Ask a Manager

Remember the reader wondering if she should ask for a raise because her job had changed after only a month and she was asking to take on additional responsibilities after the receptionist and office manager left? Here’s the update.

I didn’t end up asking for a raise, but I did talk to my manager extensively regarding my comfort level working with the financials. As a result, I was given a small amount of training, which really helped. Of course, as soon as I started to feel truly comfortable (about 6 months later), we found a way to juggle the responsibilities of several different existing positions and now I no longer have to deal with that!

We also received a grant which has allowed us to fund a receptionist position temporarily until the money comes through in July! We hired a receptionist in September (about 6 months after I was hired) and things have been going well ever since. I recently spent a day covering the phones when she was out and it reminded me of just how lucky we are to have her around; answering phones all day is exhausting and time consuming!

The first 9 months I’ve spent in this position have been frustrating, exhausting, and overwhelming, but we seem to be rounding a corner. Lately I’ve had a lot more time to focus on the duties I was hired for and have been able to take on additional responsibilities related to my desired career path. As a result, I’m enjoying my job a lot more and have realized just how lucky I am to have it in the first place! My manager and co-workers have been very pleased with my performance, which is not terribly surprising since I actually know what I’m doing these days.

I’m so grateful to you and to all of the commenters for your valuable advice! So much of what you said and what the commenters brought up really helped me to clear my mind of the “this isn’t fair” mentality and to focus on the bigger picture. Ultimately, I learned a lot and am now known as the “go to” person around the office because I have been cross-trained in so many different areas and have gained a reputation for having all the answers. And who knows– maybe I’ll be able to translate that to a raise in April after all!