained in the work we do and require a lot of hand-holding. (if you're wondering, my husband also works full time, so we can pay bills between us, but we are slowly bleeding our savings.)
I finally disclosed all of this to my therapist and she said “Wow, that sounds like a pretty toxic work environment.”
I had a moment of serious introspection, having it said outright really helped me to put things into perspective.
Remember that any employer who says they are a family (literally or figuratively) is expecting you to pick up extra duties for the sake of an unhealthy employer-employee relationship, and needs to be reminded that your job is transactional, not personal.
I am applying to other jobs right now and will not disclose this to them until i have a job offer, but i am expecting a serious pay increase that they will be unable to match to retain me. I love my work, but not the anxiety and the burden it places on me.