Lack of benefits compared to parent company

[AmyJo63]

Hi, I work for an outsourced company employed by a larger firm. Its a strange setup, but basically I do the same job as my colleagues for the larger firm, however, I work in a different city. The benefits are not good & this has always been an issue for me and my colleagues.

I have just been sent a link to a folder by IT to get a programme to install (IT for the larger firm). As soon as I opened the link I noticed a power point titled employee benefits (no idea why it was in a folder used for storing computer programmes, I am guessing it has been put there in error). Nothing was marked to suggest it confidential so I opened it. It turns out the larger companies benefits are amazing compared to ours. I would put it that there benefits are worth £1,000s more than ours.

I don't feel it is appropriate to let the whole team know what I have seen (I think there would be uproar). However, if you were in this situation would you go to your manager and let them know what you had seen and question why there is such a difference when we are all doing the same job?

Thank you

[falaffels]

You need to just ignore this. Three are always differences in what various bits of a company offer.

There might be a plan to harmonise things, but suggesting that it's not fair won't be the way to do it!

You'd be more likely to get better benefits by making the case about why they're important, independent of what others get.

[AmyJo63]

@ falaffels Thanks, that is a good way to look at this. I am not looking to make a big deal of this. I would just like to know why the difference in benefits is as big as it is, and if anything can be done to bring them more in line.

[Hereward1332]

Sensibly you should of course ignore it, but I think I might be tempted to print it out on a shared printer. You might forget to pick it up though and who knows who else would see it.

[flowery]

You describe it as the “parent company” but then it sounds like that isn’t the case and instead it’s just that your employer is a completely separate entity contracted to provide xyz service to its client?

Assuming that is the case, it wouldn’t be normal for an employer to worry about matching benefits offered by a client to its own employees. Your employer is paid an amount to provide a service and how it spends that amount in terms of staffing costs, other costs and profit element will be a matter entirely for them.

[NapQueen]

Just because a folder is viewable and doesnt say confidential doesnt mean you should look. You didnt have a justifiable business cause to look in that folder so knowing now what you know is the punishment for snooping.

[daisychain01]

I think I might be tempted to print it out on a shared printer. You might forget to pick it up though and who knows who else would see it

That is irresponsible, and exactly what the OP should not do! Using a shared printer for a confidential document to which the OP had no right to access in the first place is foolhardy and could lead to disciplinary

[Shortstuff08]

I used to work in outsourcing.

Its entirely usual to not get the same benefits.