Crossroads

Well, here I am, at a crossroads of my life, waiting to find out which direction I will take. My mind is racing, more than usual, about how to approach this particular situation.

Those of you who have read my blogs, already know the ridiculousness that is my work place. For those of you who haven't read my previous rantings about my work, let me try to get you up to speed. I work at a place where management keeps an out of sight out of mind philosophy. Wife spends the money before the bills get there, then complains we don't make enough money to pay the bills and demands we raise our prices. Wife used to work in the office, but hasn't in over 4, and has no clue how busy it has gotten. Boss is so busy he has no clue what's really going on.

I work with several coworkers...let me introduce you to the cast of characters...
Woman A was hired 28 years ago when it was a sleepy town, knows everyone and everything, used to work alongside boss' wife, feels that because she has been here so long, she deserves special consideration, and works at the speed of a disabled snail. Refuses to multitask, constantly running around harriedly asking for help, putting phones on hold just so they don't ring, sabbotaging everything she can to try to make herself feel more important.

Woman B is a dipshit who stares into space, makes idiotic mistakes, is completely clueless, has driven past and forgotten to pick up her own daughter who was standing across the street waiting for her. She is spiteful and will do something just because if someone else can do it, so can I. She constantly calls boss' wife to complain about EVERYTHING.

Woman C was hired to clean and work in back, however because woman A is incapable of actually handling the front desk, she has to babysit her. However, Woman C is very skilled at finding the plae where the least amount of work is going on, to plop herself down and avoid her actual job of cleaning. Oh, and when I got sick beginning of the year, I was told I couldn't have my paid sick days yet because it wasn't my 'start date' yet, but i've been there 3 years and this issue wasn't a problem when I got sick in Jan last year, and that year I was reduced to 2 sick days a year....and then Woman C got sick, went into the hospital...and they paid her TWO WEEKS sick time.

Girl D is the daughter of Woman C, she has her mother's work ethic. She is 19, going to college, and likes to do her homework on company time. She takes twice as long to do things as the disabled snail because she reads every newspaper before she lays it down to line the kennels with, and she texts on her phone all day long. She has become an expert at timing the 'do you need any help' question perfectly so that the answer is No. And Girl D gets paid doubletime to work on sunday, and takes 3 hours to do the work that can be done i half the time. But management won't fire Girl D because she is the daughter of Woman C and she's so important to the office...HAH

Then there's me....I'm not usuall one to 'toot my own horn' and brag about my capabilities. But in this case, I must. I have a strong work ethic, I take pride in being of assistance, being crucial and good at what I do. I'm always looking for ways to make things better, easier, more professional. I bust my ass at this job. I have proven on paper that I handle 2 to 4 times the workload the other people do there. And, as a result of being a good worker, I'm always the one the boss comes to when he wants something done, he bitches to me and at me, because he knows that i will give a shit and actually do something about it. Being responsible and capable is no longer a bonus it is a drawback. I've complained about what's going on there to no avail. So, as a result of no progress, I decided if I can't beat 'em, join 'em. I slowed my work and my ambition and caring for the job down. I was pulled aside and told that it would reflect on my raise. Well....when raise time came, guess what...NO one got raises because there wasn't enough money coming in...BUT..they gave bonuses...and EVERYone got the same bonus, because they 'didn't want to make anyone mad'. And then, after complaining they had no money, proceeded to gut their kitchen and completely remodel it because wife needed a new dishwasher, and the dishwasher also had matching stove, fridge, range, etc, so they remodeled. Ok, seriously...as a buisness owner and employer, it IS your right to do whatever you want with your income...but if you're going to tell your employees you have no money, you should probably keep the remodeling information on the down low!

The problem is, what I do is my passion, and I get paid fairly well to do it. However, Woman A and Woman B are getting paid $3.50 and $2.50 respectively more than I do. Yes, longevity has it's merits, however so do capabilities and contributions to the business. I take the initiative to get things done, and make things better. I'm the only computer literate person there, so my skills help them keep track of pricing, and I make all of the internal documents.
I am at my wit's end beating my head against a brick wall trying to get anything to change. The workplace is causing me migraines and loss of sleep. ALL of the frustrations I have can be solved with one simple action. Pay me in accordance to my work, and when the others don't do their jobs, or can't handle the workload, I can shrug it off and say to myself, I get paid more than they do, whatever.

I've been offered a job in a medical office...something I've never done before, but am not afraid to try. But, having had the luxury of working where my passion lies, I'm afraid that the other job will not make me happy. It will, however give me excellent exprience and marketability in the workforce. It will be more hours and only slightly more money than what I get now. But it's twice the drive, and I will not get any animal discounts anymore, and I have 3 dogs and 1 cat, half of whom are on medication or prescription diets. I completely love what I do, I completely hate the situation I work in.

I'm going to ask for a $5 an hour raise to compensate for the imbalance in workload and productivity, but I'm fairly certain they will laugh in my face. I will end up telling them either the work gets evened out, or the pay does, and if not, I'm gone.
But I'm trying to figure out which way to go about the conversation.
Me...I've been offered another job and it's twice what I make now, so either I need $5 an hour more, or I'm gone.
Boss, hahahah are you out of your freakin mind? sorry
or
Me....bitch my ass off about how bad it is there and how unfair the workload and expectations are, and explain adnauseum why I'm so frustrated and unhappy, and ask for the raise and see what happens....
Boss...well...blah blah blah, blow smoke up my ass..blah blah, the usual crap

and as if that wasn't enough...the place is on the brink of going computerized, and I would be the ONLY person who knows all aspects of the program, and could save them $700 a day for inhouse trainers to come down...which puts me in a pretty sweet position....but the problem with that is, the new job offer is NOW, and the computers are weeks away....

Dear Universe, Dear Lord, Dear Readers....help me out of my own little Hell!