April 16, 2010 at 10:06 am
kennydevries (4/16/2010)
First off, I am self employed as a consultant, and just give me the money.😎
I hope that sooner or later, you realize that money is NOT everything. I too did the consulting bit from 1981 thru 2000 and had my own company ( just me folks...I do it all...kinda thing). I found out that trying to "do it all" wasn't worth the aggravation or the money. After the flop of Y2K, contracts dried up so, working for someone else was the only way to pay the bills, at a huge cut in my monthly income.
Talk about an eye opener. The switch back to "employee" was mind blowing, but again, it paid the bills. Some consultant friends hung in there and continued to try to find contracts, hoping for "that one deal that will get me back on my feet".... But that doesn't work in consulting, especially if you have family to feed every day. So, I closed my consultancy and went to work for my local county government and I haven't looked back.
Chasing the big bucks as a consultant is ok, but as life takes you down the road, you will find that big bucks don't necessarily last, nor will they help you when the road forks...or hits a deadend.
April 16, 2010 at 10:25 am
ken.trock (4/16/2010)
You're kidding, right? You don't really have a heated indoor olympic size heated pool, do you? I thought we had everything health-wise at my company and I tease our gym coaches in a good-natured way about needing to build a pool. 🙂
Speaking of unappreciated gifts, back in the late 90s I worked for a financial services company. This was right around the near collapse of all those hedge funds. One year our bonuses were minimal cash and some vague sounding options on future earnings for the company. A lot of people were none too happy at the time. But the sector flourished and it turned out those options were worth their weight in gold.
But that's still only money 😀 I work for a good company where most perks are provided. I think the one "extra" I could use now is recognition in the form of a boost in employee band or job title.
Ken
Not kidding. They have all kinds of aquatic classes. We also have in-house personal trainers.
April 16, 2010 at 11:04 am
I work for a SMB beverage alcohol import agency . . .
As compensation we receive . . .
Competitive pay (reviewed ad-hoc,) flex time, work from home, health benefits, performance bonus, profit sharing, expense account (within reason,) comp time, 4 weeks vacation (after 5yrs.,) cell phone, laptop, training (whenever / whatever needed,) car allowance (or mileage.)
Since it's a SMB - the rules are a bit flexible & we tend to listen to each other.
i.e. - I can call the president day or night - and he'll answer the call!
My boss is a great guy (and very accommodating!)
We tend to work as a team rather than employee/employer.
Time off for any family issue(s) is never questioned in anyway.
Your child got sick at school - go get them. Worry about work later.
Mom / Dad / spouse in the hospital? - The president would literally hunt you down and physically escort you out the door to go see them (and order you not to come back until they're better - if he found out you were in the office while a family member was that sick.)
For the company's 30th anniversary . . .
All the people in head office received a 30YO bottle of Grant's whisky as a thank you.
In a previous business trip (to the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown.)
All attendees received a 30YO personalized bottle of Glenfiddich (with our names on the label) and signed by the master blender (David Stewart.)
We perform wine/spirits tastings/samplings, blind taste tests & product information seminars in house.
(Staff are encouraged to attend and increase their product knowledge.)
Xmas and Easter 'round here is pretty nice too.
There's usually some extra stocking stuffers on the Friday before the holiday(s.)
I don't really know what else I could ask for . . . ?
Now - mind you . . .
It is fully expected that (if needed) you will work weekends / stay late / etc.
You & your spouse / significant other will attend after hours galas / functions / events / etc.
It is a business and the work needs to get done . . .
(but you are allowed to enjoy yourself while you're doing it!)
Free Expert Advice . . .
http://xkcd.com/627/
Mark
April 16, 2010 at 11:15 am
I never said that doing consulting is entirely risk free.
Getting paid what I am worth (in my mind) along with the freedom do come and go as I please is more important to me than anything an employer can offer in terms of "benefits." Reading what some people accept as gratification for a job well done or long hours is very interesting. To each their own, I suppose. It reminds me of a saying that a client used to tell me all the time, "you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate."
Whenever I am offered an FTE position, I do the math. The numbers don't lie. Then, there is all the red tape and company mumbo jumbo they make you put up with in return for that special coffee mug or desk clock purchased in bulk (at a net cost of 5 bucks each) from Wal Mart.
I'll take my chances on a good reputation in the industry, good contacts, a list of satisfied clients, repeat business, and cold hard cash in my pocket any day.
I told you up fron that I am a bit of a mercenary!:-D
April 16, 2010 at 11:16 am
mark.pleasance (4/16/2010)
I work for a SMB beverage alcohol import agency . . .As compensation we receive . . .
Competitive pay (reviewed ad-hoc,) flex time, work from home, health benefits, performance bonus, profit sharing, expense account (within reason,) comp time, 4 weeks vacation (after 5yrs.,) cell phone, laptop, training (whenever / whatever needed,) car allowance (or mileage.)
Since it's a SMB - the rules are a bit flexible & we tend to listen to each other.
i.e. - I can call the president day or night - and he'll answer the call!
My boss is a great guy (and very accommodating!)
We tend to work as a team rather than employee/employer.
Time off for any family issue(s) is never questioned in anyway.
Your child got sick at school - go get them. Worry about work later.
Mom / Dad / spouse in the hospital? - The president would literally hunt you down and physically escort you out the door to go see them (and order you not to come back until they're better - if he found out you were in the office while a family member was that sick.)
For the company's 30th anniversary . . .
All the people in head office received a 30YO bottle of Grant's whisky as a thank you.
In a previous business trip (to the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown.)
All attendees received a 30YO personalized bottle of Glenfiddich (with our names on the label) and signed by the master blender (David Stewart.)
We perform wine/spirits tastings/samplings, blind taste tests & product information seminars in house.
(Staff are encouraged to attend and increase their product knowledge.)
Xmas and Easter 'round here is pretty nice too.
There's usually some extra stocking stuffers on the Friday before the holiday(s.)
I don't really know what else I could ask for . . . ?
Now - mind you . . .
It is fully expected that (if needed) you will work weekends / stay late / etc.
You & your spouse / significant other will attend after hours galas / functions / events / etc.
It is a business and the work needs to get done . . .
(but you are allowed to enjoy yourself while you're doing it!)
Sounds like a great place to work! Curious, not if they are hiring, but where are you located?
April 16, 2010 at 11:44 am
The absolute BEST reward I have ever received for hard work was an all-expense-paid trip for my family to Disney World. My boss even placed "gross it up" on the order so that the TAXES on the reward would be covered.
What a boss! The best ever!
April 16, 2010 at 11:56 am
mark.hammond (4/16/2010)
The absolute BEST reward I have ever received for hard work was an all-expense-paid trip for my family to Disney World. My boss even placed "gross it up" on the order so that the TAXES on the reward would be covered.What a boss! The best ever!
Awesome!!
April 16, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Could be any of a number of things:
1. An office
2. A paid for trip
3. A week off free with pay(above usual time off)
4. A day a week I can come in 2 hours late
5. Better medical care
6. A bigger better faster PC
M.
Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!
April 16, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Lynn Pettis (4/16/2010)
mark.pleasance (4/16/2010)
I work for a SMB beverage alcohol import agency . . .As compensation we receive . . .
Competitive pay (reviewed ad-hoc,) flex time, work from home, health benefits, performance bonus, profit sharing, expense account (within reason,) comp time, 4 weeks vacation (after 5yrs.,) cell phone, laptop, training (whenever / whatever needed,) car allowance (or mileage.)
Since it's a SMB - the rules are a bit flexible & we tend to listen to each other.
i.e. - I can call the president day or night - and he'll answer the call!
My boss is a great guy (and very accommodating!)
We tend to work as a team rather than employee/employer.
Time off for any family issue(s) is never questioned in anyway.
Your child got sick at school - go get them. Worry about work later.
Mom / Dad / spouse in the hospital? - The president would literally hunt you down and physically escort you out the door to go see them (and order you not to come back until they're better - if he found out you were in the office while a family member was that sick.)
For the company's 30th anniversary . . .
All the people in head office received a 30YO bottle of Grant's whisky as a thank you.
In a previous business trip (to the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown.)
All attendees received a 30YO personalized bottle of Glenfiddich (with our names on the label) and signed by the master blender (David Stewart.)
We perform wine/spirits tastings/samplings, blind taste tests & product information seminars in house.
(Staff are encouraged to attend and increase their product knowledge.)
Xmas and Easter 'round here is pretty nice too.
There's usually some extra stocking stuffers on the Friday before the holiday(s.)
I don't really know what else I could ask for . . . ?
Now - mind you . . .
It is fully expected that (if needed) you will work weekends / stay late / etc.
You & your spouse / significant other will attend after hours galas / functions / events / etc.
It is a business and the work needs to get done . . .
(but you are allowed to enjoy yourself while you're doing it!)
Sounds like a great place to work! Curious, not if they are hiring, but where are you located?
True, but one expectation that might hold people back is you & your spouse / significant other attending after hours galas / functions / events / etc. That's a real hardship. :laugh:
April 16, 2010 at 12:22 pm
One place I worked, my team (there were 3 of us) worked 69-80 hour weeks for about 9 months so that we could get a project out the door. we originally had a bit longer according to the schedule but we were asked to complete it early so that it could b demonstrated at an industry show. As an incentive, we were promised a week off that wouldn't count against our vacation or sick leave. Well as it began to look like we might make the deadline, that week off turned into a steak dinner for each of us and our spouses. As the final couple of weeks came and it was readily apparent we would make the deadline, those steak dinners turned into "Team T-Shirts". Wen we made the deadline, they demonstrated the product, and the company meeting came, those "Team T-Shirts" were handed out to everyone in the company including some of the developers on the mainframe team who would walk out on us at 17:00 when we were trying to run tests that required their presence.
Needless to say, one of the ngs I do NOT want to hear offered is a "Team T-shirt". 😉
However, after reviewing some of the other responses, I'm torn between my original (new, really nice laptop) answer and "being able to work from home at least 50% of the time.
As for our mercenary friend who just wants to be shown the money . . . I, too, have been a Road Warrior/Mercenary/Hired Gun and I can symptahize. If I were working as a 1099, I'd want my clients to show their apprecion mostly with money (my company would handle the other perks ;-). However, I did a gig where I developed a Wine and Liquor Wholsealer Order Entry, Invoicing, nventory Management, and Tax Reporting system and one of the really nice perks while I was working on that was the odd sample bottles of wine that I was given. (In fact, I was told to destory 42 cases of damaged bottles of a particular chardoney . . . no matter how long it took. 😉
Ralph D. Wilson II
Development DBA
"Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax."
A. Lincoln
April 16, 2010 at 1:04 pm
bwillsie-842793 (4/16/2010)
I knew one startup business owner who made it a point of standing at the door at quiting time on Friday afternoon and personally thanking each employee for the work they had done that week.It cost nothing, but certainly meant a lot to everyone that worked for him. When he passed away a few years later virtually every person who had ever worked for him attended his funeral.
This is the best story I ever heard about just being told how much your effort is appreciated.
As with many others, I would want more time: comp. time, one more week of vacation (no two just isn't enough!) but my biggest wish would be the ability to work from home just one day a week. I can access my desktop remotely, and it would be completely transparent to the people I support. (It will never happen - they won't even consider it.)
April 16, 2010 at 1:13 pm
A bonus is nice, but unfortunately 40% of it goes to the government.
I worked at a startup that would occasionally have barbecues in the afternoon on a workday, usually cooked by the senior staff. They were always a blast. 😀 One time they bought all of us Razor scooters and we had races in the parking lot. I still have that scooter and my kids ride it all the time.
I also worked for a consulting firm that would have monthly team building activities. One of them was a trip to an indoor Kart racing facility.
I definitely remember these perks, don't remember the times I got a monetary bonus.
April 16, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Hi Lynn,
It is a really good company to work for.
The company's called PMA Canada Ltd.
(Peter Mielzynski Agencies)
We're a national organization (offices in every province.)
Family owned (William Grant's & Sons)
Family operated (Peter Mielzynski Sr. & Jr.)
Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
We're growing . . .
but not hiring just yet.
M
Free Expert Advice . . .
http://xkcd.com/627/
Mark
April 16, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I appreciate the thank yous and recognition. I also appreciate when that recognition is in the form of gifts, cards, money, incentives. It is good to know that other people appreciate your work and value your work. Appreciation is very valuable and can make one extremely satisfied with their employer.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
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April 16, 2010 at 2:53 pm
RalphWilson (4/16/2010)
...Needless to say, one of the ngs I do NOT want to hear offered is a "Team T-shirt". 😉However, after reviewing some of the other responses, I'm torn between my original (new, really nice laptop) answer and "being able to work from home at least 50% of the time.
As for our mercenary friend who just wants to be shown the money . . . I, too, have been a Road Warrior/Mercenary/Hired Gun and I can symptahize. If I were working as a 1099, I'd want my clients to show their apprecion mostly with money (my company would handle the other perks ;-). However, I did a gig where I developed a Wine and Liquor Wholsealer Order Entry, Invoicing, nventory Management, and Tax Reporting system and one of the really nice perks while I was working on that was the odd sample bottles of wine that I was given. (In fact, I was told to destory 42 cases of damaged bottles of a particular chardoney . . . no matter how long it took. 😉
I have only worked for a couple of large corporations. Most of my experience has been with startups or small firms. By far, the large corporation IT positions I have had were the lowest paid with the least respect shown to employees. I felt like No. 6 in "The Village" trying to get anything accomplished. However, nothing I can remember was as lame and insulting as your story. If a company had done that to me, I would have donned my walking shoes the next day and I would tell them exactly why.
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