Years Experience: 20 years or more (Canada)

One out of every 100 ideas will strike a chord with management, and possibly the market. Always look for new ideas, recognizing that it is a difficult and often unrewarding effort. All you need is for one of the 100 to hit, and this can change your life forever. I am proof of this. After the first idea is somewhat successful, later ideas seem to come easier and the probability for success improves at least marginally. Fame and fortune are truly fickle, and favor only those who are willing to risk and put their shoulder into the effort, sometimes for a very long time. Overnight successes are exceedingly rare, and are almost always the culmination of decades of effort (which is often not obvious on the surface.) Anyway, this is my advice and it is extremely difficult to take what I just said and make something from it. but there it is.

I started working for a family run business over 20 years ago. At that time there was 3 of us that worked in 1 department. Over the years due employee vancancies I am left to run the dept on my own and has been that way for more than half of my years served.

Since my start at this retail company I have been given more responsibility then you can imagine. I love this but I have never been compensated for the added work load. Now we have 2 stores and I am responsible for that as well.

There is 1 other employee other than myself that has been here for a long time. He is of the male gender.

If I had to be honest I do 3 times the about of work he does. Not to consider, I replace him when he is not here, and take care of my own responsibilities as well.

I am getting the impression as long as I can handle these responsibilities they have no intention of hiring anyone else to replace former personnell.

I am the longest employeed women ever here and for some reason I don't advance or get benefits like my other male gender co-workers.

I would love another job! The only thing I have going for me is that I have a job of 20 + years.

I feel it's like security in a way. Or am I wrong.

Not being fairly paid within the particular organization I work for. Bias: yes, it seems that a very junior individual is being paid 50% more than they should be due to the fact that they are a personal friend of one of the executives and have a personal history with them.

I believe that my pay should reflect the workload and responsibilities that have changed over the last year. I do not receive benefits or any other income for my child and I am the sole support/wage earner in the household.