I have been down in my mood for a day now. I felt that things were going really great. Work was stressful and busier then ever so i thought the silver lining of my career was coming. I was finally going to be valued. Then yesterday came and I found out that the company stance of wanting people to grow in their career, doesn’t want me to actually grow because of my title and responsibilities that no other currently can replace. I work hard to be a valued employee even as far as going to being at work 2 hours early before anyone else or doing whatever I can to help out, all at the expense of my life, home, marriage, and sanity. I have pushed to relieve some of my responsibilities to focus on the main thing i applied for this job to be which i haven’t really been allowed to do until recently. I am at a crossroads, do I continue to push for what i am pushing for in hope someone higher up realizes this or do I keep all of my responsibilities and ask for more money because honestly i do the work of 2.5 people and get paid for 1. If I don’t push to grow or i don’t ask for more money, do I stop trying so hard to be valuable and save myself from having to work for 2 hours a day that I never get paid for?
You are no alone… I feel that way at my job as well. Been here for 5 yrs worked at least 2-3 hours extra day and although they did give me recognition for that, it was short lived. Then with all my responsibilities they started taking them away 1 by 1. Making me feel about this “.” big… I have to fight to do my job because 2 other people make decisions for me and my work and I am never consulted, they are not my manager they work in a different group. They shouldn’t be saying anything about what I do but management likes them so they get to say what I do… I attempted to point out that I should be determining what needs to be completed and now I am labeled the problem child. Anytime I open my mouth, they 2-3 guys get together chat in the corner and then the big manager says “NO blah blah blah” They determine my fate here… Just know you are not alone but be careful how you proceed. Currently trying to keep quiet do my job and cry on my commute home.
So they won’t promote you because you’re too valuable at your current position? That’s backwards and toxic. Your private life isn’t worth selling your soul to a company that won’t even reward your hard work.
How long have you been there? How long have you been working in your career? If you’ve been at that place more than a couple years and they passed you over for a promotion, specifically because you were too valuable in your current position, it’s time to start looking for another job. Don’t just slack back to mediocre or they’ll take it as you being spiteful and lazy, but free your mind from the notion that you’ll get promoted. While you continue to deliver at an acceptable level, beef up your resume and LinkedIn profile, and start looking and applying. Being currently employed gives you the advantage of time, the ability to be choosy, and leverage in negotiations with a new employer. If you’ve only been at your job a couple years, you may have to go for a lateral move with the promise of a growth track. If you’ve been with your company more than 3 years, look for a better position. But the most important things to look for are culture fit, work/life balance, and inside promotions.
Alternatively, if you have a written job description at your current company, take that, then make a separate list of all the extra responsibilities you’re taken on and all the big things you’ve accomplished, and show that to your manager, his manager, and the HR manager, and make a calm, rational argument for why, if they’re going to leave you to fester in your position, you at least deserve a huge raise. Before review time, I usually compile a list of home-run projects, new milestones, and extra responsibilities to present to my boss to make sure he knows that I know what I’m worth. One year it got me a $2/hr raise. The next year I only got a 50 cent raise. Then I left that job.
This. This isn’t good. You should be working to live, not living to work. At my last job, I was offered a promotion to replace a guy who worked 80 hours a week, including Saturdays and some Sundays. It was the same job I had been doing, just for a different part of the company and with a lot more hours, so really it would have just been a lateral move with more hours. Three days later, I got an email inviting me to interview for my current job. I left A LOT of money on the table, but I made an upward career move, I work my 40 in a relaxed environment where I’m treated with respect and still have room to grow, and I get to enjoy a full life outside of work. All the extra time you put in is time you could be spending with your wife, kids, and even by yourself that you’ll never get back. And at the end of it all, the people at your funeral will remember the full life you lived more than all the hours you worked.
That is so hard. I feel like I’ve had a few friends express something similar lately. It sucks to feel under valued even when you are working so hard. It’s hard to keep your moral up when you feel like it will go unacknowledged or appreciated. To feel like “Why should I do more if nothing will come of it?” - I get it.
I think its just time to self reflect a little, really decide deep down what is the best move for you. If sticking it out and hanging in there will be better, or if maybe trying to find a new path at a new place would serve you better. Only you can answer that.
But I surely hope that you are able to find the right answer for you so that you can feel better about the work you are doing and feel confident. <3