A Cool Perk

  • Chris,

    There is a similar situation here where I work.  A great bunch of people who are dedicated to the role and all get along well together as well as the occasional Friday arvo disappearing act (in which I don't participate as I don't drink but I don't mind holding down the shop for a couple of hours )

    We also have showers and a locker room in the building which means that I can ride the 33km to work (bicycle) in summer and have my clothes in the locker ready to go right after my shower

    It's pretty cold here at the moment (by Aussie standards, of course - this means that it gets down to about 5-to-10-degrees C in the morning ) so I've been riding the motorbike in and I get free parking in the corporate carpark under the building because I can tuck it into a corner that can't be used for anything else.

    I've got a great job at the moment

    A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

  • Best perk would be to hire people for specialized technical roles.

    I'm a programmer but i'm also expected to play the roles of DBA, Network Admin, PBX admin, system admin for a dozen servers (keep up with patches, backups, etc).  It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.

    Not that I don't mind the fact that i've only worked here for a little over a year but i'm the most important person in IT.    I just wish we had someone with some real knowedge in the areas.

    We've had some nice perks in recent months.  We get to get to work from home one day a week.  Been a bit swamped with projects last 2-3 months so i haven't had a chance to use it though... We also just got a Hi-Def DLP projector and an 8 foot projection screen put into our work area.  They ran in cable with all the premium channels.  Rules are no tv until after 5 but it's nice so after 5 if we're going to be working late we fire up the tv.  Been doing friday night movie nights too with it.  bring in some brews and order a few pizzas. 

     

  • Already have the best one...just 5 minutes from work. And no, I cannot see the building from where I live!

  • I think the biggest perk for me would be a good chair and mouse that it ergonomically correct. I've worked in several different offices, and each one has had their own version of what is ergonomically correct. Last year I had to go see a doctor for pain in my back which comes from using my mouse with my whole arm. I can't reach it otherwise. I can't imagine what my poor body is going to be like in 30 years after working in front of a computer.

    The only other one I can think of it better control of the air conditioning. We discovered recently that one of the controls was above a programmers monitor. We were all freezing and discovered that the heat of the monitor was making the air conditioning come on all the time. Somebody planned that one well.

  • Very nice suggestions!

    Tell your boss about this thread.

  • Oh yeah, and in the case of Loner and his thread about dodgy bosses, who's going to read it to his boss?

    A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

  • Katie, something which may help is a fixed-leg chair i.e. one with four legs and no castors. It's very different sitting on one of these as opposed to the 5-leg wheelie so-called ergonomic jobs. Before switching nearly a year ago, I'd had back issues for three or four years. Now I'm fine. It's not an overnight thing, takes a few weeks to settle down, but the difference is simple: pain vs no pain.

    I really don't want to scare you but if you are stressing your lower back daily then you run the risk of it seizing, triggered by lifting / carrying / bending / twisting. The lower back muscles go into spasm, similar to having a cramp in your leg or foot except that it's really big muscles and you can't stretch them like you can with your foot or leg. It's eyewateringly painful and can take days (with diclofenac / diazepam / tramadol) or even weeks (massage, acupuncture) to sort itself out, during which time movement is severely restricted.

    So don't wait 30 years!

    Good luck

    ChrisM

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden

  • Katie,

    Everything Chris said is right-on. At one point I was literally on my back for 4 days not even able to stand long enough to make a sandwich.

    The solution for me was to move the mouse under the desk and to attend some combo of abs/pilates/yoga and any other core bulder a few times a week.

  • UK seems to be pretty good for holiday then.

    Here I get 22 days normal holiday + bank holidays, plus 1 day per month if we make the hours up (flexi time).

    Sports facilities on site,grasscourt, hardcourt + indoor tennis, squash courts,  9 hole golf course, cheap bar.....

    It's a pretty good environment to be honest!

Viewing 9 posts - 31 through 38 (of 38 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply