Job Perks!

[edbert]

I just wondered what kind of cool job perks you have. I personally love my job because of the perks and other little bonuses.

Every other Friday off (9/80 work schedule)
Free yogurt M-TH (vanilla and one other rotating flavor)
Free lemonade, tea, coffee all day every day
Free popcorn on Tues. and Thurs. afternoon
Library to check out books, magazines, cds and movies
Ovens set at about 200 degrees to have your frozen dinner ready by lunch
Health insurance paid for
Migraine room
Free workout room (modest but serves it's purpose)
Discounted massages onsite every Tues. and Thurs.
Automatic 10% of your salary added to your retirement account(not out of your pocket, the companies, with only 3 year vesting, unless you have outside accumulated and related service)
A week off from Christmas to New Year's
On-site cafe
All underground parking (big plus in downtown Dallas)
There are probably others, but that's all I can think of.

I just thought about this because I just got done with a massage (present from by manager since I just completed my 90 day evaluation period).

Life is good! :D

[Joelsbass]

where do you work and can you put in a good word for me??

[dane_peterson]

I work at Starbucks:

15% discount on quarterly stock purchases
Free beverages while on the clock
14% of salary Stock Option grants
Full Medical/Dental/Optical insurance plans
30% off everything

Everything listed above available for part and full-time employees.

And special management perks:
10%+ potential salary bonus
Holiday pay
80-160Hrs vacation grant (based on yrs service)
Sick time accumulates like crazy, too. :)

I guess it's pretty standard, but I enjoy it.

[wallstreet]

That's some pretty good perks. Health insurance paid in full! That's amazing to see these days. The main perk I look for is $$ followed by vacation time. I'm starting a new job tomorrow, so I'm anxious to see the perks myself.

[Fireman32]

Those are great perks. We get bagels on friday mornings and free coffee and thats it.

[shack]

I get paid enough to get all the superfluous stuff (bagels, popcorn, massages, etc...), IF I wanted them. I get 25 days a year for ANY reason (includes sick days, family leave, vacation), 10 paid holidays, the company pays about 50% of medical insurance, pays the premium for 1X annual salary for life insurance, 100% match on 401K up to 6% of salary depending on profitablily (50% guaranteed). I would rather the company take care of profitablity since I have a considerable amount of stock and stock options than to spend too much on perks.

Of course...companies that offer all that stuff are quick to yank it if times get tough. Perks tend to get out of hand because they think they are doing well. I have found that companies that do offer that level of perks generally aren't paying enough attention to managing costs. They may be a privately owned company with no stockholders to take care of.

It's good for you they give them I guess.

[Jstas]

Wow, I never considered health insurance a "perk" but rather compensation. I get full benefits also, not just doctors but dental, eye care and a prescription plan. Same goes with 401k compensation packages and stock options. To me, a perk is a company car or free skybox tickets at a ball game or racing event.

I was feeling bad until everyone started mentioning thier paid time off packages (vacation, sick days, personal business days, etc,...) I currently have 420+ hours of vacation banked plus 40 hours of "floating holiday" time plus 80 hours of comp time plus 192 hours of sick leave plus 40 hours of personal business. I rarely use any of it but my vacation time is capped at 400 hours. If I have more than that at the end of the year, I get paid out for any hour over 400. I accruse 10 hours of vacation time a month. The most I can have is 520 in the 4th week of December. That's 3 months and 1 week of vacation. The pay out would be 120 hours which is essentially 1 month of straight time.

I have a slew of major discounts on everything from cars and trucks to cable TV service. As far as perks in the work place, I'm lucky if management buys lunch every once in a while. Even then, it's usually attached to the idea that they want me to work through lunch to meet another impossible deadline. I gotta pay for everything else myself. The employees usually band together and get a coffee/donut club going or a "snack shop" where people take turns getting coffee, donuts or other snacks and everybody either puts cash in at the beginning of the week/month or it's a pay as you go thing.

That might suck to other people but it could be worse. I could be unemployed.

[Danny Tse]

The only job perk here at my government job is 9/80 work schedule. Although some employees here do the 9/80 work schedule AND telecommute at the time (despite it being not allowed).

Oh, I get a holiday on Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Martin Luther King's Day, and Columbus Day. In addition to all other normal day offs. Otherwise, no job perks such as gym, massage, free food, cost-of-living salary adjustment, etc. Have to pay for coffee....and the water is from the bathroom (we don't have one single break room in the whole building).

Hmmm....I don't think extra heavy-duty chairs made by our state's prisoners would be considered a perk, right?

[polrbehr]

Hmmm... never gave it much thought, but we do OK, I guess.

4 weeks VayK (goes to 5 for me next January ;) )
12 paid sick days (can be used as personal if notice is given)
3 paid personal days
12 holidays @ time and a half (11 Fed. + B-Day)
Company paid training/certification for firearms, First Aid, CPR


Actual perk? All the free tax assistance you can gets your hands on!
Maybe I should look for another job?

[Joelsbass]

wow, you guys are making me think my job sucks... pay is decent but vacation maxes out at 4 weeks after 15 years with the company. I got one week this year and I'll get 2 next year... No sick leave or personal days... we get all the standard holidays off, 2 days for the 4th of July, 2 for Christmas, 2 for New Years. I've gotta cover $24 a week for my health, vision, dental, and short term disability.

They do pay $.35 into our 401k for each hour worked and match your contributions up to 3% of your earnings. and we have tuition reimbursement for any degree applicable to the company, 100% for anything C and up, plus 50% on books.

that last parts about the only reason I plan on staying for a while...

Doesn't help much that the company's trying to bust our union right now... contract is coming up in a couple of months and they're pulling every stunt they can think of, regardless of whether or not it's legal...