I'm Not Paid Enough (I think?)

[Coconut]

I've been with a small manufacturing business for coming up on 4 years. I am mostly the sole operator of the machines I run. I have one "supervisor" that also knows them, but I am more proficient and usually the only one running them. I put "supervisor" in quotes, because while she is my superior in title, she asks me about scheduling orders, the status of orders, and even what my hours are going to be each week.

Throughout a normal day I am:
- producing product
- designing proofs to go out to customers
- watching internal inventory and sending out orders for new inventory if we run low
- taking in orders from the sales department and scheduling them to run
- occasionally dealing with complex data files from customers

In addition to "every day" activities, I also can
- cover in various other departments (I will be doing shipping tomorrow actually, as someone is out)
- cover simple IT duties for work PCs
- design VB scripts for excel and other internal applications
- taken customer phone calls related to tech support of systems we sell and support

I have no doubt that I could "race" anybody in the building on the machines I run, and beat them in time producing an order. I learn new things extremely quickly, and develop quicker ways to use the machines we have. I constantly show dedication in staying late or arriving early when schedules get tight. I guess my one issue is, as you probably guessed, that while I use my skills to handle probably $500,000 worth of orders a year, I do it for $10.50/hr. The money you pay simple machine operators. The money you pay overnight janitors. I do manager's work for floor worker's pay. I know for a fact I am respected by all my superiors up to the company president, as they offer me great responsibility. The respect just does not translate into pay it seems.

One final twist: They are soon to be hiring a "lead supervisor" of the department in the coming months, though I am not qualified based on their arbitrary rules of "2 years supervising multiple employees" and "5 years in industrial or graphics arts experience." (Which strangely almost matches my current supervisor perfectly. You would think they might already have someone in mind....). I could still suggest they consider me though.

Anyway, should I:

A. STFU and do my job? I don't deserve anything more. In fact, I should be feel blessed to have such a flexible position.
B. Ask for consideration for a higher supervisor position, which will mean running more BS numbers through Excel for the president to look at?
C. Plan to keep my position, but make a case for a higher pay based on my value to the company?

I do not depend on this job for paycheck to paycheck living, so I am willing to rock the boat more than most there would. I just want to rock it in the right way when I do. I knew you were the people to turn to for help.

[Ecolitan]

tell your boss what you just told us and see what he thinks you should do.

[BonerJoe]

Can you afford to lose your job in this economy? Can you find another job in the same field quickly and for the same pay?

[Coconut]

Can you afford to lose your job in this economy?

We can just say I'd be good for at least a year.

As for other income, I'm building a small business as well, so losing the job is also gaining more time/energy for that idea, which is what I'd turn to before going and looking for other employment.

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

Given that it seems that you do a lot more work than I do at a lower wage, I think you're due for a raise.

[mikehz]

Everyone considers themselves overworked and under-paid. The true test is, how much are you actually willing to work for? How little will you accept before taking your skills elsewhere?

[Lindsey]

I manage a Sunglass Hut and I make more.

[Manuel_OKelly]

tell your boss what you just told us and see what he thinks you should do.

But phrase it in a way that will be beneficial to him, I.E.

Instead of, "I need a supervisor position because I am not getting paid enough."

say,

"You should make me the supervisor of this position because I am already doing that work and you can hire another person to run this machine while retasking the previous supervisor and increasing production while keeping the same quality."

Write up a proposal so you have such bullet points memorized beforehand.

[sillyperson]

Have you seriously considered what it would take to go on your own? If you know enough to run the place... consider running it.

Barring that, try to get more "face time" with your supervisor's boss. Just being around and visibly knowing what's up with the boss' boss makes it easy to go over her head and make a direct appeal for a raise.

[Osborne]

1) Always ask for the pay you believe you earn.
2) When you ask, have quantitative documentation to support your claims.
3) When you ask, don't give ultimatums. You'll likely be walked out the door or at least have your termination plotted behind your back.
4) You will never be "promoted" to supervisor if you excel at your job.
5) Don't hate on Shaw and Osborne's zombie movie.

[blackie]

Find a better paying job, and move away from Keene. If you want to stay in Keene and can't find a better paying job, suck it up.

[davann]

1) Always ask for the pay you believe you earn.
2) When you ask, have quantitative documentation to support your claims.
3) When you ask, don't give ultimatums. You'll likely be walked out the door or at least have your termination plotted behind your back.
4) You will never be "promoted" to supervisor if you excel at your job.
5) Don't hate on Shaw and Osborne's zombie movie.

Great advice, except for #4. And you should do #2, ask to be considered for the higher position. Many times companies will make a dream list of qualifications but are willing to bend those requirements for the right person. It happens. My brother started as a lowly cage cashier with only a high school diploma making about the same as you while responsible for a $6 million dollar bank. He worked hard and a mere 12 years later he was being considered for a VP spot at a large casino after moving up the ladder. Of course it helped he knew Stevy Wynn's daughter in a professional way during part of the climb and he is wicked smart.

You have to sell your self. No one will do it for you. If a current selling tactic is not working try something new until you get want you want. Not being offered and getting what you want is not a failure of your boss but of your self. Now, if only people believed that when those asshole unions were formed.

[Bill Brasky]

Coco. 

Make no mistake, you can be replaced.  This is not a put-down, I'm sure you're excellent at your job. 

From a managerial perspective, the question is:  Can this position be filled for the wage?  The answer is always YES. 

They may (probably will) have difficulty for a period of time gaining an equilibrium that you provided if they replace you with a new guy.  But that new guy will have some experience handling and running machines.  The supervisor chick will have to get more involved to pick up the slack.  But the show will go on, and in six months, it'll probably be basically the same (again, from a managerial perspective, quotas and etc.) 

There is a certain amount of flexibility you can extract from management.  As mentioned, if you show them you've been offered a reasonable raise for employment elsewhere, they may match it if it is not outrageously higher.  I would peg that number at around ten percent.  So in a serious bargain, you could possibly get a $1.05 raise.  Over the six months that they would be inconvenienced, this would add up to 1,040 hours at the increased wage, and on into perpetuity. 

Your raise would cost them about $2,000 per year.  Future raises are calculated from that higher wage.  Next year, you get another 3%, it would be based on the 11.50, and so on, and so forth.  That compounds to around $9,000 increase spread across three years.  (you'd go up about $1000 per year anyway, plus the 2000x3 = 9000) - this is why bosses want to kill your face when you want a raise. 

Other workers hear this, they want a bump too.  Labor is already calculated as a rising cost. 

Knowing all this, I would tell them I want the Lead Supervisor job, if you're sure you can do it, and you would personally train the replacement for the position you are vacating, who would assume your role at the wage you are currently earning - thus, the transition would cost them nothing they aren't already expecting.

 

[blackie]

You really need to look for another employer if you want to make more money. Lots of companies have pay freezes in place now, or really crappy raises, so you need to get hired at a higher pay rate to start with. Fuck trying to build up from $10.50 per hour at a few percent a year.

[Coconut]

Thanks everyone for the comments thusfar.

ask to be considered for the higher position.

Knowing all this, I would tell them I want the Lead Supervisor job

My main concern over this is that I enjoy my job doing what I do. Supervisor means more meetings and more numbers. If that's the cost of being in charge though, perhaps it is what I need to do

You have to sell your self. No one will do it for you.

This is a good point. I cannot expect them to come to me and offer more money without me pushing for it, and making points that indicate I deserve it.

Make no mistake, you can be replaced.
From a managerial perspective, the question is:  Can this position be filled for the wage?  The answer is always YES. 

Sure, they can find someone else to run those machines. They will not find someone else in 6 months that does the machines like I do, in addition to covering all the other jobs. The place really is so small, that my position there is really an evolving thing. I report directly to the company president for IT and Tech Support related work.

I appreciate your numbers, but the unseen numbers is what I save them in increased efficiency.

You really need to look for another employer if you want to make more money.

Then I suppose there's no harm in making an extreme request at my current place? Worst case is they show me the door.