Demman's rant made me curious re: everyone's employment perks

[Bertha Venation]

Do you have any perks where you work?

At the law firm where I earn my living as a legal secretary, there are things like

• happy hour once a month -- finger food & booze for all beginning at 5 PM
  
• the convenience of a personal account -- with a personal code, one can charge LD phone calls, photocopies, postage, FedEx, UPS, courier, etc., and have it taken out of paycheck monthly
  
• "Staff Appreciation Week" in lieu of "Secretary's Day" -- little gifts, parties w/ booze & food, etc., seated massages, fun stuff like caricatures & photos, etc., all week one week in April
  
• big-ass Xmas party at a local hotel
  
• an Xmas gift for staff & associates, although the gift is usually derided by most people as stupid, a waste, a white elephant, etc.
  

I'm told that this firm is among the best to work for in DC. Other than a salary I couldn't get back home no matter where I worked, the personal account, and whatever goodies come during Staff Appreciation Week, none of this moves me. Not in the least. I don't drink or party, so the happy hour & Xmas party are wasted on me. It's nice, but, no thanks. I'm not ungrateful, just unmoved.

What about where you work? How does your employer show appreciation -- if at all?

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. we have staff appreciation days

And we get raises and bonuses quite frequently. Overall I'd say I'm lucky to be working in a very nice place.

[trackfan]

29. The only real perk is one the company doesn't know about, i.e.

I only work a few hours a month, and spend the rest of my time surfing the internet, playing the horses, drinking, etc.

Sorry, meant to reply to main post.

[GOPisEvil]

2. I work in state government.

No real "perks" except a quite liberal leave policy, good holiday schedule and decent (formerly "good") benefits.

The agency does some celebrations around major holidays, but when we want to party, we have potlucks. Bonuses? Hahahaha!

[commander bunnypants]

3. Absolutely no friggin thing

Even to get a personal day we have to donate a days salary to the United WAy. Which I absolutely refuse to do.

Man I need a new field.

DDQM

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

24. That...

Cannot be legal.

[stanwyck]

4. We're given much freedom

hardly any supervision. The idea is that the people who've been hired have the ability to make the correct decisions. So. It's great for independent thinkers. However, the positive feedback is also lacking. We're like an open classroom situation where the teachers are usually on a coffee break. Not much in the way of incentives. But most of us are hooked on the lack of scrutiny.

[mac56]

5. minimal

Shitty wages, no annual increases for the past two years, a ghastly health care package. The only "perk" is extra time off for December holidays, because we're affiliated with the nearby state university and they close on those days too.

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. we got a whopping $20 for every year we've been with the company

for a Christmas bonus this year. But that was a magestic increase from 2001 where we received photo cards of the Boss' 6 million dollar yacht.

We get all of 5 paid holidays a year.

They cancelled our SEP retirement program two months ago.

We've sacrificed 30% if our pay over the last 18 months in mandatory reductions.

So no, we don't get shit.

[Sir_Shrek]

7. Mine

1. Lunch bought for me practically everyday.
2. Health insurance and cell phone bills paid in full.
3. Occasional bonuses (two since I started working here a little less than a year ago and a yearly Christmas bonus).
4. A fair amount of office parties and get-togethers.
5. One client is an airline, so we get some perks (free upgrades, special fares) there.
6. Retirement benefits paid in full (no employee contributions, the firm pays it all)
7. Very liberal leave policy (basically, just let them know you're not coming in).
8. I work with great people (the best perk of all).


I work at a small consulting firm in DC.

[BiggJawn]

8. "Spring Fling"

They fix us lunch once a year and give us the afternoon off IF we're not "essential services"
50% off on tuituon. that includes the kids. I couldn't talk mine into coming here.
Occassional "Staff Develoment" travel. (that's cool. Went to DC for a week this fall)

But this is suppose to make up for dismal Public-Sector pay, and now they've brought in all these Private-Sector IT whiz kids with their Private-Sector headaches....

[Skittles]

9. we get nothing

pot luck lunches is it

[Loonman]

10. If I wanted perks, I'd join a country club

I prefer to just be left alone in lieu of gravy and bonus points.

[terrya]

11. We get free pizza and drinks at our monthly staff meetings.

Does that count?

I work at a small private university in the Loop in Chicago. As a systems programmer.

[Bertha Venation]

16. yeah, it counts

I just wish it were more.

[Robb]

12. Well,

the perks I get because of Mrs. Robb's job are hilarious.

Health insurance, of course. Membership at a golf course, too bad I don't golf. Membership at the spa, which is too far away to be of any use to me. Oh, and the free season ski pass.

You may now hate me.

[GOPisEvil]

14. Ummm...can I use that golf club membership?

I mean, if you're not using it...why let it go to waste? :D

[LynneSin]

13. My fortune 500 company recognizes domestic partnerships for benefits

I'm pretty proud of that although it's not a benefit that I need

:D

Edit note: And the 4 weeks vacation you get after the first year is sweet too!

[Bertha Venation]

15. we have DP benefits, too, I missed that one

It's nothing to sneeze at. It's a good benefit. But because the G-D government does not recognize my marriage yet, (1) I had to jump through several hoops to get Kathy covered, and (2) the portion of premiums I pay for her coverage is taxed.

:grr:

[radfringe]

17. perks? what are perks?

we get vacation/holiday time, no sick time or personal time

christmas bonus this year was $24 dollars and 99 cents

3% raise every year, and a slightly bigger bonus at the end of the fiscal year - use to be $250.00, last year it was $150.00 (less taxes of course)

company pays 60% of medical insurance - we pick up the rest

we get a turkey at thanksgiving, a warmed re-heated dried out dinner on paper plates around Christmas, burgers and dogs around the 4th of july, and sundaes made from cheap icecream in august

meanwhile the mother company in St. Louis, gets sick/personal time, $200 bonus at Christmas, two $400 bonuses per year, a real christmas party and a company picnic (last year's picnic featured helicopter rides)

[ikojo]

18. I work for a large health insurance company

and perks are increasingly being taken away from employees....

Just recently they took away incentive hours (if we did well on production, quality and attendance we could earn up to four hours incentive a month)

They used to let us leave an hour or so early before a holiday weekend and we just received an e mail saying that can no longer be done.

We had a Christmas party this year but we were told that will no longer be done.

To get an even 3% annual pay raise one must jump through some pretty impossible hoops. Yet the portion the employees pay for insurance went up 12% for 2004 (and remember I work for a health insurance company)

I am sure that if shrub's OT thing passes we will lose OT as well.

Do you get the idea?

[Bertha Venation]

20. Yes. I get the idea.

[geniph]

19. We don't get fancy stuff

like lunches and whatnot, but we do have a fair amount of job security, reasonable vacation and leave policies, and those of us that have a decent manager are left be and not pestered overmuch. The other advantage to working for a public school district, at least in my field, is minimal weekend/evening/holiday work - very rare for a system administrator. Plus we have the summer to get stuff done - we have to work, but most of the users are gone, so we can work without people pestering us about how crappy their computers are.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. The Mother Of All Barbecues

At a camping club. Swimming pool, soccer fields, game room, much music and dancing.

*BURP!!!*

[Lisa0825]

22. My favorite perk is every other Friday off!!! (Yes, i am home today)

It is so great! I remember at previous jobs, looking at the calendar to see ifthere would be any long weekends. I get a long weekend twice a month!

This company also contributes a percentage of your salary to a retirement acct, whether or not you contribute, and if you do, then they also match what you contribute. But the cool part is that you only have to work here one year. So, if I leave at any time, I get their money and mine.. no 3 or 5 year vestings, like Ihave seen at past employers.

Other than those two things, they are very cheap and picky!LOL

[ikojo]

25. We received notice a month ago that

the company would no longer contribute to a pension fund for those employees whose age plus years of service do not add up to 65. Since most people here are under 50 and the company has only been around 17 years we're all screwed.

Beginning in 2004, though, the company will match dollar for dollar what the employee puts in the 401k up to six percent. Free money I guess. I contribute 9% so it's like I'll be contributing 15% of my income to 401k. I just hope I'm alive when I can take it out with no penalties.

We were also told that if we take maintenance medications (meaning meds we take every month) we MUST buy them from the mail order pharmacy. The only medications that can be purchased at a brick and mortar pharmacy are those that we do not take every month, such as antibiotics or the occasional pain medication.

The vacation here sucks as well. Our vacation is bundled in with our sick time (paid time off) and I earn 5.23 hours per pay. If I call in sick I get charged an occurance and can be fired if I do it too often.

[trof]

23. Free airline travel.

Worked for TWA.
That was the only perk.
Nothing at Christmas, etc.

[Shrek]

26. I'm self-employed and the perks are fabulous

Query to lurking spelling nazis : shouldn't it be perqs since it's supposed to be short for perquisites?

I arrive when I want.

I leave when I want.

I take vacation whenever I feel like it.

On nice days I abandon the office in favor of the golf course or fishing hole.

Just for fun I write myself huge bonus checks that I never bother to cash.

I have neither a boss nor any employees, and none of the hassles associated with either (I do have a partner but I've known him for 25 years so he's not a hassle).

I can spend all day posting in the Lounge without some busybody looking over my shoulder.

[On the Road]

27. Free Phone Service at Home

of course, the telephone company is my employer.

There are very few of the office-type perks you mentioned, but there is a yearly bonus in March, which is usually more than $5,000. Maybe not this year -- the local phone business is going down the tubes.

Pretty good benefits, although I have to share costs for the health plan. Retirement could be better, but it's nothing to sneeze at. I'll be vested for retirement benefits in four years, and that's a powerful incentive to stay.

In 1990, however, I accidently won a major sales award when a large account (MCI) that I was maintaining happened to sign a huge contract. Found out how the top salesmen get treated -- four days at the Palm Springs Hilton with banquets, hot air balloons, all kinds of lavish treatment. That made me feel very special.

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. Perks?

Not getting downsized out of a job, everyday that doesn't happen, is a perk. Having to worry about it happening at all, is not. Thanks a lot George......:grr:

[Nay]

30. I gotta say, we got it made where I work.

Decent health ins.
Matched savings/retirement acct
onsite subsidized cafeteria (very cheap food)
onsite gym and exercise classes
onsite employee store
onsite doctor/nurses
year-end big party
excellent year-end bonuses if you are not a fuckup
excellent yearly raises if you are not a fuckup
good pay

and I have a boss who recognizes you if you do a good job. A miracle!

[thom1102]

31. We have a generous benefits package, courtesy of our Union...

Another telephone employee here, and I get:

dollar for dollar matching 401k up to 6%,

Immediately vested Pension benefits,

full medical benefits without contributing (strike in 1998 eliminated our 20% contribution), including dental, orthodontics, and vision.

paid vacation (<7 years= 2 wks, >7 but <15 years= 3 weeks, >15 but< 25 years=4 wks, >25 years=5 weeks)

10 sick days

4 personal days (this contract, for agreeing to the new contract early, they gave us a 5th personal day)

10 holidays (New Years, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and the Friday after, and Christmas.)

Bonus in March (usually a couple hundred dollars).

Overtime: time and a half over eight hours per day, and after 11 hours of overtime during the week, it's double time.

tuition reimbursement for selected majors.

Adoption cost reimbursement.

Domestic Partner benefits.

Paid Bereavement time.

Overall, really good, but they have scaled back. We did have a clothing allowance, team building alowance that would allow for bosses to take their team out for dinner, or what ever they would choose, other little things like this that they have scaled back on since the economy tanked.