I was employed at Works and Lentz, Inc. for over a year. My experience there is not unique. I was treated kindly at first. The owner's family seemed kind and polite. Over time I began to realize that they were not applying the same set of standard's to everyone in the office. Though I was the most qualified and trained (with a background in insurance and legal) I found out that I was being paid less than any of the other people in my department. Two of the other employees were men, the other woman in the department became my friend and accidently told me what she was making. She was making almost twice what I was making. I thought that she had negotiated for her pay (and I had not) when she was hired (she was hired after I was). When I asked her about it she told me that she had not negotiated for her pay, that she was paid that amount because that was what her son was paid who had worked in the same department almost a year before. It turns out that each of the men in the department were being paid more then I was even though I was handling a majority of the files and calls to the department. After months of being harrassed and bullied by Margaret and Susan Lentz with HR and Harry Lentz and Jared Lentz looking the other way I quit. I thought about filing a discrimination report with the EEOC but I was too emotionally raw to fight them. Three months before I quit I began having intense chest pain and went to the emergency room. My blood pressure was ridiculously high and my health was deteriorating. This would be fine if I was 40 or even 50 years old but I am in my early 20's. I ran, lifted weights and was a healthy BMI. Physically there is no reason I should have been having these problems. Three weeks after I quit my blood pressure was where it had been before the bullying. I have not had any of the odd sympotms since quiting. I am not writing this for any other reason then with the hope that if you have an interview with Works and Lentz and are considering taking a job, that you will re-consider. They pull you in by complimenting and treating you kindly and then they will turn on you regardless of how good of a job you are doing. If you currently work there and are being bullied just know, you aren't the only one and it's not too late to walk away. Your life is worth more than what they can pay you.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and I hope this saves someone from what I went through.