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.

Yes, @DaffTheDoggo and @Jedsnewstar, it’s shocking how some people treat nannies. Maybe my issue was getting too friendly with the families and they thought taking their kids out was solely ‘fun time’ for me, not my actual job where I needed to make money to live off!

I am child-free but if I had a nanny or tutor for my non-existent kids, I would know how to treat them and keep them!

Respect and credit to good employers though- some are lovely! I worked for one very well known woman in the entertainment industry and although she was mad as a box of frogs, she was an incredible person: generous, kind, fun and frank and open!

They didn't mind us charging mobile phones, I'm not there anymore.

Best job perk was a tour of the Harry Potter studios and also got to see Elton play quite a small gig!

Current job, not much at all.

In a market economy the idea is that shite employers who provide nothing struggle to keep staff.

Why does the public sector assume it can treat staff so badly..

@Pinkflask

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!

You know that the Headteacher will be paying for them?

Sometimes when I actually come into the office, which is extremely rare, our department admin will leave a small care package with assorted snacks at my guest workstation.

We once got a gym bag with a company logo on it. That was 20 odd years ago. Haven’t gotten any swag since. It is the perfect weekend travel bag though. Just the right pockets, excellent opening design, comfortable handle, and a nice sturdy canvas. I still use it.

Dentistry, so never pay for any dental treatment! A definite perk of the job, even though we make the worst patients 😂

I work in a live event venue

Free city centre car parking
Free tickets to loads of shows, free/discount for guest
Free tickets to shows at other venues when they need bums on seats

Would be awesome if it wasn't for working from home since I started and nearly every show I put my name down for being cancelled due to covid 😂

Today 20:55 TheHoptimist

Pinkflask
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!
You know that the Headteacher will be paying for them?

At our school the parents provide this.

I'm in academia... I don't get many financial perks, but I do get my own office and can work flexitime to a large extent when not teaching. That's a real bonus.

My current employer we get free tea, coffee, squash and fruit all week in the offices.
Hampers at Christmas with booze and food
But the best thing was during the lockdown / school closures they lent every child of an employee a chromebook to use for homeschool….was amazing

For people like @PukkaP complaining about civil service / public sector - do you get a final salary pension though? Appreciate all don't, but many do, I get a bit frustrated when my family in the public sector complain about lack of perks, but also have great pensions, much more ability to have reasonable adjustments made and to take and return from long term sick leave, and far more part time work opportunities. Lots of tough bits too and some roles are of course very hard for low pay, but it's not all bad.

Best perk for me is always a real commitment flexibility, as a single parent it means so much.

In one past job I got to see a lot of celebrities, and that was quite fun, and always good for chatting about afterwards - especially when they look or behave nothing like you expect.

Catered lunches
Fruit, cereal, tea, bread, milk, coffee plus fridge, sandwich press, toaster
Maid service to come by desk several times a day to collect cups, plates
morning or afternoon tea
Friday drinks
laptop, phone
freebies from clients, tickets, hats, shirts

Not all at the same place

Free hot drinks (although quality not amazing)
Free on site swimming pool
Weekly fruit basket
Option to buy additional annual leave (or sell over the statutory minimum)
Option to work bank holidays and take the day's leave another time
Flexitime
On site showers
Extremely subsidised public transport

None of those make up for a toxic, bullying workplace though. Just nice add ons.

Health advice from Consultants and other specialists. Inside info on which surgeon to choose if you need surgery.

Reading with intrigue

Subsidised massage that we dont need to flex out for.

Cost price perfumes, make up etc. Work in pharmacy. Great at Christmas when I can spend £20-£40 on a perfume/aftershave that is RRP £80-120. Independent pharmacy, mind, not a massive chain

A long long time ago I had free pizza/burgers/pizza/kebabs/junk food, and cans of pop. Horrible job though.

@NellesVilla

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!

No, I work in tennis! I don’t actually like tennis that much, DH likes Wimbledon so we go but I’ve never stepped four on the tennis court

@DistrictCommissioner

I actually can’t think of any (work for local government). I think I can use my ID badge as a discount for some places though.

Oh I do get free parking in the car park at work.

Same here. Free parking only. I remember the huffing many years back when Facilities stopped providing litttle packs of lovely Border biscuits in the meeting rooms.

Lots of additional holidays, great healthcare package, WFH and work pay my mobile phone and internet. Lots of promo cups, hoodies etc. Free barista coffee shop and breakfast for any staff in the office. Hamper of goodies at Christmas. Free tickets for our local football team. Lots of free exercise classes and wellbeing sessions. Free legal advice. We also used to get free entry to lots of clubs and restaurant openings and also end of year perks such as an all expenses paid trip to london etc. I bloody love my job andrealise I am very lucky!

@BurbageBrook

I'm in academia... I don't get many financial perks, but I do get my own office and can work flexitime to a large extent when not teaching. That's a real bonus.

We moved to a new, purpose built building. Only the 8 members of senior leadership get an office. I’m in a big open plan with about 30 others. It’s fucking awful, and I spend half my day trying to find a private space for a phone call. (I run a professional service.)

I’m racking my brains to think what we get. No tea/coffee/milk, no free parking, no cheap food in the union (staff pay a higher rate), no bonuses or freebies.

Ummm we’ve a Covid test centre on campus, so I can pick up my LFTs there… Saves me going to a pharmacy. Very limited flexibility, but that’s largely my ShitBoss; I’m a delight as a manager. 😜

Drinks, fruit, parking, BUPA. We have a masseuse who comes in once a month.

Best of all though is that the vending machines have been on FREE VEND for those who've been going in since the office opened again. Happy days.

I’m pretty sure neither head nor parents pay for our tea/coffee! It’s a college with in-house catering so I think it’s an arrangement with the cafe rather than the munificence of the principal (it’s really not his style…)