Perks/freebies at work (not stolen/liberated items!)

[NellesVilla]

Hi,

This is a slight TAT. When trying to be positive, I thought about the good things about current and previous jobs, not just the rubbish pisstakey things workplaces do like:

• Expecting me to use my own car and have me pay for my own business insurance/low mileage reimbursement etc
• uniforms the employee must pay for
• no free tea/coffee
• shit pay job but have to pay for parking as no car park/just for management etc.
• As a TA, no paid breaks.
• No card, nothing, when leaving a job. Just charming.
• As a tutor, clients often cancelled last minute without paying me. Having to watch my blood pressure reading that back!

The one that still fucks me off a decade later is when working as a nanny, how tight some families were. Think, demanding I take the kids to the cinema to see a film I’d never choose to see, yet expecting me to pay the petrol, parking and my own ticket. If I dared to use their money for the parking or my ticket, they would get funny. Oh, and I often had to purchase food for the kids inside as no more cash. If anyone wants to know how to NOT treat a nanny, let me know!!

Anyway, the perks (little things) that I rather enjoy/have enjoyed have been:

• Free meals on duty and unlimited free tea, coffee and biscuits (why not!)
• Decent daily budget as a premium nanny (virtually unlimited if the trips were ‘educational-ish’). And not expected to pay entry for myself.
• In previous care type jobs, although no scheduled breaks, in quiet times it was lovely to just sit and watch a film with the client and take the weight off your feet for an hour or two. Bliss.
• Bonuses- big or small at Xmas and leaving card and gift- again, big or small- when leaving. One family at a tutoring job made me homemade cards when leaving- that was v sweet!
• Use of printer at work (I was permitted to do so, promise!)- really kind and helpful when I couldn’t afford a computer and printer at the time.
• Use of a house for 3+ months. Possibly outing, but a lovely employer let me use her house for a while when she went travelling. V kind of her.

I’m in the first teaching job I’ve ever had where we get free tea/coffee/milk. We also get a free sandwich when it’s parents evening and croissants on the first day of term (if it’s INSET). This is hugely bountiful compared to everywhere else I’ve worked!

Really flexible hours, my employer closes between Christmas and New year which we get in addition to a generous annual leave allowance, home working for up to four days a week, coffee machine in the office.

We get free water. That's the civil service for you

I had rent, bills and Council tax paid for at a few jobs, private healthcare, other colleagues had their children’s school fees and uni fees paid, we could use their flats in London for free if they were available - good perks but a very demanding job!

I forgot the most important ones - free lunch and cake in the tea rooms!

In a previous job around this time of year everyone got given a bunch of daffs. It made me really happy actually but wasn't popular and seen as stingy.

In current job I get loads of good ones. Free tea, decent coffee and soft drinks. Also beer and sometimes wine. (It will randomly appear in the free drink fridges.)
We have fruit and snacks in the afternoon and full breakfast and lunch provided once every couple of weeks.
We can get tickets for sports matches but that's a draw so not guaranteed.
Loads of discounts in local shops and restaurants. Also Cashback for online shopping which is better value than I can find elsewhere.
There are loads but the best one is our wellness allowance. We all get allocated an amount each month (depends on service etc.) to spend on a massive range of things. Wellness covers loads. People get gym gear, pay for courses, equipment for hobbies, scented candles, houseplants, sports massages, tennis lessons.... It makes me feel very lucky to be able to spend that money on nice things that make me happy.

Free tea and coffee
Well-being week - fruit, yoga, massage.
Monthly "target" treats - usually a buffet if we hit our billing target

Tickets to the football, cricket or races where we have a corporate box
Invitations to networking events - I chose curry club over ladies golf!
£1500 legal services
Extra day off for birthday and Christmas shopping day
Summer BBQ and Christmas Party

@PukkaP 😆, you have to laugh really, don’t you! In one of my jobs, it was seen as an honour to provide my vehicle for work and to pay for the extra wear and tear, petrol and business insurance. I’d have been quite happy with the water!

Wow, @nancy75, that’s a great perk. Do you work in the city by any chance? A previous employer offered me tickets to the Olympics once- random things like volleyball- complete waste as I’m the least sporty person ever!

Current job - tea/coffee/milk and biscuits. Plus usually cake or chocolates. Lunch/Dominoes at quarterly training/meeting things. Free parking. Uniform. Health advice/medication if needed (it's a GP surgery, if someone needs it the clinicians are happy to do urgent prescriptions, blood tests, blood pressure checks, quick physio advice etc). Used to get a Christmas meal and a £50 voucher but have been taken over by corporate overlords now so that stopped.

Previous job in a private mental health facility - free meals, outings, snacks/coffee out etc if you took the residents out for a jolly.

One place I worked, we had a contra deal going with a neighbouring cafe whereby we provided our service to them free of charge and we (about five or six of us) all got free lunch every day - and not just a sandwich either; I quite often had omelette and potato wedges or halt a chicken an rice.

Wow, @elbea!

And @PinotPony, I’d have gone for the Curry Club too!

If anyone has any advice for me as to which best perk-giving job to aim for, I’d be interested to know! Currently working in an activities’ job with autistic adults, previously a tutor. Hoping to retrain as a dog groomer.

In previous jobs i've had loads of fancy perks, free food etc.

But I wouldn't swap my (public sector) flexibility to work in a very senior role yet also do almost all the school runs for any of the private sector "freebies".

Free tea and coffee and a hot drinks machine.

I don't drink hot drinks.

NHs discounts are quite good with the blue light card
Makes up for the low wages!!!

Get them to stock ice, @Whitefire; you could have an iced latte!

Free tea and coffee, free broadband and BT Sport, free shares. Sharesave scheme.

Free parking is scraping the barrel!

@PukkaP

We get free water. That's the civil service for you

Ah but it is hot and cold

Are there really people who expect a nanny to pay her own entry fee for activities? Quite shocked by that.

To be honest, in my new job I just like working with similar like minded folk who are nice to be with

@NellesVilla to get all of the perks I worked in private service as an Estate Manager to a UHNWI. Lots of perks but also very high standards. Same perks for everyone from butlers, housekeepers, gardeners, farm workers etc…

The one that still fucks me off a decade later is when working as a nanny, how tight some families were. Think, demanding I take the kids to the cinema to see a film I’d never choose to see, yet expecting me to pay the petrol, parking and my own ticket. If I dared to use their money for the parking or my ticket, they would get funny.

I’m so annoyed I just had a fantasy argument in my head with the fictional family I never worked for who did this to me. It was over in a second but I was pissed off! Hahaha

Holidays a perk. Often the only perk.

Free hot drinks, 50% discount on food