what benefits do you get? by Alison Green on August 10, 2017 A couple of years ago, in an effort to take some of the mystery out of salaries, I ran a post asking people to share how much money they make, their job, and their geographic region. It ended up being one of the most popular posts on the site, and we did it again early this year. Now let’s do the same thing for benefits. If you’re willing to play, here are the rules: 1. Put your job title in the “user name” field, which will make it appear in bold, which will be easier for people to scan. 2. List the following info: your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) your geographic area your years of experience a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get (If you want to be anonymous, don’t put your email address in the email field if you don’t want it linked to your Gravatar, if you have one.) You may also like:how much money do you make?how much should years of service matter when setting salaries?my friend was horrified that I asked an interviewer what the job pays { 1,002 comments }
ceiswyn* August 10, 2017 at 11:05 am Senior Technical Writer UK 15-20 years’ experience 25 days of vacation base, plus 1 per year of service to a maximum of 30 Private health insurance (which I’ve never used, because this is the UK) through a scheme that also provides other perks such as reduced price gym memberships (which I have used a lot!) Salary sacrifice pension scheme, with company matching up to 5%
Library director* August 10, 2017 at 11:06 am I run a public library serving a quarter million people in the suburbs of a large Midwestern city. I’ve been doing this for two years and have a total of fourteen years in the industry. I earn four weeks’ vacation per year plus three floating holidays and three personal leave days. It’s a government agency, so I pay into a pension fund, and my employer pays something like 12 percent of my salary into it. I think I pay about 4 percent – not certain. I earn twelve sick days per year.
Library Director* August 10, 2017 at 12:02 pm Mine are similar. 90,000+ people. Southern gulf state. 20 vacation days 12 sick days 3 personal days 9 paid holidays State retirement system with 6% paid in by the library, I pay in 4% We have to buy small business health insurance and cover 85% of premiums for employees I don’t use the health insurance so I started receiving a bonus to cover supplemental–my suggestion since it’s cheaper for us I have 10 years at this library
Another Library Director* August 10, 2017 at 12:22 pm I’m also a public library director for a smallish system in the southeast US. I’ve been in this position for 3 years and in the profession for about 10. My salary is mediocre, but the benefits are relatively good. Annually, I earn 12 days of vacation (which increases with years of service – at 5 years, I’ll get 15 days.) I also get 11 paid holiday days and 12 sick days annually. I’m exempt, but I accumulate comp time if I work more than my standard 37.5 hour workweek. We also have paid bereavement leave, paid time off if closed for severe weather and a very small amount (4 hours!) available for community service related activities. Employer pays 100% for my basic insurance plan, but there are options to pay extra for premium plans. Dental, vision, etc are extra. About 7% of my pay goes into a pension fund, which my county matches. Also, random benefits for government employees like cell phone and gym discounts, credit union access, etc.
Chief Strategy Officer* August 10, 2017 at 3:46 pm 1. I am a senior executive overseeing all marketing and new business functions for a 50+ person professional service firm. All marketing strategies and programs run through my approval and with the support of my department. We also handle all inbound sales efforts. I’m additionally overseeing outbound sales on an interim basis. I spend a lot of time managing my team, writing public-facing materials, networking, attending pitches and thinking of new revenue-generating business lines. 2. NYC adjacent 3. 15 years professional experience; 8.5 in management positions; 5 in senior management 4. Unlimited PTO and sick days, and unlimited remote work with flexible work hours – basically, as long as the work gets done, I can do it from wherever I want, whenever I want. I don’t use my company’s benefits but we pay 75% of health insurance premiums and have absorbed all increases over the past decade. No 401k match but generous commission plan and revenue sharing on new business lines.
Academic Library Director* August 10, 2017 at 4:33 pm I run a small academic library at a community college in the Midwest. This is my 6th year in the position but I have over 14 years in the profession. As an administrator I receive 2 vacation days a month, 12 sick days a year and one personal day per year. We will have 11 paid holiday days this year. Health insurance is fully covered by the institution for myself and my family. I pay for vision and dental. 401K is matched, up to 8.5%. It’s a great gig and pretty amazing benefits, considering we were paying 1/2 of the health insurance with my husband’s company to the tune of $1,600 a month prior to accepting this position in 2011.
Librarian* August 11, 2017 at 12:10 pm Librarian (cataloger) in a public library Part-time (20 hr) Chicago suburbs 20 days vacation (will start earning 21 days as I’ve just crossed 15 years here) 10 holidays 3 personal days sick days accrue at 1 day/month Dental insurance No health insurance No longer have vision (when they redid our health insurance a few years ago they couldn’t decouple it from vision, so us part-timers lost our vision insurance) Access to EAP benefits IMRF pension (municipal workers’ fund)
Corporate library director* August 12, 2017 at 2:10 am Thought I’d add some international perspective for fun! I manage a corporately owned library in South Korea. It’s part of our company’s brand efforts so my background is actually in marketing, about 8 years. Leave: 20 PTO days a year Insurance and pension: Both are nationalized, company pays 50% (this is standard nationwide). Both are less than USD 250 a month. Other: 3 months paid maternity leave, 1 year unpaid childcare leave, various other paid leaves for bereavement, health, significant family birthdays (like parents’ 70th) etc., vacation and monetary stipends for family events (marriages, births, anniversaries, deaths), access to free corporately owned daycares around the city, flex hours if you’re working at the corporate headquarters, etc.
Project Manager / Editor (Academic Publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 11:07 am 1. Job: Project Manager / Editor: work on manuscript revisions and oversee production lifecycle of digital projects (LMS, quiz platforms, ebooks, etc.) 2. Boston, MA 3. 7 years in the industry, 9 years overall work experience 4. Time Off: 3 weeks vacation, 1 week PTO, 1 week extra and “unofficial” comp time after our busy period, 3 floating holidays, 1 week sick time Retirement: 4% and my 401K vested immediately Health Insurance: Company pays 80% of premium for PPO, but for dental we get $2,500 maximum covered, which is a lot Other benefits: Summer is our busy period, but in September – May, everyone regularly works 10 – 4 and takes two hour lunches because there’s nothing to do. I can set my own schedule, so I usually work 10:30 – 6:00 during a busy period, but other people leave as early as 2 PM. It’s one of those “don’t care when you come in as long as you get work done” environments.
Project Manager / Editor (Academic Publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 11:50 am I wonder! Was it in Copley?
Johr* August 10, 2017 at 1:51 pm If this is where I think it is, I interviewed there when I was a new grad hoping to become a proofreader. They told me they wanted to hire me for that position but would I interview with this other team because of my Quark experience? I did, and never heard back from anyone ever again!
crazycatlady* August 11, 2017 at 5:17 pm Ha! I think I used to work there too, or for your competitor in the same area. I was hired on a rolling six-month contract, and was let go at the two-year mark, the point where I would have otherwise transitioned to permanent, because there was a hiring freeze. It’s a very sketchy policy. Nevertheless, being let go was the best thing that ever happened to me. I work in fundraising now and absolutely love it.
Recent ed tech grad* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am This is so interesting! I’m a recent ed school grad (from an ed tech program you’re probably familiar with in the area) and I’m interested in this type of work. I know it’s a little OT, but would you mind sharing a little about your skills/training? Or any tips about making yourself competitive for these sort of positions?
Project Manager / Editor (Academic Publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 2:32 pm I work for one of the Big 4 academic publishers and I actually wouldn’t recommend it. Profits are so low (and getting lower each year) that there have been massive layoffs each year I’ve worked in the industry, and so much is being shipped overseas. I used to be able to work with authors on manuscripts, and now I mostly receive the manuscript and send it right to India for proofreading. I used to create digital projects myself, now I just cut a purchase order and send it to a vendor. At this point, it’s all about quantity and not about quality. The tech is about five years behind (if not more) than the smaller edtech companies or vendors, and is constantly buggy. I’ve been looking to switch industries and everyone I know is as well. It’s something that’s going to continue going downhill for the foreseeable future, so it’s not a stable industry and turnover in lower level jobs is high due to lack of opportunities. That said, if you are still interested, I have a BA and MA in English. Your degree might help you better if you’re looking at the tech side, but most departments care about experience. With a BA and MA and no relevant experience (or even with just internships), you’ll have a good chance starting as an assistant or proofreader. Knowing the relevant tech the company uses would help, especially if it’s a product that company created. Basic understanding of websites, CMS or LMS platforms, and project management tools. Experience talking with customers and clients, or experience participating in Skype calls and talking someone through a project (whether it’s revisions on a manuscript/paper or troubleshooting a digital project). For editorial, any experience writing and editing helps. I got my first job with just a BA in English, but I was a writing tutor in college and applied for an English Comp editorial assistant position that published a lot of the books I used as a tutor. So I was able to talk myself into a position based on my knowledge as a tutor editing papers, freelance editing experience, and knowledge of the titles the company published. The hard part is that in my company, and the previous two I worked at (also big 4 academic houses), a lot of the entry level jobs were cut or are being sent to vendors. So you really need to network with people or add anything I mentioned above to your resume to even get considered. I’ve had it easy because each time I’ve moved jobs, I came from a competitor, and most of the big 4 companies snatch up anyone from a competitor. It’s a small, incestuous industry.
Recent ed tech grad* August 11, 2017 at 2:26 pm Thanks so much for sharing all of this! People from my program often get generic advice to apply for jobs at publishing companies, Big 4 and local ones, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right fit for me. It sounds like it’s a really tough market, and I had been hoping this career change would position me in something with more growth. (And actually just today I got a job offer for something in higher education, so I’m very excited!) Good luck with your search!
Information Security Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:40 pm That is a lot for dental. Ours only goes up to $1500, and insurance only pays 50% costs. We have great benefits overall, but the dental needs improvement.
Red Reader* August 10, 2017 at 1:53 pm Dental insurance in general is kind of a racket for anything above basic cleanings, she said through her $26,000 (out of pocket, even with ‘excellent’ dental insurance) teeth. :P
Information Security Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 2:09 pm Yeah in all the health care debates raging on, dental tends to get overlooked.
Ego Chamber* August 10, 2017 at 7:40 pm Which is really short-sighted, with all the studies showing minor dental infections increasing risk of damn near everything (because the immune system is busy dealing with your teeth and can’t clear other infections as easily as when it’s not preoccupied). There’s also the part about how dental work is more costly for lower income workers, who don’t have spare cash to go to regular appointments and will only go in emergency situations when things are intolerable—ask me how much of my credit card debt is due to a broken tooth/crown and getting things pulled that I should have handled as a kid/teen but didn’t because I grew up poor. :(
Project Manager / Editor (Academic Publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 2:35 pm Mine covers 90% of basic and preventative care (so, fillings, root canals, wisdom tooth extraction, etc.), which was nice because my root canal only cost $200 out of pocket. Major or cosmetic care like crowns are 50% covered, which sucks because crowns are expensive (and I don’t think they should be covered under cosmetic anyway)
Ego Chamber* August 10, 2017 at 7:45 pm Serious question: What happens if you get a root canal but no crown? That wasn’t even offered to me as an option, it was just “root canal and a crown, or we can pull the tooth and you’ll have no tooth there”—and I already have an effed-up tooth on top from the shifting after they pulled the tooth on the bottom (I don’t care because it doesn’t hurt and it’s not visible, but that would be a problem if it was somewhere I could see).
Project Manager / Editor (Academic Publishing)* August 11, 2017 at 12:06 am The root canal basically kills the tooth, so a tooth that doesn’t have a crown after a root canal is more likely to break, and then it either needs to be pulled or you have to get a bridge or implants, and bridges/implants are waaaaaay more expensive than a crown.
sunny-dee* August 10, 2017 at 11:07 am * Content marketing writer / strategist, software company * Dallas, Texas * 13 years (technical writing + marketing writing) * Benefits –> No split between vacation and sick leave. I get 21 days PTO per year, based on years of service (I’m in the 5-9 years tranche) –> 9 paid holidays, plus paid shutdown for the week between Christmas and New Year’s –> 3% retirement matching and a 401(k) –> 75% premium payment –> $2000 / year tuition reimbursement –> employee stock program and stock awards for years of service
Human Resources Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:07 am Job description: Handle all Human Resources for a manufacturing company in Northeast Ohio. This includes benefits administration, compensation, employee relations, etc. I have 25 years of experience. Vacation – 20 days Sick/personal days – 5 days Paid holidays – 10 days (New Year’s, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve) 401k match is 25% up to 4%, plus profit sharing Company pays 80% of health insurance premiums. The coverage itself is poor though (high deductible). The company pays 100% of our dental plan. Other: Full onsite gym, tuition reimbursement, bereavement leave
Administrative Assistant (at a 6-12 private school)* August 10, 2017 at 11:08 am Job duties: answer phone calls/emails from parents & teachers, keep the calendar/schedule for the principal, create the master calendar of events for the school, assign rooms to teachers, process tuition checks, admin work for the extra-curricular programs (scheduling, creating flyers, etc), send out school-wide communications to parents with weekly newsletter, deal with office supplies and maintenance requests Geographic area: Boston, MA Years of experience: 6 Benefits: 4 weeks vacation (but must be taken at specific times when students are not in school), 10 sick days, employer pays 75% of health insurance premium for a great health insurance plan, free lunch during the school year, 401(k) plan if we want but no matching for lower level admins (so I don’t participate)
Administrative Support Supervisor (Higher Ed)* August 10, 2017 at 12:32 pm Job duties: Assist academic department head with calendar management, travel, reports, and budgets. Supervise front office desk staff (currently one direct report at the Admin Specialist II level). He does all the faculty and doctoral students’ travel, catering orders, etc. Geographic area: NW Arkansas Years of experience: 15 Benefits: – 12 hours/month vacation accrual (3.6 weeks/year) – 12 sick days – 12 paid holidays and we’re closed from before Christmas Eve until after New Year’s Day. – Employer 100% matches 401K contributions up to 10% I am on the pension plan, which closed for new enrollment 2 years ago. I contribute 5%, the university contributes 5%, and payout at retirement is based on a calculation of length of service and highest 3 years’ salary. – 50% tuition discount for spouse and children. 90% tuition discount for self – Payroll deduction for purchases of $200 or more at the computer/bookstore with no interest. I bought my daughter’s college laptop on 8 or 12 installments (I don’t remember which). – Employee Assistance Program – Medical, dental, and vision insurance. The university pays 72% of the premiums. – Flexible spending accounts for healthcare or dependent care
Administrative Analyst in Higher Education* August 10, 2017 at 2:05 pm We likely work at the same place.
Administrative Support Supervisor (Higher Ed)* August 10, 2017 at 6:07 pm Yes, I read your post and I think we do. I’m always wondering if there are any AAM readers around here.
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:46 pm Process payroll, administer contracts, purchasing, all admin tasks in small office of medium sized govt agency in a mid-Atlantic state. I have 40 years experience, last 5 are here. I pay 6% of my salary for a defined benefit pension (10 year vesting) plus put 12% into a 457 account. I get 19 vacation days, 11 sick days, 11 holidays per year, vacay and sick roll over and accumulate to very high numbers. We pay 3% of our gross for health insurance. FEED YOUR PENSION! The fact that your employer doesn’t care about your future means you have more need to. And for every 2% raise you get, add 1% to your contribution.
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 2:16 pm Admin Assistant at a mid-sized PR firm, support one of the Founders/Partners and only support person for a small satellite office including some remote workers (was posted as an EA, but ‘demoted’ to an AA when I started :oP) Geographic Area: San Francisco satellite office, the company HQ is in a mid-sized midwest city. Years of Experience: 19 years PTO: 15 days combined PTO, accruing at 5 hrs per pay period (increases by 2 days for every 2 years of service) Paid holidays: 8 per year Summer Hours: Allowed to take half days on Fridays 2x/month in the summer, except you still have to work a minimum of 40 hours/wk and be on call on Fridays if anything comes up. 95% of staff are exempt, and bill extra hours each week anyway, but for those of us that are non-exempt, this doesn’t feel like much of a benefit, because i have to work 9 hours days the rest of the week. Flexibility/Telework: Again: 95% of the staff are exempt, so they get a lot of flexibility, but they also often work very long hours, and have a billable goal. I am one of the few non-exempt, so my hours are more set 8:30 – 5, and I’m usually not expected to work more than that, and I don’t have a billable goal. Much of the staff work from home at least a few times per month. I am allowed to work from home once in a while, and often take advantage of that when I have appointments, so that I don’t have to take as much PTO. It is also nice that I don’t have standard reception duties, so I have a little more flexibility than standard Admin positions, if I’m running late or need to go run an errand, no one minds. Health Ins: Company technically pays 100% but it’s a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a $3,000 deductible, so if you need to actually USE the insurance (which I do because yay health issues) it really costs me $3,000 per year. So, in reality I pay $250/month by the end of the year. Not exactly a cheap premium. (it is also $0 premium for family if you have one, but $6,000 deductible for a family) HSA and FSA are also included, Employer contribution is $20/month. I couldn’t justify the energy to get this set up this year, so I’m not doing it this year. Dental: $14/month, Vision: $3.90/month, those are actually decent coverage with very low deductibles and low copays. (Dental $42/month for a family; Vision $13/month for a family) The company is an ESOP, so they are very braggy about the retirement benefit and the 401(k) profit sharing plan. They are a little higher than standard, but the ESOP starts vesting at 20% at 2 years, and doesn’t fully vest until year 6. To me, if I balance that out with my high health insurance costs, it doesn’t feel like that great of a deal. Much of the staff is young and healthy, and get paid significantly more than I do, so putting aside $3,000 for health costs isn’t a hardship. Other: Bonus (they guarantee a bonus every year), Paid Short/Long term Disability coverage, Paid life insurance ($150,000 coverage + options for Supplemental life) Happy hours/snacks/budget for employee relations, Cash gifts for years of service and employee appreciation program. Our satellite office is in a co-work space, so we also have additional perks that come with that space: free beer taps, ping pong tables, weekly free events often include free food or drinks, discounted massages, etc . Honestly, I feel like our benefits are pretty crappy, and my pay isn’t great either, but it’s stable and people are nice, so I’m not in a rush to leave. But I will start looking more as soon as I have the bandwidth.
Data Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:09 am I am the data manager of a Healthcare facility. I mainly build reports, help managers understand their data and how to interact with it, and I’m responsible for the integrity of our data. Midwest- large city 6 Years Experience I have earned 4 weeks of PTO and I have the option to cash out unused PTO My employer matches 5% of my 401K contribution…BUT…they put in 200% for that 5%. So it’s really a double match. I get to work from home one day a week and I get $4K per year for educational assistance. And my employer encourages me to attend conferences (some are very pricey!) to stay up to date with trends and technology.
Creative Lead* August 10, 2017 at 11:09 am Job: As a creative lead at a small-medium tech company, I wear all the hats. Brand, events, web/email, presentations. Basically a senior graphic designer and art director rolled into one. Geographic area: GTA in Ontario, Canada Years of experience: 10 Bennies: 15 days vacation, unlimited sick days. No retirement matching. We have drug and dental benefits with copays that range 50-0%. Bear in mind that as a Canadian, you don’t have to pay for your doctor visits or many medical procedures, so the kinds of thing you copay are like, 0-20% on prescriptions, 50% of a dental crown, etc. In addition to the drug/dental coverage, we also get $500 that you can use on whatever you like: contact lenses, massages, whatever floats your boat. For other random benefits, we get free lunch one day a week, flex hours, and the ability to work from home as needed.
Senior graphic designer* August 10, 2017 at 9:23 pm 7-10 years experience Dallas, texas Mid side architecture firm. I wear all the hats-ads, events, pr, business delevopment, brand, lresentations, internal initiatives We get 20 days sick/pto combined, rollover up to 6 days, and comp time on my team. 4% retirement matching. 100% covered preventative medical and dental care, $30 copays otherwise. Life insurance, ad&d, 2k tuition reimbursement and 50% (i think) reimbursement on state registration costs. Floater cars free to reserve for work use, gym discounts. Subsidized parking based on title/level, but 100% covered transportation costs if you use public transit. Cell phonw plan allowance credit starting at $80/month and increasing as titles increase (not everyone is eligible for this). Yearly bonuses. Plus free unlimited soda if you are into that.
Senior Financial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:09 am I work in financial planning and analysis at a F500 in New York City. About 3.5 years of experience. Benefits: – 3 weeks of paid vacation with no real tracking system – 5 sick days, but my department permits unlimited use as needed – 2% 401k contribution for all qualifying employees and a 3.5% match for those who contribute 6% or more (2 year vesting, 50% after 1 year) – Free car service home after 8:30 PM – Free lunches once a week – Unlimited fresh fruit for snacks – Perks at Work program – 12 weeks paid parental leave for primary caregiver/3 weeks paid for secondary (gender irrelevant) – Some form of health/dental coverage but my husband’s job pays our premiums in full so I’m not sure what it is here
Controller for high tech manufacturer* August 10, 2017 at 11:09 am your job title – private industry controller for a manufacturing company with approx 75 worldwide employees (I have my CPA license) your job description – more like a CFO. I also manage all the HR and benefits for the company – I have 1.5 staff (I share one person with another department) your geographic area – southwest virginia your years of experience – in the industry, about ten. outside the industry about 20. (I took a detour mid stream into entrepreneurship) a description of your benefits — first year in job salary is 80k, get 15 vacation days, 7 sick days and 10 holidays, 100% 401k match of up to 6% salary after one year, 100% employee health care paid including dental but not vision, YMCA rebate if used 3 times a week, Flex medical card available, paid STD and life insurance policy up to 50k, LTD available at discounted rates
Controller for high tech manufacturer* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm oops forget – entire company gets profit sharing bonuses at xmas equal to 10% total of company net profits
Assistant Account Executive* August 10, 2017 at 11:09 am Scope: I help plan and execute public relations strategies at an agency. I’m a junior employee so I also handle more of the admin work on accounts, too. Location: Large city in the mid-Atlantic region of the US Salary: 44k Experience: 2 years Benefits: – 15 days vacation – 5 sick days – Health insurance cover 85% of in-network services, 65% of out of network services – Dental – Vision – We have a 401k but I’d have to look up the match rate
Operations Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:09 am I work for an enterprise level team in a large corporation. My team works on providing kpi’s for operations and I do some data viz work to display the information and data validation work. I also work on researching causes for trends. I’m in the midwest I’ve been with this company for 15 years, in this position for 1 year. 401k gets matched at 6%. 23 days of vacation and 8 days of sick time. There’s a wide variety of health insurance options. Maternity and paternity leave available at 100% pay for 12 weeks. Huge discount on the product made by our company, which saves me about $1500-$1800 a year.
HRIS Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:10 am My Job: Manage data integrity and system configuration in our HRIS system (Workday). Geographic area: Denver, CO, USA Years of Experience: 1 in this position, 2 1/2 at the company Benefits: 120 hrs of PTO per year (bumps up to 160 at 5-year mark), 401k match up to 3%, and employer pays about 2/3 of total medical premium
Senior Editor* August 10, 2017 at 11:10 am I run a news department for a magazine with circulation ~100,000, the flagship publication for a scholarly nonprofit. Washington DC area 11 years experience Paid time off per year: 20 days vacation (with generous rollover), 10 sick days (no rollover), plus a handful of personal days (floating holidays) and bonus days. Retirement: Employer contributes an amount equal to 10% of my base salary no matter what I contribute myself. Contributions start after 1 years and are vested immediately. Health insurance: Employer pays most of it, 75-ish percent I think. Other: Life insurance in the amount of twice my annual salary, tuition reimbursement, onsite fitness room, and probably some other things I’m forgetting because I’ve never used them.
Additional Suggeated Info* August 10, 2017 at 11:10 am PSA: it would be useful to know if your employer covers dependents and whether you work for government or not, and if you have a large “smokers charge” or non-smoking discount. My employer stopped covering spouses unless they have no coverage of their own, and then it is really expensive to add them. And the “smoking penalty” is substantial and requires a nicotine-free test to get out of.
Additional Suggeated Info* August 10, 2017 at 11:11 am Suggested. Somehow I always miss the s on my phone….
Anon a Bonbon* August 10, 2017 at 11:25 am We started the smoking and spouse surcharges. My husband didn’t have his own insurance so I didn’t get hit too hard. But now he is starting a new job and I’m really considering fudging and saying he still isn’t eligible for insurance so I can take the financial break for one more year. I know, it’s terrible.
ENFP in Texas* August 10, 2017 at 11:52 am Many health insurers will run a dependent audit and penalize heavily if they find you are claiming folks who don’t qualify. Just a heads up.
JollyGeepers* August 10, 2017 at 1:14 pm Watch out if you do this. If he needs coverage it’s not at all unlikely that they’d verify his eligibility and, if he’s not eligible, simply deny the claims and leave you with the bills. It may also be a crime. Insurance fraud is no joke, even if the industry is pretty unfair.
Customer Service - Digital Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:22 pm Yes, we have both smoking and spousal surcharges for health insurance, if your spouse is able to get their own coverage and chooses not to. But I can cover my spouse on dental and vision for no extra charge (well, beyond the premium).
Benefits Admin* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm We get asked all the time: “Why is it so expensive to cover my spouse??” Our health plans (medical, dental, vision) are self-insured, meaning the company pays ALL claims and we use the insurance company for administration. So we see all the claims data for employees covered under our plans. When we can see that the spouses are running up higher claims because of all the medical conditions that come with age, it makes more sense to have the employee pay more of the cost for the extra adult who doesn’t work for us.
Executive Secretary* August 10, 2017 at 12:47 pm My company recently added a $100 per month surcharge for spouses who do not work for the company. I think there’s a $50/month surcharge for smokers or people who do not complete the health screening requirements.
Red Reader* August 10, 2017 at 2:03 pm I can only add a spouse to get my insurance as primary coverage if the spouse’s employer doesn’t offer them group insurance that meets all mandatory requirements and pay 50% of the premiums. I can add them to get my insurance as secondary coverage under any circumstances, but it costs the same to add them whether I’m adding them primary or secondary.
Public Radio Reporter* August 10, 2017 at 3:53 pm The smoking surcharge is $50/month for our high deductible plan — it’s actually more expensive than the monthly premium, which is $35 for an individual.
Salesforce Admin* August 10, 2017 at 11:10 am I work as a Salesforce Admin for a smallish company in Wisconsin. I’m a fairly recently certified Admin- I’ve been working within Salesforce for a couple of years, but this is my first Admin position. I get 10 days of vacation, with unlimited sick time. My company does offer retirement matching (I can’t remember the exact amount, maybe matching up to 3%?). A cool side benefit- Every couple of weeks, my company will pay for a food truck to come by and make everyone lunch. You’ll receive a ticket to receive an entree/side/drink, or they might not cap how much food you receive. I haven’t been at the company long enough to attest to this, but everyone tells me that the company Christmas parties are pretty awesome- lots of food, drinks, activities, with a change in location every year. I’d definitely receive more benefits and pay elsewhere, but I’m so glad to be at a company that values my professional development. They’ve paid for me taking certification exams, and it’s amazing to not have hotel costs scrutinized.
Systems Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:11 am Systems Analyst. Boston, MA. 10 years in job, 14 years at company. 36 days annual PTO (combined vacation & sick days) + 11 holidays. Employer pays 80% of health insurance premium. 80% tuition reimbursement up to annual IRS cap of $5,250. 50% 401K match up to a low annual cap (can’t remember exactly what, maybe $4,000). 75% public transportation subsidy with no cap (though it counts as taxable income after some point per IRS rules). Good travel discounts if traveling with company (we’re an international tour operator).
Systems Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:13 am Forgot to add, 1 month contiguous paid time off every 5 years in addition to regular time off (they call this a sabbatical). 2 months paid maternity leave. 2 weeks paid paternity leave.
LawBee* August 10, 2017 at 11:40 am I always wonder with the maternity/paternity leave difference – what do they do for gay couples? If Dad A works for your company, and Dad B doesn’t, can Dad A take the two months? fwiw I don’t know what my company does. Kids aren’t a thing in my future, so I’ve never paid attention.
Spreadsheets and Books* August 10, 2017 at 11:48 am At my company, it’s based on a somewhat arbitrary denotation of primary versus secondary caregiver. Usually mom is primary, but it depends on a partner’s available benefits and personal plans. One of our IT guys is taking the 12 weeks we give for primary caregivers because his wife only gets two weeks. If she got a few months, however, he’d only be eligible to take the 3 weeks we give to secondaries. If one parent doesn’t work, we automatically treat the other parent as secondary.
Stone Satellite* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm For us it’s 12 weeks for every parent (if you are the non-bearing partner, adopting, etc.), plus 3 months additional medical recovery time for those giving birth, so birth mothers are usually out about 6 months fully paid, other parents for 12 weeks fully paid.
Police Officer with National Force* August 10, 2017 at 12:23 pm In Canada, it is maternity leave if you give birth for one month and 11 months parental leave which can be split any way you want. There is a current push to change it to 12 months parental leave in cases of adoption to keep it in the spirit of the law. If you give birth but don’t take the child home (either due to death or adoption), I think you only qualify for the 1 month maternal leave (but don’t quote me).
Hélène* August 11, 2017 at 9:34 pm It`s actually 17 weeks `maternity` leave available only for the gestating parent. The remaining 35 weeks are parental leave which can be split in any way you wish between the 2 parents.
Senior Design Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 12:19 pm I wish my company offered sabbaticals. I like my annual travel-somewhere-exotic vacations, plus obligatory trips to see family etc, so I don’t tend to hoard up and roll over vacation time like some of my colleagues. But I’d really like a nice chunk of time off, and right now, the only way I can get that is if I find a new job and negotiate a start date 4-6 weeks out from my end end. (Which is common in my field and totally financially feasible for me). I don’t want to leave my job, but I also desperately want time to do some projects around the house, hang out with friends whose schedules are incompatible with mine, take an art class at the local community college, etc.
cookie monster* August 10, 2017 at 1:21 pm Could you discuss this with your company? maybe they would make a quiet exception to let you take an unpaid month. I have worked for both an absolutely huge international fortune 50 and an absolutely tiny company and have seen this type of exception made in both places for good employees.
Paula, with Two Kids* August 10, 2017 at 8:30 pm Yes, I have seen a lot of large companies with no sabbatical policy still let employees do this, as long as it fits in with their management’s timelines. They aren’t usually interested in codifying a sabbatical system, but it is still an option.
AMT* August 10, 2017 at 11:11 am Psychiatric social worker (LMSW). NYC. Union. 4 years out of grad school. 20 days of vacation, 12 sick, full medical/dental/vision with no co-pays or deductible, tuition reimbursement, unmatched 403(b), TransitChek, HSA.
Psychiatric Social Worker* August 10, 2017 at 11:27 am Sorry, forgot to put the title in the username field! Also forgot to mention: free continuing education (required for my license), credit union, various childcare-related stuff that I have no idea about because I’m not a parent, free burial plot.
Anne of Green Gables* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am I’m sorry, free burial plot? I read that like 6 times to make sure I read it correctly. How does that work? Is it a benefit you only get if you die while employed by the company? Now I’m reading up-thread and realize this is a Union position, so is this a benefit for everyone in the Union? Is this something fairly normal and I just have never heard of it? I am very intrigued by this.
AMT* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Yes, that’s exactly how it works. Fun fact: you can get either a free burial plot with permanent care OR a $75 payment to your beneficiary. Because those are totally equivalent.
Paula, with Two Kids* August 10, 2017 at 8:32 pm Woah, that’s nuts. Strangest benefit ever. I’m guessing the plot is not a choose your own, but something they already own, otherwise the pricing would be outrageous for a plot with permanent maintenance.
Clinical Social Worker/Therapist/Counselor* August 10, 2017 at 1:34 pm By free do you mean the CEUs are provided to you through the hospital or do they pay for training anywhere?
AMT* August 10, 2017 at 2:06 pm Both. It’s a union benefit. The union holds educational seminars and we also get up to $800 reimbursed for outside training.
Media Buyer* August 10, 2017 at 11:11 am Job description: I do both media buying and planning for a number of clients across all mediums (TV, Print, Digital, Radio) Location: Southeast US 4 years experience, 2.5 at this current company Benefits: currently 14 days PTO (that includes sick time if I need to use it), but will go up to 19 days when I hit the three year mark in a few months. No retirement matching set, but if we have a good year we get end of year bonuses and a contribution to our retirement account. Both have happened years I have been here. Not currently on the health care, but I know that once you hit a certain point on the deductible they cover beyond that. Other benefits: we have the ability to work from home if needed and I have the flexibility to work through lunch, come in early or stay late, etc. to be able to leave early or leave for appts. without using PTO.
Data Analyst / Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:11 am I do R&D on air transportation initiatives for the federal government. My organization has a weird hybrid structure that I don’t want to get into here, other than to say I’m neither a fed nor a contractor. My org is a non-profit, that is heavily dominated by technical types — a majority of us hold an MS or PhD. My title is oddly company specific, but it’s enough to say that I work with a lot of data (think SQL and even hadoop), and write a lot of code. I use BI tools from time to time. Location: Metro Wash DC Experience: 8 years Benefits: 4 weeks combined PTO, 10% 403B match. My employer pays a large % of my health insurance, but I don’t pay that much attention. We can work from home as necessary without much trouble, which is helpful. I’ll note that I think that one should talk about pay and benefits as a combination, because good benefits are almost pointless if the pay sucks. I’m just over the six figure mark.
Research Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm Similar to above, but mostly SQL work collecting, cleaning, validating, and analyzing data for government. Pacific Northwest. 7 years experience. I get 10 hours of vacation and 8 hours of sick leave per month, plus 3 personal business days each year and paid holidays. My employer pays out unused vacation when anyone leaves. We have a retirement system that the employer and employee both contribute a fixed % of salary to, plus a pension based on final salary and years of service that the employee doesn’t pay into, and a variety of other retirement savings options that are not matched by the employer. Employer pays 99% of my heath insurance and dental premium for a good plan that doesn’t cost much more to cover dependents. There is a smoking premium but I don’t know how much, and lots of free quitting tools/supports. There’s also a small payment made to everyone who participates in a wellness survey and activities each year.
Canadian Government - Language Assessor* August 10, 2017 at 11:11 am I’ve been with the Canadian federal government for 8 years, so I get 4 weeks vacation (up from 3 weeks for the first 7 years) I make…. well once Phoenix is sorted out, and the pat increase from the new collective agreement, it should be around $77000 canadian. I get 15 sick days, 5 family related days, a volunteer day and a personal day. dental insurance, health insurance is included but I can’t remember the specifics, other than $250 Canadian every 2 years for eye care. there is a pension plan but again I don’t remember specifics
Canadian Government - Language Assessor* August 10, 2017 at 11:25 am that is such a polite way to put it :/ ive been underpaid for the last 14 months.
Another Government of Canada employee* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am Some of the specifics you don’t remember: – Dental is a 10% copay (with a small (two-digit) deductible). Specifics can be found by googling “Public Service Dental Care Plan” – Prescriptions are a 20% copay (with a larger two-digit deductible). Specifics can be found by googling “Public Service Health Care Plan”. It also covers things other than prescriptions and eye care, but I haven’t used those myself. – The pension is (roughly speaking) [number of years of service x2]% of your salary, to a maximum of 70% of your salary after 35 years of service. However, after the age of 65, it is reduced by their calculation of what you should be receiving from the Canada Pension Plan (which in most, but not 100% of, cases corresponds with what you actually end up receiving from CPP if you start collecting it at 65). Details can be found by googling “Public Service Superannuation Act”. – There is also probably some kind of maternity leave and parental leave top-up, bringing the amount you receive to ~90% of your salary (up from the 55% provided by Employment Insurance). I don’t know the details because I haven’t used it myself. This would be set out in the collective agreement for the specific occupation, which can be found by googling Canada public service collective agreements
Canadian Government - Language Assessor* August 10, 2017 at 11:38 am thank you for filling in the gaps!
Yet another Canadian government employee* August 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm Yes, there is a maternity/parental leave top up on top of the EI provision, I believe it brings you up to 94% of your salary. Full medical and dental benefits while you are on leave, deductions are not taken while you are on leave but double deductions are taken for a year after you return to work. You have to agree to return to work for the equivalent time that you were on leave (i.e. for a year) or pay certain things back (I didn’t pay much attention to the details, as I was fully intending to return to work after my leave).
Canadian feds everywhere! (Policy analyst here)* August 10, 2017 at 8:32 pm More info: – vacation increases over time to top out at 6 weeks/year after 29 years of service. Some of the vacation can be carried over (anything over the maximum carry-over is cashed out annually). – sick leave is fully bankable. Not uncommon for someone to retire with over a year of sick leave banked. – pension: we pay approx 10% gross, and it’s matched fully. Also, once you retire, the pension is indexed to inflation. New government employees have slightly different rates and conditions. – bereavement leave: 7 calendar days (plus 3 travel days if required) for death of close family. – life insurance: 2 years salary to your estate/named beneficiary, plus survivor benefits for spouse and dependent children. – disability insurance: no short term disability (see sick leave, above), long term disability at 70% pay. – bilingualism bonus: $800/year if job requires use of both French and English. Also, if your job requires special certifications, etc., most contracts have provisions requiring the employer to pay membership fees and continuing education fees (think lawyers, nurses, etc.). This is not necessarily universal, and the position must require said professional membership. You can usually negotiate some training costs regardless of position. As for the question about job description: I’m a policy analyst. I coordinate strategic policy, planning, and performance measurement for various corporate initiatives and reports. It’s even more boring than it sounds.
Geillis D.* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm Can I butt in and ask about your job? Offspring is planning to study linguistics and I’m trying to scout out as many career directions as I can find.
Canadian Government - Language Assessor* August 10, 2017 at 12:37 pm yeah of course! I started as an ESL teacher but a lot of people from other fields are also assessors, but a background knowledge of the English language is certainly beneficial. mostly the job is deciphering how well a person can communicate – mistakes don’t matter if they don’t interfere with the clarity of the message. (we listen for fluency, pronunciation, vocsbulary, frammar and comprehension) It also requires a really empathetic personality, as people can be extremely stressed when they come in. I have a degree in linguistics – I was going to study speech language pathology but ended up teaching.
FDCA In Canada* August 10, 2017 at 2:26 pm This has nothing to do with anything other than being a funny coincidence, but just last week I assisted with a mock interview for a guy who was going to be interviewing for a position as a CDN gov language assessor, except his interview was going to be a mock interview of another person, so…we had to wrap our heads around pretending to interview a guy who was pretend-interviewing us.
Canadian Government - Language Assessor* August 10, 2017 at 4:44 pm oh the TACI! (test of ability to conduct interviews) yes that’s a weird test… but necessary to determine manner, ability to sequence questions so the conversation flows (so it doesn’t feel too test like and helps the interviewee relax), patience, ability to get people to talk… but it can be awkward feeling definitely
Student Services* August 10, 2017 at 11:12 am Job – just started running a masters program (administratively) at a large, prestigious private university DC area New to this job and university, four years of previous student services experience, 7-8 total years of professional experience Benefits: 21 days of combined PTO (would only be 16 if I didn’t have a PhD) Health, dental, and vision, but I’d have to pay a high level of the premiums, so we’ll go through my husband’s work instead Some discounts at local businesses Flex savings accounts available If you contribute 3% of your annual salary to a retirement program, the university will contribute 10% of your salary! This is the first place I’ve worked with retirement contribution matching, so that’s great. On the other hand, both the other university I’ve worked at and a nonprofit where I was before had better benefits overall. Notably: West Coast public uni 15 days paid vacation, 12 paid sick days, no cap on sick days accrual Get a pension if you work there 5 years Much higher percentage of insurance premiums paid (I paid no premium at all towards dental or vision) Nonprofit in DC area 20 days paid vacation, 10 paid sick days, 2 paid personal days 100% of health, vision, and dental premiums paid for me *and* spouse!
Student Services* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am I forgot to mention that this university offers tuition benefits! After you work here a year, they’ll pay 100% of your tuition at the university — but you have to be pursuing an actual degree or certificate, not just taking random courses that interest you. And after *three* years, they’ll pay your tuition at a *different* university! Additionally, they’ll pay part of the tuition for your child to get their undergrad degree at this university.
Student services, big 10 uni* August 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm Associate Director for a recruitment program at the graduate level. Midwest US 8 yrs student services and affairs experience 24 days PTO each year plus 9 paid holidays. Uni puts 10% of my salary into a retirement plan, regardless of what I do. They pay the lion’s share of health insurance. After the tobacco affidavit, we pay about $100 a month for our family. It’s a high deductible plan but they also pay into an HSA. Tuition remission available that extends to dependents
Senior Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 11:13 am 1. Job: Instructional Systems Designer 2. Washington, DC 3. 1 week in this gig, 2 years in the contracting industry, 9 years overall work experience 4. Time Off: 10 hours PTO every month, and federal holidays Retirement: Up to 6% matching, and my 401K vested after 1 year Health Insurance: Company pays 80% of premium for PPO, but for dental we get $2,500 maximum covered, which is a lot Other Insurance: Group Accident Insurance, Group Life Insurance 5. Other benefits: I work in a secure environment, but in my current position I can come in at 10 a.m., and wear jeans on Friday. (Pretty big for me.) Company has various agreements with companies such as Verizon, Nationwide Pet Insurance, and InfoArmor for discounts on things like cellphone bills, insurance, and identity theft monitoring. (All things I’ve signed up for.)
Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:13 am Title: Senior Assistant 5 years experience Washington, D.C. Nonprofit industry -3 weeks paid vacation + 5 sick days if we need them -3% match 403B -medical, dental, vision insurance with fairly good coverage -transit benefits (so that we can pay with pre-tax dollars) -a gym on-site for employees to use
Research Scientist* August 10, 2017 at 11:13 am My job: I work at a university in a long-term STEM research support role. Not a professor, I just help professors with their projects. Geographic area: Northeast US in a major city. Years of experience: 1 year out from my PhD, 8 years of research experience total. Benefits: You guys, I won the benefits jackpot. I get five weeks of vacation (!!), four weeks of sick leave, something like 8% retirement matching, and my employer pays 100% of my health care, dental, and optical premiums. And I can pay for my public transit card with pretax earnings. AND everyone gets an automatic cost of living raise every year. I never want to leave this job. (Also because I like it, but you know.)
Batshua* August 10, 2017 at 3:59 pm I am so wondering where you work because I feel like I should send my science friends your way, but for all I know, you’re working in a very different field than they are…
Dmr* August 10, 2017 at 5:13 pm This sounds very similar to my husband’s benefits in research for an elite university. They are far more generous than at the very good but less prestigious university he was previously working at.
another researcher* August 11, 2017 at 4:40 am Do you mind me asking if you have your PhD? I have my M.Sc., and it seems like STEM support roles are disappearing. I’d love to be a lab manager, for example, but have noticed in the last 5-7 years or so that these types of positions are fewer are far between. And often want a PhD…even though I have 10+ years of lab experience, and no desire to be a PI (which, in my experience, most PhDs want)
another researcher* August 11, 2017 at 4:42 am Gah, just re-read that you are 1 year out from your PhD, sorry for the irrelevant question…
Program Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:14 am Program Assistant in Higher Education Chicago, IL 5 years direct experience, 8 years overall work experience Time Off: 3 weeks vacation, 3 Personal Days, 3 weeks Sick time, standard holidays including full week between Christmas and new Years Retirement: 5% automatically, in addition to matching up to 5%, fully vested Lots of discounts at companies and organizations in the community 75% off the cost of tuition up to a certain number of courses per year
Hospital Social Worker* August 10, 2017 at 11:14 am I’m a hospital social worker in Seattle, performing a somewhat specialized role related to substance use. I have three years experience. I get 13 days vacation per year (Starts out as 12, and you earn a day per year), 12 sick days per year, and paid holidays off. I pay around 7 percent of my income to a pension fund, and I’m in a union. We had a number of health insurance options, and I picked a fairly standard one, and I pay about $110 a month. We get an annual budget of $400 to attend trainings.
Red Reader* August 10, 2017 at 2:09 pm Based on your days-off package and its level of increase, I might have worked at your hospital in Seattle before I moved out of Washington :)
Archivist* August 10, 2017 at 11:14 am Processing archivist for paper records Washington DC area 7-ish years experience Benefits- standard federal benefits (accrue 4 hours sick leave and 4 hours personal leave per 2 weeks), TSP (agency matches up to 5%), agency matches 50% (I think?) of health/dental/vision, life insurance something or other, pension (for now), occasional paid time for conferences, public transit subsidy Industry specific benefits- reciprocal/free entry to museums and historical sites with ID (public historian solidarity!)
Christy* August 10, 2017 at 11:25 am I think the government pays ~75% of the premium for our health and 0% for vision and dental.
Federal Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm I, too, am a federal archivist. Some clarification: > Annual leave accrual increases with service length: 4 hours/pay period for up to 3 years of service; 6 hours for 3-15 years of service, 8 hours for 15+ years of service. I am nearly at the 3 year mark and I’m salivating for more leave. > TSP is our 401(k) style plan. Super low fees. The gov’t will put in 1% automatically, and then will match up to a max of 5% of your salary. > We also have a pension plan, FERS, to which we contribute 4.4% of our salary. The gov’t puts in some, but I don’t know how much. Some people have a different pension plan, CSRS, and no TSP (older people – this was phased out a while back). > My really nice health insurance costs me $173.59/pay period for self + family coverage. The gov’t covers a huge portion of the premium. > I never get paid time for conferences. It differs by agency. > I get public transit subsidy, a HUGE perk in D.C. > There’s a cafeteria and a gym in my building. Gym use is free for employees. My husband works for a military agency and gets 3 paid hours/week to work out in his building’s gyms as part of “readiness.” I used to have that benefit at a different agency and LOVED it. I miss it, but not that agency. > BUT, when the government shuts down, we don’t get paid. We might get paid back later (this has happened every time so far, but is never guaranteed and has to be passed as a separate bill through Congress), but the uncertainty eats at me. I have been desperately padding our household emergency fund since my husband and I both got federal jobs, because if it shuts down then so does ALL our household income. > Also, we get all kinds of ire all the time from family because obviously we’re just low-life do-nothing government employees who get rich on THEIR taxes. Which sucks, because I work super hard (I’m writing this on my lunch break, fyi) for public causes.
International Affairs Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:24 pm Another Fed here. Very amused at your family’s attitude. I work for a military service, get the three hours for working out each week. My family is very proud that I work for the government. We’re all immigrants from a country where civil service is a very prestigious job. I still think it is. I love the mission of my agency and I am proud to work here.
Another Federal Archivist* August 10, 2017 at 12:52 pm I also am an archivist working in a Federal library’s archive in DC. I have 20 years as a Fed. Benefits include: – Leave: 26 days of annual leave (8 hours per two week pay period, we can carry over up to 240 hours per year which I do), 13 days of sick leave (4 hours per pay period. Sick leave can be carried over from year to year so I have 100s of hours saved), all Federal holidays. – pension into which I pay .08% of my pay and the Fed contributes an amount equal to 13% of my pay; TSP (Federal 401k) with match up to 5%; health, vision, dental, and life insurance (we keep our health insurance into retirement if we retire from the Fed). I pay about 33% of the premium for my health insurance and my employer pays the rest. – If you die while still working, your beneficiary receives a one time payout equal to a half of a year’s pay, and spouses and minor children receive a monthly annuity. – At my agency we also have the ability to telework, flex schedules, wellness programs, and more. – a leave bank which you can “pay” into with one pay period’s worth of annual leave and then be entitled to up to 12 weeks worth of sick leave if you have a medical emergency and have exhausted your earned annual and sick leave.
Attorney - small law* August 10, 2017 at 11:15 am Civil Litigation Northeast 8 years but benefits have stayed the same Everyone negotiates their own benefits at hire. I have 4 weeks vacation but they don’t want me using all of it. I have family across the world so this is basically in case of emergency time. They don’t have an issue if I take 3 weeks though. I took 4 with no emergency last year and no one complained though. I’ve never taken more than 2 weeks at once. I’m sick when I’m sick and as far as I know that doesn’t come out of my vacation time. My time does not roll over year to year. I get a health insurance stipend to cover the cost of me being on my husband’s insurance. Our firm has a high deductible plan that I wasn’t interested in. I get 3% of my income (salary and bonus) automatically in my 401k. I have an FSA. I’ve always had long term disability insurance and life insurance but we didn’t have short term disability until very recently. I pay a small premium for the long term disability. Life insurance and short term disability are paid for by the firm. I get an ipad. I pay for my own phone and plan. I have a sit / stand desk. I can occasionally work from home but not all the time or just because. As needed.
Academic Reference Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 11:15 am Academic Reference Librarian Community College Large Texas City I earn 12 vacation days a year and 12 sick days a year (accruing @ 4 hrs. each pay period). Two days personal leave a year. Retirement is 7.7% of salary into a state run account – this is mandatory. We also get life insurance and disability through our institution. I’m still temporary, so I don’t know what I would have to pay for medical. Dental is included, vision is a supplement with a fee.
Accounting Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:15 am Job Description : Similar to an Assistant Controller, handle all the daily/monthly responsibilities for the accounting department; supervise all Staff Accountants, A/P, A/R, & Payroll; GL & Financial Statements Geographic Area : Boston, MA Years of Experience : 9 Benefits : 3 Weeks Vacation, 5 Sick Days, 4 Floating Holidays, Employer pays 80% of Health Insurance Premium (excellent plan), 401k with no match (boo!), 7am-4:30pm work schedule, early release Fridays year round at 3pm.
Marketing Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:16 am Marketing Coordinator – I launched and manage their website, do their email marketing, social media, collateral creation, event management, etc. Southwest US 6ish I get three weeks of vacation (standard at this company for 2 years of service, it goes to four weeks at 3 years), terrible retirement matching (they take how much you contributed last year and do a 2% deposit of that in your account six months into the next year, and only starts a year into working there – I just stopped using my 401k), PPO plan where I only pay $36 for the month – that’s a huge perk, but their partner/family without kids package is terrible. A handful of paid holidays, and every week we get to pay $3 to wear jeans on a Friday.
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:16 am My job title is Administrative Assistant, but I am basically the Office Manager Minneapolis 16 years PTO, 1 paid day off to volunteer, 3% 401k match plus my employer puts a percentage into pension for me (it’s 9% now, will go up if I stay with the company) that isn’t taken out pre-tax, 5 days paid bereavement for immediate family members
Legal Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:17 am I am the litigation assistant to a partner and 3 associates at the biggest law firm in a town of about 50,000 people. Southwestern Ontario, Canada 9 years experience (8 at large international law firms in the second biggest city in Canada, 1 at this small firm) Benefits: 3 weeks vacation, health insurance (3 levels, I chose the mid-level with a monthly premium), dental, massage, 5 paid sick days, vision (every other year), no pension, no RSP matching or contributions
Jr Legal Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 1:21 pm Piggybacking as also an LAA and also in Canada. ◾your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) – I am a Legal Administrative Assistant with 2 years experience. I spent 1.5 years in a big city at a big firm doing very specialized solicitor work, and now I am 5 months into a much more general solicitor assistance role in a medium city in a small to medium sized firm. ◾your geographic area – British Columbia ◾your years of experience – as above, also I got into this field after completing a 2-semester Legal Administration course at a community college. I also have a BSc in an unrelated field (that didn’t really pan out for me) ◾a description of your benefits — 3 weeks vacation, will ramp up to 5 weeks after 6+ years employment with the same organization. No retirement matching/RRSP. I get extended health and dental for my family – 80% dental and 80% Rx and 100% to “paramedical” (RMT, physiotherapy, psychologist, speech therapy, etc etc… naturopaths and chiros also included) however only $300 per paramedical service and $1000 total within paramedical. I also get AD&D insurance paid through work, payout is around my annual salary if not a bit less. They do not pay my MSP. I get unlimited sick days but we are expected to be adults and mature about whether we need to take them and to not abuse the policy. My old job in Big City and Big Firm matches RRSP contributions after 2 years so that’s something I gave up right before qualifying, but it was worth it for quality of life and improved COL in new medium city.
Receptionist T* August 10, 2017 at 11:17 am I’m a receptionist at a hip hedge fund in midtown NYC. (Includes officer manager lite duties, like ordering supplies and generally taking care of the space–though we have full custodial staff.) Generally considered the lowest rung on the admin team. I’ve been in the position a few months, though I temped around the larger org for a year. Have had admin experience off and on for 11 years, but took several years off from that for unrelated freelance work. Benefits per year: -Health (various options), dental, vision, life insurance -7 paid sick days (same for everyone) -15 paid vacation days (12 for me cuz I wasn’t here all year; 20 after 5 years; more for execs and longer-term employees) -2 paid personal days (same for everyone) -Additional week of paid leave for marriage or bereavement (marriage leave one-time only) -9ish paid holidays -401(k) with 50% matching up to 5K/year -Pre-tax transportation debit card (works for mass transit and parking) Health insurance premiums are a little higher than I’d like but not bad considering salaries here are good.
Midge* August 10, 2017 at 12:05 pm I’ve never heard of a company offering marriage leave, but I just went on my honeymoon this summer and an extra week of paid time off would have been awesome!
Marketing Communications Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 11:17 am -I am a web/graphic designer. I create marketing material, create email campaigns and manage our websites. I do not do strategy. -I am in Cleveland, Ohio – 3 – 5 years experience Our vacation/sick time is TERRIBLE. You cannot negotiate at my company. Everyone gets 2 weeks vacation, and 2 personal days. After 7 years you get 3 weeks. After 15 you get 4 weeks. You always only get 2 sick days. We have 401(k) match of 2% if you contribute 4% or more. I’m not sure on what portion my company pays for health insurance, but they do pay for some of it. Some people at my company can work from home but that’s maybe only 1%. Flex time is really discouraged by upper management, but some people get some flexibility. Our bonuses are great though, and we get profit sharing. We have parties every 5 years or so that are very nice.
Quality Improvement Project Manager/Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 11:17 am Job- Quality improvement consultant in healthcare to improve systems and identifying inefficiencies in patient care (basically someone identifies a problem or a way to improve things and I step in to manage that project) 14 year of experience in healthcare and 6 years in QI 28 days of combined time off (includes vacation and sick although we do get short-term disability), for maternity – after using the first 6 weeks via short-term disability, the company provides another 10 weeks under FMLA so you can take a total of 16 weeks off for maternity leave (compared to the usual 12 weeks). Company matches retirement after 5%. Employer pays 75%ish of the health care premium.
kris* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am I hope you don’t mind me asking, was your healthcare experience clinical (before starting QI project management)? I’ve been in healthcare on the admin side for 10+ years and trying to break into project management.
Quality Improvement Project Manager/Consultant* August 11, 2017 at 7:51 am It wasn’t (unless you count clinical research – which I assume you don’t). This position actually does recommend having an RN or similar but I had a lot of project management and QI experience so it’s why I got the job. I think you do need to have some experience managing projects. Another plus for me is having the PMP certification.
AnonForThis* August 10, 2017 at 11:17 am *Job Description: Oversee international payment processing department, manage area staff, involved in various dept projects unrelated to international payments. * 5 years experience (5 additional in unrelated field) * Midsize midwestern city * 12 sicks days a year * 13 vacation days per year * Company pays all health insurance premiums for personal plans (family plans require much higher pay in) * Company matches I think 3% in to 401k * available short term disability, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment for reasonable prices * Year end bonus * Other considerations: no flex scheduling as we work off of strict processing schedules, can be difficult to advance due to very flat management structure, success and growth of business does not have (in my experience) impact on raises and bonuses.
SQL / Database Nerd* August 10, 2017 at 11:18 am Business Intelligence Development mainly SQL server and SSIS also some dash boarding and reporting. UK 5 years application support – 2 years BI Development 25 Days holiday (Most of which I can take at the same time) + Public Holidays Virtually unlimited sick time Bonus Scheme Life Insurance Matched Pension Contributions (5%) Subsidised Canteen Onsite Gym Fee cinema tickets Conference Expenses Technical Training Long Service Awards Talent Knows Talent Payroll Giving – This scheme gives you the opportunity Sabbaticals for voluntary work Free Shuttle Bus – Cycle to Work salary sacrifice scheme by securing tax-free cycling equipment. Childcare vouchers salary sacrifice scheme Season Ticket Loan Monthly Employee raffle (Top prize £3,000 with 15 or so smaller prizes)
Tau* August 10, 2017 at 2:27 pm I never managed to get any use out of it when I had it myself :/ there were strange restrictions regarding what shops you could buy from, upper limits on the amount of money you could spend where you weren’t allowed to add your own on top, an odd setup where the company bought the bike and you leased it from them, and similar weirdnesses that made me just throw my hands up in the air and buy my stuff without the benefit. It didn’t help that tax relief isn’t nearly as useful when you’re in the lowest tax band.
Senior BI analyst/data reporter* August 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm Another person in BI here. I’m in the southeastern US, working for a public 4-year university with about 7 years of experience in this role. Benefits include: Discounted health insurance in a good plan (premium <$300 for me + 2) Discounted dental (under $35 for me + 2) Free tuition for employees for any degree program, 50% discount for spouse/children in undergraduate programs 5% match for 403(b) State pension plan Free group life insurance, basically 125% of salary Free long-term disability after 90-day wait Discounted voluntary life insurance FSA and HSA offered 23 PTO days 10 sick days In our department, we're also very flexible about hours (there are generally people in the office between 6.30 am and 7 pm, but not the same people!) , working from home and running errands/odd hours off during the day.
data analyst* August 11, 2017 at 7:02 pm so many of these things i don’t even think about as benefits. cycle to work? of course i have that. childcare vouchers? of course. season ticket loan? who doesn’t? but you’re absolutely right to point them out. (signed, another londoner)
Embedded Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:18 am I write C (and some C++) code compiled for small to mid sized microprocessors for safety systems. United States midwest (town ~200k people) 25 years of experience (5 as a mechanical engineer, 20 as embedded software engineer) At this job for 3 years in December Vacation: 3 weeks (negotiated from standard new hire of 2 weeks) Sick: it seems to be unlimited, there’s no HR documentation about it. I’ve not used more than 3 in a year so far. Retirement: 401k, 3% automatic company contribution, 1/2 match of first 6% of your contribution. (If I put in 6%, they’ll put in 6%.) Health Insurance: They pay all premiums, 80/20 PPO, one hospital is a preferred plus 100% pay (except ER copay). Walk in health clinic one day a week at our location. Prescription plan is not that great. Gym: Have free membership at a gym close to the office, I don’t use it, about 15 miles from my house. Used to have a matching gift program for charity, ended last year. Used to have a volunteer payout (employee volunteers for charity, foundation pays $250 for each 10 hours up to $1000/year to the charity) that ended last year. Company has a competitive scholarship program for employee’s children each year. (One company in the 90s had an automatic $1000/child per year scholarship.)
Embedded Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:22 am Company pays 100% health insurance premium for individual or family. Spouse is covered as a secondary insurance if they have insurance available. My husband has OK insurance, but my insurance picks up any excess his doesn’t pay.
Bend & Snap* August 10, 2017 at 11:18 am 1. PR Manager: individual contributor running PR programs for b2b tech products 2. Greater Boston 3. 18 years of experience 4. We are a Fortune 200 so I literally can’t list all the benefits. Here are the big ones: 4 weeks of vacation, 5 sick/personal days, 6 public holidays, matching for 401(k), pension, full health/prescription, vision and dental (I can’t remember what portion the company pays but it’s substantial, free teladoc services, all kinds of insurance, EAP, legal assistance, adoption assistance, gender reassignment assistance, remote work, child care on site and childcare discounts elsewhere, a long list of health services and incentives, tuition reimbursement, subsidized food on site, subsidized massages on site, employee discount program for all kinds of things including cars, employee purchase program for our products + our stock, personal travel assistance, emergency dependent backup care…
Assistant Professor* August 10, 2017 at 11:18 am I’m an assistant professor in the social sciences at a private university (R2). I live in the Mountain West, 1 year of experience (but all the benefits related to my job are the same for everyone in my position, you don’t get more with seniority). Benefits: –unlimited PTO, provided you are making sure your classes are covered (i.e. a three-week vacation mid-semester would not be acceptable; going to a conference would be okay if you just canceled one class or found coverage). Generally your presence/absence at work is not tracked by anyone as long as you’re showing up to teach and to occasional meetings, and otherwise getting your work done. –retirement match = double match up to 4%/8% (i.e. you put in 4%, they match it with 8%) –heath insurance is very confusing, depending on which plan you choose, the university covers between 50ish% to 100% of the premium, less if it’s a plan covering spouse/kids. Vision and dental are available and pretty cheap. –also, I’m not sure if this is technically a benefit or not, but we are paid a 9-month salary spread out over 12 months, meaning that if you choose to teach (or take on certain other major projects) in the summer, you get an additional summer salary. Or you can just not teach during those months with no pressure. –tuition reimbursement for kids and spouse –10 weeks full pay for parental leave
Program Director at a Nonprofit* August 10, 2017 at 11:18 am I manage a statewide program at a nonprofit agency. My agency has about 110 staff, which is not very big in the grand scheme but very large for our industry South Carolina 12 years experience 7 holidays +1 floating holiday, 23 days PTO 3% 401K match up to 100% Health insurance premiums paid for employee all but $15, but we have to pay a LOT for dependents. Free or discounted services provided by the organization They are very generous with professional development and pay professional association dues, both of which are extremely rare for our industry.
Program Director at a Nonprofit* August 10, 2017 at 11:20 am Forgot to say, we also have vision, dental, short & long-term disability, and Aflac all for a few dollars per period
Also a Director at a Nonprofit* August 10, 2017 at 12:53 pm I have been with this organization and in the nonprofit world for 5 years. Over 20 years work experience total. All with small organizations, so the benefits at this organization are generous by comparison. Vacation: I am at four weeks per year, though employees who have been here may get two or three weeks, depending on length of service. Because we are in California, vacation time accrues, but our organization has a cap at which point you stop accruing. No one ever reaches that cap without taking time off. Sick Leave: Seven days per year, which also accrues to a cap. Holidays: 12 per year. Medical Insurance: We have several plan options, including two with a high deductible. Employees on the high deductible plans receive generous deposits into a health savings account (HSA) (basically, they get the premium savings back). Coverage on the plans is very good and with the HSA contribution, medical costs end up being pretty low. (I am actually building a good amount of money in my HSA and will use it to pay medical expenses in retirement.) Employer pays 80% of employee premiums and a lower % for dependents. Dental and Vision: One plan for each; premium payment the same as for medical. Life Insurance, Long-term Disability, Short-term Disability: 100% paid by employer. Long Term Care Insurance: group rates and underwriting; employer contributes $25/month toward premium. FSA- dependent, health, and limited plans are available. Retirement: Simple IRA with up to 3% match and 100% vested.
Director of Programs at small nonprofit* August 10, 2017 at 4:51 pm Director of Programs at a small nonprofit in the California Bay Area. We have fewer than 20 employees and an operating budget <2 million. 10 years experience at this organization. 16 holidays, 25 days vacation (staff who have been here less time have fewer days), 7 sick days Health insurance premiums paid for employee through Kaiser. We pay for dependents and spouse, but it's an acceptable amount, in my opinion ($400 a month for three additional people in my family). We also have vision and dental insurance but have to pay some out of pocket for each visit. No matching on retirement accounts.
Non-profit Program Manager* August 10, 2017 at 5:27 pm Boston area. 75% coverage of health insurance premiums + automatic reimbursement of deductible after a certain point (turned our $1250 per person & $2500 family deductible into $500 each and $1000 for the family). Premiums are about $6000 for a family. Same coverage for dental plan, which works out to be about $260/year for the family. 2% 403(b) match 4 weeks vacation to start for salaried employees, increases to 5 weeks at 2 or 5 years (I forget). Use it or lose it policy 2.5 – 3 weeks sick days (again, I forget specifics). Can accrue indefinitely. 11 paid holidays, plus a handful of 1/2 days. Health care and dependant care FSAs. Long term disability paid by organization, short term disability available (costs me about $1000 per year). And generally a great culture, though for both this non-profit and the other one I worked for, you love it or hate it.
Development and Marketing Officer* August 13, 2017 at 3:58 pm Fundraiser at a fairly good sized local non profit. (40 employees) We start with 10 hr vacation in the first year, 12 after the first year with 2 day bumps at 5 years and again 10 years. The vacation accrues, but caps at about 300 hours. We have people who have stopped accruing because they won’t take time off and are accruing at 14 hours a month. We get 12 paid holiday days and 1 floating holiday. We all get 8 hours of sick a month, even part time – prorated (this is CA, I think sick time is mandatory) Sick accrues, no cap, but there is no payout when you separate. Insurance, we have 3 plans to chose from, it’s an 80/20 org/employee split, with that happening for dependents as well. We have a 5% cap as well, so if you are a low wage earner with a big family to insure, you’ll never pay more than 5% of your salary for medical benefits. Vision and dental are covered by the company, as are accident death and dismemberment and we get long term health care – which is portable when you separate. We have a small match to the 403b of about $1000, but the org pays all the fees for it. Also, employee of the quarter gets one additional vacation day. We get breakfast once a month at our all staff meeting. This is a really generous package for our area (Central CA coast)
Therapist, Community MH* August 10, 2017 at 11:19 am I’m a therapist in community mental health. I see between 25-40 clients a week and provide case management, run groups etc. Seattle Area. 4 years of experience We get a week of sick leave a year and 2 weeks vacation, but also 4 floating holidays. You continue to get more vacation as you are with my org longer- I believe folks who have been with the agency for over 10 year get about 4 weeks + the floating holidays. You also can convert sick leave to vacation if you use no sick leave in a quarter. As to retirement, they put some money in our account yearly, but it is not matching or at all predictable. Generally, you can’t count on it. I see it as a bonus. For health insurance, when I started, the benefits were great- company payed all the premium and my copay was low. Then they made us pay our own premium. Then they switch us all to an HSA plan that doesn’t work well for those with chronic conditions. They put $1000 in our account yearly, we have to cover most everything else. It is so bad that everyone who can switched to their spouse’s insurance. A benefit that was touted to me in my interview was a flexible schedule, but we have this only in the sense that you are free to work as much unpaid overtime as you want. Generally we can’t use all our vacation anyways, as the work has to get done and getting someone to cover you is hard. Managers, however, take their full time off, meaning line staff often don’t get supervision we need for licensure, another benefit that is touted to us. We do get training money yearly, but since you have to take time off to take trainings, it doesn’t happen often. A ‘benefit’ is also you get exposed to a wide range of clients and have to learn a lot quickly. Your skills as a therapist grow at first and it can make you valuable when you move on. Yes, I am burning out on this job. I love the field and I love my clients, but agency work is HARD.
Therapist, Community MH* August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am Oh, and paid maternity leave does not exist. If you want it paid, you better have sick and vacation banked. And vacation expires at the end of the year, so….. We also work with kids and families. The hypocrisy is stunning.
Anonomyzing myself to reply here!* August 10, 2017 at 1:34 pm And yet people so often wonder how on earth it’s possible that there could ever be a shortage of therapists who take insurance, wonder why places have waiting lists, etc… possibly because despite our desire to help everyone we can, we burn out *and* aren’t compensated for the work we do… despite needing advanced degrees/licenses and ongoing continuing education (which is expensive if your organization doesn’t pay for it)? How dare we therapists want to have balanced lives or be able to feed ourselves, right? Sometimes moving to private practice (even part-time) is an act of self-preservation for some of us, in order to prevent burn-out and feel like we can provide better service over the long run (I’m considering it at the moment). Sigh.
Obi-wan's wife* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 pm +1000 my husband could’ve written these comments. Community Mental Health counselors are expected to save the world all while getting treated very poorly. Our society’s priorities are messed up. And yes, we’ve moved to private practice this year.
Human Resources Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:20 am your job: HR Analyst for quantitative trading firm with 90 employees. One of two HR people (the other is my boss, who is also head of business development/recruiting). your geographic area: New York City (Manhattan) your years of experience: about 2.5 years of total experience, 1.5 years of HR, May 2015 grad a description of your benefits: ow much vacation and sick leave you get: 5 days’ sick leave, 15 vacation days, no specific personal days but can use either sick or vacation time as a personal day retirement matching: 2% salary but doesn’t vest until 3 year mark what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you: 100% for individual employee health insurance, 100% of dental insurance, vision insurance is $10/month. Families pay the difference, but I have no dependents. Other interesting benefits you might get: $15 towards discounted gym membership monthly; free lunch every day from Seamless ($15 limit); small life insurance policy; fully covered LTD, STD, and AD&D insurance (basic); commuter benefits (pre-tax dollars); free FSA plan My benefits are good but pretty standard for finance in NYC. The free lunch is a great perk. We are a fairly small company so maybe could not offer the same benefits if we were a lot larger because $$$.
Human Resources Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:23 am Forgot to mention we also have free OneMedical (same-day clinic), Health Advocate (claims assistance), and Teladoc subscriptions.
Business Development Consultant/HR* August 10, 2017 at 11:20 am My title is a catch all for a lot of hyphenates that fall into my purview, such as HR, strategic business planning, client communications, web designer, graphic designer, de facto office manager, PR, marketing director, etc. Small CPA firm, so most employees wear several hats. Benefits – 3wks PTO, 6 standard paid holidays, 2 flex holidays, 100% of health (BCBS Platinum plan), dental (highest level BCBS plan), and vision ins premiums covered for the employee, 401k with 100% match up to 3% and additional 50% match up to 5% (so employer contributes 4% if you put in 5%), and flex time (which is the best perk, for most employees – set your own schedule, take off when you need, work from home when you need).
Anon for this* August 10, 2017 at 11:20 am Job: Application administrator (i.e. a manage the overall usage of a piece of software for our company) Location: Toronto, Canada Experience: almost 1 in this particular job, though I’ve been in the workforce for 12 years Vacation: I negotiated 3 weeks to start, but 2 is the default. You go up to 3 weeks after 2 years, then get an additional day for every year after 5, and there’s a maximum at some point but I can’t remember what it is. Sick leave: we get 8 sick days max, but in the past it’s been frowned upon if you use all of them; this number was reduced from 10 days last year as well as a budget issue. Retirement matching: we don’t get matching, but they do offer a lump sum once a year as a contribution to the workplace group retirement fund. The amount is about 2% of my gross salary. Health stuff: I’m in Canada so it’s a bit different in terms of things you might go see your GP for (i.e. provincial health care covers this stuff). We get 80% of regular dental covered, 50% of orthodontics. We also get up to $500 on each of things like physiotherapy, massage, etc. No optical, which I miss; Old Job gave us $200 every two years. Other: we’re in the cultural sector so we have what’s called a reciprocal agreement with other organizations where we can get deals on admissions (e.g. free for you and a guest, free for just you, 50% off theatre tickets, etc.). This always seems like an amazing benefit but I never use it as much as I should. That’s about it. We’re a non-profit so I don’t necessarily expect a lot else, to be honest.
Application Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 11:39 am Whoops, also failed the “put the job title as your name” thing!
Compliance* August 10, 2017 at 11:20 am Compliance in Finance, NYC/Tristate Area, <5 years – 15 vacation days + 3 personal days (so basically, 18 vacation days) with the ability to roll over up to five days from the previous year. I think once you hit 10 years, you're bumped up to 20 vacation days (+3 personal). – Unlimited sick days (I find myself taking less sick days than when I had a job with a set amount of sick days) – 401k matching… I think it's at like, 3% or less during the year… not a huge amount but something. If you're an employee on 12/31 you get 10% of your total salary (including bonus/overtime) contributed to your 401k which is an excellent bonus) – Medical and dental – I pay $32 a month ($16 per paycheck), I don't know what the company picks up. Prescriptions are $10/$30/$50. There's an additional vision plan that I didn't sign up for. They also offered pet insurance and one of those legal fee insurance things, which I also didn't sign up for – FSA account – we're given $1k a year (free money) with the option to contribute pretax dollars – Profit sharing – equal across the board (partners get the same as admins, for example) – We have a gym on site – They buy us lunch every day
EA POLITICS/Gov't* August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am Executive Assistant (gov’t, I am the only assistant to the elected officials) SE United States – mid size municipality 3 years here, appx. 10 years in this you’re of work * based on full time status: 3 weeks of vacation; paid day off for annual physical; paid personal day; little over 100 hours of sick leave a year; we also get a pretty good price on health insurance especially if you take part in the wellness discount, I think I pay about $30/mth, dental and vision is just a few bucks a month as well. I honestly couldn’t say what the retirement breakdown is. They also pay for a year salary of life insurance.
Revenue Accountant (similar to staff accountant position)* August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am -reconcile and maintain deferred revenue GL accounts for specific global lines of business within the company, as well as support a lot of project work (because pretty much every new initiative affects revenue)- basic accounting stuff, plus a lot of project support -Texas -about 4 years accounting/finance experience, in this particular role a little over a year -I work for pretty much the largest company in the world, and our benefits are definitely above average. New hires start with 12 sick days and 12 vacation days, and vacation goes up with years of service (I’m at 15 currently). 401K matching is also on a sliding scale, starting at 50% matching and eventually increasing to 100% matching up to 6%. We also have a stock purchase program to purchase stock at a discount. Health insurance is mostly paid for and very good compared to most, I pay ~$340/month for my whole family for the premium plan. Our maternity and paternity leave kicks butt by U.S. standards, and other benefits include paying for fertility treatments/IVF, tuition reimbursement, and matching charitable contributions. We also have a full medical facility and gym on site. We’re spoiled in the benefits arena!
Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am ◾ Analyst ◾ UK – North East ◾ 3 years in this role 1 at my current level 2 at a lower level analysis position – 17 years for the company ◾ 33 days leave with an option to buy an extra 5 plus 8 bank holidays, also flex time. ◾ Sick pay is 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay for serious health issues – it’s effectively unlimited for less serious issues but the UK system means they can’t be taken as personal days etc as too many incidents will trigger a absences review. ◾ No health insurance ◾ 14% contribution to company pension by employer – employer contribution depends on salary – I think mine is 8% ◾ Full onsite gym, 75% tuition reimbursement with a 2 year commitment to stay after the course has finished is available but on a limited basis if approved by management and hr. t, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get
Research Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am Public Health Research Manager at a medium-sized Midwestern Research University 3.5 years in position (5 years total work experience with 2 Master Degrees). 8 Paid Holidays, 22 Vacation Days & Sick time accrual maxes out at 120 days (you accrue about 1 day per month- any sick time can be applied towards paying out FMLA) No official Maternity/paternity leave- you utilize FMLA and use Sick & vacation time to pay out, only really able to pay a full 3 month leave if you’ve been with university for several years 7% 403(b) match after 2 years High Deductible insurance plan premiums $16/month for individual & $1500 annual deductible. Basic Dental & Vision included. University contributes $400 to HSA at beginning of each year for High deductible plan users. After 7 years of employment, dependents are eligible for 100% tuition at the university (they must get in first- very competitive) or 60% of university’s tuition at another institution.
Academic staff* August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am Director of a research center in Midwest with over 20 years experience 24 days vacation (can rollover up to 48 total), 12 days sick leave (more is available if necessary through a process I don’t understand) Employer contributes to pension 7.5% of salary (I contribute 8%); I have access to both a 403b and a 457 with no matching Health insurance percentage is a complicated formula involving salary, plan chosen, and other factors but it’s around 80% 50% tuition waiver for kids
Manufacturing Software Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 11:22 am Job- – Working for an End-User implementing a Manufacturing software system UK – Midlands Experience – 18 Years in Software Consultancy Benefits – Working four days a week (two at home, 2 in office), 22 days holiday, 8 public holidays. No sick pay/leave, Mileage allowance, state pension contribution. Full free health insurance with spouse’s company.
KatieKate* August 10, 2017 at 11:22 am Volunteer Coordinator in Chicago 3 years experience 10 days vacation and 8 days sick plus flextime. Employer pays 90% of health insurance premium. Vision and dental. No 403b match but access to really great low cost fund and a pension that I am vested in after 5 years. Lots of paid holidays.
Library Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:22 am I am the “desk girl” at the library in a medical school. I don’t have a Librarian degree, and I don’t do “real Librarian” work, but I do all the things most people THINK a Librarian does, like check books in/out, order interlibrary loans, update the shelves, and troubleshoot our website. I live in the Northeast United States and have 2 years of experience at this specific job. I have about 10 years of experience doing academic-type jobs. The job started with 2 weeks of vacation & 7 sick days, then in the next calendar year it bumped to 3 weeks vacation. It will bump up again to 4 weeks at 5 years. We don’t have summers off here, but we do get the week between X-Mas and New Year’s off. I get a 2% COLA every year, retirement matching at 6%, and I have no idea how much my school pays in to my insurance because I only care about things like $10 office visits and $20 specialist visits. Birth control is 100% covered, I consider that a nice perk. Another benefit is that, as a medical school, we’re located across the street from a hospital and the school itself is full of medical professionals, so people take sick time seriously and are compassionate about illness.
Another library assistant* August 10, 2017 at 4:32 pm Library/archives assistant a small private university in midwest: a little bit of everything mostly focusing on processing, collection management, and administrative stuff. Hourly, non- exempt. 3 years experience, no MLIS (library degree) 10 vacation days, 10 sick days (accrued 3.99 hrs/pay period) and 2 personal days a year. Between 10 and 15 paid holidays depending on when Christmas falls– campus is closed between Christmas and New Years. Benefits: choice moderately subsidized health plans, I pay ~$50/month for single person HDHP plus contribute to a HSA. Reasonable vision, dental for a bit more. After 2 years, automatic 5% university contribution to 403(b) with 0% employee contribution, up to a 9% university contribution with 4% employee contribution. Can pay for transit pass using pretax salary. I can use most of the university facilities (gym, library) for free but it’s a tech school, so campus events and library resources are pretty niche and not really of interest to me. Notably, NOT a lot of day to day perks like coffee, occasional free food, staff celebrations, break room, etc. I’m also too lowly for professional development funds or tuition remission.
A third Library Assistant* August 11, 2017 at 12:26 am * Job: In addition to checking things in/out and helping patrons, I coordinate our student worker program, manage proctoring service, and perform behind-the-scenes circulation functions (holds, reserves, shelving, tracking down missing materials, etc.). I am at a liberal arts college with about 2,000 students. * Geographic area: Upper Midwest, medium-sized city * Experience: I’ve only been in this position for a few months. This was my first FT library job, but I have three years of related PT work. I have a BS, but no Masters . * Benefits: 12 vacation days, 13 sick days, and 10-13 holidays per year. I contribute 4% to my 401k, and the college matches that amount. Time off and retirement match go up a little after 5 and 10 years of service. Health insurance premiums are based on your salary: the employee pays 4% of their salary for single coverage or 6.5% for family (why an entire family premium costs less than what two single premiums would be is beyond me, but I suppose it would be nice if I had a spouse and kids…). I have no idea how much the plans cost the college, but single coverage has a $1,000 deductible and family has $2,000. The employee pays the entire dental premium ($50/month). There are some other perks like free tickets to art and athletic events on campus, free use of the rec center, and after 4 years of employment, staff, their spouse, and kids can get a 90% discount on tuition.
Program Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:22 am 1) Job: Program Coordinator for international programs at a large professional medical membership organization. (non-profit) 2) Northern Virginia 3) 5 years work experience 4) Unlimited vacation time. Encouraged to take at least 15 unplugged days a year at minimum to make sure people actually take time off. Flexible work schedule and working from home is allowed. The culture is to be in the office for weekly one-on-ones with your supervisor and for biweekly staff meetings. Other than that, as long as you get your work done it doesn’t matter where you are working. Health Insurance: health, dental, and vision are offered. This is my first job with insurance, so I’m not sure how it compares with other places, but it’s been plenty sufficient for my needs. Retirement: 9% of my salary into my 401k, with 1/4 vested a year. Fully vested after 4 years. Disability insurance covered by the company. Education benefits: up to $5,000 a semester offered to help with continuing education Grants available (up to $1000) for staff to do something they’re passionate about, as long as they take pictures and write an essay for how they used the money Free toastmasters club on site Strong internal mentoring program designed to grow staff talent Transit benefits- free parking or $165 metro subsidy Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available- 24/7 call line for counseling and other assistance Flexible Spending Account Workman’s compensation available if injured/sick on the job Various discounts through offered for pet insurance/homeowners insurance/verizon/travel agents/hotels Wellness rooms are available- primarily for nursing mothers. They’re private, quiet rooms with comfy chairs, a fridge, and an attached bathroom
Public Accounting Clerk (Small Firm)* August 10, 2017 at 11:23 am My Job: Bookkeeping for clients, payroll processing, personal and corporate tax returns, preparing year-end financial statements, assisting CPA Area: Northern Ontario, Canada Experience: 3 years Benefits: – 40 hours of sick leave (non-cumulative, can be used in small portions for appointments) – 2 weeks cumulative vacation – no overtime required
Senior Business Partner* August 10, 2017 at 11:23 am Job: I work for a F100 major retailer, at the company headquarters. My role is essentially project management/process management/field support for company initiatives. Geography: Minneapolis Years of Experience: Almost 3yrs in role; 5yrs at company; total 11yrs working since grad school Benefits: -3wks of vacation standard, increasing with years of experience. Leaders have a flex PTO policy where they can take as much time as they would like. -No true sick time bucket, you simply stay home when you’re sick. -All new parents (male and female) receive 2wks of parental leave for either birth or adoption of child at 100% pay -Maternity leave is covered for either 6wks or 8wks at 100% pay -Short term disability insurance is paid by the company -401k match up to 5% (must work 1000 hrs to be eligible for 401k plan) -Medical/dental/vision coverage at about 2/3 cost of premium -Fitness classes available at HQ locations -Store discount w/ additional discount for buying healthy foods/fresh produce/work out gear -EAP assistance -Legal assistance for things like wills, power of attorney, etc. -Tuition reimbursement -Company discounts on daycare, museums, etc. -Ability to participate in things like test tastes for owned brand food items, wear tests for apparel & accessories, etc. I’ve gotten some cool free swag over the years like clothing, shoes, bags, etc.
Senior Accountant* August 10, 2017 at 11:23 am Bank accountant in Houston, TX. I pay the bills, produce the financial reports, send regulatory reports, help with payroll, and generally make sure that the numbers are right. My bank has under 30 employees. I have been an accountant for 25 years, and at this company for 5 years. We get 20 days of PTO, to use for vacation, sick time, and days off. After 10 years it goes to 25 days. We are required to take two weeks vacation at one time, to comply with regulations. Retirement match is up to 4.5%. There is a separate non-matching contribution that starts at 3% and goes up to 5% after 10 years. Health insurance is covered 75%, plus a spending account of $3,000 to $5,000 depending on if you have dependents. The Christmas party is always at a fancy restaurant, where the bill typically comes to at least $200 per person.
Church Music Director* August 10, 2017 at 11:24 am Job description: Music director at a church Geographic area: Houston, USA Years of experience: 18 years in church music, including 9 years in a leadership role (only past 2 years were full-time) Benefits: 7 weeks’ vacation, including up to 7 Sundays (important distinction in my field). Very flexible schedule. $1000/yr. continuing education. No health, no retirement. Permission to use church facilities freely for side work if desired. There are other weird unofficial (and not guaranteed) “perks” that often come with working at a church; people tend to offer to do things for free for me (although I’ve stopped accepting some of these over the years as I don’t want to exploit) — I’ve had a ton of free food, but also help moving, free haircuts, free consultations with medical and legal professionals, even free housing for a couple months when I was in a bind many years back.
Engineering Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:24 am Engineering Project Manager – $50,000-$10,000,000 = project budget I am responsible for; projects are traditional engineering or development for utility capital projects (I work for a consulting engineering & construction firm) Geographic Area – Midwest US Years Exp – 17 (17 industry, 12 company, 3 in position) Benefits: Vacation & Sick – 5 weeks PTO 401k Match – 100% match of what I contribute up to 6% (I currently get the full 6% match) Profit Sharing – Typically ranges 3%-4% of my salary per year Health Insurance – They pay $288/wk for fam of 4 for an HSA plan, vision, and dental. They contribute $1,000/yr to my HSA. (Annually, $16k them, $3k me) My benefits are pretty good, IMO, and at this point the retirement + insurance is worth $28k/yr for me. The PTO is worth about $12k, too. We used to get a gym reimbursement and more fun perks (location wide MLB game for the whole family, BBQ day). Now we have too many people to do stuff like that, but I try to keep in mind the standard benefit package and not get too crabby about things.
Quality Assurance Assistant Manager (food manufacturing)* August 10, 2017 at 11:24 am – Job: Managing a group of 15-20 employees with 4 direct reports in a food manufacturing environment. I am responsible for maintaining and managing a food safety and quality program, employee training, incident (nonconforming materials, mechanical failure, people messing up, etc.) investigations, customer complaint investigations and regulatory liaison. At times things far out of this scope as well. -Geographic area: PWN (Oregon) -Years of experience: 7 (<1 year with this company) -Description of your benefits – Vacation/sick PTO: Year 1 to 4: 80 hours total for both. 40 of which can be used for sick. (note this is one of the worst vacation/sick leave policy's I have seen/heard of in my industry and area) – Profit Sharing Quarterly: Eligible after the first year – Medical/Dental/Vision: 80% coverage – Accident insurance: They have it but I didn't sign up for it – 401k: Matching up to 5% I will say that this company has the same benefits for salary and non-exempt employees. Which is nice. But the benefits are not the best from what I have seen. I was also unable to negotiate additional time off when I joined.
Bank Secrecy Act Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:24 am BSA Manager (not the BSA Officer…yet!) >Manage the BSA compliance program and BSA/AML software application; assist with the overall BSA risk management program and provide guidance or assistance for all business lines within the Bank; monitor the customer identification program, customer due diligence, and enhanced due diligence requirements; responsible for creating and delivering awareness training and support >New England, close to a large city in a mostly affluent county; it’s a community bank, >30 branches >14 years experience managing BSA >I’m an officer of the bank, so I get 4 weeks vacation, 10 PTO days to be used for any reason, plus paid bank holidays, can’t carry any of this time; ESOP plan (shares granted annually based on salary; stock options; 100% vested after 5 years I believe); 401k, which is matched 100% up to 3%; lots of employee events throughout the year (wellness seminars; free massage, reflexology, and health screenings a few times a year; farmer’s market comes to us a few times a year; employee appreciation week (gifts, food, events); lots of other stuff); educational assistance, which is reimbursed up to 75% depending on grade earned and if it’s job-related (includes Masters); work from home as necessary; annual bonus, which is a percentage of salary based on your performance review (I’ve averaged 15% for the last couple years); onsite gym
Bank Secrecy Act Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:45 am Totally forgot to include health insurance. I’m in the HSA so the bank contributes 1,200.00 to the deductible every year. Not sure what percentage they pay on the premiums for any of the plans, though.
Contractor working as Admin. Ass't* August 10, 2017 at 11:24 am ◾Admin. Assistant type work for a department in a pipeline company as well as whatever else is thrown at me, including lower lever technical writer, SME for an internal database and training people in new, internal software programs ◾geographic area: Calgary, AB, Canada ◾years of experience: this company – 4.5, as an A.A. = 15 ◾benefits: whatever is legally required by Alberta employment law. My vacation pay is equivalent to 2 weeks (rises to 3 after 5 years with the same agency but I am only in year 2 with current agency as I was traded to them when company switched agencies) which is prorated and added to each pay cheque. This means I have to save for my time off. I do get paid stat. holidays (though they don’t always align with my coworkers’ as they are covered by federal regulations). I get no paid sick leave or short term disability. If I needed it, my long term disability would be covered by Employment Insurance, which I didn’t have coverage for when I was a self-employed contractor. My boss has no qualms with me taking 3 weeks of vacation throughout the year (and I am paid enough to save to do so) and any sick time I need to take off. I love my boss for this. I pay for my own extended healthcare (no provincial healthcare premiums at the moment) but, when I negotiated my salary, I took the cost of this, lack of sick leave and other types of benefits into account. In fact, they are paying me only $1 less an hour than they did when they paid me as an independent contractor (which was double what I would have asked for as regular employee with full benefits in order to make up for my costs). So, I have no reason to be bitter. My boss also authorizes a COL raise every year without my having to ask (which I never had happen before as a contractor) If I ever got on staff, there would be full extended healthcare coverage (which would be better than what I currently pay for), short and long term disability, a defined contributions pension plan (it may even be defined benefits, but I don’t know), performance bonuses and a stock buying plan. Oh, and job security.
Blue Bird* August 10, 2017 at 11:25 am Market researcher Germany <1 years’ experience 26 days of vacation + compenatory time off (overtime) 5 personal days off + days off for special occasions (should they arise) Unlimited PTO Full coverage health insurance (not sure how that breaks down between my employer, the state, and me). Same for pension scheme.
LawBee* August 10, 2017 at 11:48 am Question: What does Unlimited PTO mean at your company? Looking at it with American eyes, it looks like you actually have limits on your paid time off – 26 vacation days, 5 personal days.
Blue Bird* August 10, 2017 at 12:43 pm Whoops, sorry! I totally misunderstood that. I thought PTO related to health days (of which I have, theoretically, an unlimted amount). I don’t have unlimted time off in general, haha. That would be amazing.
Reference Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:25 am Job: I am more or less a librarian (sans-Master’s) at a mid-sized historical archive. I monitor the patrons using our materials, answer research questions, retrieve and shelve materials, and handle interlibrary loans and remote research requests. Area: Upper Midwest Experience: Over a year at this job, plus 3-ish years in various library-related internships. I also have a certification in Museum studies, which is a plus at this kind of archive. Benefits: I work for a university system so my benefits are generous for my experience level (though they are not really negotiable and my pay is probably below market value). I get 8 hours per month of vacation time, which does roll over. When you’ve been here 5 years, you get 16 hours per month. Some coworkers with term-limited positions and positions tied to grants get more vacation than I do. I used to work here part-time and got 4 hours per month during that period. We get about 3 weeks sick time, all in a chunk, per year. Using more than 7-8 days is frowned on, though. You can also use sick time for family care. We also have some long-term paid sick coverage, but what you get is highly dependent on your department. I think I have 6 weeks long-term sick time, though my unit’s business manager would have to approve it. We get free dental (two cleanings and x-ray per year) or you can pay $11 a month for more inclusive dental. Vision is $8 per month (one exam + one pair of glasses at the university-run eye clinic per year), but the plan kinda sucks. We have a huge range of health plans to choose from. The one I have is $45 per month for me, no deductible, and $25 doctor visits for almost any specialty as long as you stay in-network. The university has a huge health system so even services like surgery are very cheap as long as you get your care here. Plans for people who want to use doctors outside of this immediate area are more expensive. The percentage of the premium you pay is tied to salary–mine is low because my salary is low. People who make over 45k have to pay more of the premium, and then it goes up again at 100k, etc. We have 403bs, not 401ks. The maximum employee contribution is 5%. After one year of service, the university starts matching your contribution 2-for-1 (their contribution goes in a 401a). You can also choose to put more away in supplemental 403b or a 457b but you have to pay some of the fees associated with those. We also get some fun benefits like free city busing–which I love because I don’t have a car–and discounts at local businesses. We get access to the university library, discounted gym membership, and some free computer software. We have a GREAT employee wellness program too. There are various “challenges” you can complete (everything from quitting smoking to exploring local nature trails to eating a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables) and for each challenge you complete you get $50, up to $100 per year, and I’ve heard that might go up. It’s very low-stress and there’s something for everyone. There is employee childcare, but I’ve heard it’s pretty expensive. The one thing I really wish we got was free gym membership or free membership to the city rec centers, which is a benefit some other nearby universities get and we don’t.
Reference Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Oh, we also theoretically get some number of classes per year. I’d LOVE to use that benefit, but the money is taken out of the unit budget and since my unit is so small and non-revenue-generating, realistically it’s never going to happen.
Receptionist T* August 10, 2017 at 11:26 am I was in the top two for an Exec Assistant job I didn’t get and they showed me the comp package. The pay was way less than what I make now but the benefits were really good: -Health insurance 100% paid by employer -MetroCard 100% paid by employer -20 paid vacation days -Paid day off for your birthday -Later start time I don’t remember other details (I’m sure there were paid sick days but I don’t remember how many).
Receptionist T* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am Sorry that’s NYC again. Sole assistant to head of American fundraising arm of a European non-profit. Tiny operation with a lot of responsibility but the woman I would’ve been assisting was AWESOME. I was heartbroken when I didn’t get it (just as well now because the salary was really low).
Program Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:26 am 1. Program assistant at mid-size political non-profit 2. D.C. 3. 2 years experience (closer to 3.5 years if you count internships) 4. – 20 days PTO that rolls over from year to year, 15 federal holidays (it’s this many because of things like day before Thanksgiving off, etc.), and office is closed for paid holidays on Fridays for one slow month in the summer – 10 sick days. Opportunity for ad-hoc telework (so if I’m sick, recovering from a medical issue, etc. I can work from home, although higher-level employees can have regular one day a week telework). Paid family and medical leave paid at 2/3 of salary if you’ve been employed for a year. – Flexible spending account for health care expenses, dependent care expenses, and transportation (I use for transportation) – Used to be no retirement matching, but now 3% of salary – Good health insurance and okay dental. The percent of your premium that’s paid for is dependent on how much you make, so as a lower-paid employee I only pay 8% of my premium (a bit more than $60 per month) – I get paid overtime, and am generally able to choose whether I’d like to take comp time in the same week or get paid the overtime. – Not actually a benefit but feels like one: hours at 9 to 5:30 with an hour lunch
Program Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am Adding (forgot about this benefit because I never use it – whoops!): free access to a very nice gym in our building
AvonLady Barksdale* August 10, 2017 at 11:27 am Research consultant in a niche area of media, southeast US (medium-sized city): – 12 years of experience in media and this type of consulting, less than a year in this specific area; 17 years overall work experience with one year off for graduate school – Time off: 10 days PTO in my first year, 15 in my second, 20 days after 3 years. I know there’s a rollover maximum but it’s generous. Flexible sick time. In my role, I don’t have to use PTO for appointments or occasional leaving early. Standard national holidays plus the week off between Christmas and New Year’s (office is completely closed and clients are told we’re closed, which is a shift from my last place where we were supposed to hide our closure from clients). I don’t have to take PTO for religious holidays. We get two days off per year to volunteer, but I haven’t taken advantage of that yet. – Non-executive staff gets one WFH day/week, which I don’t have, but I can WFH if necessary. – Insurance: 100% employer paid, medical and dental. Supplemental insurance available. We have a moderately high-deductible plan with an HSA, but my company contributes a nominal amount to that every month. Company-paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, long-term care. I love our insurance package. – 401(k): I believe we get 4% match, but I have to wait a full year for eligibility. That kind of blows, but I get it. – One week bereavement leave for most relatives, which I think is a generous standard. They’re extremely flexible and compassionate about family care here. – Best benefit, IMO: our company isn’t big enough to require FMLA, but we have it anyway. About half of the employees and executives here (maybe more than half) have been at this company for 10 years or more. For such a small place, that says tons to me and is one of the reasons I was so eager to come here.
Contract Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am your job: Review contracts ranging from small potatoes up to potentially millions of dollars. Draft amendments, negotiate changes. I’m senior enough I can sign some of the small potatoes contracts, I take the larger contracts to my boss or to the C-levels for execution. I also assist with processing contracts in our internal software. Our industry is in a particular commodity, we buy it in large quantities from the people that create it and then resell bits and pieces to our end-use customers. your geographic area: Florida, not in a major metropolitan area your years of experience: 6+ a description of your benefits: 2 weeks paid vacation effective after the first 90 days of employment, 3 weeks of vacation based on seniority (years 0-5 gets you 2 weeks per year). 401k matching is 100% for the first 4%, then 50% of the next 2%, so a lot of people contribute 6% of their net salary to their 401k to essentially get 5% matched. I pay zero for my monthly health insurance on a high deductible HSA plan, but then regular doctor visits are $25 and specialist visits can be as much as $90 if I haven’t hit my deductible for the year yet. Dental is free up to a certain amount. There is a gym on campus and a full time personal trainer we can schedule time with for free, he also organizes classes and annual events on campus (walking program, biggest loser competition, etc.). I get to have a flexible-ish schedule – I work from 7 to 4 most days and if I occasionally leave a little early or come in a little late it’s okay. I can periodically work from home with my boss’s prior blessing but that’s just once every few months as a way to make up missed time elsewhere. I happen to be under a larger department that does a monthly breakfast thing on Mondays as a sort of pick me up for working in a call center (I don’t do call center stuff myself, I just happen to report to the same grand-boss).
Contract Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm Forgot to add vision insurance is something like $6-7/month, adding a spouse to my health insurance is ~$390/month and adding a child is ~$350/month. Prescriptions aren’t covered under my plan until the deductible is met and since it’s a high deductible plan it effectively means my prescriptions are never covered. There is also a “paid plan” for health care that is $150/month but offers prescription coverage from day 1 so some people opt for that depending on their circumstances. Tuition is partially reimbursed and I think you have to stay working here for 12 months after graduation from whatever you were reimbursed for.
Office Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am Manage 5 people at corporate office. Oversee all accounting. Midwest 20 yrs exp. 7 years in current position 3 weeks vacation, 4 PTO days Quarterly bonuses 401(k) match $250.00/yr Employer pays 50% insurance, but I pay still $141.00 a week for my family with a $5,000 family deductible. Vision insurance is free for the employee only.
Market Research Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am 1. I (and a peer) design, field and analyze all primary research initiatives with externally-facing audiences for a large health insurance company in the Midwest. Contrary to the title, I don’t actually manage anyone. 2. Larger Midwest City 3. 2 years of industry experience, plus 6+ years of research experience during Ph.D. program 4. Benefits: short-term disability, 20 days of PTO (vacation/sick time-increases after 5 years with the company), some paid holidays, 4% retirement match, educational assistance/student loan repayment (I think it’s $10,000/year in tuition reimbursement and $5000/year in student loan repayment), performance bonuses, free on-site gym. Despite being a health insurance company, the insurance isn’t great- not bad, just not great- it’s an 85/15 cost share. Dental and vision insurance available and subsidized at the same rate. I think there’s also some sort of pension in addition to the retirement match.
Corporate Event Planner* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am I work for a professional services firm in NYC and plan corporate events and meetings from our C-Suite executives and their direct reports. These can range from small local dinners to large multiday international events with social and professional components. I have about 10 years of experience overall, but only 2 in this particular firm. Most of my experience is not in corporate event planning, but in non-profit and academic events. Benefits: -15 vacation days, 3 floating holidays, 2 personal days, 9 paid holidays, and 10 sick days -Our insurance is pretty standard. Company covers 80% of premium for PPO, and my monthly contribution is about $240 each month with a reasonable deductible. This amount could be lowered by $50 by participating in a biometric screening, which I forgot to do for 2017 but have done for 2018. -Retirement: 6% match once you are a vested employee (after 1 year) -I also qualify for overtime pay, which is nearly unheard of for an event planner
Development Associate (Nonprofit arts)* August 10, 2017 at 11:28 am * Primarily, I write grants. I’m in charge of all relations/communications with our institutional partners, and since it’s nonprofit, I also have been found working special events, working with individual donors, and even doing housekeeping… * NYC/Metro area * I’ve been at this job 1.5 years and I’ve been working for a total of 2.5 years (recent grad) * This is nonprofit, y’all. There’s about 25 full-time staff. I get benefits (dental and health), with a $2,500 medical debit card because we have a high deductible. We don’t get raises, but I’ve noticed people get internal promotions often which comes with a different job title and higher pay. There’s also an optional retirement plan, but I don’t know the specifics on that. PTO: Sick time is as needed. first year – 5 vacation days. second – fourth year – 10 vacation days. sixth year and beyond – 15 vacation days. They expire at the end of every summer. But who is really going to stay at this place for more than five years? Very rare when people do. I also notice the PTO changes person to person. We never had a maternity/paternity leave protocol until someone got pregnant. Which I think is kinda normal in nonprofit arts? Correct me if I’m wrong. Also everyone here generally takes a long lunch (up to two hours) and we have summer hours working 30 hours/week between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend. I’m lucky that with my manager she’ll let me take time off whenever I need it, and I wouldn’t be penalized if I come into work 2 hours late because of a doctor’s appointment. Our department also worked out a system where some of our overtime hours translate into extra PTO. The only issue I have about everything I listed above is that NOTHING IS WRITTEN DOWN! It’s kinda like, “If I like you, this policy works for you. But if I don’t like you, I’ll whip out this exception to the rule I neglected to tell you before.” Frustrating when a higher-up dislikes you, which I’ve observed. We’re also part of the state’s arts alliance which helps us get free tickets to any partnering company’s shows — which is actually a lot!
Development Associate (Nonprofit arts)* August 10, 2017 at 11:29 am Adding on to the health benefits — first year I paid 50%, and after that my employer covers it 100%.
Another Development Associate* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am -I support our development department, which is just two people so I wear a lot of hats. My primary duties are gift entry, maintaining our donor database, tracking our grants calendar, creating email blasts, creating print material for events, contributing to grant writing, etc. -Chicago area -2 years experience -We get 20 days PTO (combined vacation, sick, and personal), 6 paid holidays. There is decent standard medical, dental, and vision insurance. I don’t know the percentage, but I pay about $45 a month total for it and dependents can be added for a reasonable cost. They offer a Simple IRA that they contribute to, I put nothing in it myself (honestly don’t know what they put it..I should look into that). There is an educational reimbursement program too. We are part of a Professional Employer Organization that provides additional benefits including a great discount program on everything from cell phones to vacations to grocery coupons. Last but not least there is a nice little holiday bonus check each year.
Basically Another Development Associate* August 10, 2017 at 5:22 pm I also work for a nonprofit in their development department. I’m largely responsible for making sure all incoming donations are recorded correctly. It’s a lot more structured than my last position, which I appreciate. For benefits, we get one combined bank of time off to be used as PTO or sick time. I think it totals about 20-21 days. We also get about 10 holidays, if I remember correctly. Health benefits are tiered, which is interesting and the first time I’ve experienced this at a job. There does seem to be room for growth with this employer, which is nice and not something I found with other employers.
Registered Nurse* August 10, 2017 at 11:29 am I work in the Operating Rooms so I do everything from scrubbing to circulating to setting up the OR rooms for surgery. We also take turns running the OR desk which involes managing the nurses and cases. Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada 10 years experience We start with 20 vacation days, 20 sick days, 12 stat holidays. We can take 20 leave days a year without affecting our pension. We have a municipal pension plan which we pay into. Private medical insurance covers medical and dental and other service. Copays can be 50 to 100% but it varries a lot and we have a website that explains it all. Our immediate family are on our plans. Other things just have a yearly cap like 300ish for cimpreason srocking. For instance registered massage visits are covered 80% up to 1000 dollars and then 100% after that.
Development Associate* August 10, 2017 at 11:29 am Nonprofit. Essentially administrative duties, assisting VP and Director of Department. I run reports, manage data, minor event planning, manage schedules, prospect research. New England 2 year of experience This year 13 days of vacation. Next year 17/18, and every year thereafter 20 days. Can carry-over 10 days. Though new hires have a different scale (10 for the first year, 12.5 for years 2-5, I think, then 15 for years 5-8/10, I don’t remember, and they don’t reach 20 days until after 10 years I believe). 12 sick days | 3 Personal Days | 3 floating Holidays | 8 fixed holidays | 1 volunteer day | 3 bereavement days Though there is no family/maternity leave. Retirement: After 1 year the company contributes the value of 10% of your salary to a retirement account. There is also an optional 403b plan that employees may contribute to (no matching). Health Insurance: I’m not on my company’s health insurance yet. But I know they offer two plans, a more-regular plan and one with an HSA option. If you choose the HSA option they will contribute $750 into that account each year. If you chose the other option, they may pay $750 towards a surgery (I believe, I haven’t paid that much attention to the other plan).
Sanfranfran* August 10, 2017 at 11:29 am Executive Assistant to a nonprofit CEO (1,000 employees statewide)- Also functions as the assistant for 15 seat volunteer board of directors. US, Southern US 12 years of experience 37.5 hour a week work days. 24 PTO days a year that can be banked up/carried over continuously up to 280 hours, 6 personal days that expire annually, No matching or 403b available, Employer managed revenue sharing plan with annual contributions invested at a 60/40 split approved by the BD, payout based on % of salary + years vested v. money available in investment account – Vested 100% at 7 years , employer pays 50% premiums for employee only plans (3 tiered options available) and 25% for employee +family plans, Free extremely and often times hard to use basic dental plan for employee and $15 for employee +family, free life insurance/burial insurance at $10,000 per employee. Every employee gets their own office with doors that shut and most of us have windows and generally all get the same view. $10 – 15 minutes massage once a month. 2 week paid shut down for the winter holidays. Attached preschool that has some slots available for employees usually (sometimes not though). $5 discounted preschool weekly rate for employees.
Clinical social worker* August 10, 2017 at 11:30 am I’m a therapist in a mid size city. I’m a contractor, so no benefits whatsoever. The major upside is that I control my schedule.
Manager of Market Research* August 10, 2017 at 11:30 am 1. Job: Manager of Market Research for a midsize corporation, in charge of all primary research and all syndicated & market specific secondary research. 2. South Florida 3. 15 years of experience, making six figure salary 4. 168 hours of PTO per year (40 hours roll over), 8 company holidays (including the day after Thanksgiving), 4% match to 401K immediately vested, Company Paid health insurance for employee 5. Other benefits include: annual bonus plan pay out of up to 15% of salary, work from home when needed, no dress code (wear anything you want literally, jeans, shorts, flip flops etc.), company recognition program with the chance to win a vacation, on-site massages and fitness center, on-site cafeteria, company discounts on tech equipment etc., $10,000 tuition reimbursement per year for a qualified program, on-site continuing education and development courses, industry conference attendance, unfettered upward advancement opportunities… After seeing a few of the comments here already I am appreciating my company more than ever!
Contracts/Compliance Manager (federal contracts)* August 10, 2017 at 11:31 am 1. In my current position I provide contract/compliance/procurement services to support federal agencies (basically they don’t have the line item to direct hire people so they issue institutional support contracts to companies to provide staff as contractors). In my career generally though I have provided contract/compliance management on technical projects being implemented by consulting firms to further the mission of a federal agency (making sure that we as the implementer are following all the rules and getting all the right approvals). 2. Washington DC metro area 3. 15+ years 4. I am new to my current company so I get 15 days of PTO plus 10 holidays per year until I hit 36 months of tenure then it goes up to 18 days of PTO (I know, not great). I have a choice between a traditional and Roth 401(k) and they match the first 3% and half of the next 2% – so if I contribute 5% or more I get 4% match. (I am able to have both 401(k) types but the match has to do into the traditional 401(k)). This is also a safe harbor plan so I am 100% vested on day 1. As required by employers with more than X employees in the DC region, I have SmartBenefits – pre-tax transit deduction that can go to either transit or Parking. There is a medical FSA and a dependent care FSA available. They offer a TriCare supplement to those who are on that insurance. There are discounts on Life Lock identity protection services. Also pet insurance. $5000/year education benefit. Probably a gym discount. They offer a PPO and an HNO (not exactly sure how it is different than an HMO but it is) and I have the PPO. Our benefit year is Oct 1 – Sep 30 so for the year that is about to end here is the breakdown as a single person: – Dental per month: me $6.92 company $29.54 – Vision per month: me $6.12 company $0 – Accidental Death per month: me $0 company $1.72 (based on salary) – Basic Life Insurance per month: me $0 company $6.90 (based on salary) – Long term disability per month: me $79.54 company $0 (based on salary) – Short term disability per month: me $0 company $29.19 (based on salary) – Single Person PPO $500 deductible, $2000 annual out of pocket max per month: me $139.68 company $395.54
Contracts/Compliance Manager (federal contracts)* August 10, 2017 at 11:39 am Forgot to mention: – I can telework 1 day/week (this is not an official company benefit but is approved on a contract by contract basis – ie if the client is okay with it, everyone working on the contract can do it but it has to be a set schedule such as Rob on Mondays, Sue on Tuesdays, Trevor on Wednesdays, etc so that there is a certain minimum of onsite coverage every day as most but not all contract are onsite with an agency) – I get paid for the hours I work. So if pay period Aug 1-15 has 88 hours and I work 90 because I stay late a few times, I get paid for 90 (straight, not time and a half). However, most of our contracts are based on Level of Effort so if we burn through the LOE, the contract ends sooner and we are out of a job.
Strategic Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:31 am DC Area. Work in BD, looking for, researching, helping secure new business opportunities 5 years experience, 1 at current job. PTO: 18 days vacation, 7 sick Health Benefit options: HDHP, two levels of PPO; for HDHP small contribution to HSA. Can’t find the % employer pays, but it is high (~80% ?), and only half is paid for spouse (~40%?). Spouse is excluded if he/she has other insurance from employer. Dental and vision offered. 401K marching -50% of a capped% of employee contribution, vestinf over 5 years Tuition reimbursement but only for degree program. Ammount varies by level of degree (grad, BA, AA). Short term disability (incl maternity) – 1 week “elimination period” -Adoption benefits -employee stock purchase plan
Research Investigator* August 10, 2017 at 11:31 am – I work in analytical chemistry group at a large chemical corporation. I have a PhD and do mostly project and data management, report writing, putting out fires, and I supervise one associate chemist. – Delaware, USA – 2 years of experience ~ 15 vacation days with the option to buy up to 5 more; I can roll over 5 days, but only if I sell back days I purchased ~ 10 holidays ~ 2 personal days ~ Unlimited sick days (because I’m exempt), but strict policy about getting on short-term disability if you’re out for 3+ working days in a row ~ 401k: 100% fully vested company match up to 6% employee contribution, with an additional automatic 3% contribution fully vested after 3 years of service (in lieu of a pension) ~ High Deductible Health Insurance, Dental, and Vision (I can’t find any info on company share of payments) ~ Company contribution to HSA (I get $600/year for my single person plan) ~ Flexible working schedule ~ EAP
Credentialing Specialist (Healthcare Staffing)* August 10, 2017 at 11:31 am I work for a staffing company, and we specialize in the Healthcare industry only. We primarily staff RNs, LPNs, and CNAs, although we do staff some respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners, and others. My job duties involve onboarding new staff and verifying they have a licensure in good standing in the state they’re working in, and ensuring they turn in the correct and appropriate credentials prior to their start date. We also maintain credentials and ensure our clinicians keep everything up to date. We are not part of the HR department but our duties sound similar because of the nature of them. Location: South Louisiana, United States (urban area) Years of experience: 3 Time off: 3 weeks of PTO, but our PTO must be used for holidays. So really more like 2 weeks of PTO. We don’t get it all at the beginning of the year-we accrue it with hours worked. PTO can roll over from year to year. There is no separate sick time-it all comes out of your PTO bank. You can sometimes have the option to not use PTO. I have regular doctor’s appointments right now and can just take the time off unpaid instead of using some hours of PTO. Benefits: Health, dental, vision, short and long term disability, life insurance are all offered. I don’t know how much the employer contribution is, but I know the employee contribution is high compared to what you get. I am covered under my spouse’s health insurance because we get more for what we pay for. Retirement: No options at this time. We used to have a 401K (you had to be employed for at least 1 year to opt in) but that was done away with right before I could start contributing-not enough people used it for it to be worth the money according to my company. They have said they are looking into alternative retirement plan options but no details yet.
Executive Assistant, South Loosiana* August 11, 2017 at 10:52 am I was starting to think that I was the only one to pull benefits short straw, but maybe it’s a Louisiana thing. Location: South Louisiana Years of Experience: 26 Time off: 2 weeks PTO, accrued, with one-two years rollover. No separate sick pay. 8 paid holidays, but forced to use vacation if holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday and company wants to close the office for a long weekend. Benefits: Health company pays 75% employees and 35% dependents, life insurance.
Data Analyst II* August 10, 2017 at 11:31 am Data Quality Analyst, less than 1 year in this position, over 15 years with the company overall NY Tri-state area 29 PTO days, sick/vacation combined Multiple healthy plans available, I have the HSA PPO plan because I don’t like dealing with referrals 401K available, company matches first 6% Company has on-site child care, emergency child care available. I don’t know the rates as my kids are adults. On site gym (free for employees) Cafeteria with reasonably priced (under $10 for almost all meals) food On site health care and lab drawing (blood work sent out to third party lab) 10 paid holidays a year Options to work from home for most employees FMLA available, unpaid by company, covered by state disability for 2/3s of salary up to certain level
Associate Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 11:32 am Junior attorney at a small, three attorney firm. Responsible for my own cases under supervision. South Mississippi 1 year experience 2 weeks paid vacation, 5 sick days (but my boss is flexible on this). No insurance but receive $250 per month allowance for insurance. No 401k or matching.
An Inspector of Gadgets* August 10, 2017 at 11:32 am I wish everyone was including maternity/paternity leave!
nnn* August 10, 2017 at 11:47 am I don’t know if that’s your username or job title, but I love it either way!
Theme Park Technical Writer* August 10, 2017 at 11:32 am -Florida -6.5 years in the company. This is important when you read the below benefits; most employees are part-time and leave before the 5 year mark, and full-time and 5+ years is when the good stuff kicks in. -Three weeks vacation, 1 hour PTO/40 hours worked (this is also what we use as sick leave, but we can use it in small chunks or full days), 2 floating holidays, all federal holidays off and paid. -I don’t know what percentage of my health insurance my employer pays for, but my monthly premium is $80 for just myself, and I have $20 copays for usual visits (or anything that my primary doctor refers me to), $45 for specialists, and $55 for urgent care. Meds are pretty cheap but I don’t take anything regularly so I don’t know the exact discount percentage. Dental and vision are ~$12/month. -I think retirement matches up to 2% but I am admittedly not as familiar with retirement things as I should be. -Free theme park admission for myself, a large number of tickets that I can use on my friends and family, discounts on everything in the park (higher discounts at the holidays), and a lot of discounts with participating businesses in the area. -8 weeks paid parental leave (4 if you’re the secondary parent, which would only apply if both people work here), and adoption/foster assistance (amount determined on a per-case basis) -75% tuition reimbursement up to a certain dollar amount (I’m in grad school so it’s up to $1000 per class, which includes books) -Charitable donations to a charity of the employee’s choice when the employee volunteers at least 52 hours (more money donated if they volunteer 104 hours). The tradeoff for these awesome benefits is that theme parks are notoriously low-paying, and I remember reading in the salary thread that other technical writers with my years of experience made $15k more than I did. I still don’t think I’ll leave my company with all these benefits!
Junior Advisor* August 10, 2017 at 11:32 am My job is essentially project managing all kinds of compliance and implementation of services for expatriate business assignments for our clients (plus a variety of miscellaneous projects in various sectors). Boston, MA I came into this job with zero industry experience, but about 3 years experience at different international companies. 401k matching (I think up to 4%?) Unlimited PTO (includes both vacation and sick days – in practice it works out to about 15 days a year) 10 US holidays They pay for at least 50% of my health insurance, and it’s very good insurance for the US Life insurance up to twice my annual salary Flexible spending account for pre-tax deductions for commuting costs
Administrative & Marketing Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am – Basically Admin. Assistant, so a lot of admin tasks and answering the phone (small family business). I also handle the company’s email marketing and Facebook presence (only one-two FB updates a month so it’s mostly just the email, once a month or two). 8-5 M-F, and I love that I never have to take anything home, or work overtime. – Midwest (SW Ohio) – 5 years experience – 12 days (96 hours) PTO/year, including sick/personal time, in addition to major holidays being paid – 401k with 4% company match -Health, vision & dental, partially subsidized (I don’t know how subsidized, it’s still quite expensive for us, especially for my PPO plan, the priciest)
Attorney (State Government)* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am My job: Provide advice and counsel on a broad range of issues. Draft policy (e.g., draft legislation). My geographic area: California My years of experience: 6 years, 8 months as a licensed attorney A description of my benefits: – 5 hours annual leave/month; – 13 official holidays and 1 floating holiday; – Insurance: employer pays 85% of health insurance premium (health insurance overall is very low since the state can negotiate good rates), I pay a reasonable premium for good dental benefits (PPO), employer covers vision insurance premium; – Defined pension plan (both employer and employee must contribute, my contributions just went up and I think are at 9% now); – Access to both a 401(k) and 457 plan (employee paid, low fees) – Mass transit pass subsidy – Life insurance ($50k benefit, employer paid) – Long-term disability insurance (employee paid) – FSA – EAP – Group legal plan (employee paid) – Pre-tax parking savings program
Attorney (State Government)* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am These benefits are not unique to a person in my role, but are the benefits offered to other employees of the organization as well.
Attorney (State Government)* August 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm Oh, some more: The employer pays my annual bar dues to keep my license active. They will pay for the annual license fees of anyone required to have a state license as part of their job. The employer offers employees making below a certain salary, $100/year toward professional association dues for a job-related professional association.
Attorney (State Government)* August 10, 2017 at 4:16 pm Err… should be 15/hours annual leave per month. Sorry, I just noticed that error.
Legal Clinic Director at a Public Law School* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am Job Description: My job is a cross between law teaching, being the Exec Director of a small nonprofit (managing, fundraising, budgeting, strategic planning), and providing direct legal services (i.e., free legal aid for very low-income communities). It’s most analogous to clinical teaching in medicine, but with more administrative responsibilities. I supervise a (growing) team of 3 and mentor/coach/teach a student team of 10. I’m also part of a larger clinical program with several other clinical profs, administrative support staff, and about 70 students (total). Although the position is part of the faculty, we’re categorized differently, and so we are all union members with a CBA in place. Geographic Area: Northern California (closer to the Bay Area / Sacramento than the Oregon border) Experience: 1 year as director; 6 years in the field; and 16 years of overall work experience. Benefits: — Three weeks’ vacation per year (on an accrual basis, and it rolls over). This will increase over time; our CBA ties leave increases to years of university experience. — 10-15 days sick leave per year (also accrues and rolls over & increases w/ years of university experience) — 401(K) or public pension system; I’m in the 401(K) and receive a 4% employer contribution. The pension is more generous, but you have to commit to staying in the system for 10 years, and I don’t have tenure, yet, so I was worried about what would happen if I had to leave. We get a one-time opportunity to rollover our 401(K) into the pension system, which I’ll take up if I make tenure. — There are multiple plan options, but because we have a med school, I opted for a plan that covers 100% of the cost of preventive care (if you use the med school’s providers), and 80% if you use providers from a linked PPO plan. The medical plan covers “behavioral” health (mental health, nutritionists, etc.) and vision, as well. Dental is covered up to $2000/year. — My employer pays for a life insurance policy and to cover me at 75% disability; I’m not required to contribute to receive coverage. — We receive academic discounts on courses offered through the main campus or through university extension. No tuition discount, though, if you’re enrolled in a certificate/degree program. — We’re also able to access discounted travel fares, even for personal travel, because the university is such a large customer. — After 6 years, I qualify for a paid semester-long sabbatical (which comes up, again, every 5 years).
Legal Clinic Director at a Public Law School* August 10, 2017 at 11:38 am Ack! Sorry for the weird spacing. In response to the question re: parental leave, the answer is: it’s complicated, and it would be different if we were categorized differently. So there’s basically 3 leave structures depending on your faculty classification. My cohort is “allowed” to take a semester of unpaid leave pre-tenure (about 4.5 months if we exclude summer), and post-tenure that’s supposed to be up to 6 months’ of leave, with 1 semester paid and all additional time (1.5ish months?) unpaid. But the summer term is comparatively short (3 months), which kind of shortchanges your leave if you’re using the “semester” method (since there’s no summer semester), so the running joke-that-isn’t-really-a-joke is to avoid a due date over the summer “break.”
Sr Project Manager (Software)* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am Sr Project Manager (Software) – I manage a team of 6 developers for a start up in the medical software field. I also handle a lot of proposal/new business sales support and marketing since we’re a small company. Geographic area – North Georgia/Chattanooga metro Years of experience – 15 Benefits – Vacation & Sick – 3 weeks paid vacation + 1 week paid sick time, with flexibility so that I can work remotely if needed or work extra hours within the same pay period to avoid using hours from my sick/vacation buckets. I can also carry unused vacation time over from year to year. 401k Match – company matches up to 4% Long term and short term disability paid by the company Health/Dental Insurance – 70% of the cost paid by the company Other benefits: Free soda/coffee/bottled water, lunch catered by the company at least once a month, casual environment (jeans every day!)
Database & administrative stuff* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am I wanted to add mine as I suspect I’m much more junior than most of the responders here. Job: Nonprofit, dealing with our donor database and administrative side of that. Region: Canada Experience: 2 years in this area, 8 years out of school (I worked in a different area before nonprofits) Benefits: 2 weeks vacation, 1 week sick leave, no insurance, no other benefits. It sucks. At least I’m in Canada and don’t have to worry about paying for a hospital visit. Other: Flexible work hours, ability to work at home.
Senior Digital Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:33 am Manage digital (online, app, email, etc) projects for an advertising agency Philadelphia 18 years’ experience 3 weeks PTO, no retirement, employer offsets health benefits and offers a choice of 2 plans – one high deductible, one more traditional (but expensive). No subsidy for spouse or children. HOWEVER, we did get bagels on thursdays. JEALOUS???? Note: I have since gone freelance where my benefits are my own doing, but this was my last onsite W-2 job.
Data Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am Data analyst for financial services company Mid-Atlantic 4.5 yrs experience Benefits: ~80% health/dental/vision insurance paid for self, spouse, children; 4 wks paid vacation; 10 bank holidays; sick time as needed; 3% 401k contribution, plus matching to 6%; life/disability insurance for self and family; 15 days backup childcare; tuition reimbursement up to $5000 per yr; paid paternity leave (8 wks!, though this changed after my son was born); on-site gym; on-site health center; employee assistance program covering things like mental health, legal help, etc.; other random discounts, free food, etc.
Development Director* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am Executive director, overseeing all aspects of income generation for a mid-sized, national non-profit UK 5 years in industry post graduation (this speed of progression is *not* the norm for my industry) Vacation: 28 days plus 8 bank holidays Sick Leave: 40 days full pay, followed by 80 days half pay Pension: 5% employer contribution for 3% employee Health Insurance: subsidised insurance available – but haven’t taken this up Other stuff: flexi-time (up to an extra day off per month for hours worked above contracted 37.5), enhanced parental leave, lifestyle leave – paid or unpaid leave to deal with the fact that life happens, life assurance at 2x salary and transport loans (season tickets, bikes etc)
Development Director* August 10, 2017 at 3:24 pm Not that unusual in the UK. The public sector tends to go up to 26 weeks full pay then 26 weeks half pay for sick pay. Part of this is subsidised by the government through a benefit called Statutory Sick Pay that your employer claims back. Statutory Maternity Pay (all 39 weeks of it) is also something like 90% reimbursed by the government. The legal minimum allowance is 90% of salary for 6 weeks followed by about £120 per week for the next 33, but it’s something at least.
Development and Communications Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 3:01 pm Development and Commincations Director at $2 mil non-profit (12 employees). In charge of all fundraising (grant applications and reports, major gifts, individual donors, 3-5 events a year, corporate sponsorships, etc.) *15 vacation days and 12 sick days a year; 12 paid holidays *flexible schedule, choose my hours ( I work 7:15-3:45 so I can miss traffic) *can work remotely when needed (usually once a month or so) *retirement 3% match after first year *health and dental insurance, no vision *$500 for professional development a year
Development Officer (higher ed)* August 11, 2017 at 11:33 am I’m an annual giving officer at a university in the Northeastern US. The bulk of my job is managing teams of alumni volunteer fundraisers. I’ve been in development for almost 15 years. 15 days paid vacation, with the week between Christmas and New Year’s off as a freebie, plus 2 “flex days” 10 sick days 1:1 403b match up to 5% of my salary, plus another 5% of my salary whether I save for retirement or not We use the university’s private health plan, so I pay $120 a month for coverage for the whole family (dental and vision are carried by my spouse) While I’m technically able to audit whatever courses I like at the university. If I want a grade or to pursue a degree? I get a 50% tuition reduction (rather than full remission), and only in some departments. (So, I couldn’t get a free medical or law degree or anything like that.) Tuition remission for coursework elsewhere up to $5,250 per year. If I stay put until my child is college-aged, the university offers a tuition scholarship of up to $15,000 annually, that my child can take anywhere.
Development Officer (higher ed)* August 11, 2017 at 11:37 am Ah, and the *really* great thing about the 403b is that I’m 100% vested from the first deposit. It has been a long time since I’ve had such a sweet retirement benefit.
Associate Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am Associate Attorney: I manage the workup of cases after signup, and through litigation or settlement. This includes client/witness interviews and depositions, responding to defense motions, drafting our own motions, negotiating settlements, and just general lawyer stuff. your geographic area: Charleston, SC your years of experience: 6 a description of your benefits: Employer pays 100% of our health care, including dental. Only firm employees can use it unless the spouse doesn’t have benefits. Otherwise, spouse/kids must be on the spouse’s insurance. Firm also contributes to our HSA almost to the yearly maximum. Everyone in the firm starts with 20 days PTO, and recently those who have been here for five years or more got an extra 5 days. No restrictions on how or when those are used, other than obvious trial times, etc. 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave, I don’t know about paternity (I don’t think we offer it), applies to births and adoptions. Safe Harbor 3% match, opt-out, vested after 3 years I think. Annual bonuses. Everyone has the same benefits, as far as I know. Maybe partners have something different, but I don’t think so. We just added short-term and long-term disability and I think one of those plans where you can set money aside for your aging parents, or something like that. No dress code, although there are limits (you can wear jeans, but not pajama pants. Shorts are ok, but not the ones that are so short your butt shows).
Informal Science Educator* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am Develop on-site educational programs and manage ~ 30 part time educators Megalopolis 20 days PTO, 6 floating holidays, 1 conservation day (a day to do volunteer activities, the March for Science counted which was awesome) Retirement: 401(k) 3% match (I think, honestly I made me husband figure all that out) Medical: employer pays 2/3 of premium for medical/ dental/ vision Other: tuition assistance up to $5,250 a year
Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am I am a software engineer, located in the Portland, Oregon, metro area. Our benefits are subject to change (possibly drastically) at the end of this year, but currently: Health insurance (good but not jaw-dropping, from what I’ve seen elsewhere), but one positive is that if you choose the high-deductible plan, the company puts the difference in deductibles into your HSA for you. So you pretty much always come out ahead to take that option, plus if your health issues never reach the deductible, you’ve been storing money that can be used in future years. Vision insurance (fairly basic and standard). Dental insurance, which mostly is as lousy as you expect for dental insurance as far as the most it will pay for non-preventative, but which covers four cleanings a year instead of only two. 401k, company match, up to 3%. Unlimited PTO for sick and vacation at manager’s discretion. I don’t love this, I’d rather have a large but fixed bank, but practically speaking about 25 days a year seems to be considered reasonable. (And taking more because of health issues usually is also, from what I’ve seen.) Short term and long term disability, life insurance, travel insurance if you travel for the company, if you travel much they’ll pay for your TSA Pre-check, on-site gym, and discounts with a number of retailers.
Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 12:53 pm * Software engineer at a company that produces software. Typical job responsibilities for that environment. * Portland, Oregon area * 12 years Benefits: * 10 days PTO, covering both sick time and vacation. We’re allowed to swap holidays for a different day off. We’re allowed to work remotely, so I don’t wind up taking many actual sick days. * 5% 401k match. * 100% of health/vision/dental insurance premium paid for the employee, 80% for spouse/partner/children. HSA option. * Life and long-term care insurance for employee and spouse/partner. * Choice of either free monthly transit passes or free parking in the garage attached to our building. * Reimbursement of training costs if we take classes related to job skills. * Reimbursement of the cost of a basic yearly Costco membership. This is more or less in line with what I’ve seen in other jobs in this industry in this region. Except for the Costco thing.
Residence Life Co-Ordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am – Co-managing Residence Life in a university – UK – 9 years experience – 41 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays) – 6 months sick leave at full pay, then 6 months at half pay – Salary sacrifice pension scheme with an employer contribution of 18% of salary – n/a on health insurance because it’s the UK – Up to 1 year maternity leave (8 weeks full pay, then 16 weeks half pay plus SMP – Statutory Maternity Pay, which is £140.98 a week – then 15 weeks SMP, then 13 weeks unpaid) – Salary exchange schemes for bicycle or fuel-efficient car purchases
Privacy & Information Management (Canada)* August 10, 2017 at 11:34 am *Industry: Government *Location: Toronto, Canada *17 years experience in my field *Job: Develop policies and procedures around the management of business records – security & access, privacy, how do we organize them, how long do we keep them, etc. Provide training and advice to my colleagues as required. Respond to Access to Information (FOI) requests. Coordinate response to privacy breaches. Some people at my level supervise records clerks (the people who actually move the records around), but this is not currently part of my job. *A lot of people in my field come in via Library Science. Masters’ degrees tend to be preferred, but not required. *Salary range for my position: $80K – $95K CDN *Benefits: Vision care, prescriptions, dental (all of which are not covered under provincial health insurance); paramedical such as massage & chiropractic; pension. Spouses & dependents are fully covered as well. 20 sick days and 15 vacation days, plus statutory holidays including Easter Monday and Remembrance Day. These are all pretty standard for government jobs in my experience.
US Government Management and Program Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am I’m a GS-13 management and program analyst for a very large non-defense US government agency. In practice, this means I’m a SharePoint developer and a project manager. Washington, DC, right off the mall 9 years with this agency, two years in this position. I started as a GS-1 intern! I get 20 days of annual leave per year and 13 days of sick leave. 10 federal holidays. 5% match on my TSP (like a 401k). Plus a pension where I put in .8% of my salary and I will theoretically get 1% of my salary for every year I’ve been here. (Newer employees pay in more, like 3% I think?) The government pays 72%ish of my health insurance premium and none of my vision or dental insurance. I also have life insurance through work but I’m not clear on what they pay vs what I pay. Plus I get unexpected spans of time off for government shutdowns! Unpaid at first but almost always with back pay. Next time I’m taking myself to Disney World for the duration of the shutdown because screw it, I’m not sitting at home and stressing again. (Also I have a best friend in Orlando.)
-Also a fed 13 (fewer years in) but you mostly covered it :)* August 10, 2017 at 11:50 am No maternity or paternity leave (pay out FMLA using sick/vacation) and some aspect of the TSP match only vests after 3 years’ service (same time as reinstatement eligibility).
DoD GS14 biological scientist* August 10, 2017 at 3:50 pm There is also the ability to borrow up to 240 hours LS and 240 hours LA if your agency approves. Also, my dental plan max is 25k/year
Christy* August 11, 2017 at 11:11 am Yes! Let’s definitely remember that there is 0 paid parental leave available. And reproductive technology isn’t covered in any offered health insurance plan, even if you live in a state that requires that coverage.
Content writer* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am -I’m a writer, producing articles and white papers -my work is 100% remote -I have unlimited vacation (and they mean it. Folks have taken a whole month off to backpack through Europe, for example) -they gave me a $2000 stipend to set up a home office -they match my 401k contributions up to 5% of my income -they offer health, dental, and vision. If you opt for the bronze plan, they cover 100% of the premiums for both me and my husband. We opted for a higher plan, so I pay $100 a month – I get $150 a month for health expenses, like a gym membership, massages, or copay -I also get $150 a month for education expenses, like books, online classes, etc -they cover the cost of my home internet
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am I work in a community (two-year) college in an adult education department. My duties involve writing, editing, scheduling classes, acting as intermediary between the department and payroll), some pre-HR stuff, and general other duties. My geographic area is southern coastal California. I have always worked as AA so among the various employers, I’d say 35 + years. At the college, around 14 years. We are a union campus so the classified (of which I am one) get graduated benefits. But everyone gets the choice of four health plans, which include visions: 100% PPO, a (new) 90% PPO, an 80% PPO, and an HMO. We pay a (relatively) small portion of that over the ten months these deductions are taken; the college picks up the rest. Dental has three plans: the middle one is the better one (probably with a smaller network of dentists but much higher pay rates. I choose the 100% (and it really is excellent) with a $10 co-pay for most but not all visits. The one medication I take is free from Costco mail order pharmacy. The monthly cost to me beginning on October 1 will be $182.95. Of that, $115.99 is medical (with the college picking up $854.81), the dental is all mine to pay and is $66.96. Then I have to take LT disability and life insurance which are minimal and covered by the college. These costs are taken out over ten months of the year (with July and August being exempt). Everyone–classified, management, tenured faculty–gets 8 hours of sick leave per month. There is no limit to the hours you can accumulate. Vacation for classified begins at 8 hours per month to start and goes up to a maximum of 24 days per year after 20+ years (management gets the 24 days upon starting). Right now I get 13.34 per month; you can accumulate up to two years’ worth before you have to use the excess at the end of every fiscal year. We also get 16 days of vacation per year including the time from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day and a four-day Thanksgiving weekend. We belong to PERS (Public Employees Retirement System). Classified get their automatic deductions matched after 10 years. There are optional funds you can have directed to other retirement accounts.
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm I forgot to add that we get discounts on many gyms here as well as various places out of town like SeaWorld, Six Flags, Knott’s Berry Farm, etc. We can also sign up and use the college gym and showers. Parking is free! You can sign up for additional things to be taken out of your paycheck for retirement (403B,). There is also an employee assistance program which provides confidential counseling. Adjuncts get a few very limited benefits.
Digital Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:35 am 1. Digital Manager at a small non-profit 2. DC Area 3. 5 years of experience total 4. – 15 days of vacation (goes up to 20 after 3 years, I think) – 13 holidays (includes day after Thanksgiving as a holiday) – 12 days of sick time – 12 weeks of parental leave (which includes adoption/fostering as well as the birth of a child) – 2 personal days – 4% 401k contribution (automatic, not just matching) after 6 months – 100% paid health, dental, vision, plus reasonable contributions for spouse/dependents (based on my general experience, it seems reasonable) – we can float holidays, within certain parameters, which is nice when Veteran’s Day falls in the middle of the week or something – After 5 years, you can take a 6-week-long sabbatical (with all pay and benefits), in addition to your normal leave – and then a few other small ones, like bereavement leave, the flexibility to occasionally work from home if necessary, etc…
Polytechnic Faculty* August 10, 2017 at 11:36 am My job: I’m a full-time business instructor at a degree-granting polytechnic institution (somewhere between a community college / trade school and a university) Location: Calgary, AB Experience: 2 years’ full-time teaching, 6 years’ adjunct (sessional), 17 years’ professional experience Benefits: 43 days’ vacation + week between Xmas + New Years off Fully-paid health / dental plans (80% prescription coverage, $1500 max on dental in a year, $500 chiro, massage, etc.) $800 flexible spending account DB pension (contribution rate = about 13% + 14% from employer) Free use of school fitness facilities Subsidized transit pass Generous policies for training and credential enhancement (currently pursuing PhD with significant funding) Full payment for my professional dues
Administrative Assistant, Compliance* August 10, 2017 at 11:36 am Job: Support 5 Sr. Officers and assist with basic compliance projects. In the financial industry – asset management, mostly private equity Area: NYC Experience: 7 year total (4 within finance) Benefits: – 15 vacation days + 5 sick days (additional 5 vacay after certain amount of time) – Insurance – how much is contributed by the company is tiered by how much money you make. The more you make, the more you contribute. I’m in the lowest tier and I think I contribute about 10%/they cover 90% (I’m contributing less than $100 a month). HOWEVER – the plan is great. Very low deductible and co-pays. – 50% match in 401K after 3 years – Breakfast and lunch provided everyday – Stocked kitchen with snack/drinks/appliances – Subsidized gym membership – Company covers phone bill 100% if you use personal device or free, fully paid for separate work device – Transit/Commute perks – costs are deducted from pay-check pre-taxes – FSA account – Car service & Dinner if you work past 8pm, car service if you come in over two hours early, and car service to/from home if you work on weekends – Onsite chiropractor, manicurist and acupuncture once a week (for a small co-pay/fee) – Laptops/iPads available for loan for home work – Tuition reimbursement (no cap that I’m aware of, but at the discretion of management/HR) – Various discounts with companies we are invested in/aligned with I’m quite spoiled, and very well aware of it. I consider it karma for surviving a string of dysfunctional small companies prior to this
Assistant Director of Finance* August 10, 2017 at 11:36 am Assistant Director of Finance for a well known hotel company 11 years at this company, located in NJ 80 hours of vacation 2 personal days plus major holidays off 6 sick days Good inexpensive insurance with vision/dental FSA option 401k Match on 5% Free lunches/dinners (standard in hotel industry) The cool perk though is that I get 12 free hotel nights a year at other properties plus discounted rooms after that. Anywhere in the world subject to availability. It’s need though, since I work 55-60 hour weeks year round.
Controls Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:36 am Engineer working on controls and automation (electrical background) 8 years experience with BS and MS in engineering South East US Actually in my notice period right now so I’ll give you both jobs: Current Job: 2 Weeks Vacation, 8 Holidays. Vacation days are not tracked so as long as your work is done you can usually take more and chalk it up as comp time. Normal work week is around 60 hours (worst one was 112 hours) Education (Tuition and Books) up to $5,500 a year Adoption assistance up to $10,000 a year 401K – 50% match up to 3% Up to 4% profit share (paid in January into 401K if we meet our numbers) 10% target bonus – goes up and down based on numbers and your score in reviews Life Insurance 2X annual salary paid by company Dental and Vision not sure what the company pays but its about $7 a month for the family plan Medical depends on plan, 4 options to choose from can be high deductible with HSA or PPO or anything in between. New Job 3 Weeks Vacation 10 Holidays Quarterly employee appreciation events 401K – 100% match up to 4% Comp time for any hours over 40 with option to use as days off or take as straight time pay Medical, Dental, and Vision 100% covered for individual Company Chaplain Both jobs also offer the perks at work program which is a third party web service. You can get some pretty good discounts through them.
Software engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:36 am I write code for a consumer and enterprise-facing application in a big tech company in a Western state. Nine years in industry, max education is a bachelor’s. Vacation: 4 weeks Sick leave: unlimited Retirement matching: 50% match on up to $18,000 yearly Premiums: I only see my own payroll deductions, I don’t know how much my employer pays on my behalf Other interesting benefits: free on-site breakfast and lunch, company-paid carpooling, partial reimbursement for any educational expenses not incurred for company business, seed money every year in my HSA, negotiated discounts for popular goods and services, a concierge team at the health insurance company and the retirement account recordkeeper to handle issues, probably lots of other things I’m forgetting Salary in the low six figures, doubled by stock and bonus
Analyst HR* August 10, 2017 at 11:37 am 2. Southeastern US 3. 30 years experience 4. Time Off: Vacation time depending on years of service, plus 5 days emergency leave. I get 4 weeks vacation pay a year but 1 week has to be reserved for use for the week after Christmas (AKA Winter Break) Health insurance – coverages and pay dependent on choice by employee, from a 70/30 split to a 90/10 split. It’s a customer-driven health care plan Summers we get a 4.5 day schedule with half-days Friday. We still have a 40-hour work schedule, so Mondays through Thursdays are longer workdays. We go back to our regular schedule next week.
Senior Program Officer* August 10, 2017 at 11:37 am Senior Program Officer – at a nonprofit in International Education. I’m responsible for a large portfolio of study abroad programs for US college students. I work as part of a team to make sure things are running smoothly, and contribute to new program development. Midwest, large city 5+ (1 year working abroad, 1 year graduate internship, 3.5 years with current org) Medical – I pay $0 Dental – I pay $0 Vision – I pay $100/year Long-term disability – I pay $0 Retirement – I contribute 15%, my company matches 5% Life insurance – coverage close to 100K, paid by company Voluntary life – I pay $48 annually for a $50K policy Medical Flex spending (pre-tax): $499.92/year My total benefits have a monetary value of approx $13K At the start of FY17, I had 16 vacation days and 18.5 days of PTO per year, and I have 4 days in an extended illness bank. (You can bank up to 5 unused PTO days per year in this area, but I haven’t started saving them yet.). We close between Christmas and New Years (usually Dec 23-Jan 2 off), have a half day before Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and all public holidays except MLK & Columbus day. I have the flexibility to work from home if needed; and can set my own schedule. Additional, non-monetary: the constant stream of snacks available both as part of business, and those that coworkers bring in. I took a full 11 business days off this summer, and I love what I do. Thanks for making me appreciate all my benefits!
Senior Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:37 am Civil Engineer – I’m senior level, but not a manager Eastern mid-west 17 years I get 17 PTO days (these are also sick days) but we can roll over some ridiculous amount, like 500 hours. Plus comp time is up to “manager’s discretion” and everyone I’ve worked for has been really flexible about that. We get a 5% 401k match, but we are also employee owned, so we get stock. There are a bunch of health insurance plans, but I get 80% of in-network services covered. We do have one of those health programs that get talked about a lot where you can fill out some forms, get a few blood tests and get a discount on your health insurance, but I never do it. We also have vision, dental, life and disability insurance you can opt into. There is something called employee “perks” that only seem good to me if you do a lot of online shopping, plus a bunch of employee discounts on services – the big one I use is 19% off my phone plan.
Research Grants Officer* August 10, 2017 at 11:37 am Employer: Canadian University (Large) Responsibilities: Reviewing research grants from University faculty, monitoring for university risk, etc. – Research Administration. Years of Experience: First job out of univeristy (graduate degree holder) 7 months on job Sick Leave: 20 days paid @100% // 110 days @70% (number of days @100% increases annually) Vacation: 3 weeks Pension Plan: Matched equally, though the amount is determined by pension company, I contribute ~11% of paycheque Health: (above provincial health plan) covered for employee, spouse, children: employer covers dental (80% coverage of basic services, 50% of ortho, 65% extensive, perio, etc), Extended Health (100% coverage of prescriptions, hospital accommodation, ambulance, paramedical, eye exams, etc) Employee pays Long term disability & life insurance BONUS: We have $750 annually in either a “health spending” or “wellness spending” account – this can be used to top up dental coverage, eye exams, massages, etc. but also to pay for “wellness” which can mean sports equipment, gym memberships, professional development, etc. Also Tuition support (for University degree courses or continuing education classes – dependent children/spouses in a degree program also covered by this) + 24hour access to remote counselling service (emergency, mental health, but also financial advice, career counselling, etc)
Designer/Developer at large university* August 10, 2017 at 11:38 am I work as a designer/developer/project manager/team manager in a library at a large university. Area: Nebraska, USA 11 years in this department, started as an assistant. 8 years in design/dev role. Vacation: 24 days a year Holidays: 12 a year, 4 of which are floating and are used for a holiday closedown every christmas. Sick: 6 months. If I were chronically sick and quit, I could get those 6 months paid out, which is nice to know. When I was at the assistant level rather than professional I got a day of sick time a month. Retirement: I put in 5.5% they put in 8.5%. This is required after two years if you are over 30- employees MUST put in at least 3.5% (then the uni matches 6.5%). Health insurance: I just looked this up and apparently my employer puts in 87% for health insurance. I’m on the “low” plan which means I pay out of pocket until $3000 or so (no copays for office visits), but I only pay $105/month for myself and my husband. I could bump it up to a plan with lower deductible, but still wouldn’t have copays. We get free generic prescriptions by mail, I haven’t had to use the drug plan otherwise. Dental insurance typically pays around 80% of costs, up to an annual maximum of around $4k. Free tuition up to 15 credits a year for me and immediate family. You still have to pay other costs – lab fees, student fees, but it’s a pretty great deal. We get funding for travel to conferences and other professional development opportunities as funds allow. I’m not faculty, so I don’t get guaranteed funding, but I have been able to attend a conference or two a year on average.
International Student Adviser* August 10, 2017 at 11:40 am *Immigration adviser for international students, employed by a university *UK *10 *6 weeks vacation; unlimited sick leave (we do have to say why we’re out and it does get monitored for suspicious patterns); had a final salary pension but it’s been changed to some kind of average – still very good outside of public sector, however; health insurance not necessary as we have the National Health Service; paid family leave is very good – 8 weeks full pay, 16 weeks 1/2 pay, 15 weeks ‘statutory’ pay from government and then 13 weeks unpaid. Vacation time also accrues while on maternity leave. I have had two 1 year periods of maternity leave and returned to my job and this is very normal at all levels of my organisation.
Software Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 11:40 am Job: Varied responsibilities, including code design, customer engagement, team management, technical sales, training & mentoring. Location: UK (London), but with global travel (typically 2-8 intercontinental trips per year) Experience: 13 years (the last 10 with this employer) Vacation/time off: – 23 days initially, increasing to 28 with long service. – Unlimited sick leave (up to 6 months). Benefits: – Car allowance (£700/month) – Private health insurance (for me + spouse); this is a taxable benefit so I pay 45% of the value. – Retirement contributions – 8% of salary, provided I pay at least 4% – Flexibility to work from home (depending on meetings) – Training budget – typically around £1000 per year, but more available if asked for. – Salaried, but my bonus is based (partly) on billable hours – so long hours on a client project are actually rewarded.
biglaw partner* August 10, 2017 at 11:40 am Benefits: -Some unspecified number of vacation days, which doesn’t really matter because it’s not tracked and all that matters is if my work gets done. It is very rare for me to take a vacation where I don’t do at least some work, but I’m better at managing this than many of my peers…I probably spend no more than 15% of my vacation handling work stuff under normal circumstances. -Sick days aren’t a thing for large firm lawyers, generally. -Health insurance is available through the firm, but partners pay the full premium. The only option is a high-deductible plan but the coverage is good. I think I pay about $350/month to cover myself (no dependents). -Dental and vision insurance are available, and again I pay the full premium. -No retirement match. I am required to contribute to several different retirement plans, but my contribution goes into my own account (i.e., I’m not providing social security for retired partners). -Firm provides my laptop and an allowance for the data service on my phone. -Firm pays for life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability. -Firm pays my professional licensing fees. -Non-standard interesting benefits: free estate planning services, free executive physical (but it counts as compensation, so you’re taxed on it), subsidized concierge service that does stuff like run errands.
Attorney - small law* August 10, 2017 at 3:33 pm My prior mid-sized firm had “sick days aren’t a thing” and I just didn’t understand what they meant. I could stay home if I was sick. I didn’t have to take vacation time. But we didn’t have “sick time.” I’m assuming it meant I was to just worry about my hourly requirement and work more on other days if needed to make my hours. It was the opposite of retail where no sick days meant no calling out sick. Here, you can call out sick but you don’t really track it anywhere and you still get your work done if you can and if you can’t you do it the next day. Is this what you mean?
Senior Counsel* August 10, 2017 at 9:52 pm I didn’t realize there was a biglaw partner here. (Ex-biglaw associate, now in-house.) One thing I thought was super weird about biglaw was the lack of retirement benefit, but they also don’t expect associates to stick around long enough for it to matter… lol.
LawPancake* August 10, 2017 at 11:40 am Corporate Counsel at a midsize company in the south. – 14 days of PTO (after 4 years), 10 paid holidays i.e. Xmas, Labor Day etc., and 2 floating holidays – 10 days sick leave but it is discouraged to take the full amount, I think some managers rate people down on their reviews if they take “too much” sick leave. I’m trying to get this policy changed. – Health, vision, dental, LTD, and company paid life insurance at 1.5x salary. The employee paid portion of the health insurance is significantly more expensive than most other companies in the area. Also, a self funded HSA (in that the employer does not make any contributions). – 401(k) has matching of up to 4% with a 5 year vesting schedule. – tuition reimbursement for pre-approved industry related classes up to a couple thousand. – 37.5 hour workweek. Most other perks like work from home or flex time are at the discretion of the department manager.
Senior Counsel* August 10, 2017 at 8:37 pm Senior In House Counsel at a Fortune 500 company in the South. 7 years total, 4 here Vacation – 15 days (20 days at 5 years service), 2 floating holidays, 5-7 days year-end shut down, 7 holidays Unlimited sick leave Health, vision, dental, LTD, company paid life insurance and basic spousal insurance — good health insurance coverage 401(k) has matching up to 4%, immediate vesting, additional 2% annual in cash balance pension plan flexible work schedule/work from home without reporting in or negotiating it (i.e., just be in the office when you need to be) 18.5-22.5% bonus (depending on company performance, with higher bonus for higher ratings) ~20% stock GRANT (3 year vesting) a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get
Nonprofit Online Marketing Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:40 am * I head up online fundraising at an established international nonprofit. I create most of our online content, plan the email calendar, develop campaign strategy, manage the budget, supervise a direct report, and coordinate with our social media, web, and direct mail teams to ensure consistent branding and voice across all channels. * DC metro area * 8 years experience in nonprofit fundraising, including 7 in online fundraising * Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance with FSA; life insurance; short-term disability and workers’ comp; pet insurance; adoption fees assistance; EAP; tuition and professional development reimbursement; gym discount and membership reimbursement; retirement plan with 2- 8% employer match (depends on length of service; fully vested after 3 years); travel insurance; pre-tax transit benefit; catastrophic leave sharing; 9 sick days/year (can roll over up to 50 days/year); 20 vacation days/year (can roll over up to 30 days/year); 10 paid holidays/year; 20 days maternity/paternity leave (but only after 2 years of service); flexible schedule around core hours & generous work from home policy.
Senior Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:41 am Dallas, TX Responsible for departmental.project work like event management, customer data collection and analysis, FTE tracking for the department. Department is approx 175 FTE in a Fortune 100 company of over 50K employees. 8 paid holidays per year 0-4 years: 18 days PTO per year 5-9 years: 23 days PTO per year 10+ years: 28 days PTO per year (I don’t remember if 15 or 20 years add more) Full medical with generous company subsidies, but most plans are high deductible plans with HRAs or HSAs. Metabolic screening provides the opportunity to reduce medical premiums even further. Company does an annual contribution into the HRA/HSA. Wellness challenges enable us to earn $500/year ($1000 for family coverage) deposited into our HSA. 401(k) with matching contributions up to 6% of annual salary. Work at home flexibility for most positions. Tuition reimburse1,adoption expense reimbursement, and other fringe benefits available.
Senior Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:45 am I’ve been in the position for 9.5 years, and in the workforce (as some sort of admin) for 25 years.
VP Communications, non-profit economic development* August 10, 2017 at 11:41 am Job: I’m the VP for Communications for a nonprofit doing economic development. I represent my org across multiple mediums: in print, website, social media, to the local news media, in person to the local business community, and to elected officials. I contribute to collaborative marketing efforts across our region. I provide support to our donors with guidance on communications and government relations. I do lobbying. I oversee a team of contract PR professionals. I proof my colleague’s written materials. I am the face and voice of our organization, second only to our CEO. Where: Puget Sound – Western Washington Years: I’ve been doing communications work with gradually increasing responsibilities for my entire career, starting in 1998. I’ve been in my current job for nearly 6 months. This job has asked me to grow dramatically, and will continue to do so in the future. Benefits: Leave: 2 wks/year vacation with gradual increase, sick leave is comparable (for comparison, I left a job with 5 wks/year of vacation leave and 12 days/yr sick leave) Retirement matching: 7% Health insurance premium: 100% coverage for gold level insurance Annual bonus up to $10k.
VP Communications, non-profit economic development* August 10, 2017 at 11:50 am Forgot to add: paid holidays continuing ed budget for classes & conferences flexibility to WFH Nobody watches my clock. “Work like a grownup,” my boss says.
Kaya* August 10, 2017 at 11:41 am your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) your geographic area your years of experience a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get Marketing Manager South East, UK 2 years in this role, 5 years in marketing 25 days of holiday a year, not including all English bank holidays (8, I think). 20 days of sick leave a year. Free office snacks. Monthly team lunch. Company matches pension contributions up to 5%. We don’t have healthcare etc. but we’re in the UK, so don’t really need it.
Police Officer with National Force* August 10, 2017 at 11:41 am Here is DH’s job benefits with the guys in red serge: ◾job – Police Officer ◾geographic area – town in Alberta but same for everywhere in Canada (remote postings get a few perks not listed) ◾years of experience – 7 but 14 including military service (which counts towards his benefits as both fall under Veterans Affairs) ◾Benefits — 5 weeks vacation, unlimited sick leave, full extended health benefits covered for entire family, shifts are 4 days on (2 days, 2 nights of min. 10 hours each), 4 days off, unlimited overtime available, defined benefit government pension after 35 years service (for DH, that is at age 53 as they include military service) governed by Veterans Affairs, uniform supplied (and replaced on as needed basis – turns out he isn’t the first to replace his beaver fur hat because it was eaten by a household per), dress uniform is custom made and alterations paid for by the force, moves are paid for (including the packing and unpacking – best perk ever!), funeral paid for with full military/police honours (I am thinking they also cover the extra cost of a public funeral if he dies in the line of duty and I hope I never find out). What I think are cool benefits (DH may disagree) – ability to give tickets to jerks who park in fire lanes and handicap parking spots, opportunity to dress up as national symbol and take part in various ceremonies (and be paid overtime for doing so), opportunity to be called into local disaster zones when everyone else is fleeing, opportunity to be deployed overseas for peacekeeping missions, so many career options once you have done your time as a beat cop (the American equivalent is that these guys/gals can apply to the Canadian equivalent of the NYPD, Secret Service and FBI without changing employers) while still having the option to stay a beat cop and not have it affect how your career is viewed.
JD - Also a S. Albertan* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm bahahaha! I’ve always thought that some of the duties of an enforcement job must also be perks… I’ve also always wondered about the uniforms/hats. Are they itchy? The uniforms look itchy…
Calgary worker* August 10, 2017 at 2:46 pm The formal uniforms are itchy – they are real wool and they all wear t-shirts underneath the jacket (which never comes off in public). The hat isn’t bad but it is warm and hard to drive a car in. The boots require a special thingy or a really cooperative friend to take them off without ruining the polish. Ironically, they only stopped issuing wool work pants in the last 5 years and there are still police officers out there wearing wool work pants in hot humid weather or, worse, when it is raining.
Risha* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm Oh man, I just pictured my dog’s reaction to a big fuzzy fur hat, and he’d definitely be trying to eat it at every opportunity.
Calgary worker* August 10, 2017 at 2:48 pm Ummm…it doesn’t help when said pet is Marley the Wolf and beaver and rabbit are part of her natural diet. So, is, it turns out, Sam Browne leather belts with a lot a brown polish. Luckily, she never found the boots.
Senior Design Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:42 am your job: I do computer hardware design, converting hardware description language to circuits and wires for mass production. My company is known for making consumer electronics, although we also make electronics for things like digital billboards or industrial appliances. I take on some leadership roles in limited circumstances, but I’m not at the point of being a team lead or tech lead yet. your geographic area: northeast U.S. your years of experience: in this job, 5; overall career, 8 plus having a Masters a description of your benefits: All our benefits apply to all exempt employees regardless of job title. 15 days vacation per year until they’ve reached 5 years tenure, after that you get an additional day for each year you stay at the company until you max out at 20 days PTO at 10 years tenure. 10 paid holidays per year Sick leave is officially 5 days per year, but in reality, none of the managers log it or care as long as you don’t abuse it and meet your commitments for each project phase 100% 401(k) matching up to 6% of income I don’t know about health insurance, since our health insurance is kind of crap so I’m covered on my spouse’s employer’s plan Generous flex time/work from home, again, as long as your work is getting done and you’re dialing in to meetings and responsive, no one cares if you work 7-3 or 10-6 or WFH, although it’s rare to see someone using routine WFH more than 1day/wk. It’s also pretty common to see people do things like “I’m going to visit my family in India for three weeks, taking two weeks of vacation and one week of remote work” or “plane tickets for this vacation were cheaper flying home Monday instead of Sunday, so I’ll be WFH from my hotel on Monday and back in the office on Tuesday.” 8 weeks partially paid parental leave for all parents regardless of gender or bio/adoption/foster. Gestating parents get an additional 4 weeks paid medical leave to recover from labor/delivery.
Economic Development-Local Government* August 10, 2017 at 11:43 am Job: staff member in the economic development department of a municipal government (non-union) Geographic area: Midwest Years experience: 4 (0 years experience when entering the position) A description of your Benefits: -1 week vacation for first year, 2 weeks vacation years 2-5, 3 weeks vacation for years 6-15, 4 weeks vacation 15+years; 12 days sick leave; 10 paid holidays -public retirement system with mandatory contribution (~6% income from employee, ~9% contribution from employer) -employer pays ~85-90% of health insurance premium (I believe)-dental, vision, and medical with mental health! -20k life insurance while employed -Access to disability insurance (employee pays cost) -Save ~$10 per month on gym membership by having it withdrawn from paycheck -flex spending account with $500 annual contribution to be used for dependent care or health -Longevity bonus of $40 per year worked -free access to online estate-planning tools, which helped me draft my will. I know lots of people get less, so I can’t complain too much, but vacation is slim and the fact that there’s no maternity/parental leave really annoys me. Salary (~45-50k) and health insurance made it worth it to me.
Associate Editor* August 10, 2017 at 11:43 am Description: I write/edit/photograph a magazine for a scientific professional association. I also run social media (sometimes), help out with our annual conference, am the web master for one of our online academic journals, and am just starting to hire/develop freelance talent. Geographical area: Washington, DC Years of experience: 6.5 Education: BA in English, Dual MA in Journalism and Folklore Salary: $48.5k (I know you didn’t ask, but my salary is comparatively pretty low for the region/experience, but my job is interesting, boss/co-workers are great, and the benefits are really good–and having worked in super-toxic places before, I would rather have all those things! I thought it would be good to have that all in one place transparently.) Benefits: 3 weeks vacation, 3 weeks sick leave, teleworking, flexible hours, 3% salary matching for retirement (whether you contribute to the account or not–this could still be better though), 100% employer-paid healthcare (best health plan I’ve ever seen!), legal help, 24-hour access to teleconferences with doctors (so you don’t have to go into a doctor’s office for a cold/flu/mystery sore throat but still want an opinion), EAP.
Associate Editor* August 10, 2017 at 11:48 am Oh, also 10 paid holidays and employee recognition program. This year we MIGHT be getting bonuses (we’re just coming out of a couple of years of bad finances and are kind of back on track), so that would be good. I forgot to say that I’ve been at this job for almost 3 years, received a promotion last year from assistant editor.
Manager of HR & Administration* August 10, 2017 at 11:44 am Job: I am in charge of all human resources, operations, and administrative work. I supervise 5 people. In September, I will be promoted to VP/General Manager and will supervise…everyone (eek!). Geographic area: Washington, DC suburb Company size: Less than 25 employees Years of Experience: 12+ Benefits: PTO: (Paid Time Off) 15 days/year, will increase to 20 days/year at 6yrs w/ company and 25 days/year at 11 years Holidays: 7 paid holidays Health: HRA plan (2 levels) with 80% employer paid towards individual premium and 75% of deductible paid via HRA Dental: 30% paid by employer (costs me $10/month) Vision: 40% paid by employer (costs me $3/month) Group Term Life: 100% paid by employer, 2x base salary plus $25k AD&D/LTD: 100% paid by employer FSA: no employer contribution 401k: company match up to 4% for 5% of compensation, no vesting delay Annual opportunity to purchase shares in parent company w/ “bonus” shares granted by company, 3 year vesting delay
Archaeologist* August 10, 2017 at 11:44 am I work for a tribal government in southern California, one step below a director. I have 2 weeks of vacation (increases over time), 2 personal days, 6 days of sick leave, and a lot of local discounts on amusement parks, restaurants, etc. Tribe offers exellebt insurance – I pay around $85 a month for health/vision/dental/orthodonture total for my husband and I. We have Kaiser, so out of pocket costs are extremely low. The only thing missing is a maternity/paternity leave package, but I’m the first person under the age of 35 the government has ever hired and it’s likely they never thought about this before (I’m 26).
Starbuck* August 10, 2017 at 11:58 am Wow, you got started at 15? Impressive! What was the position trajectory? How did you enter the field of archaeology?
Archaeology Student* August 12, 2017 at 7:02 pm Didn’t actually think I’d find an archaeologist in this thread, but its a relief to see someone talk about an archaeology job that actually comes with benefits! If you don’t mind, how much/what kind of experience did you need to get a job like that? I’m working on my MA right now and hoping to find a full time job… someday.
Archaeologist* August 13, 2017 at 4:45 pm Hi guys – sorry it’s a few days late. I didn’t expect to get noticed haha! I started with volunteering, which I did all through highschool and college. I lived close to a tribal community in high school and I was mentored by an archaeologist who worked well with them. I started college early, graduated at 20, and went straight into my MA program. I worked full time in archaeology and GIS during grad school as a contractor taking projects as they came. I specialized in regulatory compliance and GIS. I worked full-time on longer projects once I moved up into meeting SoI standards, eventually capping out in that world as Lead at a very young age. I also became disillusioned with the whole thing because I was more interested in preservation than compliance and contracting doesn’t give you that power. I had also worked with federal government long enough to know that I wouldn’t fit in on that side of the house. So I went back to my roots and reminded myself why I got into this in the first place, and started applying for positions with tribes. I have a name in my region at this point and luckily a local tribe heard good things about my work in their ancestral territory. It’s been the perfect fit all around and I couldnt be happier. It’s not an easy world. I started so young and I’ve been very lucky with timing and my connections to great people. It’s a tough road, but there are so many options – you just have to work on finding where you fit in.
Academic archives* August 10, 2017 at 11:44 am ● Archives Associate – I do digital reference, digitization of photographs (and papers if necessary), reference, and processing of collections. ● Upper midwest ● Here is 2.5 years, overall 7 in the archival field, I have a MLIS ● 240 hours of accrued vacation time which does roll over but then we have to use some of that by December 31st; 80 sick days accrued which also roll over (my co-worker has 7,000 hours of sick time!); I get 10 paid holidays a year (sometimes 10.5 depend on what day Christmas Eve falls on); I don’t pay any insurance premiums for health and I have to pay (it comes out of my paycheck, but it’s pretty reasonable considering what is covered!) dental and eye insurance. My retirement is based on years of service, so for me right now, my employer puts in 12.26%, 3% comes out of my paycheck and there’s other stuff in there that I don’t quite understand :); I get to take classes for free (1-2 a semester) if I want, there’s a handful of other discounts around town (including moving companies which was helpful when I moved here!). There is an opportunity to get a 2% on Delta Flights and I can also get Microsoft products deeply discounted.
Postdoctoral Fellow* August 10, 2017 at 11:44 am Postdoctoral fellow (F32 funded for those who know NIH funding) San Francisco Bay Area 3.5 years as a postdoc, 5.5 years for the PhD. Publishing papers since 2010. University of California postdocs are unionized (UAW 5810) so this is much better than the average postdoc. We have 24 days vacation (use it or lose it, no pay out), 12 sick days that roll over into following years (also not paid out). To some extent we are encouraged not to use that vacation unless we’re international scholars traveling home to renew a visa (I’m a US citizen). We have 4 weeks of paid parental leave for both new fathers and mothers. I’m a fellow so not an “employee” on paper, therefore I don’t technically have “earned income” and can’t use retirement accounts. Postdocs employed normally and paid by their advisor’s grants have access to a 403(b), but there is no matching. We pay a very tiny portion of our health insurance premium and can add family for the same cost: I pay $40/mo for a PPO for myself and my husband ($20 for each person), and the total monthly premium is $1150. The coverage and network is very good (e.g., blood work is like $7, an office visit is $20, and I only paid $80 for an MRI.) The dental and vision premiums are paid 100% by the university, and our dental HMO has no cap so you can get all the root canals you want in one year unlike many plans. University also pays for a short term disability policy (pays 70% of wages up to 180 days).
Another postdoc* August 10, 2017 at 1:42 pm Also a postdoc in the sciences. Private research university in the Midwest 2 years as a postdoc, 5 years for PhD We’re not unionized, but we’ve got good benefits. I’m technically staff and get all the normal university staff benefits. 10 holidays, 15 vacations days (which roll over), 3 floating holidays (no roll over), and 15 sick days (no roll over). We’re strongly encouraged to use up our vacation days – I think advisors are required to pay out all but 5 vacation days when we leave. Health, dental, and vision are fairly cheap through the university. We also have access to a 403(b). After the first year, the university automatically contributes 5% of salary and matches up to 5%.
Admin Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:44 am JOb: Admin Assistant. Basic duties for a small non-profit with 13 people in the office. From making coffee, to researching event apps and proof reading various piece of writing material. Most junior position in the office Area: New York City Experience: 20+ years of admin experience Benefits: -Vacation Days: 10 in the first year. Acquire 1 day each year. -Personal Days: 3 -Sick Days: Unlimited -3% 401K Match. Automatically enrolled, must opt out. -Organization pays 90% of health care and 90% of dental eye care. (total for myself and spouse $140/month health $6/month eye and dental) OTHER: Office closed: -between Christmas and New Years. -all federal holidays (including Columbus Day) -Friday after Thanksgiving Parental Leave: Don’t know. Didn’t ask.
Customer Service Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:45 am I have been with my company 3 years and have 10 years experience. We’re a biotech and very much not “call center” customer service. I am on the west coast but our main US offices are in the northeast. Our company HQ is in the UK. All of these benefits also apply to the specialists that work for me. I get: *24 days PTO (started at 21, add 1 day per year) *Flextime to adjust my schedule as needed *401k non-matching “Safe Haven” contributions of 4% of my salary plus matching contributions of up to 2% of my salary (for a total of 6% if I contribute 4% so my 4% = 10%) *Company pays 98% of health insurance premiums meaning I pay $7/pay check for myself ($20 if I had a family) *Company funds 1/2 of my deductible (and family deductible, if applicable) into an HSA (deductible is $2k, they fund $1k and once deductible is met everything except hospitalization is covered at 100%. Hospitalization is $150/day capped at $750) *8 Company holidays (NYD, Memorial Day, 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas & Boxing Day) *Tuition Reimbursement/Career Development Fund *Employee & family appreciation/social events including tickets to ball games, winter ski trips, summer camping trips and after work happy hours, game nights, sports teams, office lunches, snacks and treats, *3x a year paid volunteer days (optional)
Customer Service Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:47 am Oh I forgot my favorite: STOCK OPTIONS! My stock options have tripled in three years. Hello, retirement!
Accounting/HR* August 10, 2017 at 11:45 am Accounting/HR professional (nonprofit sector) San Francisco Bay Area 5 years experience –Dental/vision 100% paid by company for all staff and family members. –Health insurance premium $60/month self only, $100/month family. –13% defined contribution salary match [no employee contribution required, though we are also able to contribute a portion of our salary each month.] –2 vacation days and 1 sick day a month, for all employees regardless of time in. –Special leave can be granted at management discretion. –several paid holidays a year and a two week closure at the end of the year. Day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/New Year’s Eve are considered holidays. EAP Disability insurance available. Out of state employees enrolled in short term disability coverage at company cost in an attempt to replicate the state disability benefits available to local [CA] employees.
Accounting/HR* August 10, 2017 at 11:46 am And full vesting in the defined contribution plan happens at 3 years, with 30% vesting after the first year….
Accounting/HR* August 10, 2017 at 1:28 pm And I handle most of the day to day lower level accounting/HR functions [basically the person who enters stuff into our system] along with some operational duties. I’m on the second tier of job categories here, above entry level, but not managing any permanent employees other than temps and student workers.
Accounting Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:45 am 1. I am the everyday accounting person. Accounts payable/receivable, bank recons and some GL detail taken care. I do the minor details for our closing each month. 2. I am in the metro areas in the southern US. 3. I have been at the company 1 year and have 3 years of experience in this field. Benefits: -2 weeks of vacation (when you reach 3 you get an additional week) -1 week PTO per year -5 sick days per year -20% of health insurance premium paid – 2 % match in retirement accounts (Roth and Traditional) – 3-5 days of bereavement and paid jury leave – ESOP – partial paid 6 weeks of parental leave (percentage depending on how long you have been with the company.) – Can work from home if needed (really hard with my job since it really does require me to be in the office)
Communications Administrator (at a private university)* August 10, 2017 at 11:46 am – I handle administrative and operational support as well as oversee communications, e.g. website, social media, email, etc., for a research institute at a private university. – New York, NY – 2 yrs in this position but 5.5 yrs total (promoted about 3.5 yrs in) – 22 vacation days, 20 sick days, 2 personal days, plus national holidays; 401(k), employer contributes 5% un-matched then up to an additional 5% matched; very generous health, dental, and vision insurance (I pay about $30 total premium for all three); tuition remission up to 9 credits/semester (I did my MA for nearly free – I was taxed on it); pre-tax transit
Production Editor (books)* August 10, 2017 at 11:46 am –I’m a production editor at a membership association. I work in book publishing. My job involves doing book production (generally once the book has gone through at least one heavy edit); so, moving a manuscript from a bunch of Word documents to final product. Choosing vendors and freelancers for the various steps. I also handle a lot of the press’s marketing and social media, preparing for conferences, doing translation rights agreements, and working with our various fulfillment companies (Amazon, etc.), both domestic and international. –Washington, DC metro area (Maryland suburbs) –17 years experience (I feel super old now, thanks) –Benefits: *Vacation: Start at 2 weeks. Bump up to 3 weeks after 2 years; bump up to 4 weeks after 5 years, I think. Can carry over up to 3 weeks, I think. 1 personal day your first year, 2 every year after. Lose it if you don’t use it that year. *Sick: 12 days/year (1 day/month) *Retirement: Employer kicks in 5% of your salary into your 401(k). We regularly will get a “We had a good year” 1% bonus into the retirement fund (one-time payment). *Insurance: We have a decent amount of choice for health and dental. I’m on the cheapest one (I’m single, on the HMO). I think they cover 70% or so? Dental insurance is pretty good. Life insurance (2x salary) covered. Options for long-term disability. Good EAP. Flexible spending account offered. *Other: We have Hays Perks, which gives us discounts to various things, which is nice. Get bonuses annually (if you do good work). Very flexible with telecommuting and hours (though it varies by department). Subsidies for parking/Metro.
Production Editor (books)* August 10, 2017 at 11:47 am Oh! We also get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off as holiday time (plus the federal government holidays [minus Veteran’s Day, for some reason] and the day after Thanksgiving).
Prosecuting attorney* August 10, 2017 at 11:46 am I work for a small law firm that contracts with small cities for prosecution services. I personally lead two cities, with at least 13 court appearances per week. Suburban Seattle region One year in this job, practicing law about 1.5 years 12 days PTO per year (combined sick leave/vacation) All licensing fees (annual bar dues and required Continuing Legal Education credits) Flexible office time – they’re great about running errands or attending an appointment during the day, as long as we don’t have court appearances Simple IRA with matching up to 3% of salary No health insurance though – I pay over $300 a month through the exchange I’ve received $9000 in raises in the year I’ve been here, which puts me almost on par with working directly for the county. But the benefits package is nowhere near the county, so I will probably leave this position within a year or so.
Aerospace Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:46 am 4 years of experience in Connecticut at a large international company. We get: 3 weeks of vacation, I will get a 4th week at 10 years. I have the option to “buy” a week of vacation so that the cost comes out of each paycheck. 6 weeks of sick time (hire in with 2 weeks, get an extra week each year) 401k matching, 60% up to 6% (3.6% total match) HSA health plan, dental, and vision (levels of each are up to our discretion and we can change during the annual enrollment period) Long-term and short-term disability Life insurance **Education assistance** – I can get a degree from any accredited institution at any level, special permission is required for a PhD. Company will pay tuition directly to the school and reimburse me for any required textbooks, as long as I earn at least a C in each class. If the classes are related to my current job, they are nontaxable to me (taxable status of a class is up to the discretion of your manager, they are given guidelines to follow by the company). We also get 0.5 hours of study time per week for every credit hour, and the time accrues up to 15 weeks and 6 credits at a time. Therefore, if I’m taking 3 credit hours, I get up to 22.5 hours of study time throughout the semester, which I can use to study, write a paper, attend class, whatever I need.
Senior Supplier Quality Investigator* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm We work for the same major corporation, though not sure which umbrella you’re under. I just did a C&P and swapped in my experience. ;-) 10 years of experience in Connecticut at a large international company. I get: 4 weeks of vacation, with option to purchase an additional week (I did) 6 weeks of sick time (New hires get 2 weeks, get an extra week each year) 1 week of Personal Time (PTO) for Dr.’s appointments, and the like. Pension (This option has been discontinued for those hired after a certain year) 401k matching, 60% up to 6% (3.6% total match) HSA health plan, dental, and vision (levels of each are up to our discretion and we can change during the annual enrollment period) Long-term and short-term disability Life insurance **Education assistance** – My BS (2014) and my MS (in progress) were paid 100% by the corporation. Also, since I began the educational program through the company prior to 2009, I was awarded $10k in company stock (fully vested just this year) when I finished my BS. This perk was discontinued for anyone who registered through the program beginning in 2010. I can get a degree from any accredited institution at any level, special permission is required for a PhD. Company will pay tuition directly to the school and reimburse me for any required textbooks, as long as I earn at least a C in each class. If the classes are related to my current job, they are nontaxable to me (taxable status of a class is up to the discretion of your manager, they are given guidelines to follow by the company). We also get 0.5 hours of study time per week for every credit hour, and the time accrues up to 15 weeks and 6 credits at a time. Therefore, if I’m taking 3 credit hours, I get up to 22.5 hours of study time throughout the semester, which I can use to study, write a paper, attend class, whatever I need. Additionally, if applicable to your position with the company, they will pay 100% towards a pilots license and all flight training hours.
Aerospace Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 3:20 pm I forgot about the pilot’s license! And yes, I unfortunately hired in too late for the pension and ESP perks :(
Database Administrator (DBA)* August 10, 2017 at 11:47 am DBA’s monitor the health of database servers (MS-SQL) and make sure that servers are maintained with the maximum availability and access with the highest security. Missouri 32 Years 20 days of PTO, No Sick Time 6% 401k match (instant vesting) Not sure of medical match
Database Administrator (DBA)* August 10, 2017 at 12:32 pm And Salary: $120015.33 Plus I get to buy company stock at a 10% Discount (Since the company is tanking right now, that’s a dubious benefit)
LexieLex* August 10, 2017 at 11:47 am Content Writer / Strategist. I plan campaigns and do all of the writing for my company, including eBooks, promo emails, website landing pages – you name it, I write it. I also ghostwrite for executives. South Jersey 20 years of experience Open PTO (which means an unlimited number of vacation and sick days, just get your manager’s approval), work from home sometimes, 401K with some matching, some schedule flexibility, paid training. I pay $0 for my health insurance (myself only).Other interesting perks include: Game room in our office, lots of fun company-wide celebration events (such as leaving the office to see the latest Star Wars movie because the CEO is a fan), amazing paid internship program (doesn’t help me directly but is a sign of a great organization), charity donation matching (up to $500/employee), summer Fridays (work an extra hour M-Th and leave at 1pm on Friday), No-meeting Monday, stock options, fresh fruit and fresh veggies in the kitchen every day, company-wide charity drives and volunteering opportunities, competitive activities (like table tennis tournaments), walking treadmill in the office, and casual dress. There are more, but I can’t remember them all right now.
Library staff member at Big 10 school (non-librarian)* August 10, 2017 at 11:48 am I work with the incoming/outgoing ILLs, e-reserves for faculty, and have circulation and reference desk duties at a smaller campus of a Big 10 school. Pennsylvania 2 years at campus, 4 months in this position Most staff at this campus will have these benefits despite what department they are in. But the actual librarians and faculty get waaaaaay better benefits regarding vacation (and, well, pay). But here’s what I get: 18 days vacation (earn 12 hours a month–up to I think 24 days accumulation) 12 days sick time (earn 8 hours a month–unlimited accumulation) Holidays are sad. We get the week from Christmas to New Year’s off which is great, but then only get Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Black Friday the rest of the year. Faculty and students get MLK Jr. Day off. We don’t. Retirement: there’s a state employee plan and TIAA-Cref plan (this is what I have). I pay 5% they match 9.29%. I actually don’t know how much of my health care premium my employer pays. It’s salary based and there are 2 plans. A savings plan (0.63% of salary for 1 person, $1600 deductible) and the not-savings-plan. For one person it’s 1.81% of your salary each month and goes higher the more people on the plan. Deductible is $375. Dental and vision are maybe like, $3 or less a month. $50,000 in life insurance without enrolling in anything extra. 75% off tuition for you or family members (unless you want to be a doctor or lawyer) I don’t think we get anything else exciting. We get typical things like Verizon/AT&T/etc. discounts, some local discounts at a mechanic. Unfortunately I don’t work at the main campus so many of these discounts they have are for their area, not the area I live in. I work 8-5 with a 1 hour lunch.
Operations Director* August 10, 2017 at 11:48 am Description: I manage the day-to-day operations of an organization with 75-80 employees. Years of Experience: 6 Geographic Area: Chicago, IL Suburbs Education: BA Benefits: – Health Insurance (50% Employer-Paid) – 10 Paid Holidays – 10 Paid Sick Days/Year – Unlimited Vacation (Pre-Planned and Approved) – Flexible Hours – Company-Paid Cell Phone
Lead Business Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:48 am Job Description: Program commissions plans/reports for sales force and oversee monthly commissions datafeeds/calculations/payments. Geographic Area: Midwest USA Years of Experience: Twelve with the company, nine in this role Time Off: Currently at 28 days PTO (in the 7-20 year band). PTO maxes out at 33 days for 20+ years of service. Four additional days available for volunteer work plus ten holidays. Also the ability to purchase up to 5 more PTO days. Retirement Matching: Matches first 5% at 100%, then next 2% at 200% – totaling 9%. Insurance: Medical/Dental/Vision. Medical covered at 80%. HSA: Company contributes $500 annually ($250 automatic, plus addl $250 for completing survey and health screening). Other benefits: onsite gym, tuition reimbursement, matching donations, discounts at many local companies, short/long-term disability
Marketing & Communications Writer* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am I am a marketing and communications writer; for the most part, I work with our sales teams to write proposals, but I also do some copywriting for posters, ads, website and social media posts, etc. I live in Salt Lake City. I have close to four years of experience. I currently get 20 days of PTO a year, and it increases with every five years I am here; the first year you work at my company, it is prorated, so I had something like 12 days, but now that I am in my first full years, I started with a full 20 days. My company contributes 4% of my salary to my 401K, and I can contribute as much as I was. They even contribute if you aren’t (which I’m not – focusing on paying off debt right now) Since I am single and don’t have a spouse or dependents, my company pays my entire premium for all products except for my vision (which I pay about $2 a month for) and my life insurance (which is about $3 a month). My company also offers a lot of voluntary benefits, like pet insurance, car insurance, home insurance, etc., most of which I don’t take advantage of but I may in the future!
Communication Manager* August 11, 2017 at 5:02 pm I’m a communication manager, also in Salt Lake. I manage the marketing department which includes 1 other (soon to be 2) employee and one contractor. I manage the strategy, budgeting and execution of all internal communication and marketing, but I also work on special software projects as a PM, which is mostly outside the marketing role. I’ve been in this position over 6 years, but have other experience in graphic design, photography and business management. My benefits include not being exempt from overtime (I work a lot of overtime, and could easily be classified exempt but am thankfully not), my company contributes 100% of the Employee-only medical premium on a $500 deductible PPO plan, 100% of the dental premium, 100% short and long-term disability, provides $10000 term life insurance, and contributes 50% of my 401k percentage, up to 3% (if I contribute 6% or above, they contribute 3%). I also have access to vision, FSA, accident/illness/hospital plans, telehealth and even identity theft at my expense. My PTO includes 19 days off (it started at 5 only when I started, but goes up every year of service), plus about 6 paid holidays. I also have the ability to flex my hours, work from home and basically control my hours. As a perk, the company also periodically gives us free tickets to baseball games and premium concerts, and throws awesome parties.
Sr. IT Manager (Contractor for U.S. Gov't)* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am Sr. IT Manager over a large U.S. government data center in the Southeast. I have been in my current position for 6 years, with 17 years experience as a manager, and 28 years experience in my field. Benefits: – Retirement: 401k match up to 4% – Paid Time Off (PTO): 15 days per year – Holidays: The 10 U.S. government holidays. – Healthcare: There are two basic options: the standard healthcare with a low deductible, and the high-deductible health care with a Healthcare Savings Account (HSA). If you take the HSA option, the company will put in certain dollar amounts for getting a physical, filling out a health questionnaire, and walking 7,500 steps every day for a month. They put more money in for those making less than $100K, and less money in for those making over $100K. – Dental insurance – Vision insurance – Life insurance – Pet insurance (really??? Yes, this surprised me) – Legal insurance – Short and long term disability insurance – Education Reimbursement
Community Counsellor (non-profit)* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am 1. Counsellor seeing clients for up to 12 months at a time, up to once a week. Dealing with any issues from self esteem all the way to escaping abusive situations. (Canadian non-profit). 2. 7 years direct, plus 3 years related 3. I’ve worked at this non-profit for 10 years so I get maximum benefits. Due to low pay we have come up with some extra incentives for staff retention. – paid week off between christmas and new years (separate from vacation time) – 6 weeks vacation (so 7 including the Dec week off). New hires start at 3 weeks. – 18 days sick time – 12 hours of “medical time” – a budget for professional development books and courses/seminars/worskhops – I pay for all medical benefits (because again, non-profit). – I have a pension (although not sure of the details off hand). – flexible hours – I can come in when I want and leave when I want so long as I get my hours in the week. – the trust to use my vacation and sick time when i choose to
Community Counsellor (non-profit)* August 10, 2017 at 11:55 am I forgot a couple of things: – bonus vacation days for years of service (10 year, 1 day off; 15 years, 2 days off; 20 years, 3 days off; 25 years, 4 days off; 30 years, 5 days off). – all stat holidays paid off (Christmas, New Years, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Terry Fox Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day). – OT in kind at 1.5 hours (I work 1 hour OT, I get 1.5 PTO).
Office Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am I’m an office manager for a tiny manufacturing company. My main duties are payroll and all the other bookkeeping, but I have to cover for my two other office co-workers in their jobs whenever they’re absent (for an hour or a day or more), doing things such as scheduling trucks, preparing bills of lading, managing the production schedule, ordering raw materials, etc. I’m in Central Oregon, a weird area that’s fairly rural (largest town has around 100,000 residents now, I think?) but has a high cost of living (popular place to live, tourist destination, etc.). So many employers think they can still pay lower wages than Portland, three hours away, but really, the COL is the same or higher. I have an accounting degree and 16 years of experience at varying levels in the field, plus two more in an unrelated but similarly-minded field. Because it’s a tiny company, I have very few benefits. We used to have medical insurance provided and completely paid by the company, but they stopped providing that and gave us a raise at the time that covered the premium plus taxes on the increased salary, but as health care costs increase, that won’t cover it anymore. No short- or long-term disability or life insurance through the company either, of course. When I originally started, you had to work here for a year before you’d even get one week of vacation/sick (combined), but because of the Oregon Sick Time law, we now have to provide it in the first year as well. So you get one week for the first few years you work here, and I just entered the level of seniority where I’ll get TWO whole weeks of combined sick/vacation time. I came from a job where I was earning five weeks plus had a very flexible schedule, so this has been fairly painful, but since I’m the only one who can run payroll and do many of the other functions, it’s also not that easy to take time off anyway. The company offers a 401(k) plan, but with one of the higher-fee companies, and zero matching (when I started, they told me they did an annual company match based on how well the company did that year, but they actually don’t–the boss didn’t have a clue). So I rolled my 401(k) with my last company over into an IRA still with Fidelity, and just contribute to it there. If I’m not gonna get a match anyway, what’s the point. There’s no remote working or schedule flexibility–we’re open 8-5 and have to be here those hours to greet customers and answer the phones. With only three of us in the office, it’s important to have coverage. We have to schedule our vacations and even lunches around each other, but I can take an hour here and there for doctor’s appointments or whatever, so there’s a tiny bit of flexibility in that regard. The only “interesting” benefit is that I get free or cheap portions of what our company sells, which is a niche product, but one that I use (a little bit, not as much as our typical customers). Sometimes the boss charges me a small amount, other times he’s told me to just take it for free. I do, at least, get paid more than the market rate. My boss likes me, so when he distributes raises, he’s been pretty generous with mine. I haven’t scoped out the going rate lately, but I’d say I’m $10,000-15,000 “overpaid,” which helps pay for the insurance premiums, and helps make up for the lack of paid time (I have taken unpaid time when I didn’t want to dip into the bank for a day here or there), but was able to schedule the time off around my co-workers). It wasn’t what I pictured at this stage of my career, and when I accepted the job because my former company was closing, I figured it’d be short-term until I found something better. But I actually like the day-to-day parts of the work, just not the benefits, but the pay is honestly keeping me back from looking much. Plus the boss is near retirement, so I kinda want to see how that shakes out. It’s likely I could take his place of managing the managers of other areas, and a decent bump in salary, so I’ll likely stick it out at least long enough to see how that shakes out.
Contractor - Administrative Assistant III* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am Job: Administrative support to two senior people with accessibility needs Bay Area, CA, USA 10-15 years experience in administrative work, some in another job where it’s more “transferable skills” – I’ve been using Mail merge in windows for a very very long time. I make $21 an hour because I asked for a raise from $19 after my first six months. Benefits: The City of Oakland gives sick time for ANYONE, including contractors, who works in the city limits if you work more than 12 hours a week. (THANK YOU OAKLAND) Agency benefits: health insurance I pay for ($2500 deductible a year, so far the only thing the insurance has paid for is a portion of my prescriptions) Vision/Dental (neither are very good) I have no vacation days, no paid time off, I don’t get paid for any holiday. I’m not exempt, but I’m not allowed to take overtime. My job is scheduled to end in the first quarter of 2018, right now. Presumably I’ll start the song and dance of please keep on payroll sometime in 2018 and it might be extended again.
Contractor - Administrative Assistant III* August 10, 2017 at 11:52 am Sorry I included salary. I would say a benefit I don’t have is annual reviews or any scheduled time where raises might happen. No career development, no reviews unless I ask, no raises unless I ask. (Which would be a benefit of a permanent job depending on the company.)
Research Program Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am Job: I manage a research program with about 60 investigators and staff at an academic medical center. Location: New England Experience: 10 years in this department (increasing title/responsibilities over time) with another 6 prior to this. Benefits: 20 days vacation (started at 15, increased at 5 years but won’t go up again until 20 yrs), 10 holidays + 1 floating holiday, 10 sick days (we can sell back unused sick time each year – win!). My employer contributes 3% to a pension plan, and we have a 403-B available (but no match). It’s a hospital, so the health and dental insurance rocks and we pay a very small percentage of the premium.
Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) your geographic area your years of experience a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get I’m a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist working for the government’s national health service in the UK. I hold a caseload of around 25 patients at any one time, and see them weekly for hour-long sessions. I average around four or five sessions per day. I assess people, plan their treatment, and then see them for 3-5 months, delivering evidence based interventions for common mental health problems such as depression and various anxiety disorders. My day involves seeing my clients, attending supervision for my work, team meetings once per month, writing up case notes, liaising with patients, accepting and registering referrals, and occasionally running groups. I just qualified. Prior to this I worked for the same organisation for two years delivering a slightly less complex form of CBT, seeing patients for only six sessions rather than 15-20 and with a more limited scope of interventions. Prior to that, I worked in prisons as a drugs counsellor and prior to that I completed my MA to become a licensed social worker. I also have ten years experience volunteering for a suicide crisis line and a couple of years experience volunteering in prison rehabs. My qualification involved a one year postgrad full time course that I just finished. I work in the North of England, but my pay is the same as anywhere else other than London (London weighting). The beauty of the NHS is that the pay is transparent, I’m on a band 7 salary which begins around £32000 and increases to £40000+ over a number of years. I get paid the same as any other CBT therapist working for the NHS. I get 29 days vacation to take, and paid leave for all eight UK bank holidays. Our sick leave is flexible: in my third year of service now, I’m entitled to four months of full pay and four months of half pay. I trigger a meeting with my manager if I’m off sick for more than two episodes in a four month period, or more than five episodes in a twelve month period. An episode in my organisation is considered to be any continuous length of time, so if you’re out for a half day that’s seen the same as being out for six weeks as long as you were out solidly that whole six weeks. Once you hit the trigger, you have to meet with your manager to discuss your health and see if there’s anything they can do to support you to reduce your sickness absences. Not sure about my pension. I pay into it! I don’t know what they contribute. I get free healthcare from the government already so my job doesn’t have any relation to that. A particular benefit I love is our lease car policy, I lease a car for a three year period from my organisation which means a brand new car with all insurance, tax, repairs and servicing included for one monthly payment that comes straight outta your salary before you receive it. It’s so helpful to have a reliable car and takes away the stress of owning one. Another benefit I love is flexible working. I can set my clinics up how I like them mostly (I prefer seeing people in the mornings if possible), but other than needing to be there for patients I can come in when I like and leave when I like. I have a work laptop so I can work from home but there’s zero expectation that you’ll do that. Nobody stays late past 5pm. My hours are generally 9 or 10 until 4 or 5 but I can flex them however I want and nobody monitors it. Another major benefit is on the job training… when I joined the company I was doing one job, but they offered for me to go through this postgrad training course which they paid for, worth probably around £7k. On top of that they gave me a payrise while training and a further rise once qualified. So in the space of one year they gave me a £10k payrise, paid for my training and enabled me to do some serious professional development. The NHS gets a lot of flack in the press for being a terrible place to work, but from my own perspective in the trust I’m in doing the job I do, I’ve never had it so good. I adore my job, I love my colleagues, I love the wage, I love the freedom. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.
Mechanical Systems Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am 1. Job: I am a mechanical systems engineer for satellites. I work on a variety of different parts of that: proposals and initial designs, detailed CAD work, schedules and costs, test planning, documentation writing, parts ordering and tracking. 2. Location: Greater Washington, DC 3. Experience: 10 years experience in related roles at 4 different companies 4. Benefits: 19 days PTO (for vacation and sick) and 10 holidays, High Deductible insurance with $1000 HSA contribution from the company, 4% 401(k) match, EAP, 1x salary life insurace and 3x salary ADD, options for other insurance types subsidized (short term disability, vision, dental), tuition assistance up to $5,250 per year. Benefits are pretty par for the course for my industry. I’m currently a contractor but when I’ve been a direct employee, I’ve gotten 1% better match on the 401(k) and a few other benefits that come with working at the company I work for (free coffee, gym, parking).
Recruiter* August 10, 2017 at 11:49 am Corporate recruiting through RPO. National company, but I’m based in the PNW. 3 years experience – 3 weeks’ vacation -M/D/V, premium is about $30, but the company does have a $0 premium option. Deductible is about $2500. -4% match for 401(k) -Stock purchase at 25% discount after 6 months service -My favorite: 12 weeks paid paternal/maternal leave for birth or adoption. Only available after 1 year of service and must be taken within 1 year of birth/adoption, but doesn’t need to be 12 consecutive weeks. -Office is closed the week between Christmas and New Years
Database Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 11:50 am Oracle and MySQL Database Administrator in near-public sector, Germany. 10 years of experience, but benefits are equal for every employee from day one. 30 days vacation. (Monthly salary, so vacation and public holidays are paid.) Sick days as needed (full pay to 26 weeks per illness, doctor’s note required after 3 days per illness) Employer pays about 50% of social insurance (consists of health, nursing, unemployment, old age), total is about 20% of gross income. No retirement matching, but additional subsidized old age pension kicking in after 5 years of employment (remains valid after leaving the job. I’ve got a second one from a previous employer.) A few smaller things e.g. subsidized public transport, company gas station, gym membership, wellness subsidies.
Receptionist - Big Law* August 10, 2017 at 11:50 am Receptionist / Administrative Coordinator – small satelitte office for a global big law firm Large Midwestern city 2 years post grad 4 weeks PTO, 6% 401K matching. I don’t remember the details of my health and dental coverage but the premiums are reasonable and it’s the best benefits package I’ve had. We have most major US holidays off and covered. There’s a gym in our tower with a small locker room, which I love because I commute into work by bike and it allows me to shower and store my sweaty clothes away from my desk. We have fresh fruit delivered weekly and unlimited soda (Apricot LaCroix for days!). Every Thursday we host a small happy hour gathering in our kitchen with snacks and drinks. We have season tickets to a number of professional sports teams in town, and anytime they aren’t in use we raffle them off among the staff.
Operations Manager (Broadcasting)* August 10, 2017 at 11:50 am – I handle inter-departmental coordination between all of our station’s different departments (news, technical, production, sales, etc), coordinate live remote specials & studio productions, manage a department of 11 people & direct newscasts; – Mid-sized Midwest television market; – 22 years of experience; – Vacation: 5 weeks; Sick time: 5 days; Personal days: 2 days; Retirement: I have a pension that the company contributes to on my behalf + a 401(k) that they match up to 3% (for people who started after the pension cut-off, they get a higher 401(k) match; Health benefits: our premiums are pegged to salary bands, but for a single person it’s about 80/20; The days of TV swag are over in our market, so I get nothing else exciting.
School Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 11:51 am Library Director, Private School Pennsylvania 4 years Vacation & sick leave- no set days but I am expected to be at school when the kids are here. Retirement Matching – if I contribute 3%, they contribute 10% of my salary Health insurance – they pay 70% of the premium, and give a small contribution to my HSA to offset the high deductible
Associate - Corporate Tax Specialty* August 10, 2017 at 11:51 am Tax Accountant Midwest 2 years 5 weeks combined PTO (additional can be approved in certain situations, just as medical emergencies), additional week off in December Standard 401K + matching of 5k Choice of three health insurance plans Free 50K Life insurance + optional spouse or dependent life insurance Disability insurance EHE (free preventative health care, dietitian, etc) Optional vision, dental, day care FSA, legal insurance, EAP additional life insurance Year end bonus – average of 5% Additional smaller bonuses throughout the year on on a project basis – I got 2k this year Free dinner Mon -thurs six months out of the year. + so many free lunches and all the snacks
Web Developer* August 10, 2017 at 11:51 am Job: mid-level web apps developer with one of the big banks. I work on internal-facing apps that help other departments do their daily work. On this team we all have a lot of autonomy to lead the projects that we “own” and my boss is fairly hands-off unless we ask for him to get more involved (which I prefer in a manager!). Location: Iowa Experience: 6-7 years in web development, 4.5 of that with my current employer; plus a few years as a tech writer before I changed career paths Benefits: 23 days PTO (combined vacation and sick), 8 paid holidays. Not sure what the percentage paid/company’s cost on health insurance is, but I only pay about $55/month for coverage on just myself on an HRA-type plan. Company also puts $600 into the HRA each year at my pay grade. Full dollar-for-dollar match on 401k up to 6%, plus a small profit sharing amount each year. Most of the company is generous with remote work flexibility, manager depending; I’m 100% remote. There’s also now a 16-week paid maternity/paternity leave benefit, paid at 100% of salary; if both parents work with the company, the second parent also gets four weeks of paid leave.
Safety Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:51 am Job Description: Officially it’s safety coordinator but safety manager also works. I handle all safety related matters including assigning tasks, implementing controls and safety training. I update or develop new programs as needed and maintain all safety equipment. I have my safety auditing license and may be called on to audit other companies in addition to my own. I am responsible for maintaining COR certification, knowing the Code, Regulation and Act and advising upper management about any changes we need to make to comply. Location: Western Canada Experience: Three years experience specifically with safety. Many more years related paperwork and government regulation wrangling experience. PTO: 6 paid sick days, 10 paid vacation days. After five years, I get 15 vacation days. I do have the option to roll vacation days into the next year if I want extra time. Benefits: Drug/dental plan covers 80% of most basic stuff and the cost is covered by the company. There is a small life insurance policy. There’s an RRSP program where they match a percentage of your contributions. Come tax time, everyone who is part of the program gets a bonus which is added directly into the RRSP pre-tax. The rest get cheques for the bonus amount that are taxed. At Christmas we also get yearly bonuses based on how well the company is doing and length of time employed. The government takes a 30-40% bite out of cash bonuses so we usually get gift cards also.
Safety Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm Oh, and acronyms. I feel like this should be something you could list on a resume as an achievement, you know? “Knows industry related acronyms: COR, NACE, JSA, HAT, ITP, MTR, CRN, BOM. Let me tell you about how everyone who is trained by me is an ASS!”
Education Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:52 am Education Coordinator – Informal environmental education programs for K-12 and adults. Program planning, teaching, training & supervising a team of educators. Puget Sound, WA 3 years experience + BS degree Vacation – 10 paid days/year 1st year, 15 paid days/year 2nd year – 5th year. Plus 3 paid “personal days” per year Sick Leave – 12 paid days accrued/year, accrue up to 8 weeks Insurance – Health & Dental, employer pays 90%, employee pays %10 pre-tax Retirement – there’s a 401k, but the employer does not match contributions. All full-time staff where I work receive these benefits. We also have flexible schedules- as long as work is done and everyone is on time and prepared for programs. Working from home happens, though we don’t have a policy for how often is acceptable. This is my first full time permanent position and I’m pretty satisfied with what I’ve got.
Development Services Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:52 am I manage all “back room” aspects of development (database management, reports, prospect management, strategy, donor stewardship, etc etc.) at an independent K-12 school in a largish city in the South. I have over fifteen years of experience in this field, primarily in higher education before moving to independent schools five years ago. My benefits are amazing and a large reason retention here is very high. Seriously, I know how fortunate I am. 4 weeks of paid vacation a year plus most holidays (MLK Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day). School breaks (2 days for Fall Break, 3 days for Thanksgiving Break, 2 weeks for Winter Break, 1 week for Spring Break). I am a 12 month employee so I do have to work in the summer. 1 sick day a month that accrues up to a maximum of 60 days. 2 personal days. Retirement matching up to 5% of my salary. Health, dental, vision insurance. It’s very affordable for just me but pretty costly if I were to cover my own family (think $20/month for individual health insurance but closer to $800 for family coverage). It’s an HDHP though so if you have ongoing medical needs, the out of pocket costs are pretty high. HSA to which the employer contributes something like $200/month. Standard group coverage for long-term disability & AD&D. Optional short-term disability and supplemental life insurance. Most of my benefits were comparable when I worked in higher ed, but we did not receive as many holidays or school breaks off. We used to have summer hours here but they stopped doing that a few years ago.
Admin Ass't Intermediate* August 10, 2017 at 11:52 am I work in Michigan at a Big 10 university, this is my 10th year in this position. I’ve been doing office admin work all my life, just different fields. As a 10 year employee I now receive 24 vacation days, standard holidays plus the week between Christmas and NYE off, 15 sick days and a 2-to-1 match into my retirement – up to 10% of my salary! We get reasonable priced medical (lots of plans to chose from), dental, optical, standard life, plus extra life insurance available, short and long term disability, legal fund, and standard FMLA benefits. The only thing I’d like to see is a benefit if our children were to attend this school (we get nothing for them), but individual depts. can approve to reimburse you up to 75% for undergrad, or 50% for grad courses plus give you three hours off a week to attend classes! Being involved in such a large campus gives me free or reduced price access to most sporting events, museums, theater, etc.
Production Control Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 11:53 am -Jack-of-all-trades for a manufacturer. I do some scheduling, some long-term forecasting; I also handle some Bills of Material and Design Changes and other related activities for new models. -Southeast US -6 years industry/company, 5 years current position -we get 2 paid weeks a year when the plant shuts down for maintenance; these always line up over the Fourth of July and Christmas. We also start with 5 days of paid vacation for each year plus one add’l day for each year you’ve been there, so for example: next year will be my seventh year and I’ll get 11 days. -We get 2 days of unpaid sick leave a year; if you don’t use them you get a pay out at the end of the year -We get 3% matching on 401K -Our insurance coverage is fantastic; a co-worker had a baby last year and I think she only paid $100 out of pocket the entire pregnancy. Insurance also includes vision/dental. I won’t bother going into the details but insurance premiums are about $32/month for individuals, about $80/month for families. Company covers the rest.
Production Control Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:06 pm Forgot to add: Company has negotiated discounts for homeowner’s insurance and cell service providers as well as the local gym. Also, because we’re an automotive supplier, we get discounts on the maker’s vehicles at the nearby dealership. We also get cash bonuses before the holidays every year based on length of service.
Lab Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:53 am Deep South, rural, salaries are low outside metro areas. Started w/~4 years experience, been here 5 years, which makes a difference for vacation time…. 32 hours personal time/year 10 hrs vacation time accrues/ month 8 hrs sick time accrues/month (It was 8 hours/ month until I hit the five year mark) Since I am child free & on spouse’s medical insurance my work pays 100% of my dental & vision. I use the vision, which is ok. I’ve never used the dental but I hear it isn’t great. Not sure on the retirement. I am quite young, my state is shady, and I don’t expect to live to retirement age due to a chronic illness. Even if I do, my student loans are so huge I can’tell save anything and wouldn’t be able to retire anyway. As such I consider everything they take out of my gross pay as money I’ll never see again. I think I contribute 3%. Not sure how much they match. Additionally, we have a nice on site gym that we are encouraged to use and I have a tuition benefit for myself or nuclear family members.
Administrative Assistant (University)* August 10, 2017 at 11:53 am -Admin for research institute at state university -Denver -2 here, 5 working -Vacation and sick leave accrued separately, currently accrue 8 hours vacation each month, and 6.6 hours sick each month (this would increase if I got a raise). -Retirement matching only goes for pension, which I am forced to contribute 7%. If I leave, I can take what I put in with me, but get none of the growth or matching. -I pay $38.78 a month for medical and dental (employer pays $540.32), $6.18 for vision. For medical: $30 doctor co-pay, $40 specialist/urgent care co-pay, $150 emergency room co-pay, and only a $250 deductible. I have to stay within the University health system, which means trekking to the other side of the city to see specialists at their hospital (I work on a different campus), very little out-of-network coverage. -I get some life insurance, disability insurance, and tuition reimbursement (9 credits an academic year, no fees covered).
Fellow (postdoc in government)* August 10, 2017 at 11:53 am I’m a postdoc doing grant-funded work in a federal agency. I completed my PhD 2 years ago and started this postdoc 1 year ago. I’m located in the DC area. Benefits I get: +13 days vacation and 13 days sick leave +Generous time to pursue training +$1500/year for professional development costs Benefits I don’t get: -Retirement matching or any kind of employer-sponsored retirement account -Employer paid health insurance – I get a fixed stipend to purchase it on the federal exchange, which covers about 60% of my current family premium, but I’m pretty concerned about the future of the individual markets as a result. -Accrued seniority for increased vacation – I get the same amount as an entry level employee but my time here doesn’t “count,” so if I got hired on permanently I’d have to start the clock over, whereas others would get 50% more after 2 years -An easy time doing taxes – based on the specifics of my funding, I have to file as though I’m self-employed, though in my working conditions I am treated as an employee I’m pretty happy with my salary, but postdocs really are in a bad spot where benefits are concerned. It’s considered a “training” position, so lots of places don’t classify postdocs as employees or give them any benefits, and some postdoc salaries (under grants where you have to file it as “miscellaneous income” instead of self-employed or W-2) don’t even count as “earned income” for IRA contributions, the child care tax credit, or social security. But most postdocs are in their late 20s through early 40s, when it doesn’t matter if the job is “temporary” or “training,” we all need to be thinking about retirement savings and maybe not putting off starting families. This is your PSA for today….
Postdoctoral Fellow* August 10, 2017 at 12:49 pm Hi, I’m the “Postdoctoral Fellow” from a previous comment. I’m at a public university, not government, but I didn’t think we were supposed to file as self employed (there’s an extra ~7.5% tax associated with that, yes?). I’ve always listed my fellowship stipend under “Wages, salaries, tips” with the “SCH” designation based on IRS Tax Topic 421 – Scholarships, Fellowship Grants, and Other Grants.
Fellow (postdoc in government)* August 10, 2017 at 5:51 pm It varies according to how you are paid. If it’s paid directly to you as a grant, then it’s as you do and it’s not considered earned income. If it’s through your university or a PI, you may be paid as a W-2 employee. Due to the way my funding source and government agency work, which I don’t want to get into details of here, i get paid as an independent contractor, so I do have to pay the higher self employment tax. So yeah, it can work multiple ways, and my academic spouse and I have been paid in all three I listed above between the two of us! It is definitely important to spend some time looking at IRS guidance to verify where you fall, since postdocs can fall between the cracks of “normal” employment.
Program Manager* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Job: I manage adult education programs at a private university — faculty affairs, course scheduling and assessments, student recruitment/community engagement Location: Virginia but not DC Experience: 10 years in the workforce; 8 years at current employer; less than a year in this role Benefits: 14 paid holidays; 12 sick days; new employees get 12 vacation days and earn more with seniority (I’m currently at 15; next year I’ll bump up to 18); 1-2 personal days depending on how the calendar falls; –403(b) with 5% automatic from employer and up to 5% matching on top –multiple health care options (I personally use the HDHP which is no cost to me and I get a small stipend to my HSA annually) –tuition benefits for yourself and dependents (I got a free graduate degree) –discounts on sports and cultural events at the university. If I had kids I’d appreciate more of the benefits more but they’re pretty great. The salary, not so much…
o-Nay ame-Nay* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Minimum wage earner my whole life, in USA. Benefits: NOPE, NONE, and NEVER
Event Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Job: Event coordinator (plus misc. other duties) for a large master’s program at a medium-sized university Area: Washington DC Years of experience: 3ish, plus work while in school Everyone at the university receives roughly the same benefits: – 16 paid personal days (sick/vacation are all in the same bucket) plus 1 additional day for each year you’re there; these accrue over time and roll over year-to-year – 16 paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s – Tuition benefits (once you’ve been there a year)–full tuition (minus taxes, for most grad studies) at any program in the university for you or a child, up to the full price of an undergrad degree (which is $$$); once you’ve been there 3 years you can apply this to any university, though with a lower cap – Generous retirement match: I pay 3% of my paycheck into my retirement fund; the university contributes 10%. (If you pay less than 3%, they do too, but still more than you do) Not sure how much of the insurance package they pay, since I have it through another source. There are also miscellaneous other things that not everyone takes advantage of, like professional development sessions and a telework policy (which is completely up to your supervisor–mine lets us use it when we need to, but I rarely do).
HR Admin at a Big University* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Descr: HR point person for faculty Location: New York Exp: 2.5 years of experience (1 year at this job) Benefits: PTO: 22 vacation days, 2 personal days, and 20 sick days. 9 holidays plus the last week in December off. Retirement: 5% automatic, then up to 5% more if you put in 5%. Health: contribution varies based on salary tier. The cheapest option for the lowest salary tier is about $15/month. Other Perks: Tuition remission, tuition assistance for my children’s education, wellness program with free classes, school ID gets you in most major museums in the area for free, etc.
HR Admin at a Big University* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm Forgot to mention 6 weeks paid parental leave! Honestly, I’m sure there’s tons of other benefits that I’m forgetting; we have awesome benefits!
Software Developer II* August 10, 2017 at 11:54 am Software Developer II (so, mid-level, no management responsibilities) Cincinnati, Ohio About 5 years with current company (just over 5 if you count the time I was on contract, just under if you count the time I’ve been directly employed) Leave: – 10 paid holidays (7 defined by the company, 3 floating – Canadian employees have 10 defined holidays and none floating), available from January 1 – 10 paid vacation days, accrues by pay period, no rollover (one exception described below) – sick time accrues by pay period, but 120 hours can roll over into the next year – 3 days bereavement leave for immediate family members (including step and inlaws) – 1 day bereavement leave for extended family members (including step and inlaws) – Additional bereavement leave at manager’s discretion Retirement Matching: – 75% match up to 6% of your annual salary for 0 – 5 years of service – 100% match up to 6% for 6 – 10 years of service – 125% match for more than 10 years of service I don’t remember what proportion of our health insurance is paid by the company. They offer 3 tiers of health insurance plans, and recently swapped in a high deductible plan in place of the previous basic plan. We got a lot of marketing documents about how great the high deductible plan was – a lot of people in my office jumped up to the mid tier plan instead (out of pocket prescriptions are expensive). More on Leave: – On my 5-year anniversary date, my accrual rate for vacation will go up, so next year I’ll get 3 weeks of paid vacation – Because of how late in the year that falls, this year I get a whopping extra half day – Employees with at least 10 years of service get 4 weeks of paid vacation, and 20 years get 5 weeks – Managers generally have one more week of vacation than non-managers with equivalent tenure – During your first 90 days of employment, you accrue vacation, but can’t use any. Therefore, if your anniversary date is within the last 90 days of the year, that accrued time will roll over into the next year. The latest version of our handbook spelled this out explicitly (the previous version didn’t). I’m not sure how time off for jury duty works, but we do have a code for it in the timekeeping system. As an exempt employee, I only need to use the system to enter in my vacation, sick time, holidays, bereavement, etc. (I shouldn’t have to enter my 7 defined holidays, but the person setting up the system configured our office wrong. I usually put in the requests for all 7 days during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.)
Administrative Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:55 am role: provide administrative support across a range of functions for one region of the services directorate of a national charity (includes volunteer management, accounts reconciliation, external communications and more) – southern UK – 3 years’ experience – 28 days paid annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays – unlimited sick leave within reason – no private health insurance provided – 1% retirement match (sob) This is not strictly speaking a benefit but it does affect my quality of life – my hours are 9-5 with a one hour lunch break, and I’m not expected/pressured to work more than that.
Senior QA* August 10, 2017 at 11:56 am Job: Quality assurance analyst for software company. Area: Mountain West Experience: 5 years Benefits: Vacation and sick leave are both under single bucket PTO. Starts at 17 days of PTO and increases at certain tenure markers 401K matching up to 6% Employer pays 80% of premium for health and dental insurance with participation in wellness program, 75% if not participating, no vision insurance short term and long term disability plan, company paid life insurance, 2 weeks paid parental leave On-site gym and sand volleyball court
Closed Captioner* August 10, 2017 at 11:56 am I transcribe captions for TV shows. Pennsylvania. 7 years. ~38k Pretty generous vacation time. I think they start at 2 weeks. I have 4 now. 5 days of sick time. It’s just impossible to take any of the PTO, no matter how far in advance you schedule it. Even if you’ve got the flu, the supervisors want you to come in and work anyway. (Or “call back in a couple of hours with an update to how you’re feeling.” Ugh.) Retirement: No idea. I stopped using it when it was just a 1% match. Health/Vision/Dental: Stupidly expensive premium, high deductibles. I’m single, and I can’t imagine how anyone with a family can afford our plans.
Admin/Development Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 11:56 am Job Description: The admin assistant to a small (just over $1 mil operating budget with less than 10 staff members) nonprofit’s Executive Director and Development Director. Act as their assistant in fundraising and corporate matters, as content creator for our website/mailings/reports (so a lot of writing, editing, and basic graphic creation) and also as office manager (liaison for our IT company, database admin, trained to cover any staff that are out, general question-answerer). Area: Mid/Southwest US Years of Experience: Been a nonprofit admin for 5 years, with two different orgs Benefits: – 10 paid vacation days (plus 7 paid US holidays), 6 personal days (sick days and time off for appointments are included in this) – Will match up to 3% in a 401k – Employer pays 100% of my insurance premiums (health, vision, dental), but for any dependents I pay their premiums out of pocket. Employer also pays 100% for life & AD&D insurance. I do get overtime pay, which is nice, and my employer is very good about staff development and sending us for training/conferences.
Software Validation Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 11:58 am Job: Software Validation Engineer aka Software Engineer in Test for a large defense contractor Area: Greater Boston metro Experience: Just over 1 year; first post-college job (B.S. in STEM) Benefits: – 3 weeks PTO (bumps up at the 5 year mark) and 12 paid holidays per year – pays 70% of medical insurance premium + contribution to HSA, 80% of dental premium, 70% of vision premium – $50,000 life insurance policy and short-term disability at no cost to me – Matches up to 3% of 401k, standard and/or Roth – EAPs, employee discount program, flextime, adoption assistance program, transportation benefits for commuters, discounted online graduate programs with certain universities, and others
Academic Program Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am I provide student services and program management for a graduate program at a large state university in the midwest. 6 years of experience 4 weeks vacation as well as major holidays, 2 weeks sick time. Health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance ( I pay $70 a month) Matching 401K up to 3 % Tuition Assistance for myself and immediate family (7 credit hours undergrad 3 credit hours graduate per semester)
Ghost Town* August 10, 2017 at 10:35 pm We’re very similar in job scope, location, and benefits! I’m “Student services, big 10 uni” above, under Student Services.
Data Architect* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am Job – I am an information architect for a large UK infrastructure project – I (try to) ensure that our data quality is good, that all our IT systems can communicate with each other easily, and that the business units have the necessary information to do their jobs properly and make informed decisions. Location – Birmingham, UK Experience – almost 20 years experience in IT, with about 13 as an IT architect of various guises (data, information, application, solution) for 7 different companies (5 as an architect). Benefits – 25 days holiday annually, with the ability to purchase another 5, private health insurance (which I don’t use, but I do get taxed on), a defined contribution salary sacrifice pension scheme where I pay 6% and my employer pays 12%, flexible working times, remote working ability, full pay for 1 month of sickness (I think this goes up with service, but I’ve not been here a year yet), subsidised gym membership, an EAP helpline, 6 months paid maternity cover, free tea and coffee in the office, good work-life balance.
Higher Ed Business Systems Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am I support various university departments in understanding our ERP software, retooling existing processes or creating new processes to take better advantage of the software, and developing reporting solutions. I also handle the SQL coding for advanced legal or compliance reporting (we have an SQL report writer who writes basic reports based on my direction). Location: mid sized Pacific Northwest university Experience: 3.5 years, 2 at this employer Salary: $57,000 Benefits: Retirement: 15% of annual salary in pension plan, fully vested after 5 years 403B plan option, no matching Health Insurance: Three health plans are offered: a basic HMO plan, a deluxe HMO plan, and a non-HMO plan. The university pays for 90% of the cost of the basic HMO plan, including all family members), regardless of what tier of coverage you enroll in. Time Off: 11 official holidays 20 days a year of paid time off (a single bank for vacation and sick time) Increases by 1 day per year of service to a maximum of 30 days per year Various university declared bonus days (for example, we are getting August 21st and 22nd off for the eclipse, and we will be closed starting on December 22nd and reopening January 2nd, although this period includes 4 days of our 11 official holidays) Other Benefits: Free undergraduate tuition for employee, spouse, and dependent children 40% discount on graduate tuition for employee Paid disability and life insurance Public transit subsidies No interest financing on personal computers, software, and peripherals Employment qualifies for the public service loan forgiveness program, assuming that program isn’t cut
Banker* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am I used a generic title because these benefits apply to all employees our company. -Regional commercial bank, Southeast US -27 years of experience (same company) -25 days vacation -sick leave is complicated; 5 days for any reason, 25 *weeks* paid for short term disability (concurrent with FMLA). The disability leave is a combination of 100% and 60% pay depending on length of service. (After 5 years, it is 8 weeks at 100% pay) – One paid day off per year to volunteer, one paid day off per year to focus on personal finance. -Approximately 50% of health insurance paid, I think. -401(k) match up to 6% -Free bank accounts, free checks
Banker* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm Forgot- there are two free medical clinics at our largest offices.
Bank Teller* August 10, 2017 at 12:29 pm Sounds suspiciously like my bank. All of the above, except I have 15 days of vacation with 11 years experience. And all 10 federal holidays off, and tuition reimbursement. Also, 10 weeks maternity leave for mothers who have given birth, and 6 months parental leave for any new parent (16 weeks total for those who give birth). Additionally, my bank has been encouraging employees to be financially healthy by putting together a program and rewarding those who complete it with a small bonus.
Technical Writer* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am ◾Technical writer for a small software company: specifically, user-facing documentation. ◾Vancouver, BC, Canada ◾10 years experience ◾Fifteen vacation days (goes up to twenty at five years tenure!); six days sick time; provincially-mandated holidays. ◾No retirement matching ◾Secondary health insurance premiums paid; in BC there’s an additional premium for the provincial Medical Services Plan, which they do /not/ pay. ◾Um… they provide lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays? ◾It’s kinda terrible tbh and I’ve been casually looking for something else for about five months
HR Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am HR Coordinator *Everything HR related for our medium sized staffing company (I’m an HR department of 1) *SF Bay Area *5 years of experience Time Off: *3 weeks’ PTO per year, 4 weeks once you’ve worked at the company for 3+ years. *10 Company Paid Holidays Health Benefits: *Company contributes 80% to our employee premium and 50% to any dependent premiums for medical, dental and vision. *Company also pays 100% of the premium for short term disability insurance *401k available after 1 year of employment but no employer match Other benefits: *Free food in the office as well as catered breakfast once a week and usually a catered lunch every couple of weeks *“Summer Fridays” all year round! AKA we get to leave by 3:30pm *Quarterly Company Events – Company sponsors an even each quarter to celebrate the end of the quarter. Past events have been white water rafting, box at local baseball game, bowling etc. *$20/ month contribution to health club memberships
HR Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm Not sure how I forgot this since I’m due in December but we also get 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave! Must be my pregnancy brain lol
Financial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:00 pm Financial/investment analyst in small field (not a stock analyst or investment adviser) Memphis, TN Five years of experience * Vacation: Three weeks/15 days of vacation. No pay out of unused vacation time. Resets based on hire date, so people aren’t all trying to burn days at the end of the year. Limited ability to take 4th quarter vacation, but long weekends and some holidays travel is okay. I can’t take two weeks at Christmas, but I can go home for it, which some of my colleagues in big cities can’t do. I won’t get anymore vacation time until I hit my 10-year mark *Holidays: seven set holidays, plus two floating holidays. *Sick Time:Unlimited sick time (usable for appointments, but most people flex their hours slightly rather than take sick time for doctors, dentists, etc.). No pay out of sick time. *401-k, Roth 401-k, no matching *ESOP *Health Insurance: Employer offers two health plan options – High deductible (Employer pays 100% of premium and offers HSA match up to $200/year), “Low” Deductible (Employer pays 75%? – not sure, this plan is very expensive and its difference in deductible between the two plans is really only worth it for families) *Dental – Premium paid 100%. It covers cleaning and x-rays 100%. Flouride for adults is $20, and it pays like 50% of extra visits. I haven’t had any serious work done, so I don’t actually know everything its covers *Vision – Premium paid 100%. Never used. *Life and Disability – Premium paid 100%. Never used, coverage is minimal from what I understand *Some ability to work from home – not routinely, but if the plumber is coming or whatever, you can work from home rather than take time *Food – Kitchen stocked with junk & snack food, some freezer & shelf stable food, fruit gotten 2x/week, chocolate drawer *Phone – Once you hit a certain title, the company provides you with a work smart phone (you can pick from a list which type you want). Plan w/unlimited data is paid 100% by company, and there are no limits on personal use. Most people cancel their private lines or port their personal number over to the work phone. *Personal Perk – I can come in late and stay late one day a week in order to attend a training session that is much easier in daylight & cooler hours. I negotiated this one year when they were doing minimal/no raises. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but the ability to train in daylight during the winter is worth $$ to me.
Certification Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm I work at an association management company where I focus on the certification lifecycle for credentialing clients. The role is mainly strategic and very client-facing volunteer/committee work. – Washington, DC – 7 years experience – 20 days leave (vacation and sick in one pot), plus 10 federal holidays – 10% 401k match! – employer pays 40% of health insurance premium – disability leave in lieu of real maternity leave :-(
Certification Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 1:43 pm I work for an association that offers certification. I focus mainly on the the process involved for our credential holders after they have become certified. -Washington DC – 3 years experience -21 vacation days, 14 sick days accrued yearly, 1 “floating holiday” and standard Fed holidays. I think we can roll over as much of the vacation and sick as we want to the following year. – High 401k match…I forget exactly what the % is, but it’s uncharacteristically high for an association – Employer pays 80% of health insurance premium. Standard vision and dental included. -Free parking -Flex time offered in the summer -Gym membership reimbursement up to $30/month
Project manager / grant writer* August 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm Vancouver, Canada 16 years post-PhD experience, 10 years experience in this specific role Vacation: we start at 20 days, and after five years with the organization we start to accrue an additional day per year. This maxes out at 35 days. Vacation is use-it-or-lose-it. In some roles (including mine) we can take up to 5 additional days to compensate for having to work weekends or holidays Sick: 10 days, which roll over if you don’t use them. I haven’t had to use personal/bereavement days or longer term disability leave yet, but we do have them An independent financial adviser told me that our pension is one of the best public-sector plans in Canada (it’s a huge employer – the biggest in the province, I think). We also have some basic life insurance but it’s not much. In Canada so basic healthcare is covered, but we also have extended health that covers things like prescriptions, dental, massage/physio, vision care (although this is very limited – our annual maximum doesn’t even cover my contact lens solution costs), semi-private rooms in hospitals etc. Plus a bunch of stuff I haven’t used like acupuncture and the like.
System administrator* August 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm Job: manage day to day operations of a health record system (emr) . Manage and lead all projects related to emr. Provide ad hoc financial support as related to emr. Provide technical support to all clinicians regarding emr. Manage all hardware interacting or dependent on emr. Develop custom reporting (think SQL and excel VBA) and automate as much as possible. Region: Midwest us; suburban Years exp: 7 Benefits: PTO of 3 weeks yr 1. 4 weeks yr 2-3. No sick time – pto required. No holidays – pto required. Caps out at 6 weeks. Leadership and execs on different schedules. Extended sick leave accrues at 1 hour every 2 weeks. Can only use for yourself and not for family care. 2% 401k match if you also put in 2%. Employer pays 92% of healh premiums but ONLY if you earn enough points in their convoluted strict wellness programs. Apparently the reduction in what they pay is significant. Other small benefits like small adoption and tuition reimbursement. Very small amount though compared to actual costs.
Lia* August 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm Higher Education Analyst for a large public university Mid Atlantic 20 vacation days and 20 sick days, earned at 1.75 days/month each. We can carry a total of 40 vacation and 200 sick days at the end of the calendar year We also get a number of paid holidays (11) annually. 401K match Employer pays 75% of employee cost in health insurance and 50% of the family cost. Dental and vision are covered for employee, spouse, and dependents to age 18 (21 if enrolled in college FT). We are union and 1% of our salary goes to union dues, with no opt-out. No parental or paid leave other than what you get in your vacation/sick time. we do have a sick leave bank that people can donate to or use for long-term illnesses (maternity/paternity leave is specifically exempted from participation in the bank). With my health insurance, I also get $250/yr of benefits that I can use for gym memberships, nutrition counseling, massage, or related things.
Healthcare Valet Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm I manage 50 valets for downtown hospital in the Midwest. 5 Years Two and a half weeks vacation 6 sick days 7 paid holidays Insurance: Pretty good, I think? Like $140/month. High deductible, but like $35/mo get put into your HSA. Retirement: 25% match on the first 4%. So put in 4% and they’ll add a whole extra 1%.
Environmental Technician* August 10, 2017 at 12:02 pm Job: Phase I & II environmental investigations, tank closures, soil/groundwater sampling Area: Connecticut Experience: Just over 1.5 years Benefits: Vacation and sick leave come out of the same “bucket” and I get 13 days per year, which don’t get carried over to the next year but unused days get paid out in December. We also get 5 paid holidays off and I believe 3 days bereavement leave for immediate family. I don’t use the company health insurance but it’s a health savings account. Retirement plans don’t kick in until 2 years of full-time work at the company (I only have ~8 months) so I’m also unclear on the details of those. We theoretically get tuition reimbursement for company-approved courses but I don’t know of anyone who’s used that benefit.
Senior Technical Writer* August 10, 2017 at 12:02 pm I work at a tech company & write documentation for our customers, which include business users/systems administrators/coders. I work in San Francisco. I have about 25 years of experience. We have 10 days paid holidays + a paid week shut-down at Christmas. We theoretically have unlimited PTO, but our benefits site says most employees take 2-3 weeks, which doesn’t sound like much to me. 10 days sick leave. At one time, we could take a 3 month sabbatical, but it seems to have disappeared from the website. We have health insurance, they pick up over 50% of the tab . They are heavily pushing the HSA, including putting some money in for you, and phasing out some of the other plans, including the one I’m currently on. I’ll be sorry to leave my current plan. Commuter checks, with a $100 subsidy from the company each month. Dental is pretty standard; vision has an optional buyup version that lets you get 2 pairs of glasses instead of just one. 401k, company match, 4% with a limit of $10,000 Some funds for back-up childcare, adoption assistance, infertility assistance, none of which I’ll ever use.
Blue Anne* August 10, 2017 at 12:02 pm Bookkeeper is my official title. Bookkeeper, Staff Accountant and Tax Preparer would be more accurate! Cleveland, OH -4 years experience -2 weeks paid vacation, 3 paid sick days, 3 paid personal days -401k match at 3.5% of salary -Premiums paid on a high deductible health care plan, and $1,000 put into an HSA for me every year -Free coffee, soda, breakfast on Fridays, lots of free meals during tax season, bosses give us turkeys on thanksgiving and hams on christmas, lots of that kind of thing -Lots of flexibility around reduced hours, working from home, leaving early etc. to deal with life or my side business -Firm pays for me to attend CPE classes, networking events, seminars, tax exam prep courses -Firm will cover up to half my tuition on any graduate education I do in the evenings, depending on what grade I achieve (planning to use this to help me do my Macc!) -Free advice from CPAs! And I’m able to use all our software, resources etc. to do the taxes of myself and my friends I’m only paid $17/hr, which is below market rate for my level of experience, but I feel like the benefits and flexibility make up for it right now. My bosses are flexible enough about my schedule that I’m growing a real estate investing business on the side and they’re fully aware of it and giving me lots of advice.
Senior Accountant* August 10, 2017 at 12:02 pm Senior Accountant, Tribal Government Middle level of finance accounting position, responsible in entirety for some individual entities, responsible for organisational a/p approval, fixed assets, some journal entries and g/l reconciliations Pacific Northwest Experience (Accounting) 20+ Experience (current job) 2 years Benefits: 4 hours vac accrued every 2 weeks 4 hours sick time accrued every 2 weeks (increases to 5 hours/pay period 37th month, 6 hr/pay period 60th month) Week off, with pay, between Christmas and New Years 1-3 extra days off around 7/4 10 paid holidays per year 100% employee health insurance paid, plan is really good dependent insurance is $450/month LTD and STD paid by employer 5% 401k match once you have even 1% taken out
Evidence Technician* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm I run an evidence room for a police department. I am not a cop. – a large-ish city in the Midwest – 10 years experience – my employer (a city government) pays my entire health insurance, plus $1800 yearly towards my HSA (I am on the high deductible plan). My spouse has their own insurance through their employer, but I could add them to my plan for no monthly cost to me (employer would still pay the entire premium for us both) – 37 paid days off: 10 days PTO, 12 days holiday, 15 days vacation per year (gain 1 more day per year). unused days carry over to the next year. – pension plan: my contribution is 7% (non-negotiable and unable to opt-out, not that I would want to) and they match it with 7.5% – paid life insurance – paid dental insurance – paid long term disability, opt-in (unpaid) for short term disability – full tuition reimbursement (but only to gain a degree higher than what you currently have. I have a BA so I could use it to get a masters) – gym reimbursement of $150/year – other random opt-in perks (not paid for by employer) like deferred comp, other “wellness” programs – ability to earn comp time and overtime
Strategy Consultant - Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm I’m a strategy consultant manager at a Big 4 in NYC, focusing on financial services companies. My team specifically focuses on things like customer experience strategy, but we often will also get into regulatory work depending on the market need. Experience: ~8 years (3 at this firm) We get 5 weeks of vacation/personal days, unlimited sick time (though they obviously monitor that), and about ~10 firm holidays that more or less align to banking holidays. Our parental leave benefits were recently changed and are great for the US: 16 weeks fully paid leave for all mothers/fathers of biological or adoptive children. They’ve also recently included IVF coverage of up to $20k, I think. Great medical coverage (3 tiers of plan options, depending on need) plus eye, dental, and HSA. The firm covers about 85% of the costs. They match .25% of the first 6% of your 401K deductions. STD and LTD coverage (with the option of us buying a more robust LTD plan) Life insurance covered up to 100k Great L&D program and reimbursement for outside conferences, if applicable Some education reimbursement and assistance programs… individual class/certification reimbursement comes with a 1 year commitment policy; and there is a program where they will pay for your entire MBA/MS, with a commitment of 3 years post-completion. 10% off child-care services We are able to keep all points earned through travel on any program (airline, hotels, car rentals), which can be massive given the travel often required health & wellness reimbursement (for gyms or fitness equipment/trackers) Basically, I’m never leaving. The golden handcuffs are real, y’all!
Strategy Consultant - Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm Forgot to add – when we’re not at client sites, our offices recently updated their dress code to include jeans in their business casual definition. Also, when not needed at a client site, many folks now work remotely or from home.
Ledgerman* August 11, 2017 at 1:09 am I believe we work at the same firm! I’m in Assurance (for now).
Software Development PM* August 10, 2017 at 12:03 pm -Project Manager over a team of 9 (currently) doing software configuration and installation for government clients – my employer is a consulting/contracting firm -Atlanta, GA -7 years of experience – 21 days of PTO, one pot for vacation and sick, plus all government holiday, 75% of insurance premiums paid, 6% 401k matching, $5000/calendar year for school or job-related certifications
Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm Library manager Western Canada 20 years experience 5 weeks vacation, 12 sick days, matching RRSP contributions (like IRAs), 100% health premium coverage
Admin Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm Job Desc.: Assist director of operations with office admin and event planning, assist communications director with social media and member communications, provide general office assistance to my small office (fewer than a dozen employees) Area: DC Experience: 3 years Benefits: -24 PTO days (sick time included) -Excellent health insurance (75% of cost, only a $500 deductible), okay vision & dental -Disability insurance (75% of cost) -Life insurance -$60/month in metro benefits -9% pension contribution after 1 year -Gym & roof deck in office building -13 paid holidays -Paid week off between Xmas & New Year’s I think I have it pretty good.
Youth Services Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 12:05 pm Youth Services Librarian (all children/teen programming, book ordering etc Michigan (Class 3 library – medium sized library) 7 + MLIS 5 sick days, 96 hours of vacation after 1st year, 136 after 2nd year, 176 after 3rd year Paid holidays Insurance: Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO, single subscriber – $32 a month Retirement: pension plan through township
Senior Office Support Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:06 pm State government: 3 weeks annual leave 3 weeks sick leave No retirement matching I think they pay around 80% of my medical premiums. We have incentive programs that are such that I only pay about 60% of my portion of the premium for really good coverage. 12 paid holidays (or 13, depending on whether we get the day after Thanksgiving as of VERY recently, 3-6 weeks PTO for maternity/paternity leave Admin leave for things like voting, jury duty, bereavement, etc… Length of time varies. Also qualifies for PSLF
Senior Office Support Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm I forgot vision and dental. Vision is excellent, which is great for me because my vision is horrible. Dental is meh. Basic life insurance paid by employer ,additional life insurance available for purchase
Graphic Designer* August 10, 2017 at 12:06 pm – Lead designer for small-medium company (print & digital ads, billboards, email marketing, signage, etc!) – San Francisco – 3 years experience Benefits: ~ 9 vacation days (accrued) 2 floating days 5 paid holidays :( ~8 sick days (accrued) 2% 401k match Health insurance (75%) Average/not great dental insurance (two cleanings covered, 50% everything else) Great discount on company items Work is not flexible and we’re running on frustratingly old equipment… but everyone’s out by 5 and the environment is remarkably functional.
Jr. Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 12:06 pm Your Job: I’m a Member of Technical Staff, Level 1 (i.e. entry level). The senior developers take specifications from Systems people, turn them into requirements and a code design, and then hand that off to me. I write the actual code per the design, and then write a lot of different tests to test code, and review the code and the tests, to make sure that everything agrees and satisfies the specifications/requirements. It is also my job to supervise our 1-2 co-op students and answer their technical questions (although I don’t “manage” them.) Geographic Area: Boston Years of Experience: 3 years. I graduated in 2014, spent 1.5 years at a previous job, and 1.5 years at my current job. Vacation Time: 15 days a year. We have to bill every hour we work. Hours more than 40/week are allowed to be banked (up to 24hr total at any given time) as “Comp Time” which I can use to take a few hours for appointments or the very occasional day off. Sick Leave: Unlimited personal time (although they’ll come have a chat with you if you’re using it too frequently) and 40 hours for taking care of family members. Retirement Matching: They require you to contribute 5% of your income minimum and they match that 5%. Health insurance premium: no idea, I’m still on my parents’ Other interesting benefits: They pay for a commuter card up to $150/month so that covers my bus and subway rides. (I take the bus to/from work daily). There’s also a Tuition Assistance Plan that will reimburse you up to $5250/year for an accredited degree-producing program so long as you earn A’s or B’s. (They’ll reimburse you higher than that actually, but anything more is taxed as income.)
Commercial Property Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 12:06 pm Perform duties similar to an Assistant Property Manager in my area. I manage a series of retail, commercial office, and industrial buildings in the Pacific Northwest. I have four years of experience in my field, and have been with this company for one year. I get 10 vacation days, 6 sick days, 2 personal days / year. They reset every year on my start date. The company I work for is very small, and I have no retirement, no matching, no health insurance, no benefits. But I am sometimes able to work from home, and my boss is fairly encouraging of work/life balance.
Workforce Optimization Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm Job: Manage all things workforce/scheduling related for a large logistics company. Location: Midwest, USA Years of Experience: 7 Benefits: 100% healthcare/dental/vision premiums paid (family plan with $2600 deductible, 80% coinsurance, $6000 max out of pocket), HSA with $1000 company contribution, 401K (52% match up to 15%/paycheck, up to 20% at annual true-up), 23 days PTO, 7 company holidays, paid bereavement leave (3 days/instance for close family), STD, LTD, GTL Insurance, AD&D Insurance, Legal Plan.
small biz owner* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm USA, self-employed partnership, technology. No employees. Access to SEP IRA, no matching. Basically no benefits and pay $1500/mo for health insurance. Eternally annoyed by ppl with gov’t/state jobs boo-hooing about salary, etc., not understanding the comprehensive Many ppl have no idea how expensive it is to pay for one’s own benefits.
Human Resources Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm your job: HR Coordinator at a national non-profit with ~150 employees in 3 offices and remote locations across the country. I do payroll, benefits, compliance, employment issues, plan org events, assist with financial audits, run our internship program, and other HR-related admin work. I report to one HR director, and we’re hiring for a recruiter on our team. your geographic area: San Francisco, CA your years of experience: about 4 years of total experience, 1.5 years of HR a description of your benefits: how much vacation and sick leave you get: 9 days’ sick leave (accrued over time), 10 days (increasing to 15 in 2018) PTO that accrue over time and increases one day for every year you’re with the org, and 16 paid holidays (we close the week between Christmas and New Years, and get an additional day around 4th of July) retirement matching: up to 4% of salary, no vesting schedule what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you: 85% for health and dental, vision insurance is covered entirely. This goes for any tier of coverage from EE only to Family. Other interesting benefits you might get: $240 (taxed) annual fitness reimbursement; fully covered LTD, STD, and AD&D insurance (basic); $100/month in commuter benefits (pre-tax dollars); dependent care/medical FSA plan, flexible schedule and work-from-home options if needed (for most roles); EAP program; free shuttle that takes you to public transport hubs; starting in 2018, fully paid family leave for 12 weeks; they will be paying for me to get my PHR certification next year. Overall, not bad and getting better. With the changes we’ve made to benefits for 2018, we’re pretty much on par with nonprofits in the Bay Area. Salaries could be better, but again, we’re doing a sep progression to get people closer to market rates. Plus, not to be discounted: I enjoy my boss, work environment, very reasonable hours, staff, and ad hoc professional development opportunities.
Systems Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm Systems Administrator and all around IT guy for a non-profit. If it looks like a computer, I work on it. Louisville KY This job – 4 months, All paid adult work – 13 years (all in IT support roles like this) Three weeks of vacation and two weeks of sick time every year that a portion accrues every pay period starting day 1, 403b retirement where my 6% matches to their 5% (first 4% are totally matched, next two is matched my two to their one), all of my HDHP insurance is paid by employer (few hundred a month, I put in what I would be paying for PPO into an HSA), very cheap vision and dental (<$20 total to me a month, they pay a portion too)
Lab Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm I am the lab manager for a 4 person academic biomedical research lab in Boston, MA, USA. I have seven years experience. PTO: 3 weeks vacation (bumped up to 4w after five years.) 10 days sick leave, 1 personal day, nine holidays. Vacation and sick can be rolled over. 401(k): matched sat 4% Insurance: 80%(?) of health insurance is paid by the company. Health plan is very good. Dental plan is pricey and kind of awful. Other benefits: transit passes subsidized at 22%. A small discount on a very expensive nearby hotel. 20 days backup child or adult care at a discounted rate-this was invaluable when my son’s day care closed for two weeks. Tuition reimbursement-not sure of the details. One thing I would like to see offered is paid parental leave-they don’t even offer short term disability.
Assistant Library Director* August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm Assistant Director (payroll, personnel, inventory, supervised staff) Michigan – Class 3 library (medium sized) 3+ MLIS 8 hours of sick day accrued per month 96 hours of vacation a year, 136 after 5 years, 176 after 10 years Paid holidays No insurance or retirement (Pay was low as well)
Corporate Wellness Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm 1) job: design and implement wellness programs based on claims data and population reports, organize events and contests, one-on-one consultations and refer as needed, develop articles and other subject-matter reports and publications as needed for distribution or reporting to C-suite. Assist Program Manager to manage and coordinate annual employee physicals, organize incentives and wellness rewards program, oversee full-service company gym. 3,000+ employee company. 2) geographic area: Mid-South 3) experience: 15 years professional working experience, 3 years field-specific experience 4) a description of your benefits: *16 accrued PTO days per year {increases with length of service] *50% 401K match up to 6% of salary {increases with length of service} + PLUS plan with end of year bonus company contribution (2-8%) *employer pays 94% of healthcare premium + contributes $900 per year to HSA; 100% employee dental paid by company *10 holidays per year *Standard packages around STD/LTD, Life Insurance, etc. *Flex hours (10:00 – 2:00 core hours) that must be set in conjunction with your supervisor. (includes 4×10’s) Variable/Participatory benefits: *Annual Incentive (up to 10% of salary) *full-service gym with locker rooms on site *$300 in wellness rewards per year for logging activity/preventative care and taking education courses (does NOT have to occur on site & accommodations are made for those who need them) *tickets/discounts to local events, business, car insurance, etc. *$8,000 in tuition assistance annually I am sure there are more than I am not aware of.
Corporate Wellness Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 12:45 pm Note: the $8,000 can be applied to professional development coursework, memberships or certifications/CEUs that enhance your position or broaden your scope.
Academic Library Director* August 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm Academic library director in medium sized liberal arts college. I supervise 4 people and manage a decent budget, and other administrative and librarianish tasks. Midwest, small town near major city. 5 years at this employer, 10+ in my field I get 4 weeks of vacation plus Christmas eve-January 2 (we don’t need to use leave for that). I don’t get a lot of holidays off, but I do get a few. Our retirement matching is excellent: I put in 5% and the college puts in 10%. Our health insurance is abysmal-it’s very expensive monthly, has a high deductible, and is a plan with a lot more paperwork than what I am used to. Some people who work here can’t afford it. One benefit we have that’s important in my industry is that we are well-funded for professional development. Everyone gets to go to at least one major conference and also smaller things, as they wish. This isn’t really a benefit, but we do have administration who are very compassionate and always respond well to problems people have, like bereavement time, personal problems, etc. Knowing that I can say “someone died and I am not ready to be here yet” and I’ll get extra bereavement time, for example, is a great way to keep people in their jobs for longer. Also, in my department (because this is a priority for me), we can flex our schedules a lot of the time, take long lunches, go on trips to visit other libraries.
Development Manager (higher ed)* August 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm This is super fascinating!! I manage an obscure team within a large fundraising operation at a large university Boston area 20+ years of experience, but new to this job. These are standard benefits for non-union staff – 20 vacation days plus a week at Christmas – 12 sick days – 4 weeks fully paid for new parents (I don’t know if there is also disability coverage for people who give birth — this is just want it says in the PTO category) – 10% of my salary put into the retirement plan, not as a match (because I’m over 40. under 40 get a smaller percentage) – generous percentage paid of health insurance, and a variety of good plans to choose – if you’re in the university’s health insurance, strong discounts for things like yoga and massages – 50% subsidy to my pre-tax transit pass. There are other benefits for drivers and bikers, but you have to pick which to take. – tuition assistance that varies widely depending on where you’re taking classes
Development Manager (higher ed)* August 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm I just checked, and birth mothers get 8 weeks of short term disability at 75% (up to seven years’ employment) or 100% (after that).
Development Manager (higher ed)* August 10, 2017 at 12:14 pm Oh, I also get three personal days. The time off here is bananas.
Internal Communications Lead* August 10, 2017 at 12:09 pm My job is broad-strokes internal comms stuff (making content, making other people make content and share it, making sure the strategy is well-communicated and understood, a bunch of background facilitation/relationship-building), plus whatever bits of random internal qualitative research/analysis/change management/problem-solving the business happens to need. UK-based (east of England) 6 years’ experience, ~3 doing this role as most or all of my job We get 25 days of vacation that we’re encouraged to use all of (plus the ability to carry over five and buy/sell up to five each year) plus public holidays. No fixed amount of sick pay (we get paid for sick days, negotiate medical leave if it’s a longer illness). 5% employer contribution/5% employee contribution pension, private health insurance for employee + immediate family, critical illness insurance, life insurance and travel insurance for employee + immediate family. We also get a bunch of perks like discounted gym membership, massages at work, free breakfast & lunch and a wide range of free or subsidised social activities. This seems to be a relatively high level of benefits compared to the UK as a whole but it’s not uncommon in my industry (tech), especially in this part of the country, as everyone is competing for the best technical people and there are a lot of tech companies here, so generous benefit packages are more common.
Controller/VP* August 10, 2017 at 12:09 pm I run all the finances, manage daily operations, HR and more for 2 automotive motorsports companies. Southern CA 15 Years Experience Unlimited vacation days, 100% Health Insurance Paid, Gym membership paid 100%, Company car and insurance paid 100% as well as all maintenance and upgrades (since car upgrades are what we do). I also have a very flexible schedule and can work from home a good amount of the time or go in for a half day.
Email Marketing Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:09 pm Private Art & Design College; Manage marketing drip campaigns to prospective students from initial inquiry to enrollment. Develop concept, order, and content for email communications. Work with staff and faculty across campus to highlight different aspects of the college and campus life. Prepare reports on marketing metrics. Some minor html and photo editing. Other duties as assigned. Location: Michigan Salary: $45K Experience: 10 years experience in the nonprofit world, mostly in fundraising. This position is somewhat related, though very different than what I’ve done before. Official Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision. I pay partial out of pocket but it’s taken out pre-tax; 6% straight contribution to my 403b, life insurance, disability, tuition remission after 1 year (yay!), 24 PTO (goes up to 31 after 5 years), 13 paid holidays (plus usually the week between xmas and NYE when the President decides) Unofficial Benefits: somewhat flexible schedule, laid back atmosphere, organization culture and job that’s not making me sick or killing my spirit, creative environment, beautiful campus in an urban setting, my own desk space, bathroom facilities and potable water in the same building, seeing students grow in their creative education and use their talents to make the world a better (and more beautiful) place.
Senior SQA Investigator* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm Senior SQA Investigator Aerospace Industry, based in Connecticut Current job role: Senior SQA (Supplier Quality Assurance) Investigator – Coordinate and lead quality escape investigations from company suppliers Previous job role (same corporation): Aerospace Quality Engineer Experience: 10 years I get: 4 weeks of vacation, with option to purchase an additional week (I did) (Can carry over up to 80 hrs of unused vacation time each year) 6 weeks of sick time (New hires get 2 weeks, get an extra week each year) 1 week of Personal Time (PTO) for Dr.’s appointments, and the like. Pension (This option has been discontinued for those hired after a certain year) 401k matching, 60% up to 6% (3.6% total match) HSA health plan, dental, and vision (levels of each are up to our discretion and we can change during the annual enrollment period) Long-term and short-term disability Life insurance **Education assistance** – My BS (2014) and my MS (in progress) were paid 100% by the corporation. Also, since I began the educational program through the company prior to 2009, I was awarded $10k in company stock (fully vested just this year) when I finished my BS. This perk was discontinued for anyone who registered through the program beginning in 2010. I can get a degree from any accredited institution at any level, special permission is required for a PhD. Company will pay tuition directly to the school and reimburse me for any required textbooks, as long as I earn at least a C in each class. If the classes are related to my current job, they are nontaxable to me (taxable status of a class is up to the discretion of your manager, they are given guidelines to follow by the company). We also get 0.5 hours of study time per week for every credit hour, and the time accrues up to 15 weeks and 6 credits at a time. Therefore, if I’m taking 3 credit hours, I get up to 22.5 hours of study time throughout the semester, which I can use to study, write a paper, attend class, whatever I need. Additionally, if applicable to your position with the company, they will pay 100% towards a pilots license and all flight training hours.
Technical Writer* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm Principal technical writer for an engineering company New England 28 years of experience PTO is 20 days year, no additional sick time – it sucks retirement matching 50% on up to 6% what portion of health insurance premium employer pays – not sure, but the grudging tone in the annual benefits update newsletter tells us that they think it’s a lot
Accountant* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm 1. I’m an accountant at an insurance company. I help prepare our quarterly filings for the SEC and other miscellaneous accountant things like journal entries. 2. I work in a mid-sized city in North Carolina. The cost of living is way lower than in Raleigh or Charlotte. 3. I have just had my 5-year anniversary! They gave me a necklace and everything, it was nice. My benefits have not really changed since I started though. 4. Benefits Time Off: We have a PTO bucket for sick time and vacation. I get 17 days plus holidays (we follow the stock market holidays, google tells me there are 9). My team is very busy in January and February working on the annual report, so we actually are expected to work on Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day and then we can take those as floating holidays later. It’s not uncommon after a particularly hard quarter for our boss to give us an extra unofficial day off, and we usually are sent home early on the day we file which is always appreciated. I once apparently earned an extra day of PTO by participating in a certain number of blood drives. I have yet to use all of my PTO in a year, but we are only able to roll over 10 days from one year to the next. Health: I think the health insurance is pretty good but I don’t have anything to compare it to really. It looks like they pay around 75% of medical, 60% of dental an I have a vision plan through them but I don’t think they pay any premiums for that. Retirement: I think retirement benefits are where my company really shines. This is my first job out of school but I’m pretty sure it is unusually generous. They match up to 6% of employee contributions into your 401(k) but then they also contribute 4% regardless of what the employee is putting in. So if you put nothing into your 401(k) they still put in 4% of your salary, and if you put in at least 6% (which you should!) then they contribute 10% of your salary. Bonuses: Our annual reviews and bonuses are usually around March and then raises go into effect in April. They have a formula to calculate bonuses that is based partially on the company’s performance and partially on your own review.
Senior Copywriter* August 10, 2017 at 12:43 pm I believe you work in the North Carolina office of the same company I work for. I’m in the Radnor office. :)
Bookkeeper* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm Bookkeeper for small private school in Carolinas (35 hours per week w/ paid lunch) 30+ years accounting experience Health insurance 94% employer paid; dental, life/add/std/ltd 100 % employer paid; vision insurance 100% employee paid 38 Paid Time Off days, plus 8 holidays (I think)
Program Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:10 pm – I run a center within a hospital-affiliated research institute that manages all of the funding/training/policy needs for students and postdocs (in Canada). I’ve been here for 2.5 years and in a similar role for ~5. – 3 weeks vacation to start; goes up to 4 after 5 years – 2 paid personal days per year – 12 paid stat holidays – 1 paid sick day per month; can accrue up to 18 weeks (but accrued sick days also serve as our STD coverage) – LTD to up to 85% of your salary with small monthly premium – Ditto excellent health insurance (drug, vision, paramedical) that pays 90-100% of most things – Pension plan (to which I contribute about ~$125 a month) – Employer paid top-up to 84% of salary for 25 weeks of parental leave (we’re entitled to 12 months total, going up to 18 at some point in the near future) – Flex time and work-from-home programs open to basically everyone; we also work a compressed schedule in the summer (slightly longer hours most of the week, alternate Fridays off) and get 2-3 hours PTO every Friday before a long weekend – Employee perks/discount and wellness plans that include really cheap gym memberships – Employee assistance program – Tuition and professional development funding, and lots of internal free professional development opportunities – Paid attendance to professional conferences
Director, Alumni Affairs* August 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm Position: I supervise one Assistant Director in creating and supporting alumni engagement for a state university. My job includes (but is not limited to!) event planning, relationship management, supporting the alumni board, drafting newsletters and correspondence, managing alumni benefit programs, overseeing student and alumni volunteers, selecting vendors and rolling out new programs and new technology. Geographic Area: New England Experience: 17 years work experience, 5 years in alumni relations Benefits: This is a state position. I receive a pension, life insurance, health insurance (we pay a minimal amount per pay period), dental/vision insurance (no cost), 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 20 vacation days per year (accrued), 15 sick days per year (accrued), 8 weeks maternity leave/10 days paternity leave. I also have a tuition benefit, bereavement leave, optional deductions for health and dependent care spending accounts; long-term disability insurance, tax deferred savings and retirement plans (403b and 457b); and access to early childhood education programs on site. I can travel if I want to, and I am allowed flex time for the night and weekend work.
Project analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm – My job description doesn’t really matter since these are standard full-time benefits here – Central Florida -10 years with this company – 28 days PTO (vacation and sick combined), 2 floating holidays, 8 paid holidays (up to 5 years of service receives 18 days PTO, it increases some from there over time) – Health insurance: premiums are based on salary bands and participation levels in a wellness program, with a surcharge for smokers – 401k match, 50 cents on the dollar, up to 6%, 100% vested after 3 years – Not much else in the way of interesting benefits. We have an EAP, some sites have fitness centers available, business casual dress code that’s relaxed in the summer… -Our bereavement policy is pretty good – 5 days for immediate family members (quite broadly defined) of you or your spouse, and 2 days for aunts/uncles/cousins, etc. The provision for in-laws is something I haven’t seen too much before, and it’s very nice to be able to provide support to the spouse’s side of the family when this comes up.
Executive Secretary* August 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm ◾Executive Secretary to the #2 person in a organization with 7,500 employees. Responsible for scheduling, taking phone calls with stakeholders, monthly newsletter, graphic design, special projects, writing contracts for attorney to review ◾Gulf Coast ◾7 years of experience in marketing/journalism; 6 years of secretarial experience ◾10 vacation days per year (January – December); 2 personal days per year; 12 sick days per year; 14-15 paid holidays; pension plan (about 15% of my annual income is contributed, vested at 10 years, full retirement at 25 years); $235 per month for family health+dental with affordable co-pays and rx coverage. Salary — $48,000 per year, but I really bring home about $2,400 per month after taxes, insurance, retirement, etc., are taken out.
Technical Priject Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm Job: Technical Project Manager for software development and infrastructure Years: almost 20. Phoenix AZ I lead teams who procure, install, or develop within one of our many systems, including disaster recovery. I’m skilled in business analysis, project management, Agile development, and hold professional certifications. I didn’t participate in salary, but I make 125K in cash, closer to 175K in total comp. Benefits: 7 weeks vacation, 1 week sick time, short term disability, long term disability, 5% company match, life insurance, generous contributions for health care premiums and HSA. I have taken full advantage of almost all my benefits, including FMLA time, and have a great deal of loyalty for my Fortune100 company for covering me for my career.
Technical Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:17 pm Forgot to mention tuition assistance, telecommuting, flex time.
Social Media Strategist* August 10, 2017 at 12:12 pm This is my first week of work here so a lot of this is theoretical. I come up with and implement a social media strategy for a health system in Virginia (not NoVa). We have 10k+ employees and multiple hospitals, practices, etc. I work with PR and marketing and do the overall strategy as well as the actual posts/responding to consumers/etc. 6 years of experience and a BA in English 26 days of PTO with one accrued every pay period (vacation and sick together; goes up some after a few years) If you put 2% into your 401k they’ll do 1% After a year they put 4% into your 401k regardless of what you put in Health/dental/vision insurance — health insurance premiums will be $120-180/month for one person depending on what plan I get but copays are $10 or $30 if I use our doctors; dental and vision are low and reasonable If you do some wellness activities you can get money towards your copay so/deductibles/etc I think they have some options for discounted childcare but I don’t have kids so don’t know details
Health Policy Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:12 pm Your job: I work on a team of analysts who develop and review policies for the regulation of medical professionals in our province. This is a non-government job, and our organization is mandated to exist through legislation. Your geographic area: Large metropolitan area in Ontario, Canada Your years of experience: 1.5 years at this job, 6 years total in my career. A description of your benefits: 15 days vacation, 12 paid sick days, access to lots of unpaid leave for family emergencies, personal medical issues, educational leaves. They provide 5% retirement, plus 5% matching, so if I contribute 5%, I get a total of 15%. I’m in Canada so our insurance pays over an above what is provided publicly by the province. This includes 1500$/yr/person for allied medical services like massage therapy, social work, psychology, chiropody, etc. And “reasonable” coverage for athletic therapy and physiotherapy (meaning there is no limit as long as you need the therapy and can document the need on an ongoing basis). Dental coverage is 90% for preventative care (regular cleaning, xrays, flouride) and 50% for major restorative and corrective care (like dental surgery and braces). Coverage for your spouse here doesn’t mean you need to be married. Common-law is considered to apply after living together for 1 yr.
Health Policy Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:18 pm Oh I forgot – Vision coverage is $300/24months for glasses, and $90/eye exam every 12months. Long and short term disability is 75% of salary, Maternity leave is a top-up onwhat the province provides to a total of 75% of salary (we can take 12 months in Canada – and it’s extending to 18months at a lower rate of pay if you choose I think next year). Access to an Employee assistance program which includes nutrition and weight coaching, short-term therapy and legal advice. Honestly there’s other stuff but I haven’t looked into it. Basically this place cares about their employees and it shows in how we are treated, compensated and in our benefits package. I’m never leaving here – I love it. Best place I’ve ever worked.
Administrative Analyst in Higher Education* August 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm I work for a state university in the US Mid-South region. My job is tied to a grant, and I do registration and billing (and also grading) for students going to school under that grant. It’s a staff position, not faculty. Benefits: One day of vacation and sick earned per month, up to 3 years of service. After 3 years, you get 10 hours of vacation per month and still 8 hours of sick. It increases up to 15 hours per month for 25 (?) years of service Matching retirement contributions in a 403(b) up to 10% Affordable health, dental, and vision with an optional FSA which can be used to cover medical as well as dependent care expenses Life insurance paid for exclusively by the university with an option for more as well as insurance for your dependents Tuition reduction of 90% for any undergrad or grad classes (but not professional like law or medical), and being able to use up to 5 hours of work time per week to attend classes Twelve paid holidays per year And personally, lots of flex time!
Production Editor* August 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm I basically project manage publishing projects at a university press (so, I’m a university employee and get the same benefits as other university employees who are not in publishing). I am in the greater Boston area. I have 8 years of experience, but I am kind of stuck at a lower level than I should be. BUT I have AMAZING benefits. Health insurance (a little expensive, but very comprehensive) Vision/Dental 401k with a 5% match AND a pension, plus if I retire from here, I get a medicare supplement plan and/or access to a health plan until I am eligible for medicare 4 weeks vacation 14 holidays 12 sick days free T pass Tuition assistance A bunch of discounts
Marketing Specialist (University Press Publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 12:46 pm I’m jumping into this thread because I’m also at a university press! I bet you can guess which one with the clues below. 1. Marketing Specialist for a university press. I oversee marketing copy, advertising, and direct marketing for 120-140 academic books per year. 2. Located in the Bay Area, CA 3. I’ve been here for 2.5 years, with 10 years of experience in publishing. 4. Because we’re under the larger umbrella of the university, our benefits are pretty great. 403(b) retirement savings with match (maxes out at 4%, with the university giving 5%) 2 weeks vacation to start, bumping up to 3 weeks after 1 year with the university (4 weeks after 5 years, etc.). I’m at 3 weeks/year. 2 floating holidays 3 days PTO 2 weeks sick time We also close for two weeks over the December/January holidays because the university is closed. We usually need to use about 3 vacation/PTO days to help cover that time off, but it’s really nice to have two weeks off at the holidays. Health insurance: There is an option that allows the university to pay 100% of your premiums and coverage, because the university has a medical system incorporated with it. You can also choose other plans with a variety of coverage options. Dental and Vision insurance: Plans may 100% of most services for ~$20 per month for an individual Free Caltrain and VTA pass Tuition assistance, both for degree programs and professional development/training If you work here for a certain number of years (I think it’s 10 or 15), the university will cover tuition for at least one child to attend said university, assuming the child is accepted. I think you can also use that money to send the child to an equally prestigious school. Discounts to events on campus and at the university bookstore Work/Life benefits, like elder and child care subsidies (unfortunately, I don’t know the details because I don’t use them) Healthcare incentives: Cold hard cash (added to your paycheck) if you get an annual physical, attend free classes on various health care topics, etc. Can book personal travel through university services, receiving university discounts.
Course Planning Manager* August 11, 2017 at 10:26 pm These benefits sound familiar! I work at this university as well—specifically in course planning. The child tuition benefit (covering up to 20K in tuition) actually kicks in after 5 years, which is amazing. There is adoption assistance up to 10K, a childcare subsidy program, and staff also get $800/yr to spend on professional development—classes, conferences, etc. that have to do with their job. Free gyms on campus + deeply discounted fitness classes.
Admissions Counselor* August 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm Job: Admissions/financial aid counseling to local high school students at a large public university Southwest United States 5+ years of experience in the field I am in an entry-level position. Salaried, $34,332 per year. Average work week is 40+ hours. Department currently working on informal flex time arrangements. Working from home is not permitted at this time, though the job would certainly allow for it. Benefits: Generous medical, dental, pharmacy, and vision benefits at very low costs. Many options available. On-campus healthcare available, which includes chiropractors and discounted massage. FSA available. Mandatory state retirement system takes about 7% of every paycheck for retirement and disability. University contributes 3%. Life insurance is available. Maternity/paternity leave is six weeks. FSA for daycare costs is available. Generous tuition benefits allow employees to get undergraduate and graduate degrees at seriously discounted rates, sometimes for free (as in my case– I am pursuing a Master of Education degree). Dependents and spouses are included. 9 paid holidays off each year. If you are called for jury duty or to serve as a witness, you are paid for any time you have to spend in court. Paid time to vote. Bereavement leave up to 3 days for services in state, up to 5 for out of state. FMLA benefits after employed for 12 months. 12 days of sick time per year. Vacation: two weeks per year if you’ve served 0-2 years, then three weeks for 2-4 years, then four and a half for 4+ years. It’s worth noting that while I’m not paid much, the COL is low here and the benefits are awesome. It’s almost impossible to get fired and layoffs are almost nonexistent (except for grant-funded programs and things like that). I love working here and plan to stay as long as I can advance in my department. At the very least, I am staying to finish my graduate degree.
Import/Export Corporate Compliance Officer* August 10, 2017 at 12:14 pm I handle day to day import and export compliance for a Fortune 500 company, as an individual contributor on a fairly large team. My responsibilities do not include license or authorization application or management, but they do include (complicated) declarations to the US Government, liaising with brokers and freight forwarders, providing detailed advice on import/export laws and regulations as well as internal policy to internal customers, assisting in audits and investigations, and writing procedures. Southern Arizona 5 years experience, with a Customs Broker License and a Bachelor’s 3 weeks PTO, ~3% annual bonus, 401K matching to 5%, HSA (with matching to about $1600), decent health insurance including vision and dental , life (+ dependents), legal assistance, STD + LTD, 2 weeks paid parental leave, and tuition reimbursement to the tune of $10,000.
Import/Export Corporate Compliance Officer* August 10, 2017 at 12:23 pm Oh yeah, holidays: 14 days, most of which are a mandatory closure of our business the last week/week and a half of the year. And I work 9/80s. And we get a lot of discounts through work. We also get money to exercise, which I personally like. And I telework 55% of the time. This is a Fortune 500 company.
NP in MA* August 10, 2017 at 12:15 pm Nurse Practitioner Eastern Massachusetts In this particular role- 0 years experience. Just received my license and started my job recently. 2 priors years as a RN. Benefits: 26 paid days off a year (vacation, personal and sick rolled into one), 13 paid holidays, 401K match not great (matched 100% up to 1.5% and 50% up to 3%). $200 benefit to pay for gym memberships yearly, don’t know percentage of what employer pays for health care benefits since my husband’s is better cos- wise but out of pocket premiums would be $400 monthly for myself+spouse for a low deductible PPO plan. Short-term disability and maternity leave- 60% of salary for up to 12 weeks after a 2 week period. $1500 toward educational course a year (required to keep licensing so that’s a nice perk) and 3 paid days off per year to attend continuing education and conferences with travel reimbursement also covered. $2000/year tuition reimbursement.
Physician* August 10, 2017 at 12:15 pm Physician Ambulatory Care 280k 18 yrs 6 weeks vacation 2 weeks sick Pension plus partial matching 401k 64 hours paid continuing education Medical/dental/vision-no cost to me outside very minimal copay Paid Holidays Life Insurance Glasses/contacts
Attorney (independent contractor)* August 10, 2017 at 12:15 pm I contract with several national law firms to provide local representation in social security disability hearings. I’m a staff attorney at one large firm and of-counsel at several others through an appearance broker. The firm I’m a staff attorney at, I develop cases from start to finish and take my own caseload to hearing. For the of-counsel arrangements, the firms develop in-house and then pay me to show up in court for them. At all firms, it’s an independent contractor relationship. I technically have my own solo law practice, and their firms hire my firm, though on the ground, it’s really a lot like a regular job, just with more flexibility. I work in the southwestern US in a large city, but I often travel to a neighboring large city and to surrounding rural areas. I have 4 years experience overall as a lawyer, but only about 1.5 years in my current area of law. Since I’m an independent contractor/self-employed, I don’t get any employer-provided benefits. What I do get is near total control over my schedule. I work from home when I’m not in court. I can more or less set my court schedule, and for the pay-per-appearance work, I can take as few or as many cases as I want. I can take a vacation whenever I want, for as long as I want, though I do end up taking my laptop with me and working at least a few hours per day. I don’t have health insurance at the moment because my out of pocket expenses wouldn’t even come close to the deductible of any remotely affordable plan (and even the remotely affordable plans aren’t really affordable), and it’s cheaper for me to risk paying the fine for not being insured, though I haven’t actually had to pay a fine yet. I have a cushion of funds in my business bank account that I’m treating as my unemployment insurance in case I have a lean month. I’m looking into getting plans for more traditional employee-like benefits for myself (disability insurance, retirement savings, etc.), but for now, I think the flexibility and freedom is worth the lack of traditional benefits.
Attorney (independent contractor)* August 10, 2017 at 5:19 pm Desperation mixed with serendipity. I was doing document review (aka where lawyers’ dreams go to die), and the agency I was working with closed their office and laid us all off. I had been looking for a standard regular lawyer job for months in vain, and I finally decided that since there were no jobs for lawyers, I needed to make one. I hung out my shingle hoping to practice employer-side employment law because I had been an HR professional prior to becoming a lawyer, so it seemed like a natural fit. I was bleeding money and couldn’t find any paying clients, so about 6 months later, in a fit of desperation one Saturday afternoon, I applied to every lawyer job at the state government and every lawyer job on craigslist that I was even remotely qualified for. One of those was for a national law firm practicing social security disability. They were looking for local counsel in my area, and they were willing to train. About 3 weeks later, they called me back for a phone screen, then they gave me a writing test and a final interview, and they hired me about a year and a half ago. I started out as a regular lawyer, developing cases and going to hearings, and I got promoted to staff attorney a few months ago. So now in addition to handling my own caseload, I also pitch in and help out with clients of the firm whose cases are early enough in the process that they don’t have a local attorney assigned to them yet. While I was out at a hearing one day a few months ago in a really remote location that I don’t normally go to, I ran into another attorney who left the national firm and now works for the appearance broker. We had worked together on a case when I was new, and she liked my work, so she recruited me to join the appearance broker. So now I take on cases for them, too. I do about 10 hearings per month per firm (so 20ish hearings total per month, sometimes several in a day, though, so I’m not in court every day).
Program Coordinator (Non-profit)* August 10, 2017 at 12:16 pm I work in a hybrid role where I handle all client communications for the organization and also work closely with accounting in processing certain billing transactions our organization facilitates. The bulk of my position could be classed as “customer service,” but it considered communications coordinator in my particular org (which is <10 full time staff). My non-profit is linked up with a larger, national organization that explicitly exists to provide human resources support and benefits to small non-profit organizations. We have full Medical, Dental and Vision coverage, as well as FSA. We also have life insurance and matched 401k contributions (up to a certain amount per month, I believe). On an org level, we get 2 weeks PTO (sick and vacation are all in one bucket), and flexible schedules with work from home flexibility. For example, I have a set doc appointment every other Wednesday morning, and I can work from home those mornings and come in after the appointment. Three of my coworkers work from home every Friday. Work also pays for our parking passes at the downtown parking ramp across from the office, so I don't have to worry about paying for parking when I get to work (it's just sensible, but there are some places that don't). We also have a lot of holidays when the office is closed and we're allowed to go down to a bare bones operation (meaning I check email in the morning for urgent things and then have the day off). We get the entire week off between Christmas and New Year's, and several major holidays throughout the year. It's pretty great.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice* August 10, 2017 at 12:16 pm I am an infectious diseases clinical pharmacy specialist employed by a university in the southwestern U.S. 2 years general/specialty residency experience + PharmD degree, BCPS PTO: Holidays – 12 days/year Vacation – 20 days/year, max 50 days with carry over Sick Leave – accrue 20 days/year (max), can be used for appointments with prior approval Personal days – 2 days/year We also receive 3 days bereavement leave and up to 10 days leave for jury duty separate from the other PTO buckets. Insurance: Healthcare – 3 healthcare plan options which include Vision & Dental, optional FSA. I chose the better of the two non-HDHP options which costs me ~$150/month. Life insurance – 2x annual salary, options for supplemental coverage Retirement: 403b, employer contributes 10% annual pay after 1 year (non-match), option to create supplemental pre-tax contribution account to set aside up to $18,000 annually Other: 90% tuition reinbursement 10% childcare reimbursement $2000 adoption assistance 5% discount on pet insurance Free pedometer and access to the wellness center
Librarian I - Public Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 12:16 pm Full Time Public Librarian (primarily children’s, but officially adult adult and children’s split position) -2 years experience in a major city center with a very high cost of living. -$26 / Hour – Full Time, Hourly non-exempt. I get a step increase raise every year with positive performance review. -Health Insurance with dental option -State Retirement System — Hybrid 401K and Pension, with 2.5% matching. Low fee. Between the two, I max out at something like 8%. Option to contribute a Roth IRA, which I plan to do in coming year. -Life insurance up to 1x salary with option to purchase more. -Long term disability insurance -Around 4 hours each of annual and sick leave per pay period, maxing out at 210 hours per year. Hours roll over from year to year as long as they are under the cap. Option for additional comp time with different cap as need arises. Accumulated sick leave is not capped. -Random perks like discounts for city employees at the YMCA, free fitness tracker if you participate in wellness program, etc. -12-ish holidays a year. We get the day after Thanksgiving off in lieu of Veteran’s day, so that’s nice. -You can apply for tuition reimbursement up to a certain capped amount.
NotherTechWriter* August 10, 2017 at 12:17 pm Technical Writer Seattle 5 years of experience Vacation: 3 weeks at hire 10 holidays per year Sick leave: Seattle has an ordiance that requires employers to provide one sick day per month for employees. (You can acrrue this time and take more than one sick day per month.) Retirement matching: 401k matched at 25% Health insurance: I’m on my husband’s insurance through the City of Seattle, which is a much better plan than my employer’s plan. I pay about $50/month for health insurance. Other: AD&D, LTD, STD, and Life insurance 100% paid by my employer. Bus/light rail pass 100% paid by employer.
NotherTechWriter* August 10, 2017 at 12:20 pm *ordinance Here’s the info if anyone is interested: http://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/paid-sick-and-safe-time
Customer Service - Digital Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:17 pm – I’m in the Consumer Care department for a large household brand, but more focused on online reviews, questions/answers, managing brand voice, web FAQs as opposed to call center/answering phones – Chicago area – 14 years of work experience – standard is 2 weeks of vacation to start but I negotiated 3, plus 1 week of sick days, 2 personal days, and 2 floating holidays – company pays a large portion of health insurance, dental and vision, and if you sign up for the HSA plan you get $300 per year from the company; my total premium is under $200/mo and that includes covering my husband on vision and dental. There’s also a plan in place to further reduce premiums if you do a health screening. We get 40% off the products we make. Company matches 401K at 40% for the first 5% of your pay. Short and long term disability, basic life insurance. Summer Fridays (office closes at 1). A few other small perks, like a well-stocked coffee/tea/hot chocolate area and occasional treats from our test kitchen.
Customer Service - Digital Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm Oh, we also have an on-site gym, though I haven’t used it yet, and flexible work arrangements are starting. They’re still working out the technology to see if the people on my team who answer phones can do that from home with a laptop.
Paraplanner - licensed executive assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:18 pm Location: SW Missouri 401 (k) match: 5 to get 4 – dollar for dollar up to 3%, then half a percent up to 5% Healthcare: none PTO: 10 days/yr, no matter how long you’ve been here, pays out at 50% if not used in the year Bonus: none Specifics: I’m Series 7 & 66 licensed, MO life/accident/health licensed, CRPC designation, 11yrs in the business. I’m not commission based.
Customer Service - Event Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:18 pm Description: I work for a non-profit arts organization, managing a team that sells admission and provides customer service in-person and online at 6 locations. Major annual projects are related to three large events, creating pop-up stores, hiring, training, and managing ~20 seasonal staff and 100 volunteers, collaborating on marketing and communications, and running logistics at the actual events. The job requires heavy overtime / on-call for 4 months of the year, and is seasonal with downtime in November-December. Geographic Area: Canada Years of Experience: 7. Full-time team has about 50% of people senior to me in tenure and 50% junior. Seasonal team is all junior and about 50% of our workforce. Education: MA in seemingly relevant arts field, but this hasn’t really helped me job-wise as it was very academic. Benefits: 12 days sick leave annually 25 days vacation (includes 15 that are in lieu of overtime worked = 1-1 ratio) + office closure for Christmas 7% RRSP matching (this is above average for our industry) About 60% coverage through health insurance (just added to our benefits and a huge deal for me personally – previously paid on average $400 a month for out-of-pocket care) $50/month transit or parking reimbursement Casual dress code Paid training/conferences (about 1 travel conference every 2 years and 4 professional skills seminars) Annual bonuses dependent on fiscal health What we don’t have: Work from home – overtime and on-call hours are the exception Schedule flexibility – as a manager, I can’t refuse overtime and am on call 75 hours a week during the six-month season. I’m always working. Vacation usually has to be used off-season (winter in Canada, ugh) which is not my preferred timing. On-season vacation is tricky because other people rely on me to be present. Tuition reimbursement Mentorship and teamwork – silo mentality pervades even though it’s a small team, and the people I have to collaborate with are defensive/unwilling to innovate. No mentorship for my position as it was self-created. Salary is low because of the non-profit aspect. Benefits are good but I personally am not into the work culture (some people do like it, and enjoy other perks such as flexibility, self-managed workloads, and not dealing with the public). Prior to obtaining health insurance, I would have left for a similar or lower salary. Now that we have it as a benefit, it’s harder to leave as the insurance takes about 3 years to max out. I’d like to transition duties into communications but there are no opportunities for growth within my organization.
Software Implementation Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:19 pm Job: Work with clients to manage their implementations onto our software program (client management, project management, training) Area: Alberta, Canada Experience: 6 years professional experience, 2 years in this role Benefits: 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) that can be used as either vacation time or sick time. (Option to “purchase” additional days, meaning they are essentially unpaid and deducted from your pay) Stock purchase contributions of up to 5% of your annual salary (with a 50% employer match that vests 1 year from contribution). These can be made into an RRSP, TFSA or general purchase plan (or a mix of all 3) Annual stock grants that typically begin vesting 2 years after grant date. Grant date is always at the same time for the entire company, so depending on when you are hired you may have to wait longer than others (for example, if you are hired in January, you have the same grant date as someone hired in June) Health and dental (can’t remember the percentage but whenever I’ve had to pay anything it’s been a small amount, <$5) Benefits cover massages, chiropractor up to $500/calendar year We receive a "parking allowance" of $60/month Short term disability at 75% of total pay up to 3 months EAP that is available for unlimited use Ability to work from home whenever you would like. I have also worked remotely from other cities in North America. We do not have any health spending or education reimbursements which is out of the norm for our city and industry, though our overall benefits are decent.
Web Developer* August 10, 2017 at 12:19 pm Duties: web developer. I work for a contractor that mostly does contracts for the Michigan government, developing web applications for various departments, with about 100 employees. I’m a programmer and currently mostly work in Java and Angular JS, with a dash of regular JavaScript, CSS, and SQL thrown in for kicks. Geographic area: Lansing, Michigan, USA Experience: about 4 years Benefits: Time off: all employees receive the same number of vacation days: 3 weeks for everyone, from the newest employee to the oldest. There are… mixed opinions about this. There’s technically a limit of 40 paid sick days, but nobody’s really nickel-and-diming you. If you consider this a benefit, we’re able to work from home basically whenever we feel like it, so long as our project lead is OK with it, and we have very flexible hours. Health insurance: Choice between an high-deductible plan + HSA and a PPO plan. Because the HSA plan is cheaper for the company, they deposit the difference into our HSAs. I think they pay something like 75% of the deductible, too. (you can get an FSA if you’re not on the HSA plan) The company pays for long-term disability and AD&D life insurance. Preventative/diagnostic dental gets 100% covered, stuff like fillings and root canals are 80% covered, and stuff like crowns and dentures get 50% covered. For vision, it’s $130 toward contacts or frames each year. I’m pretty sure there’s something for covering prescription drugs after a certain deductible, but I don’t know what it is. I think maternity leave gets counted as short-term disability, but I’m not sure how that works. Not sure about paternity leave either. Dunno about the “smoker charge” or how it works with spouses–I don’t have either! Retirement: 401(k) plan. The company matches dollar-for-dollar up to 3% of salary, and another $0.50 on the dollar up to 5% of salary. Other stuff: Tuition reimbursement is available on a case-by-case basis. Because we don’t have work phones, the company will either give you a work cellphone, or reimburse you $70 a month for your person cellphone plan. (virtually everyone I know of takes the latter) If you recruit a new hire, the company pays for a vacation for you. (not sure how this works–I think they reimburse you up to a certain amount) Also lots of free food… free lunch at least one day a month, but it often ends up being more like three or four times. Plus donuts. And fruit. And the occasional party with excellent food that you’re not required to go to or stay long at if you don’t want to. (I’m told the alcohol is good too, but I don’t drink!) Because the company requires us to all wear suits every day except Friday (even if you’re not talking to clients… I know it’s weird…), the company has a “suit stipend” of $1500 for new employees to buy professional clothing. They also reimburse a portion of relocation expenses. Don’t recall exactly how much, might be $2000?
Software Developer* August 10, 2017 at 12:19 pm I’m a web developer (Rails) at a financial services software company. – Health/Dental/Vision – fully paid by the company for myself and my fiance, including the first half of the deductible (which is paid via an HRA); choice of HMO or PPO – SIMPLE IRA with 3% match (we’re a small company so we don’t have a 401k; you can’t contribute quite as much to a SIMPLE as you can to a 401k/403b but it has some other nice qualities) – Holidays – NYSE holidays, which works out to about 10 a year – Vacation – three weeks – Sick time – unlimited – Food – kitchen full of Whole Foods hot bar and prepared foods, occasional catering and outings, bagels on Thursdays – Flexible schedule/work from home ability – we aren’t set up for 100% remote work (we rely a lot on face-to-face interaction) but it’s fine to work from home when you need to wait for a package to be delivered or a repairman or in case of unexpected childcare problems or whatever
Software developer* August 10, 2017 at 3:37 pm Oh, Boston area, 3+ years at this job/career, ~15 years in previous unrelated professional jobs.
Program Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:20 pm Accreditation Organization/Non-Profit Admin (letter writing, award program managing, meeting planning) Extended DC Metro 10 years total 2 years in this position 12 days vacation (once I hit 3 years increases) & 12 days sick (earning 1/2 day per pay period) They match up to 10% in the retirement fund They pay 100% health insurance premium There are some education benefits I have yet to use
Medical Coder / Team Lead* August 10, 2017 at 12:24 pm Job Description: I am a lead for a team of 20 medical coders for the largest health care organization in my state. I do training and continuing education and quality review, but no HR responsibilities. Location: the midwestern US Experience: 14 years in my career field, 3 with my organization. (Our benefits change at the 5, 10 and 15 year marks.) PTO: I accrue 8.62 hours of PTO per pay period or 28 per year, and our accrual caps at 300 hours. This includes sick time, vacation time, and 6 holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day). (This goes up to 33 days per year and 360 hour accrual cap at 5 years with the organization.) As a fully remote employee, I do also have the option to work on the official holidays and save that PTO for another day if I so choose. Other benefits: They pay about 80% of my health insurance premium officially, plus I get an extra $28 reduction of my premium per pay period because of the points I earned participating in the optional wellness program. They also give me $700 per year in my HSA and pay 50% of my dental and vision premiums. They match up to 4% of my salary in 401K contributions. There is long-term disability coverage, though I don’t know the details of it, and they pay for a life insurance policy that covers 150% of my salary. Two out of three years, we’ve gotten cash bonuses (I think both years were 0.75% of the previous year’s gross salary or a dollar amount, whichever was higher) and last year everyone got a bonus directly into their 401(k). We have a tuition reimbursement program that reimburses up to $3k per year for undergrad or $3600 per year for graduate school, as long as your program is on an approved list of majors/programs, at an accredited school and you maintain a C+ or better GPA, and requires a 2 year commitment past the completion of the degree. Other stuff, looking through the handbook right quick – adoption assistance, optional short-term disability insurance, FSAs for dependent care, optional life insurance for dependents. I’ve never used any of that stuff though. As previously stated, I’m fully remote, so I have the ‘benefit’ of not having to have much in the way of a work wardrobe or commute costs as well, barring the occasional on-site meeting.
I Like Pie* August 10, 2017 at 3:17 pm This is so great to know! I’m currently enrolled in a local community college program that’s just touching on coding and I am so interested in the field! I’ve found some online AHIM accredited programs that I plan to enroll in next Fall. One instructor told us that coding itself isn’t really something a lot of coders do now, they end up more in supervisory/teaching medical staff the codes to enter themselves. Have you had a similar experience in your area? (I am in SoCal, LA.)
Red Reader* August 10, 2017 at 7:45 pm (Not bothering to change away from my regular ‘nym again, this is the person you originally commented to.) That is, uh, complete and utter horse hockey. :P My organization has five teams of coders in our division, each with 20-odd people — inpatient, outpatient surgery, ancillary, physician, and pre-bill edits. There are other coders in the org as well outside of my division, but I’m not as familiar with what they do, plus we outsource our emergency department coding because it’s highly specialized. We also take 2 classes of freshly graduated new coders most years and divide them among the teams for training. (I joked the other day that school teaches baby coders what to do if everything is perfect, and then we teach them what to do in the real world.) Four of our five coding teams code from physician documentation. The pre-bill edits team handles medical necessity errors, modifiers, guideline issues, “hey medicare says you can’t charge that more than once a day and it’s on there twice,” stuff like that, after we finish coding it and before it goes out the door to the payers. In some cases, we do have providers entering codes. And that’s how I end up with things like a provider ordering a lab test for code z79.899 with a written description of “checking current immunosuppressive levels”, when the actual description for code z79.899 has nothing whatsoever to do with checking any levels and instead means “long-term use of other specified medication.”(Which is probably ALSO a correct code to add, but isn’t what the doc wrote down as to why he ordered the test.) One of the first things I train my new coders is to ALWAYS second-guess codes given by a physician and go by their written description instead, because physicians aren’t coders, haven’t been trained to be coders, generally don’t know jack about the coding guidelines. But even if we wanted them entering their own codes — which we don’t — THEY would balk. Hell, we can barely get them to dictate and sign their documentation in a timely fashion, we sure aren’t going to expect that they’re going to do their coding appropriately.
Web Developer* August 10, 2017 at 12:24 pm Job: I work at a cloud-based software company, mainly doing front-end web development. Location: Vancouver, Canada Experience: 1-2 years (but had a career switch, so have 15 years work experience total) Benefits: # MSP fully paid by employer (mandatory, income-based medical services payment, basically a tax for heathcare). Default is that this is 50-50 between employee/employer # Extended medical/dental fully paid by employer, with no co-pay and no deductible. Our extended medical is pretty amazing. Good prescription coverage. $500/year for each of various things like RMT, physio, nutritionist, etc. Eye care is okay ($200/year), Dental is good (fully coverage of regular cleanings, don’t know beyond that yet). But the fact that it’s fully paid and no deductible is really good. # Short-term/long-term disability – we pay LTD, but the plans are fairly good. And we pay so that we don’t have to pay taxes on the money we get while on disability leave. # EAP, including access to free counselling, etc. # No retirement/RRSP matching/pension # 2 weeks vacation, 5 sick days, 2 personal days. (This is way below standard, imo). The vacation will go up slightly as I’ve been here longer. I was planning on asking for a 3rd week when it came time for raises this year, but I got nearly a 50% raise (hired as a temp, promoted to intermediate), so I didn’t, but regret not still doing it. # Various team-building days – most of our clients are in the US, so on days like July 4th and US Thanksgiving, we take the day and have a bbq or go to an escape room. # Snacks, drinks, coffee, and breakfast on fridays # 10% bonus plan (1/2 is based on personal goals, 1/2 on company goals)
Research and Compliance Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 12:25 pm My job: I work for a large state university in research administration. At other universities this job might be called a grants analyst, research administrator, or sponsored research administrator. I work in a centralized office that handles review, negotiation, and approval of grant proposals and sponsored research conducted by the college of medicine. My main focus is confidential agreements between the university and sponsors, and amendments to existing agreements with the university. My geographic area: southeast US My years of experience: In this particular position, I have 18 months experience, but before that I worked in a support role in the same office for 2.5 years. I am new to this “industry” but have 15 years of experience in other industries. My benefits: University employees are actually employees of the state. We accrue vacation at the rate of 6.77 hours per pay period (26 pay periods) and sick time at the rate of 4 hours per pay period. It is very generous. We also have 10 paid holidays, including, strangely, “Homecoming” for the university. (But not President’s Day. I’d really like President’s Day!) Additionally, the university closes from Christmas to New Years and we are given 4 personal days to use for those days. If for some reason you have to work during Christmas to New Years, you are allowed to use those personal days some other time. All the PTO can basically accrue forever, but when you retire, you can cash out up to a year of it in pay. There is no paid family leave. However, for maternity leave you can take up to six months, unpaid, which is far beyond what FMLA allows. You can also “borrow” against future PTO for maternity leave. But you have to “pay” it back in a certain number of years. For retirement, the state used to offer two options, you could either opt into the pension plan, or into another 401K-type plan. Now you can only opt into the 401K-type plan. I did the pension, so they deduct 3% of my pay for the plan and the state puts in about 8%. They do provide EXCELLENT health insurance benefits. I pay $180 a month for very good Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO insurance, for my entire family. My employer’s cost is $1379 per month. They also offer various types of dental, vision, accident, disability and cancer insurances – even pet insurance. We can get some discounts with medical providers through the college of medicine. None of their insurances cover infertility treatments, which was of particular interest to our family. My favorite thing they offer is the dependent care account, because it has saved me thousands of dollars.They offer an HMO for the same price as the PPO, which I will be switching to next open enrollment because the out of pocket costs are much less than the PPO. If we were to get our benefits through the engineering firm where my husband works (which is the biggest in the region and known to be a “good employer”), our insurance cost would be $950 a month for our family. I basically work here only for the benefits, because the pay is pretty crappy.
Research and Compliance Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 1:10 pm Wanted to note – the university has a really crappy tuition program. It offers “Employee Assistance” for tuition for yourself, but it is limited to the university itself or another state university within 50 miles of your campus. And not all departments/programs accept it, particularly grad programs or online programs. So your options are very limited. And if there is another state university that offers a specialized program online not available at our university, but the home campus is more than 50 miles away, they won’t cover it or offer tuition reimbursement. The only tuition assistance for families is a list that you can add your name to, but the few spots of tuition assistance available are given based on seniority.
Katie the Fed* August 10, 2017 at 12:25 pm I am a first-level supervisor at a government agency. My pay grade is a GS-14. I get: – Government pays about 2/3 of my health care premiums. – Employer match for TSP (like a 401k) is 5% total. We also have access to Roth TSP which is kind of nice. – Overtime if I need to work extra (not time and a half, and it’s capped at a certain level, but it’s nice sometimes) – Travel comp time and comp time (if I choose not to take overtime) – I earn 6 hours of annual leave per 2-week pay period, and 4 hours of sick leave. In two years I’ll have been here 15 years and will cap out at 8 hours annual leave/4 hours sick leave Other random things: – Decent per diem when I travel (especially abroad) – Discounts and some retailed like Apple and Verizon – TSA pre-check (I don’t think this is universal, but for my agency we get it) – Federal Holidays (hi Columbus Day!) – General flexibility in work schedules (your mileage may vary) – Some reimbursement for higher education Things that aren’t so great: – No maternity leave. Not a single goddamn hour. We have to use accrued leave or LWOP. – My agency hasn’t opted in to student loan repayment – Being at the mercy of congress deciding to shut us down. That is NOT fun.
Katie the Fed* August 10, 2017 at 12:32 pm Oh, I completely forgot about the pension. The pension is pretty sweet. I’m hoping to retire at 57, which is my minimum retirement age based on when I started. Of course with the baby on the way, that probably won’t happen but a girl can dram.
Senior Actuarial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:25 pm Job: Senior Actuarial Analyst in Health Insurance at a large consulting and brokerage firm Area: San Francisco Bay Area Experience: 6 years Benefits: – 19 days PTO (so combined pool for vacation and sick days), can buy up 5 days. – Retirement: DB plan plus savings plan with 6% matching – Health insurance: i’m not enrolled with my company so not sure on contributions but hear it’s pretty decent from my coworkers – Others: standard life and disability, 8 paid holidays, can work from home, free food
Public Library Branch Manager (librarian)* August 10, 2017 at 12:25 pm 1. Job: Technically a government employee at the county government level. I run a small (one of the two largest for our system, but small in absolute numbers) branch/satellite library location with 6 direct reports, open 6 days a week, and I manage, purchase materials, and run adult and children’s programming for my location, and for the larger system. I have a masters in library science, and am in the third tier of our reporting structure (my grandboss is the library director). 2. Location: Upstate South Carolina, USA 3. Experience: 6 years paraprofessional library work (3 of them as a paraprofessional branch manager), 4 years previous management work, 3 years as a professional librarian. 4. Benefits: All federal, state, and county holidays. (About one a month – plus extra around thanksgiving or Christmas/New Years, so about 13 yearly. Additional 2 days of vacation and 1 day of sick leave accrued per month. (Starts at 1/2 day and 1/2 day of each and jumps with every 5 years longevity, but sick leave caps earlier. County / State plan health insurance with a decent network and low co-pays and deductibles (co-pay is $30, deductible is I think $5 grand for my husband and me). My employer actually covers both the employee and the employer portion of my health insurance to the tune of about $100 a month I don’t have to spend. I do have to pay out of pocket for my husband – he costs about $200 a month, but he works for a small company so it’s worth it for the safety net to just pay for him. Retirement withdrawals mandated at 3% and matched (haha I’ll never see it but it’s sweet of them), life insurance accounts for me and my husband, options for temp disability insurance and total disability insurance, options for other insurance types (vision, dental, mental health), tuition assistance for grad school; only one person at a time for the whole company but it covers 1/3 tuition and supplies (have to work for them for at least 3 years after the year of assistance or have to pay it back). Random Perks: an official state-mandated 7.5 hour workday, meaning I can never work more than 37.5 hours in a week. State, regional, topical, and national professional association memberships and conference attendances paid for (we have to share hotel rooms tho) on a rotating schedule, cheap memberships to the county rec center, holiday parties and picnics funded by the county, semi-annual health fairs and health screenings and vaccinations free or at-cost, county vehicles to use on business or business trips/conferences, lots of ‘free’ t-shirts for various programs, lots of book and literacy-adjacent swag from everywhere. We get paid for shit so they really try to be proactive with the benefits as much as possible.
Public Library Branch Manager (librarian)* August 10, 2017 at 1:12 pm Random things to clarify: maternity leave policy: use sick leave, then vacation leave, then unpaid FMLA if you’ve got any time left on that (FMLA time runs concurrently with the other leave, because of course it does) then hope you can work out some deal with HR if that’s not enough. Leave does roll over to the tune of 300+ hours of each per year (good grief) and if you haven’t used it when you quit or retire, vacation leave is paid out in your final check, and sick leave gets applied to your ‘time in service’ calculation for your eventual retirement benefits account payout.
Another Library Branch Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:24 pm 1. Job: I also manage a public library branch. I am employed by the county government. I run a medium-sized branch in suburban area. I have 3 direct reports (all FT) and 11 in-direct reports (6 FT, 5 PT). We are open six days a week. I manage day-to-day operations of the library, provide programming for adults and teens, manage the collection of the library, and of course deal with personnel issues. I have a Masters in Library and Information Science and report directly to the library director who oversees all 4 branches of the system. 2. Location: Piedmont/central NC 3. Experience: 8 years of paraprofessional library experience. For 2 of those I was a PT assistant, then moved up to FT. 3 years of professional experience: 2.5 years as a librarian during which I supervised 4 employees, about 3 months as a manager. 4. Benefits: – All state holidays off, and holiday time received. (These include some federal holidays, but not all of them.) Multiple days off (2-3) for both Thanksgiving and Christmas (about 16 days a year). – I accrue a little over 5 weeks of vacation time a year. This is due to my seniority, entry-level positions accrue only 2 weeks of vacation time a year. I also accrue 2.5 weeks of sick time a year, this is standard across all positions. – I receive health insurance through the county’s plan with no premium (as long as I continue to not use tobacco). My spouse is on my plan for about $300 a month. It includes a HSA that the county puts money in every year. It is a high-deductible plan, but its pretty decent. I also receive one eye exam per year for a $10 copay. My county also provides a health clinic for all FT employees that I can use for a $5 copay. – I have dental insurance through my employer for $26 a month. – I have a 401(K) that the county contributes 5% to. I also have access to a state retirement pension that I am required to contribute 6% to out of my paycheck. – There are options for life insurance, vision insurance, disability insurance, pet insurance, etc. offered, but I have not taken advantage of these. – I did receive $1000 each year I was in graduate school for my tuition since I got a job-related degree. Its not a lot, but I went to a state school so it went a pretty long way. I only had to work for them for a year after getting the reimbursement, which I have more than surpassed now. Other Perks: – There are two fitness centers operated by the county I can use for free. – Free admission to the county fair. – Because I worked for the county I got rent discounts on my apartments before I bought my house (guess they figured I had a pretty stable job). – Paid membership to national organizations and state conferences – Wellness initiatives: pretty much everything above, as well as access to the employee health clinic and free wellness coaching and access to counseling through the EAP. I’ll never get rich working here, but the benefits are pretty nice.
Another Library Branch Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:41 pm Another perk to our health clinic is that you do not have to use sick leave if you go there. It is counted as regular work time.
Loan Officer* August 10, 2017 at 12:26 pm Technically my formal title is different, but my employer uses it to indicate a paygrade and it can encompass like 4 different actual jobs. I work at a credit union, and I do most of the things that are more involved than deposits and withdrawals. Loan applications, contacting people about delinquencies, answering questions about their accounts, helping them set up online services, creating new accounts, tax preparation assistance (VITA), etc. I do not do mortgages, estates, investment, insurance, or anything else that requires certification. Yet. I am located in NC, and have been at this job about a year and a half. I currently get 128 hours PTO per year (10 hours per month, plus 8 hours in February). The accrual rate goes up every few years as a longevity perk. At 2 years it goes to 12 hours per month, and then I believe at 5 it goes to 14. PTO will accrue for a good while, but there is a cut-off after which you can’t either roll over or accrue more – I don’t know exactly which one it is. It’s at like 320 hours, something like that. My employer offers a double-match on our 401k, up to 10% (so, employee contributes 5% and they will put in 10%). The 401k is vested immediately. For health insurance, all employees are required to carry our employer-sponsored coverage. Individual coverage is paid completely by the employer, is through BCBS, and is not a high-deductible plan. For family plans, the employer covers $500 of the monthly premium, but the employee pays any additional charge. I don’t know what that is off the top of my head but I think it’s a standard additional cost. There is dental insurance for a small monthly fee, and it’s a fairly typical plan. We are also required to carry long-term disability insurance, and the employer also pays the monthly cost for this. They offer short-term disability, life insurance, and other benefits as well, but those are optional. We get annual merit raises following our annual performance reviews. Everybody gets one, every year, but managers have discretion to split up the available funds among their employees as they see fit. My employer also offers a number of other ways for employees to increase their pay – getting certified in various additional services tends to bring a pay bump (nothing huge, but like 1-2k/yr, which can add up, and the employer will reimburse all educational expenses for the certifications), and it has an internal testing program where passing tests gives you a teensy raise ($3 per paycheck, roughly). The combination of all of these means that I’m making nearly a third more now than I was when I was hired, despite my annual raise as a percentage of income being relatively modest (I think 3% last year, and 3.5% this year). Because I work in financial services, as a regulatory requirement all employees are required to take off five consecutive work days every year. The thinking behind this is that having other people take over your work for a week is likely to uncover any little embezzlement schemes you’ve got going, or provide time for a juggled ball to drop. It works out for employees, too, since no manager gets to prevent someone from taking a proper vacation. One benefit I think is really neat is the schedule offered to many of our call center employees. They work 4-on/4-off shifts (10-hour days), which works out to 50 extra days off per year at the same pay rate as standard 8-5 M-F branch employees. The downside is their schedule rotates and they sometimes need to work holidays, but everyone I know who switched to the new schedule absolutely loves it. Especially because when they take their 40-hours off, they get 12 full days away (4 days off, 4 days vacation, 4 days off) instead of just 9 (two weekends and a week), without using any extra PTO.
Non-profit paralegal* August 10, 2017 at 12:26 pm Paralegal for complex litigation Support multiple attorney’s (3 to 5) for the small Chicago office of a National non-profit law firm. I do legal research, case information research, put exhibits together, manage/organize files, cite check briefs, run ToA ToC, some IT support, and other miscellaneous tasks. The pay is not great but the great benefits make up for it. Fully employer paid health/vision/dental coverage for myself all dependents. PPO plan has no deductible, $5/10 copay for office visits and medicine. We have been told the plan is considered a platinum level on exchange. Dental we have choice between an HMO ( no deductible 100% coverage for preventative care and basic procedures) or PPO plan (small deductible) Vision -standard free yearly check up and $130 towards glasses or contacts. 20 days PTO 25 after 5 years (Upto 10 days of carry over) 12 paid holidays 403-b with 3/4% employer contribution. Company paid Life/disability insurance 6 months paid (70% salary) paternal/maternal leave. Experience: 1yr 3months current job and 3 years total experience as paralegal/legal secretary
Staff Accountant* August 10, 2017 at 12:27 pm I’m about to start a new job with a new office in September, so answering based on NewJob rather than OldJob. Position: staff accountant at a public practice firm Calgary, Alberta 4 years’ experience – 3 weeks vacation plus 5 personal/flex days – Full coverage of all professional development and association fees, which can be quite hefty – Dental, prescription drugs and supplemental health benefits such as massage, chiropractor, physiotherapy etc. (universal health care takes care of doctor’s visits, tests and hospital stays) If and when I’ll move up in the company I will get a parking spot.
Calgary worker* August 10, 2017 at 12:49 pm Considering you are in Calgary, it is important for people to know that that parking spot could be worth over $400/month and would be covered and with electricity for winter weather. Parking around here is expensive and coveted as a perk for a reason. Does your firm offer free transit passes? I know the one I worked for did if you didn’t get a parking spot.
Senior Staff Accountant (Public Practice)* August 10, 2017 at 2:17 pm Position: Senior Staff Accountant at a public practice firm (3 partners, 3 designated accountants, 1 director, me, 4 staff (1 co-op/intern)) Ottawa, ON 7 years’ experience – 3 weeks vacation plus 5 sick days – Full coverage of all professional development and association fees, which can be quite hefty – Dental, prescription drugs and supplemental health benefits such as massage, chiropractor, physiotherapy etc. (universal health care takes care of doctor’s visits, tests and hospital stays)
Senior Staff Accountant (Public Practice)* August 10, 2017 at 2:57 pm Edit to add Flexible schedule – book 40 hours per week (50 in tax season), Fridays off in July and August (instead of OT paid from Tax Season)
Laboratory Animal Welfare Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:27 pm Job: Oversee environmental enrichment and behavioral management of all vertebrate research animals in our organization Area: Northern California Experience: First job out of grad school, but a decade of work experience in veterinary medicine Benefits: 15 days vacation (accrued) and 12 days sick leave (accrued) per year; pension; pre-tax transit payment; HSA and FSA programs, plus HMO and PPO networks; reduced tuition; EAP; and I got part of my relocation expenses reimbursed. This is a position covered by collective bargaining.
College Professor* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm Salary: $100,000 (nine months) Mostly standard benefits 15 sick days a year No vacation but off every time the students are off No fixed work schedule, just be there for classes Some online courses, e.g. working from home
Email Marketing Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm Job: Develop and manage marketing drip campaigns for prospective students from inquiry to enrollment (private art & design college); Work with faculty and staff to gather information on college and program highlights; develop reports for email marketing metrics; help with admissions events as needed, other duties as assigned. Geographic Location: Michigan Years of Experience: 10 years of professional experience in the nonprofit world. This role is related to, but much different than anything I’ve done in the past Official Benefits: 24 PTO, 13 holidays (plus the week between xmas and NY if the pres is feeling generous); 6% contribution to retirement (not matching, just straight up), I pay for a part of medical, dental and vision about $68/paycheck, 100% tuition remission after 1 year for me, my spouse and dependents, dependent care reimbursement, short and long-term disability Unofficial Benefits: semi flexible schedule, my own office space, wonderful laid back atmosphere that isn’t making me sick or killing my spirit.
Federal Architect* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm I’m a GS-13 architect for the US Department of Defense. I design facilities utilized by DoD and contractor personnel. Location: Southeast US, mid-sized city. Experience: Nearly 9 years with this agency, and approximately 5 years in the private sector before that. Benefits: * 20 days annual leave with ability to save up to 240 hours of accrued leave. * 10 paid Federal Holidays * 13 days sick leave * 401k (TSP) with 5% matching contribution * Pension * Comprehensive health plans, with 2/3: 1/3 payment split (I think) * Life Insurance policy * Up to $12,000 annually in tuition assistance * Flexible work schedule * Limited duration overseas work opportunities (haven’t done it but many, many people do) * Carpool incentives (haven’t done it, not sure anyone here has) * Employee Assistance Programs * Very limited bonuses * Free gym membership, reduced-price event tickets, opportunities to volunteer at sporting events, reduced-cost boat rentals, RV rentals, vacation rentals, etc.
Federal Architect* August 10, 2017 at 12:39 pm Oh, big perk I forgot about: paid overtime! Architects typically work long hours, weekends, overnights, etc. This is the major salary differential between private and public sector for me. The base salary is relatively comparable but the overtime can add a lot of extra income. We also receive comp time if we’d rather have PTO than $$, and travel comp.
Safety Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm Job Description – I am responsible for all safety and industrial health at a manufacturing facility in Ohio. I also oversee our workers’ compensation program, which is self-insured. Years of Experience – Almost 7 overall within safety. A little over 2 years at this company. PTO & Holidays: We have very generous holidays – 16 this year for salaried employees. I have 8 additional days of PTO to use as needed (both vacation and sick), but each year of service earns an additional PTO day. There is also jury duty leave and bereavement leave (depends on family member as to how many days off you receive). Retirement: 401(k) matching 100% up to 4% of my salary. Health Insurance: The company offers several tiers of insurance plans, but I am on the lowest tier in single coverage. It is a high-deductible plan and the company pays 100% of the premium and puts $500 ($1000 for family coverage) into an HSA account every year. If you participate in the wellness program you get an additional $200/year in the HSA. I am not sure of the percentage for medical and vision, but they offer subsidized plans for those as well. Life Insurance: The company provides complimentary short-term and long-term disability. They also provide up to 1x your annual salary in life insurance, as well as offer employee-paid supplemental life insurance and spouse or child life insurance. Other perks: We have a small fitness center on-site, and are potentially adding an on-site medical clinic as well. We get discounts to several local businesses. If you need minor maintenance on your car, a local company will pick up the car and return by the end of the shift. Occasionally they offer tickets to local events, and they have several employee events (Christmas party, etc.) throughout the year. They also offer an employee assistance program and discounted telemedicine programs.
Safety Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm Oh yes, and they are also pretty generous with training/development benefits. I’ve never been denied a training or certification I requested. Tuition reimbursement is also available, and the amount depends on what program you are enrolled in (some Masters degree programs are paid at almost 90%!). And we get small bonuses quarterly.
Executive Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm Job: Executive Assistant at a Private Equity firm supporting a Partner (Group Head), Principal, Vice President, Senior Associate, and 2 Associates Geographic Area: San Francisco, CA Years of Experience: 1 as an EA, 3-4 as an Administrative Assistant, 5-6 in administrative work Benefits: 401(k) but no match; 2 weeks vacation (goes to 3 weeks if you’re with the company for 5 years); 9 days of sick leave; premiums fully covered for health/dental/vision insurance for us, spouses, and dependents
Process Improvement Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:28 pm I am a process improvement specialist focusing on payment products at a company in the Pacific Northwest. I have 4 years of experience, 1.5ish on this team. Benefits: Health/vision/dental insurance at highly competitive rates and spouse/family coverage for additional cost (still pretty reasonable for US health insurance) 15 days vacation (will bump to 20 at 6 years of service), 6 holidays, 6 personal, 3 sick Free transit pass, shuttles to and from the suburbs 401k with 2% company match Some local discounts Subsidized life insurance (opt-in) Up to 28 weeks paid maternity leave, 6 weeks paid paternity leave
HR Genearlist* August 10, 2017 at 12:29 pm I’m an HR Generalist in a department of ONE person (me). I do everything related to HR from recruiting, onboarding, off-boarding, employee relations, setting policies and procedures, to the day to day stuff like calculating turnover, paying the benefits bills, maintaining the HRIS etc. I don’t do payroll. I do some safety functions, but mostly clerical, such as distributing the monthly safety article, handling all the worker’s comp issues, that kind of thing. I work for a small-ish company of 135 employees in the SW Florida area, WAY south of Tampa, and about 45 minutes south of Sarasota (which are bigger urban centers). I have 11 years of HR experience and have my PHR designation, but no degree. Nevertheless, my experience makes up for the lack of it. I get pretty good benefits: 80 hours per year in vacation, and 40 hours per year for sick time, and we can use up to 16 hours of sick time as personal time. My company is an ESOP, so that’s one retirement plan there, but they also match our 401(k) at 100% if we put 3%, and 50% for any percentage over 3% up to 5% (it’s really weird – I let others do the math on that). BUT, I compare that to another company for which I used to work which had 18,000 employees and was spread throughout the nation, and they didn’t match anything at all! My employer offers 3 tiers on the health insurance, and I chose the lowest tier for me and my children (my spouse has Medicare). They pay 78% of the lowest tier for the employee only. The employees pay 100% of the premium for the children and/or spouses. Speaking of ESOP, because we are one, we don’t work to make somebody else rich. We work to put money into our ESOP and to keep us employed. Recently, we’ve come up with a way to give everyone (and we mean EVERYONE) a quarterly bonus based on the company’s profitability for any given quarter. We’ll see if it works. We are hard-core believers in the Great Game of Business and Open Book Management. Pretty awesome, even for non-ESOP companies.
Executive Assistant (Lily in NYC)* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm 80 hours of vacation? That’s only two weeks! That sucks.
Executive Assistant (Lily in NYC)* August 10, 2017 at 12:30 pm Senior Executive Assistant New York City 12 years (at this company). 20+ years of experience 5 weeks vacation, 4 floating holidays, 1 week sick leave Vacation buy back (can sell up to 10 days of vacation days back to the company once a year) Two retirement accounts – one that we contribute to, and one that they put in a percentage of our salary into (I’m at 16% a year now – it’s the main reason I haven’t left). No social security taken out of our pay (which becomes a curse instead of a benefit after a few years) Flexible spending benefits Excellent medical benefits for very little money Pre-tax transportation spending program $400 a year towards vision care good dental benefits Flex time Tuition reimbursement 4 months paid maternity/paternity leave Mentorship and lots of professional development opportunities Half price movie tickets to all NYC movie theaters NO work from home, mediocre salaries (which is why we have good benefits), they recently took away overtime (which is so shady because I don’t think the way they handled it is remotely legal)
Executive Assistant (Chicago)* August 10, 2017 at 1:03 pm Executive Assistant to CEO and Office Manager Tech Company Chicago 2 years at this company, worked in a different administrative field previously for 3 years Unlimited vacation, sick days, flex time Company paid long-term and short-term disability Monthly, paid company events Equity and Profit Sharing Short working Fridays with a Beer O’Clock cheers Work from Home option Monthly engagement programs, gift cards to partner clients each month Extended maternity/paternity/bereavement/emergency leave Paid sabbaticals after 3 years Office snacks at least once a week Office closes between Christmas and New Years each year Commuter benefits (pre-tax) And since we are a discount company (not the one you’re thinking of) we also get amazing discounts to all of our clients Medical and retirements could be better (expensive, no match) but I don’t utilize those through my workplace anyway so it works out okay for me! :)
WorkingWhilePregnant* August 10, 2017 at 12:30 pm Business Analyst Location: MA 8 years in my current position (13 at the same company in other positions) We have relatively standard vacation/sick time (5 days sick for all employees), vaca dependent on position & time at the company, but maxes out at 5 weeks. Most get 3-4 weeks. Only 5 days can be ‘carried over’ and nothing is paid out at year end. Also 3 Personal & 3 Family Care days. 401k and stock plan matches as well. The most interesting (to me) and newest benefit is our updated family leave policy (as of this year). 8 weeks STD fully paid, and then 12 weeks parental leave, fully paid, for a total of 20 weeks if you’re physically having the child, and 12 weeks for a spouse/domestic partner. This includes adopting a child as well. Our company has a goal of at least 30% of its workforce being part of a ‘work from home’ agreement. Certain areas of the company have significantly more than 30% others less. I currently WFH 3-5/week depending on my project schedule (with the occasional week of more days in the office as needed).
Industrial Waste Inspector* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm I am responsible for enforcing Federal, state, and local pretreatment regulations in our sewer service area. I inspect existing and new businesses to determine if they are subject to these regulations, and if they are, work with them to apply for permits. I administer permits by reviewing self monitoring reports, performing regular inspections, and sampling wastewater from permitted users. Identifying users (required by Federal law) can involve what we call “windshield surveys”; literally driving around commercial and industrial area looking at what’s going on and smelling the air – I can find chrome platers by smell alone. We also identify users using mailed surveys, looking at monthly lists of new and renewed business licenses, participating in the building permit process, and door to door surveys. Sampling can involve working in the right of way in traffic, working in confined spaces (manholes), working outside in any weather, lifting sampling equipment weighing up to 70 pounds from manholes by rope. Inspections can involve being around dangerous equipment, hazardous chemicals, and small/elevated/difficult to access spaces. I spend a lot of time analyzing data to identify trends in sewer loading, maintaining a database that tracks our permitted users’ compliance, writing new and renewal permits, writing new and modified City ordinances, and writing policies and procedures. I also have to keep up to date on new and changed state and Federal regulations. The companies I regulate range from small shops that treat their wastewater in plastic garbage cans to the Boeing widebody plant (an inspection takes two full days and about 15 miles of walking) and a Campbell’s plant that discharges almost half a million gallons of regulated wastewater per day. I’m in a municipality north of Seattle, WA I’ve been doing this work for about 36 years for three different cities in three states and two EPA Regions, 26 with my current city. I’m a Civil Service employee with a union contract. Due to my seniority, I earn 7.69 hours of vacation a two-week pay period (200 hours/year, new hires start at 96 hours/year). I also get two paid Floating Holidays/year, 10 paid holidays, and earn 3.69 hours of sick leave per pay period (96 hours/year). Under the state retirement system of which I’m a member, I contribute 7.38% of my gross and the City contributes 12.90%. The city covers about 85% of my health insurance cost, including full vision and dental coverage. I have access to a 457 plan (public employee equivalent of a 401K), but with no matching.
Industrial Waste Inspector* August 10, 2017 at 12:36 pm Ah, caps. My vacation is capped at two years’ accumulation, so 400 hours for me. And I’ll be paid for a maximum of 240 hours at separation. Total sick leave accumulation is capped at 960 hours and I’ll be paid for 10% of those hours at separation.
Sr. Director of Development* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm 1. I oversee the development team (major gifts and annual giving) for a large college at a public university in the southeast 2. 15 years of experience in the industry, 7 at this institution 3. 24 vacation days, 12 sick days (no cap on sick day accrual, vacation days cap out at…I think 8 weeks). University is also closed Christmas-New Year’s, other assorted typical holidays. employer pays 75% of health insurance premium. 10% retirement contribution with no match component + 401k. Tuition assistance, including discount for dependents.
Product Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm Job: Product manager at a small tech company (~40 employees), located in the Pacific Northwest Experience: 5 years total, 3.5 years at this company (not all in this particular role; this one is about 6 months old). Traditional Benefits: – Fully paid health/dental/vision for employees. We also cover 50% for dependents, which includes spouses, kids, and domestic partners/ – FSA (and dependent care FSA), to which the company will contribute $500 regardless of what the employee contributes – We have a 401k but no matching- it’s relatively new so TPTB wanted to hold off on matching until there was a better sense of the financial impact; makes sense to me though I hope we’ll have it soon! – Stock options that begin vesting after one year – 15 days PTO for me (I think some others with longer tenure have more); no distinction between types of leave – We also take a paid break around the winter holidays where the office is closed, usually about two weeks. People work from home to varying degrees depending on their role – Unlimited bus pass (this costs about $100 per month to buy so this is a great one) This job does have some nontraditional benefits, like Work From Home Wednesday (self-explanatory; such a nice way of breaking up the week). Probably our most noteworthy is known as Freedom February. Our CEO hates the PNW in the winter (as most everyone does), so when the company was just getting started, he instated an annual trip to a sunny locale every February. Now that the company has grown, February is basically a month where employees can work from anywhere they like. Some people go on a tropical trip, but it’s not mandatory. Some people go to visit family and work from there, some stay in town, etc., but everyone receives a bonus to put towards their travels or whatever else they choose. I almost feel embarrassed describing it because it sounds so fanciful, but I’m grateful for it- it’s allowed me to visit a lot of cool places in my time here.
Service Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm Based in Scotland UK. Manage an all round service for veterans who are struggling to transition to civvy street or experiencing other difficulties. Holiday – 33 days paid inc public holidays Sick leave – up to 8 weeks full pay, 18 weeks half pay. Pension – 6% employer contribution, no matching. Flexible working, parental leave etc all above statutory. Great internal training available and external training is encouraged where relevant. No health benefits as we have NHS! But vouchers towards glasses if needed for VDU. Various discounts available at car retailer etc if buying brand new.
Graphic Designer* August 10, 2017 at 12:31 pm In house designer for an engineering company. Design all print and digital marketing materials, trade show displays, and light web updates. 4 years experience, 2.5 at current company -13 vacation days -6 personal/sick days -Flat $1000 contribution to 401k yearly -For health insurance they cover a set amount, cant remember the exact number. For my plan/age my health insurance is 100% covered, and the excess contribution goes into an HSA. -Continuing education incentives -Lunch twice a month -No official policy on remote work, but employees can work from home as needed
Insurance Broker* August 10, 2017 at 12:32 pm national designation and part way through a second less common designation Central Canada 3.5 years experience in industry 20 vacation days 3 paid sick days full health and travel insurance benefits (we just pay the taxes) with $0 deductible required continuing education paid for Boss brings in treats on a regular basis- coffee, smoothies, pizza, pastries, etc Plus he treats me with amazing respect, so supportive, values my opinion and experience, genuinely cares for the staff
Educational Program Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:32 pm Job – Educational Program Manager – multi-site program manager for small organization that is part of a larger institution Location – New York, New York Years experience – 4 at this organization, 10 total Benefits – -15 days vacation, plus Christmas-New Year’s Day, and 5 other federal holidays (up to 15 days vacation roll over each year) -12 sick days per year, and 1 personal day (15 days vacation roll over, personal day does not) -Retirement – contributions of 5% after 2 years; 2x matching up to an additional 2.5% (so, you contribute 2.5%, the college contributes 10% total) – Insurance – depends on plan, premiums are $140 – $285 per month for an individual (for comprehensive coverage with a major insurer); 4 plans available; free dental and vision -Tuition exemption – up to 12 credits per year, including some lesser dependent coverage
Compliance and Training Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:32 pm Job Description: I wear a lot of hats, since I work at a nonprofit. I create and revise medical forms and policies, track and analyze incident reports to identify areas for clinical improvement, create training on administrative and compliance issues, perform audits, and manage special projects, among other things. Location: Austin, TX Experience: 3.5 years here, 6 years in the non-profit industry post-college. I also worked almost full time during college, so I have 9 years of administrative experience total. Benefits: – Salary: $20.17/hr, $41,953 annual – Vacation/sick leave: I accrue 6.77 hours of PTO per pay-period, adding up to 22 days per year. Next year I’ll accrue 8 hrs per pay period, to equal 26 days per year. – Holidays: 8 scheduled paid holidays and 1 paid floating holiday – Health insurance: I pay $23.99/month for medical, $15.59/month for dental, and $3.57/month for vision. My employer pays around $325 of the monthly health insurance cost. Medical copay is $30 in-network, dental is 100% covered for preventative services, and vision is a $20 copay for the exam plus free lenses and a $130 allowance for frames or contacts. All generic prescriptions are free. We also have an optional FSA up to $2000. – Employee assistance program: We have an employee assistance program that offers up to 8 free counseling sessions per issue per year, free legal and financial services, reimbursement for emergency cab fare, and a “well coach” to help improve and maintain health. – 401k: They match 50% of the first 6% that we contribute and contribute an additional 3% of our monthly base salary whether or not we participate in the plan.
Marketing Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:34 pm Marketing Coordinator for a large nonprofit Midwestern city 4 years of total experience, 3 at this job Insurance: employer pays 80%, I think. I don’t have much to compare it to, but everyone tells me that the plan is very good :). Definitely more affordable than my husband’s employer. They pay 100% of dental and vision premiums. PTO: 21 vacation days, increases with years of service. New hires get 16. I can roll over 40 hours. Also 8 holidays and 1 sick day accrued per month. We also have flex hours, which is really nice. Retirement matching: 100% employer match up to 4% Other random perks: FSA account, on-site gym (shared with other companies in our building), tuition reimbursement for certain types of classes, subsidized public transportation
Marketing Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:48 pm I guess I should add that we do get catered lunches during our craziest 2 weeks of the year. It’s less of a “benefit” than a tactic to keep us all in the building, but it’s still nice. I absolutely hated my previous job, but we got a free 30 minute massage every month, which I miss desperately.
Billing and Accounts Receivable Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:34 pm JOB: I work in billing for a publicly traded firm. My job entails reviewing contracts/orders and setting cutomers up in our billing system, and updating that billing with new orders (renewals, expansions, etc.). That is the bulk of my day to day. I also send invoices, update contact information, and assist with the administrative side of the process when customers leave our company. Occasionally I help with cash or credit application, and other billing-related tasks as assigned by my supervisor or our manager. REGION: United States, Mountain West EXPERIENCE: In billing/accounting-related work, about 3-4 years. BENEFITS: I (and most people I know of) are stuck in that awful ‘PTO bank’ system. We ‘earn’ PTO based on the hours we work and draw from that bank for vacation, sick leave, etc. We can go into ‘debt’ to that bank for up to a week (40 hours) if deemed necessary. As Alison has brought up time and time again, this encourages people to ‘save’ their PTO by coming in to work when they are ill, or overworking on Monday and Tuesday so they can use fewer PTO hours for the time off they scheduled Wednesday-Friday. The company does not offer retirement matching but does do a ‘safe harbor’ payment into the company-sponsored 401k. For those who don’t know, they are essentially putting a percentage of your salary into your 401k even if you don’t increase that amount, and that expectation is built into the salary they offer you. I really want people new to the workforce to understand that ‘safe harbor’ is not the same thing as ‘matching’! I believe my health insurance premiums are paid by the company at about 70-80%? I haven’t looked at it in a while but I’ve been pretty happy with my options for choosing insurance plans. There’s one option for vision, but it’s good/comparable to others I’ve had. There are two tiers for dental, and the higher tier includes adult orthodontia, which very few plans do; my insurance through my company is covering for about 30-40% of the cost of my braces. There are three tiers for health insurance, starting with the high-deductible/health savings account plan (which the company will put several hundred dollars into if you go this route “to get you started”), then going up to two regular insurance plans that are comparable, but the higher tier pays a higher percentage and has a lower deductible. Other ‘nice to have’ benefits are the annual day of service, where you are paid your regular salary for the day while you and others go and volunteer (Food Bank, RMcD House, other local charities). Usually the day before a holiday the office closes early, but we are paid for the full day. If there is a team happy hour or morale event, we are paid for that time as well (on our timesheets it shows up as ‘office closure’). I think there is a ‘wellness program’ where you can get paid by the company if you go get a biometric screening from a doctor, but it sounds weird to me so I haven’t taken advantage of that. The company will pay for either a monthly transit pass (which is usually well over $100/month) or pay for your underground parking, which in downtown can cost $200/month or more… and not all companies working downtown are doing that in our area, so it’s a really nice perk. Every year we get to choose our branded gift from corporate (clothing, drinkware, etc.). And we get an annual bonus based on the company’s performance and our personal performance. So as you can see, there’s a reason I’m not too bitter about the stupid PTO bank. Otherwise I feel rather taken care of by my company.
Associate Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 12:35 pm This is for my previous job as I am currently unemployed after quitting it (but have prospects!) Associate attorney. All work was done under the (very close) supervision of a partner, but on any given case I could handle stuff all the way up to drafting papers to file with the court and possibly making the majority of appearances in court. Southeast Georgia 4.5 years of experience Small firm, five or fewer attorneys (including partner(s)) No sick leave. No vacation leave. About a 50/50 chance that when the office closed for holidays or natural disasters that I would have been paid for those “missed” days (one year I was told “since everyone has been working so hard, we’re going to pay you for Thanksgiving despite being closed!”). They sent me to mandatory training once or twice but didn’t pay me for those days I was out of the office (but did pay for the training). No retirement. No health benefits. Sometimes they gave a small bonus (less than $5k). They paid for malpractice insurance. They didn’t pay Bar dues or CLE fees (except for the mandatory training they sent me on when they didn’t pay my salary), and it is my understanding some law firms will pay for those as a benefit to attorneys. I will readily admit that my old job was an extreme outlier.
Associate Attorney* August 28, 2017 at 8:44 pm The no paid holidays part gave me flashbacks. My previous* firm (in North Georgia) did this with Christmas. Senior partners closed the office for several days (so they could enjoy the holiday with their families), but wanted attorneys and staff to have PTO days “saved up” for that timefram. If they didn’t, they would have to work even though the office was closed, or have their paycheck docked. A year or so into the job I accepted a position with another firm, but ultimately agreed to stay for a higher salary and better benefits. Being able to enjoy Christmas at my leisure was one of them lol. *”Previous firm” = Quit 3 months ago to move to New York. Wish I could say I have prospects, but immediately after the move I flew to the Dominican Republic to visit family. Been here 12 weeks.
Director of Communications* August 10, 2017 at 12:35 pm Responsible for all external communications of an architecture firm — PR, website, social media, brand identity, special events, relationship building in the community, firm direction and strategy. 150 person company Boston, MA 5 years experience @ this firm, 9 years of work experience Benefits: When you start at the firm, you earn 3 weeks of PTO (vacation + sick), after 2 years you earn 4 weeks and after 9 years you earn 5 weeks. You can rollover up to double what you earn. We have some people with so much PTO banked, the firm offered a 1 time “buyout” up to a certain amount. I wasn’t eligible so I don’t remember. 10 holidays 1 floating holiday 40 hours of paid parental leave within 90 days of birth or adoption of a child FMLA benefits offered Flexible schedule if you negotiate w/ your team Leaves of absence up to 6 months (could be related to FMLA or not) At my level we also get company paid life insurance, and either our public transportation passes covered or our parking. In-house flu clinics Health plan w/ $25 co-pay. Good network. Dental plan, vision plan. 401(k) – matches 25% on each dollar, up to 6% of annual salary Pays for professional organization membership Not relevant to me, but the firm pays for licensure exams for architects and provides study materials Firm provides bonuses and annual raises (both vary by level and contributions to the firm, but everyone seems to get at least a cost of living increase each year).
Civil Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 12:35 pm Intermediate Civil Engineer at a consulting firm, day to day generally includes design work, project management, some field work and basically anything else that comes up Atlantic Canada 5 years (not including work terms), 1 at a mega project and then 4 at my current job As for benefits: -3 weeks vacation a year (plus can bank time) and office shuts down over Christmas (but you need to use banked time) and 11 stat holidays -5 sick days a year (can’t role it over to the next) -Employer matches 100% of RRSP contributions up to 5% of your salary -There’s also an option to buy company stock and get up to 35% match from Employer -Health insurance is a bit weird here they give us a budget and then we get to choose what level of health/dental we want (if you use less than your allotted amount you can just get it paid out to you) I pay about $20/month for really good health (90% coverage for basically everything) and dental (70%) -They also offer a critical illness policy which will top up EI if you can no longer work due to an illness (like cancer or the like) -Employer pays all of the short term disability benefit (which you can use if you’re out sick for more than 3 days in a row) -Really flexible hours (they pretty much let me set my own schedule as long as it doesn’t conflict with meetings or client deliverables)
Sr HR Generalist* August 10, 2017 at 12:36 pm HRG/HRBP for a Fortune 100 company Greater Manchester UK, originally from US 6 years experience Vacation: 25 days plus 7 public holidays, 6 months sick leave with full pay, government mandated minimum pension of 1% of base salary, no private medical, ability to purchase company stock pre-tax. My company has bare-minimum benefits in the UK and the US.
Information Security Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:36 pm Job: I am responsible for crafting and enforcing security standards, policies and procedures, and processes. I handle day-to-day request activity, troubleshooting, and internal customer service for the user community. I also assist on projects that expand the company’s security and am starting to lead a few as well. Location: Mid-to South-west United States Years experience: coming up on 20! (gulp) Benefits: –Formal benefits include excellent health insurance, not-so-excellent dental insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 7 personal days that can be used for anything, 4 weeks vacation, 5 sick days though they tend to be flexible if you go over. Matching 401K up to 6%. At the end of the fiscal year an extra 1-2% is often added if the company has done well. Bonuses up to 10% of base pay, depending on company performance. Full tuition reimbursement. Reimbursement for certain industry certifications if passed. Employee recognition which can include awards, cash, or just general kudos. –Informal benefits (dependent on organization and management) include flexible hours and telecommuting,
Operations Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:37 pm Northern New England (i.e. not MA or CT), 15 years experience I am the person that wears too many hats in a small (15FT + 15PT) company – Finance, HR, IT, workflow coordination, some project management. I get 35 days of paid time off per year to use for holidays, vacations, sick and personal time. My company pays 100% of the health insurance premium for employees and their families for a plan with a $2600 deductible (individual) and as associated Health Savings Account. For $40/month I upgraded to a more traditional plan with co-pays on most services and a $2500 deductible on hospitalization and the like. The company pays 2/3 of my dental plan. I get 1:1 match on retirement contributions up to 3% of salary. The company shares 25% of it’s profits with full-time staff, up to 20% of our salaries. We’ve maxed out that 20% for 8 of the last 10 years. The least it’s been is 15%.
Operations Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:59 pm Southern New England -5 years experience -salary 70k -I also wear too many hats at a small company (15 people on site, 50ish at other locations) -Project management, purchasing, logistics and shipping, process improvement -unlimited PTO, but I usually take 3 weeks vacation and 1 week of sick leave throughout the year -Company pays 90% of health insurance, vision, dental -4% 401k match
Software Developer* August 10, 2017 at 12:37 pm UK Public sector First year post graduation, 1 year experience. 25 days paid leave plus one additional per year up to 30 10 paid holidays and unlimited sick leave No health insurance cause UK The job is paying for my MSc. I get a ton of other benefits like half price this and that plus a good pension matching but my favorite one by far is my schedule: I work 38 hours a week. Anything extra, within limits, I can take as paid leave. I can’t accrue forever and am limited in redemption to 4 days every 6 weeks but I can on occasion work 4 day weeks without depleting my PTO.
Receptionist/Office Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:37 pm *I am my company’s receptionist/office assistant. I work for a firm that does special inspections for commercial construction projects. Recently though I was given more responsibility by taking over a few aspects of each of our project managers jobs. I convert all of our PMs reports to PDF and then distribute them to our corresponding clients. *New York City *about 1 year *Benefits is where it gets tricky. -Health Insurance – I do not use the company provided health insurance because I am still under 26 and on my parents insurance BUT a friend who just left did have the HI provided and he said there was no options for vision, none for dental the deductibles and copays were huge and for the lowest Bronze tier he was paying about $186/two weeks. And our company doesn’t pay any premium. So… terrible. -PTO – 40 hours per year (but we are required to work a 45 hour work week) -Sick Leave – none. If you want to be paid when you are sick, you use PTO. -Commuter benefits – it’s supposed to be a pre-tax montly metrocard, but I’ve been paying the regular $121. I guess the taxes will come back when I file my taxes next year? I’m not sure. -401k/Retirement Plan – none offered. -Holidays – also a very weird subject for my company, we are a Jewish run company so we get off for most (not all) Jewish holidays even some more minor ones. BUT if we are given off for non-traditional Jewish Holidays it is expected for most/required for some to come in on weekends or even non-Jewish national holidays. Like this year we were required to work on Memorial Day, even though ever single one of our sites that we work on was closed. So we all sat in the office with nothing to do all day. To make a long story short, I am currently looking for other work with better hours, pay, benefits, the whole shebang!
Arts Adminstrator - Nonprofit Theatre* August 10, 2017 at 12:38 pm Associate Producer, lead for marketing and development for a nonprofit theatre company; member of our leadership team, including weighing in on artistic decisions, assisting with production & facility needs; leading board of directors on major fundraising and patron stewardship work. Willamette Valley, OR 4 years full time at this org (2 years with this title); worked as intern/part-time staff for 2 years leading up to full-time Education: Master’s degree in Arts Management Holidays – major Federal days plus 2 additional (can sometimes float) Sick time – 5 days plus 1 personal day Vacation – accrued according to salary & length of time at org, with increase at 3 year mark (I’m up to 10 hrs/mo) Insurance – 75% of insurance premium covered by org Remote work option; encouraged to use at least one day a week for out-of-office work Flexible scheduling (important with frequent late evening & weekend hours) Artistic opportunities – as an artist, I am frequently tapped to work on productions at my org. There is also some flexibility offered in terms of scheduling when I’m working on projects at other organizations.
Senior Copywriter* August 10, 2017 at 12:38 pm 1. I write copy for the company website, email campaigns, infographics, fliers, newsletters, white papers, etc. I’m also a bit of a project manager when it comes to certain web initiatives. 2. Philadelphia suburbs 3. 34 years 4. 22 days PTO, 100% match on 6% contribution to 401K plus a 4% contribution at the end of the year; a bonus that averages around 5% of pay. Health, life, disability, dental, vision, the usual. I don’t know the percentage of health care that I pay, but my cut is about the same as other companies I’ve been with – about $400 a month for family coverage. Flexible schedules and work from home, various retail discounts, EAP.
Contractor - Process Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:38 pm Create/edit/review/issue documentation with legal implications for company’s capital projects. Lots of time spent in internal database entering data points for process tracking. Upper Midwest/Great Lakes 2 years in this position, 4 years with this department, 10 years working experience Benefits: Match 10% of your contribution for 401k, so since I put in 10%, they contribute 1% of my salary Health is a $2700 deductible plan (preventative care free, all else applied to deductible) for $540/month for a single person Paid company recognized holidays No paid time off Employer paid Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, AD&D
Group Benefits Insurance Account Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:38 pm Job: Manage existing block of business for large insurance carrier Location: Southeast US Years of experience: 8 A description of your benefits: 30 days per year PTO, these carry over but the max is 30 days plus 9 paid holidays. 401k Match to 6%. Pension Plan- Yes, a pension plan. 100% full pay for up to 6 weeks of STD and then 60% of salary thereafter. 4 weeks full pay parental leave for new parents (outside of STD or FMLA). 6 hours per year to volunteer at a charity of our choice. Medical plan premium is paid at 70% for employees/ 50% for dependents.
State Government Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 12:39 pm I work in a state agency doing general counsel work. I’m #2 in a small legal staff. Indiana 13 years experience All state employees get: – 12 vacation, 6 sick, 4 personal days per year, bereavement, military, jury, plus state holidays; you get extra vacation days if you hit tiers of employment: 5 years, 10 years, etc. – $15 retirement matching (yes, that’s not a typo) – The portion of your insurance premium paid depends on how you do in the wellness program, which is a point system based on health and activity levels – One cool thing many state agencies offer is Alternative Work Schedule. If you have AWS, you work longer days for 9 days of the two-week pay period and you have 1 day off. It helps you bank sick and personal time because you can schedule routine appointments for your AWS day rather than taking time off. – In many state agencies, continuing education courses and licensing fees are paid.
Municipal Employee* August 10, 2017 at 12:40 pm I live in Greater Vancouver. My job is to set up and run Council meetings for a large municipality (so if you have meeting questions, feel free to ask, but everything you need to know is in the John Cleese training film “Meetings, Bloody Meetings”) I am unionized so my benefits are defined through my collective agreement. Health: employer pays 75% of my Provincial (state-run) medical health premiums for the entire family, and 100% of the extended health care benefits they administer (covers 80% up to certain amounts for certain items – like my combined chiro/naturopath is $600/year, as an example). Dental – has two levels; covers up to 80% for basic dental (cleanings, fillings, etc); 50% for more advanced things (crowns, bridges, etc) and orthodontics; employer pays 75% of premium Group life insurance – employer pays 75% of premium Sick leave – 20 days per year, banked to a maximum of 261 days; if I don’t use my sick time in a 4 month segment of the year (so three times a year), I get an extra day off in a separate gratuity bank to a maximum of 120 days. We don’t have long-term disability so that’s why we can accrue so much sick time. Employee savings program: I contribute 1.5% and employer matches. Can be withdrawn once a year. Maternity leave: 17 weeks of top up to 100% of my salary (Employment insurance covers about 50%) Court Duty: If I get called for Jury Duty or as a witness in a court case, they pay me for that time at my regular rate. Pension: run provincially; I think we contribute around 7% and the employer matches it. It’s a pooling of all the municipalities in the province. Vacation: I’m at 20 days vacation; I go up to 25 days (5 weeks) in 2019; that same year, I get a supplementary week which has to be used the year before the next increase. Overtime: 1.5x pay for the first 2 hours; 2x pay for any time after that; paid meal breaks during overtime of more than 2 hours. If it’s not used up by August of the following year, it gets paid out. Earned days off: we work an unpaid 0.52 hour every day and get 18 earned days off per year, 3 of which have to be used during the Christmas closure.
Municipal Employee* August 10, 2017 at 12:48 pm Oh and all statutory holidays (New Years, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, BC Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day)
Municipal Employee* August 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm Oh and EAP, discounts on bike share/car share memberships, transit pass incentives, fitness classes at work (we pay for them but they bring in instructors).
Executive Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm ◾ Executive Assistant to the CEO (non-profit/charity) ◾ Toronto, Ontario, Canada ◾ 4 years of experience in this particular role ◾ 3 weeks vacation; sick leave accrued at 1.5 days/month – can save a maximum of 75 days to replace short-term disability; pension plan matched by employer: 3%/3% of gross earnings; I’m in Canada so no need for health plan, but for drug/dental coverage employer pays 100% of benefit and we have a $50 deductible per year; we pay 100% of life insurance premiums … lots of professional development, discounts, etc. but I think that’s the bulk of our benefits
System Specialist/Software Tester* August 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm Software tester for a university department that develops it’s own applications in house. I’ve been here for 11 years, with just over 1 year in my current role. 24 days vacation, 15 sick/family care, 6 holidays, and we close the week between Christmas and New Years (that doesn’t come out of our own vacation pools). I have to use my PTO in 4 hour chunks, but I can flex my time a little bit to do appointments. Really, really good healthcare for not a lot of $$, as long as I stay in network. Mediocre dental and vision. Legal plan, life insurance (1x salary is default, but for extra money I can get up to 5x my salary). STD and LTD. 401k matching up to 5% of my salary. Tuition reimbursement up to 75% of cost, as long as it’s related to my job, and up to 3 hours a week to attend classes.
Lora* August 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm Process development scale up senior engineer, manager of pilot facility, tech transfer to clinical development Pharma Cambridge MA We get technically 5 personal days but in real life it’s unlimited. 3 weeks vacation 1 week shutdown between Xmas and new year Health insurance has a sliding scale for what % you pay; at my level it’s about 10% Dental covered 100% Vision pays everything for contacts but the allowance for glasses is $250 for frames and a 50% discount on lenses Subsidized gym membership, I think the local gym costs $50/month Free lunch and snacks and bagel Wednesday 401k with 3% contribution HSA Tuition reimbursement for some amount I forget how much Subsidized transit pass / free parking in the city
Lora* August 10, 2017 at 4:05 pm Oh yeah, and we have short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, AD&D insurance all covered by the company up to 2X salary, if you want more you can buy it at a subsidized rate. Quite a bit of flex time too. And 11 holidays. Any jury duty type things are paid for. 3 days bereavement. Also a dependent spending account, emergency travel assistance (this started after the travel ban was first announced in the US). Discounted pet insurance, movie tickets, car insurance, stuff like that. One free exercise class per week at the gym on the bottom floor. A bonus referral program if you refer a candidate for a job and they get hired. And I am coming up on 18 years of experience in pharma.
Lora* August 10, 2017 at 4:19 pm And discounted phone plan. I keep remembering little things. I can use the company phone as a personal phone if I want, but I don’t.
Systems Administrator / Software Developer* August 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm I take care of Linux computers in a federal research laboratory, supporting ~3000-3500 systems (depending on how you count), as well as writing software tools to automate the work. I work in a team of 7 people. It’s a mid-level position; I am not management, and am essentially-ineligible to be upper management because I don’t have the correct degrees (only a BS in Computer Engineering). Our lab is in the Chicago suburbs. I’ve been in the profession for ~17 years, and in my current position for 4.5 years. Benefits: 18 days of vacation (increasing to 21 next year), 18 days of sick leave, plus a floating holiday. This is actually substantially worse than if I had started ~1 year earlier. Retirement is a 403b equal to 10% of salary without required matching (!!!), starting after working for 2 years. Health/Dental insurance is top-tier but with fairly expensive contributions required if you’re covering anybody but yourself (~$250-300/month at this point for the family). We’re authorized to work at home once a week, but no more. There are some life insurance benefits that I fully take advantage of to the extent that I don’t remember what they are. Nothing else really stands out; we used to get more travel funds/time but that’s been cut back in the last few years. Vaguely-reasonable maternity/paternity leave was just added last year, after it would have helped me.
Risha* August 10, 2017 at 3:00 pm *eyebrows raised to the ceiling at a techy job where they give a damn about an advanced degree*
Systems Administrator / Software Developer* August 10, 2017 at 5:43 pm It’s a Physics lab. If you don’t have a Physics degree, you may well be sub-human.
Systems Administrator / Software Developer* August 10, 2017 at 5:45 pm Oh, and there’s on-site day care. I can’t overemphasize this one enough. This single benefit, no matter the cost, has the potential to keep me here for years.
Clerk 1* August 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm Official Title: Clerk Public School Location: Greater Boston Area 3 years of experience Job Description: data entry, creating reports (for administrators or grant applications), organizing internal student and staff records, occasional reception duties ~$48,000/year 37.5 hours/week Benefits: -11% required (no opt-out) Retirement/Pension contribution, vested after 10 years (never partially vested), you receive 80% of a 5 year average of your highest paid years in the system -Optional 403(b) plans available -12 Paid Holidays -18 Vacation Days (increases with longevity) -2 Personal Days -20 Sick Days (partial payout for unused sick days at retirement, can donate 1 sick day per year to the sick bank) -Group Insurance Commission (GIC) insurance plans. I pay ~$100 per month for the most basic plan -Dental Insurance (employee covers) -Flexible Spending Account -Life Insurance (50% employer match) -Vision Insurance (not sure, I think employee covers) -Long term disability -Supplemental Insurance (employee covers) -Discounted (25%) tuition at a local, for-profit business school -Discounts on participating local restaurants, movie theaters, etc. (including Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint cell providers) -Discounts on local bike sharing and car sharing services -Early release during summer (work 1/2 hour less per day during summer months)
Senior secretary* August 10, 2017 at 12:42 pm Job: Administrative assistant at the head office of a bank. I support 3 managers, and to a lesser extent the people under them. I supervise their calendars, I take care of all the logistics when it comes to meetings as well as travel, I do the monthly expense reports, I process all the invoices that come through our sector, I do some translation and a little bit of tech support. Area: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Experience: 8 years of experience in admin positions (previously I was a high school teacher) Benefits – 3 weeks vacation – unlimited sick days (need a doctor’s note for 3 consecutive days or more) – all statutory Quebec and Canada holidays (that’s about 12 days I think) – 100% coverage on dental (except maybe purely cosmetic stuff) – 80% coverage for medication – 80% coverage for glasses & eye care – 1000$ discretionary health spending annually (massage therapist, chiropractor, psychologist, etc.) – Short term disability at 80% pay up to 6 months, long term disability at 66% pay up to 3 years (if I remember correctly) – Life insurance for 2x my annual salary, 3x in case of accidental death – Annual bonuses dependent on fiscal health Also there’s a pension plan as well as a stock option purchase plan, but I don’t remember those details.
Career Development Advisor* August 10, 2017 at 12:42 pm My job: I am located in the career services office of an R1 institution. My team serves graduate students and postdocs primarily, although I also see undergrads as needed. I am the main student-facing member of my team, and I see 12-15 scheduled appointments per week plus a drop-in shift. I do outreach to academic departments on campus, am the main data-cruncher for my team, give invited presentations, and sit on panels aimed at graduate students and postdocs. I also generate tools and content–some of it is for our website and some is internal (info or guidelines for the overall CDA team relating to graduate student or academic job search topics). Region: Mountain West Years experience: I’m new in my current role, but have a career advising certification and a variety of higher ed experience, including program management (1.5 yrs), some administration and accounting (4+ yrs), research (4+ yrs), student advising (8+ yrs), and teaching (9 yrs). Benefits: my benefits are standard for my institution and employee class: 15 sick days; 22 vacation days; all statutory holidays. Health, dental, and vision insurance are all offered and my employer covers much of the cost of all. Employee only health insurance costs for the employee range from $0 (high deductible plan) to $110 monthly; corresponding family plans range from $20 to $350 per month. Employer contribution is the same dollar amount across plan category (employee, employee+spouse, employee+children, family) so a higher percentage for lower cost plans and a lower percentage for the more expensive ones but it ranges from 100% to about 84% depending on plan. Life insurance and AD&D are all offered as well, with the institution covering premiums for $57K and additional coverage available at a small monthly cost to the employee. Retirement is either in the state pension plan or an individual retirement account, there’s matching but I honestly don’t remember how much, and you can also do additional retirement accounts on top of the mandatory. They also offer a number of pre-tax savings plans. We have a tuition benefit as well: one free course per term up to 3 per calendar year at any campus, OR you can transfer your benefit to a dependent including spouse, at which point they receive a 10% discount across the board regardless of number of credit hours or campus they attend.
Meetings Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 12:44 pm – I’m a Program Coordinator in the Meetings Department of a large professional association. Our meetings are at the top of our industry, and our big annual meeting draws over 50k attendees and international press attention. My position is one step above entry level. – Washington, DC metro area – Four years of experience – Flexible work schedule and no defined work day (I can work a standard 8-5, 11-7, or hell, even 2-4). The organization emphasizes results over hours. – 7.5% 401k contribution. This is a flat contribution, not matched. I can put in 1% or 20% and the org will still contribute 7.5%. – Unlimited vacation and sick days. Again, the time worked doesn’t matter so long as you’re getting the work done. – Medical, dental, and vision benefits are covered 91% by the organization. Maternity/paternity leave is fully covered (no set amount of time, but folks usually take 12 weeks) and extended medical leave is covered. – Our business travel benefits are pretty great. We get an allowance of $30/$30/$75 for breakfast/lunch/dinner, pre-tax and tip. A fun perk is if you’re on the road for more than three nights you can expense a movie – either in the theater or in your hotel room.
Presentation/Product Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:44 pm Job: Create customized presentations for potential and current customers for sales staff. Train field reps on company’s value story as well as product and content advantages that distinguish from competitors. Professional degree required. Salary: 65K Experience: 3 years with company Benefits: -annual performance-based raise; approximately 2-3% -8% bonus depending on department’s goal completion -15 vacation days (increase to 20 after 5 years w. company) -4 floating holidays/personal days -6 sick days -2 volunteer days -company donation matching or donation for time volunteered up to $1000 -401k and or Roth 401k with 4% matching, -gym membership, in office exercise classes, in office game room. -Perks program w. discounts on cars, travel, restaurants, tickets etc. -pickup/dropoff mechanic services while you work -free towing/jumpstart services from any office location during winter -carpool incentives -Pension plan used to exist but was terminated. Only a handful of employees who made the cutoff are still in the workforce -coffee, tea, and iced tea 24/7 -raffles for professional sports events and concerts -turkey at Thanksgiving -Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
Program Associate* August 10, 2017 at 12:44 pm Job Description: Supporting the division through research and topical writing on criminal justice, taking minutes, grant reporting, administrative duties, and logistical support. Geographical Area: NYC Experience: 4 years; 1.5 years with current org Benefits: –> 17 days of vacation; at 5yrs w/ org vacation goes up to 20 days (unused days roll-over) –>12 days of sick leave (unused days roll-over) –>12 days of paid federal holidays –>2-5% retirement matching and 401k –>Vested 20% per year of employment –>Transportation subsidy (deducted pre-tax) –>I chose a High Deductive Health Plan –>Company contributes $1,250 in my HSA account; my deductible is $2,600 –>Preventative health, dental, and eye services 100% covered –>80% coverage for basic and major dental work –>Health, dental, and eye coverage deductions pre-tax –>Tuition reimbursement: 100% (A’s), 50% (B’s), 25% (C’s), nothing lower than that –>$1,000 annually for professional development –>Flexible schedule so I can work from home as needed
Candy* August 10, 2017 at 12:45 pm Library assistant at a Canadian university. I’ve worked here over 10 years. Five weeks paid vacation + the usual 12 stat holidays and one week unpaid over Christmas when the university is closed. Taking sick days of 3 days or less is called casual illness and as far as I understand there’s no limit on how many of these you can take — unless it’s considered excessive or there’s possible abuse of the policy and then it’s considered sick leave, which is 26 weeks at 100% of salary. This is Canada so we have healthcare, but our benefits also provide Extended Health Care which basically means our dental is covered for 80% (dental isn’t covered by CDN healthcare, which is ridiculous) plus long term disability and all that. Other interesting benefits are free tuition for employees and their children and spouses (100% if you work fulltime or 50% if you work parttime), unpaid leave for up to a year (I recently took a year off to travel and also made use our benefits’ travel insurance as well), and of course this is Canada so there’s 1 year parental leave too.
OfficeWitch* August 10, 2017 at 12:45 pm Office Manager (Non-Profit) Colorado 8 Years Experience – Unlimited Vacation – $100 month wellness stipend (for gym) – 3 month 100% paid parental leave – $2000 for professional development after 2 years of service Great benefits despite not being the most exciting position!
Program Associate* August 10, 2017 at 12:53 pm Unlimited vacation? I’ve heard of companies doing this. Do you find that people take more or less vacation annually?
OfficeWitch* August 10, 2017 at 12:59 pm It’s actually worked out really well! Typically people tend to take 2 -3 weeks of vacation annually, but we recently instated that employee’s have to take 2 weeks minimum because there were a few employees who weren’t taking vacation time and experiencing burn out unnecessarily. Biggest issue has been getting people to give adequate notice before their time off but we’re rolling out a schedule notification soon to counteract that.
Program Associate* August 10, 2017 at 3:18 pm Wow, that ‘s a great system you have! It would be great to have support and encouragement from management for staff to take time off incrementally, instead of in spurts as staff experience burnout. Grinding is promoted more than personal care. If we had unlimited vacation, I guarantee you, folks would be gone all of the time.
UK charity advice and information* August 10, 2017 at 12:46 pm Your job: health information, advice and advocacy for a charity Your geographic area: London, UK Your years of experience: 1 year in the charity sector, 12 years total post-college experience Vacation: 25 days to take when I want and option to buy up to 5 more, plus 8 bank holidays and 5-6 other days we’re closed Sickness: 8 weeks full pay and 8 weeks half pay, goes up to 12 weeks/16 weeks after 2 years and keeps going up based on years of service, also can take a certain number of medical appointments in work hours, also 5 days compassionate/bereavement leave Pension matching: you give 7%, they give 14% Health insurance: N/A Other stuff: flex schedule, 35-hour week, can work from home one day a week, free tea coffee and milk, interest free season ticket loan, subsidised yoga, Pilates and massages, lots of paid training I’m sure we have good parental leave but I’m not aware of the details.
UK charity advice and information* August 10, 2017 at 12:57 pm Also death in service lump sum payout to your chosen beneficiary and a very good EAP with access to therapy within five days when needed.
Something else I forgot* August 11, 2017 at 12:36 am We get paid our salary as normal for jury duty and then just have to claim available allowances and get them paid direct to work.
epidemiologist* August 10, 2017 at 12:47 pm -I analyze and disseminate data (reports, presentations, etc) to support the work of public health programs (surveillance activities, targeting interventions, etc) -government agency -city in Southwest US -2 years experience – vacation and sick time accumulate per month, how much depends how long you’ve been here- mine is 8hrs for sick, 9hrs for vacation, plus holidays -I don’t pay any of my health insurance premium, if I had dependents I’d pay part of theirs, vision and dental are extra -I’m ashamed to say I don’t really understand my retirement-related benefits, but I do have them-I think there’s a 401k involved somehow
Data Analyst (Real Estate Investment / Tax Credit Syndication / Asset Management Firm)* August 10, 2017 at 12:47 pm – Database management (just like in general); Responsible for requesting, tracking and inputting financials for about 650 properties; Managing invoices and payments for/from all properties (Coordinating w/ Accounting); Auditing financials for my portfolio at the end of each quarter; Coordinating between Asset Managers, Housing Compliance and management companies; Creating/ Proofing internal guidelines; Proofing new deal documents; Tech support for proprietary records system, ect. (the duties of this job can be pretty fluid and new ones get added/taken away quite often, but those are the consistent ones) -Boston, MA – 10 years with the company, 2 in this position – Sick leave: 7 days; Vacation: 6 weeks; 25% 401K match; 42% insurance premium covered; 42% HSA contribution match (this changes depending if you have an individual or family plan); In the summer get out at 3 on Fridays, but paid till 5; Causal Fridays (and this year casual August); yearly bonus’s and raise’s in September, with a bonus in December if we have a good year; Flex time (varies per manager); Tuition reimbursement 50% for a C and 100% for a B or above; Parking reimbursement; MBTA reimbursement for up to $53 (this can be used on: T pass, Commuter pass, bus pass, boat pass or cabs) Side Note: My company is known in the industry as a golden cage. They don’t pay very well and there isn’t much room for advancement, but the benefits are awesome. We tend to have 2 kinds of employees: lifers who’ll stay for their entire career and people who stay for a couple to cut their teeth and then move on because there’s no where to go once you get to a certain point in your career with us (despite my number of years, I am not a lifer).
Senior Accounting Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:48 pm I work for a small public accounting firm in Central Texas. My job entails anything from preparing financial reports to drafting tax returns to advising clients on best practices to accounting software consulting and troubleshooting to some light bookkeeping to training clients’ employees. I have been in accounting for 17 years. I returned to school to take all of the required classes to sit for the CPA exam in Texas and am currently studying for the exam. Until the end of last year, I was a subcontractor, so no benefits. I now have: – 2 weeks paid vacation – the most flexible schedule you can imagine. I work from home two days a week. My boss prefers it if I am in the office two or three days a week, but if something comes up I can just email her even if it is just to say, “Today, I.can.not.” My hours are up to me – I prefer early mornings, and many times I leave the office by 2:00. That being said, I do work late or suuuuuuper early when the job calls for it. Work/life balance is stressed as important – part of the comapany’s mission statment is, “We believe that families come first, and that people should be empowered to create a harmonious work/life balance.” We have a new CPA who just came to our firm from a larger, more prestigeous firm because we have such an awesome schedule and work/life balance. – free tech support for our personal laptops that we use for work. – snacks and beverages and the occasional lunch (especially during tax season) – a masseuse and masseur that come in every few weeks during stressful times of the year (tax season and the weeks before deadlines) for free 30 minute full body massages. – in the past my boss has offered us reimbursements for some classes – regardless of if they had to do with our jobs or not – she just thought we should be encouraged to keep learning. – no health insrance although I know my boss would like to offer it in the future.
Senior Accounting Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:53 pm I forgot that in addition to my paid time off (10 days), I also get 10 paid holidays per year.
Senior Accounting Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm I guess most of these are really perks, not benefits, but eh, whatever.
Sr. Marketing Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:50 pm 1) Job: content, social media, marketing strategy, demand-gen, product marketing/sales training, event strategy, co-manage summer intern… whatever other marketing-related duties they need, we’re a small team, which I love 2) Location: tech start-up in Silicon Valley, ~70 employees 3) Experience: 9.5 years in marketing, MBA, should be promoted to a Director title within the next 6-8 months 4) Benefits: – unlimited vacation (start-up life) that we can actually use, unlimited sick time, flexible work-from-home policy, office is closed for national holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.) – options for HSA, FSA, or traditional insurance plans, so contributions differ, they give $125/mo to my HSA, my monthly prescription is covered 100%, and my birth control implant was the cost of an office visit at $130 (HSA plans I’ve had usually bill office visits only, so standard wellness/prevention visits are billed as an office visit), dental and vision are covered for employees and nominal cost for dependents (my husband is also on my plan) – they offer a 401(k) but don’t currently have a match, they offer options with standard 4-year vesting, 1-year cliff – downtown parking pass for car commuters, subsidized monthly train pass for rail commuters – other perks include unlimited snacks and drinks in the break room, catered lunch 1x/week, monthly company events (happy hour, picnic, game night with pizza, etc.), dinner reimbursement if you work late, Christmas party, gaming console and old-school arcade game in the lobby, we can walk one block to the trendy downtown restaurant scene for lunch, in my case the location means I can bike to work
Lead Marketing Strategist* August 10, 2017 at 12:50 pm Marketing strategist for an integrated marketing department for the Wisconsin school system (university level). -Analyze metrics to develop multi-medium marketing strategy for 6 degree programs. -Specialize in development of launch materials for new degrees. -Write content for various tactics for program marketing. -Oversee student workers. Will oversee two FT strategy employees with upcoming promotion (in process). Stationed in Madison, WI 13 years experience, not necessarily in strategy. Started out as a copy editor, moved into book editing, landed in copywriting, which brought me into marketing strategy. Benefits: -Flat rate 5 1/2 weeks vacation, 4 weeks sick. -13% pension, half required employee contribution, half matched by state. -Health insurance USED to be covered 100%, now we have copays and a moderate monthly premium. Dental is included in health at no extra cost. -Work life balance is EXCELLENT, but that’s more a result of my awesome boss than the organization itself. Not sure about maternity bennies, as that’s not really my bag. The vacation is the main reason I wanted to get a job with the university system. Pay is lower than private sector, but, again because of awesome boss, I’ve had the opportunity to move up quite a bit within the organization to make up for the original pay cut.
Office Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:51 pm I wear a lot of hats at this job. I supervise the seven employees who work in the office, I handle payroll, and I deal with all the HR issues. I also do most of the IT support. This is for an oil & gas service company in a remote part of north-western Canada. I have 16 years office experience, plus three years industry experience working in the field. To be honest, my current benefits are actually the worst I’ve ever had. However, the salary is 90K+, which is well above the average for my location and job duties. The biggest benefit is the hours. I keep core hours of 10-4 PM, Mon – Thursday. Everything else is at my discretion, as long as the work gets done. Even in core hours, I’ve never had a problem leaving for an appointment. I can remotely login and work as well. Most weeks I don’t work Fridays, and I’m really OK with that. I get 3 weeks vacation, plus statutory holidays. I had to negotiate that I would always take at least two weeks in a row off each year, as do all my staff who have access to the accounting software. (The company owner told me later that my insistence that all the accounting staff, including myself, would need to take 2 week vacations was what put me over the other candidate.) No medical or dental, but that’s not quite as big of a deal in Canada as it is in the States. No retirement benefits. No life insurance or short or long term disability. No reimbursement for mileage.
Human Resources Associate* August 10, 2017 at 12:51 pm Job: I’m an HR Associate – I work closely with the entire HR team (HR Business Partners, Comp, HRIS Analytics, Benefits) to assist with their functions. My main priority is the HRBPs and helping them with their recruiting functions. Location: PNW Experience: 1 year Benefits: 17 days PTO, accrued. That goes up with tenure, so you get 20 days by year 5. This is an umbrella, so no separate vacation and sick. 4% match 401k, 2 year vesting schedule, and they match per-paycheck We have medical, dental, vision, prescription. There are several medical options, including an HDHP that comes with an employer contribution HSA card. I pay for the most expensive PPO, standard everything else, and my costs are about $60 per paycheck. We also have a standard employer paid life insurance policy that you can add to. I elected to add to mine and it raised my costs by about 50 cents per paycheck. (Disclaimer: I am a 20 something single person) Other interesting tidbits: we have paid community service hours, a wellness grant (50% of your cost up to $200), and tuition reimbursement up to $5k per year. We are a financial institution and so we get employee pricing on products and services – you can get up to 2% off interest rates on loans and mortgages. We also have partnerships with companies like Nike and Columbia Sportswear so sometimes we get access to employee stores. Food trucks come a couple days a week to our corporate locations for lunch.
Development & Communications Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:51 pm Job: Very small nonprofit (6 year-round staff plus 8 for the program season, budget of about $750K). My ED handles high-level development (donor meetings, annual strategy and budget, final approval on all grants) while I write grants, manage donor database, plan and execute 3 fundraising/donor cultivation events per year, manage business sponsor relationships, create reports. I also manage all of our communications including social media, website content, two annual program snapshots, annual program catalog, and relationships with media partners. And since we’re small, other work as needed/as time allows. Area: Pacific Northwest city Experience: 2.5 years in this role, 3+ years prior to that in a program admin position in the same org Benefits: 17 PTO days per year. Not sure how many official days sick leave, but in practice it’s as-needed so long as we make up work that was missed. Year-round employees get health, dental, and vision, and we pay 20%. I’m familiar with the salaries of a number of folks in my area with similar jobs in similar orgs, and I know my salary is on the low end. But for me, the amount of flexibility I have with my schedule (e.g. working partial days from home in this last heat wave, doctors’ appointments mid-day, etc.) and with sick-days (as someone who catches every cold and flu there is) is incredibly valuable. I also receive personal and family discounts on programs hosted by my org, which are in high demand. And of course, as a nonprofit, there are the little benefits that help make us feel appreciated–leftover fundraiser wine, lunch paid for by board members, discount cards from business partners, things like that.
Quality Control Manager, Language Services* August 10, 2017 at 12:52 pm Quality control manager for a language services provider. Oversee linguistic quality across products/brands/languages. Miami, FL 6 years’ experience BA and MA in the field – 15 days PTO, 20 after 5 years, can roll over up to 120 hours annually – 50% health/dental/vision covered, good plans all around – 401K with matching up to 5%, vested immediately – $15k in life insurance – Ample coffee, tea, and soda – No paid parental leave – Privately held, so no stock options This is pretty standard for my area.
Senior QA Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:53 pm Try to make sure that what our customers see is as perfect as it can be. I writ test cases, confirm with stakeholders that I’ve understood requirements, on occasion write the requirements, supervise QA Analyst, write our part of release notes, set up automated tests, chat to devs to resolve issues and generally know everything about what our products do. So some support for internal people too. In the UK. >10 years testing, 3.5 in this job. Sick leave is only when you’re sick. Job will pay full rate for first 20 days in a y rolling year, then it goes to SSP for 28 weeks (£89/week but I’d also get housing benefit to pay rent at that point). If you have more than 5 periods in a year they’ll want a chat about what’s happening and can they help. Or check not skiving, but manager would have been addressing that long before. Holidays: Bank Holidays (8) + 26 days = 34. I did have 25 floating until got extra at 3 years’ service. (Legal minimum is 28 including bank holidays.) Pension matching… legal min is 3% but my company does 6%. Health insurance… not applicable. In UK so never pay to see doc or go to hospital. I mean you can if you want to ( get private room, etc and more choice ) but I’ve had a fractured skull, been in traction for 6 weeks after a road traffic accident, had a hole in heart repaired as a child, and as adult had abdominal surgery & two c-sections & associated maternity appointments &scans… and various minor things… and I’ve never felt the need to go private. But if I did… it’s one of the benefits on offer. If you like,you can have either private health or private dental. You do pay for dental if your not exempt, but an entire course of treatment up to and including dentures will cist a max of £244 so don’t other with that either. (Reason don’t take it anyway is because although the company pays, they are taxable benefits, and it’s not worth it.)
Senior QA Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:57 pm Oh and they give 12 weeks maternity at 90% of salary and then 27 at SMP (£140/week) instead of legal mi of 6 weeks 90% and 33 SMP. So hasn’t affected me but is nice
Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 12:53 pm * Adult Services Librarian; small suburban public library * Central NY * 4 years experience * 20 days of vacation per year (does not roll over), 11 paid holidays, 1 floating holiday and 2 personal days, and I accumulate sick time at a rate of 1 day per month, up to 120 days (payable upon retirement). * Member of NYS Retirement System * Employer pays 90% of health insurance premium, and annually contributes the full cost of the deductible to my HSA * 85% coverage for dental
Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 12:54 pm 3 wk vacation (2 for the first year), plus 6 personal/sick days. Plus any additional sick time legally required by location (Seattle req 9, so it’s 6 personal/sick + 3 sick) Parental leave is 10 wks maternity (for actually giving birth) + 6 weeks parental if you’ve been there a year (which applies to dads too). You can sacrifice some of that time and still get the pay if your partner works and has no paid leave. Dental plan covers 100% preventative, 90% small stuff (fillings etc), 50% big stuff (crowns etc) with a 1500/yr max Vision covers exam, lenses, $100 towards frames Health insurance has s few plans, employee only is very cheap and spouse + kids are less subsidized but still not bad. The most expensive plan for the whole family is ~500/mo (low deductible, co-pay only for everything). The higher deductible plan is ~200/mo. There’s also the option to do an FSA 401k matching is 50% up to 4% of your salary (so if you put in 4, they contribute 2) There’s also life insurance, 2x my base salary.
Plant Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:55 pm Job: Run operations (manufacturing, purchasing, warehouse) for US branch of a small European company, about 30 people report indirectly or directly to me. Area: Detroit Metro Years of experience: 17 overall, 8 at this company Benefits: -15 days PTO, no rollover. Started at 10 days, went to 15 at 5 years service, will go to 20 at 10 years -10 days paid facility shutdown (1 week in summer, 1 week in winter) -health/dental/vision paid 80% (2 plan options) -10K company funded life insurance, can buy more -401K match to 4% -Leave of absence -Not official, but there’s always been a small end-of-year bonus -Lots of unofficial flexibility. Off-the-books vacation rollover, we’re paying someone during an unexpected illness even though he didn’t opt into disability insurance, etc.. Note: These are the same benefit at any position, though the bonus is bigger for the top four management people.
Library Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:55 pm 1. Job: I’m a specialist for media and information services, specialisation library, or as it used to be called: library assistant. It’s a 3 year apprenticeship in contrast to studying it at the university. Since we’re a small library, we all do basically everything, although acquisition and cataloguing is mainly done by my boss (the only librarian). 2: Geographic area: Germany 3: Experience: 2,5 years apprenticeship, 6 months since I’m finished with that 4: Benefits: 30 vacation days per year (available right away) Unlimited sick days (but if you’re out for longer than 6 weeks for the same illness, you don’t get your normal salary anymore but less money from the health insurance; also need a doctor’s note from the third day on) Employer pays half of insurances: Health, pension, long term care, unemployment Employer pays all of accident insurance If I had a savings plan, they’d pay around 6€/month into that No library fees or fines for me!
Library Technical Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 5:49 pm County government job, circulation staff, light programming, entry level. Geographic area: Arizona, library serves 1.1 million in the greater County. Experience: less than a year in the library, more than 15 years in similar government role. Benefits: -10 paid holidays. -12 paid days off of sick leave. -Civic Duty Leave (jury duty) is not deducted from employee’s leave bank. -12-21 paid days of vacation leave depending on years of service. -Bereavement Leave is not deducted from employee’s leave bank. For use in the death of an immediate family member: up to three (3) consecutive work days or up to five (5) consecutive work days if out of state is granted Retirement: Mandatory Employee Contribution: 11.34% / Employer Match: 11.34%, fully vested at 10 years. High Deductible Health Plan HDHP: bi-weekly deductions Employee Only $35.00 Employee + Spouse $48.92 Employee + Child(ren) $47.86 Employee + Family $66.03 HSA contribution from employer, $1,000/yr for employee only , $2,000 for employee + family. Dental: biweekly deductions Employee Only $10.23 Employee + Spouse $25.20 Employee + Children $23.11 Employee + Family $38.0 -Basic Life Insurance Coverage: $50,000 of Basic Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance for all insurance eligible employees at no cost to the employee. -Parental Leave: Employees who are eligible for benefits & have been employees with the County for at least 12 months are eligible for 6-weeks of partially paid parental leave within the first 12- weeks after the birth or adoption of a child. The benefit will be paid at 66-2/3% of employee’s regular pay at time of leave.
Job Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 12:55 pm Scope: I am an admin assistant for several project managers in the mechanical service/installation industry. My duties involve purchasing, data entry, billing, cost analysis, tracking warranty, and all the other bits and bobs that come in a support position. Location: Pennsylvania, small city Experience: BA and (almost) MA in an unrelated field, been in this position 5 years since getting the BA Benefits: Pretty standard for America, I think. I get a little over 2 week’s PTO every year, and it accrues weekly. This bank is used for vacation and sick days, but my supervisior is very flexible about scheduling unpaid days off when requested. We also get six paid federal holidays a year. Maternity/Paternity leave is just the FLMA minimum (12 weeks?). My health/vision/dental is about $100/mo for a single person. The company offers 401k match of 25% up to the employee’s 5% deferral (hopefully that makes sense).
Senior Health Educator* August 10, 2017 at 12:55 pm Job: Senior Health Educator/Cultural and Linguistic Specialist for a mid-sized Medicaid managed care health plan. I make sure that our health plan members receive respectful and culturally appropriate health care and language services. Train staff and providers on cultural competency, data analysis and interventions on health disparities, collaborate with industry and gov’t work groups to address cultural health needs of community, and more. Years experience: 1.5 at this job/industry, total experience ~10 years (5 years post PhD) Location: Los Angeles County Benefits: 18 days combined PTO + standard US holidays + 1 “floating holiday” per year, 3 days bereavement 401k with 4% match Employee stock purchase plan at 15% discount Health insurance: Medical/Dental/Vision for me and my partner; My contribution is about $170 per month for the cheapest plan available, not sure what the total paid by my company… Flexible Spending Account All in all I’m happy with the benefits package–except that I really wish for more PTO. I’m always on the fence about combined PTO (rather than vacation time and sick leave). I’m pretty healthy, so I’m fortunate enough to be able to use most of those 18 days for vacation/personal time, but it definitely makes me think twice before taking a sick/personal day and I probably push myself harder than I should in that arena.
Senior Health Educator* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm Oh, also education reimbursement, gym in the building, and a few other “perks” :)
Minister* August 10, 2017 at 12:56 pm Title: Minister Geographic area: Southern USA Small church My benefits are limited, which is not unusual for minister’s, especially at small congregations. I do get a couple interesting things, though. 2 weeks paid vacation Flexible schedule during the week (no problem for me to take a random day off here and there) Sick leave as needed (functionally unlimited) No insurance or retirement, so I’m all on my own with those. Use of parsonage (which is pretty nice, actually!) Free electric/water/trash
Credit Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 12:57 pm Credit analyst for a tech company of about 500 people. Determine Credit worthiness of customers and risk of credit transactions. Provide direct back up to my manager (unofficial team lead). Additional accounts receivable duties (order review, invoicing, account maintenance, collections, etc). 2 years at this company, 1+ years total experience Colorado Standard Benefits: *3% 401k match *Stock options *88 hours of vacation a year. Increases by 8 hours annually up to 120 hours. *7 paid holidays *1 extra day off for my birthday can be taken each calendar year. *24 hours per year of personal time. *Bonus day off every quarter that the company hits their revenue goals. Must be taken in the following quarter. *Opportunity to earn bonus 1/2 day off monthly each month the department hits their AR collections goals, opportunities to earn additional bonus time off. Must be taken within 1 month. *Full medical, dental, & vision plans, company pays 50% and self insures through United Health Care. Multiple plan choices, all of them good coverage. Options for FSA or HSA depending on plan. Company paid the 2nd half of the annual deductible. *Life, AD&D, etc *EAP, which also covers some legal benefits, like attorney references and free wills. *Legal insurance buy up *Identity theft protection Additional Benefits & Perks *Multiple onsite gyms with daily fitness classes *Resident rate for city rec centers & 10% off annual memberships. *In house subsidized cafe with gourmet sandwiches & salads for $5, daily hot special & free soda. *Free onsite pick up and delivery of dry cleaning (dry cleaning at regular rates) *Discounted onsite bike repair *Onsite haircuts and chair massages 2x a month. *Onsite pinball, ping-pong, volleyball, horse shoes, corn hole *Partial reimbursement for local 10k & entry to party in the box level *10% off at multiple local restaurants *$150 off rent at one apartment complex
Member Services* August 10, 2017 at 12:57 pm –Non-profit trade association member services –DFW, TX –5 years experience — 15 vacation, 6 sick, 3 personal, 10 paid holidays plus floating hours that can be used before holidays (vacation increases each year) –10% of annual salary amount into retirement account, vested after 5 years –employer allocates cost of high-deductible health plan with an HSA/FSA, dental, and vision, for one individual. Employee gets that amount to spread among insurance and retirement plans as desired. –Free lunch once a month –Paid volunteer time with community –Reimburse $100/annually for fitness classes or membership –$50/annually for a new pair of shoes –3 days/week work from home and flexible hours –Also offers life insurance and short-term disability, not sure of the details as I haven’t needed them.
Member Services* August 10, 2017 at 12:59 pm Forgot to mention EAP and assistance with locating health care providers.
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 12:57 pm Job responsibilities :Administrative Assistant for United Methodist Church, one of three full time employees (other two are clergy). I do everything a church secretary does AND all marketing/PR/external communication (I have an MA in Journalism) – so I book baptisms, answer the phone, prepare invoices for payment, write and edit a monthly 8 page newsletter distributed electronically (and print out/collate/staple/fold/stamp/mail paper copies to parishioners who don’t do email), update the website calendar, compose and send out email blasts….and in a pinch I’ve facilitated an adult Bible Study. Location: New York City suburbs (Connecticut) Experience: 2 years at this position; 10+ years as admin/clerical, 10+ years in communications (writing, editing, reporting) Benefits: No health care or retirement benefits (Note: this position carried major medical coverage until about a year before I was hired; I replaced a 25-year veteran who received health insurance for nearly all of her time here). 25 days PTO annually for any reason 7 paid holidays Tuition reimbursement for relevent adult education/college courses
the gold digger* August 10, 2017 at 12:58 pm your job: Marketing for the R&D group of an engineering company (I translate engineer speak about new products and systems into non-technical messages that will resonate with executives, i.e., with the people who sign the purchase orders for millions of dollars) your geographic area: Milwaukee your years of experience: 22 a description of your benefits: * 15 vacation days (I am a little unhappy about that – I tried for more) * seven sick days (they used to be personal days and I am really cranky about that) * I think my ER pays about 50% of my premium – I can’t remember. I do remember the days when the ER paid 100% of the premium. * There is an onsite gym at my office where they supply the towels. It’s really nice and almost nobody in the office uses it. I go every day at lunch. * I work from home anytime my boss is out of the office. He travels frequently (he will be gone two weeks just this month). That is worth money to me, literally (not putting 20 miles a day on the one car my husband and I own) and figuratively (getting to sleep a little later, not having to take a shower, being by windows, and having my cats around). I would definitely change jobs for money, but it would have to be a lot of money to make up for having a great boss who is very flexible and for working with really nice, really smart people who do cool work.
Library Assistant II* August 10, 2017 at 12:58 pm Cataloging/Adult programing position in a town of 25,000 in the Midwest. Been in this position for 2 1/2 years in the profession for about 3/12. This is a union position Pension I pay 5% they pay 5% goes up to 6.5% for the city at year seven. Health Insurance they pay 91% currently. Vacation 9 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays. Vacation leave accrues at the rate of 3.08 hours per pay period worked going up to 4.62 hours at 5 years. Sick leave accrues at the rate of 3.70 hours a pay period. All of this might change at the union agreement expires in September and I haven’t heard anything about an update.
Lab Manager* August 10, 2017 at 12:58 pm Job: manage staff, budgets, equipment acquisition and maintenance, coordinate with people on intra- and interagency efforts, review analytical work, some project manager-ish stuff for non-routine work, remind lay-folks that it’s not like what’s on TV. Region: West Coast, US Experience: 15-20y (at various levels from entry to this) Benefits: Oh god, y’all, I have a unicorn. I almost feel bad detailing it. I wish everyone had this package. – I get approximately 10 sick days a year (they accrue on a #hr/payperiod basis and roll over with no cap) – Our annual leave starts at the same rate and increases with years in service, I currently get just under 20d/y (which feels like a cruel irony because I cannot possibly use them all but it’s super nice to have the buffer in case of an emergency, it also rolls over but it caps eventually) – My employer pays most of my health/dental/vision insurance premiums, I haven’t done the math but I think I pay somewhere around 20-25% with my number of dependents and plan (we have several plans to choose from, some people don’t have any out of pocket expenditure, I do) – I have a pension with a significant employer contribution and a deferred compensation plan – Other, interesting: basically all the holidays, transit benefit, a flexible work schedule (as operations permit), a benevolent leave fund (so I know where to donate all that excess leave when it gets out of hand and depressing), free coffee and tea, lots of opportunities for continuing education including reimbursement for directly applicable formal education and a ton of available (free, relevant) classes, non-management staff are represented by a collective bargaining unit.
Archivist* August 10, 2017 at 12:58 pm Archivist at a historical society; grant-funded 3-year assignment for a specific project NY state 9 yrs experience Benefits: 15 vacation days (accrued annually) 12 sick days (accrued annually) 4 personal days 12 holiday days Medical: uncertain how much of the premium my employer pays but my part is $23/mo just for me. Dental/Vision: employer pays full premium just for me. Retirement plan: Employer contributes 7.5% of my salary after a year of employment No professional development money, but I can take paid time off that doesn’t come out of any of my regular PTO.
naanie* August 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm Also an archivist at a historical society, in the Midwest -6 years of experience -I accrue about 5 hours of vacation (the amount goes up the longer I work here), and about 4 hours of sick time every two-week pay period -State holidays off paid -Employer pays almost all of my health insurance premium as a single person; I pay a marginal amount for dental (like, under $10 per month) -No vision plan -Retirement plan – employer matches contributions to a retirement account up to about 6% of my gross salary -Professional Development – I pay for professional association fees personally; get a small amount for paid webinars, little to none for traveling out of state, but could count it as work time if I eat the cost. -Other perk – no overtime is expected, and I don’t (can’t!) take work home with me, since I work with accessioned collections.
Manager, Accounting Services* August 10, 2017 at 12:59 pm Duties: Pretty much everything relating to accounting for a small equipment manufactuing division of a med/large manufacturing/marketing company – financial statement prep/review, cost accounting, budget development/review, commission calculation, forecasting/planning, “other duties as assigned”. No staff to manage (YAY!!) Location: Metro Atlanta Experience: 2.5 years here, 25 total Benefits: Vacation – 1 to 4 years, 10 days. 5-14 years, 15 days. Sick leave, open more-or-less as a salaried employee. Holidays – 10 observed, includes 2 floating holidays. Medical Insurance – company pays about 80%. Coverage so-so. Disability – so-so basic coverage, with buy-up to make it more or less OK. 401k Match – 50% of contribution, limited to 6% of compensation.
Academic IT director* August 10, 2017 at 12:59 pm I direct a team of about a dozen people doing IT work at a university. I have about 10 years experience in this line of work and 15 overall post-college. Northeastern city. I get 15 days vacation which is a less than in previous jobs but okay because I live in my home city and don’t have to travel for holidays anymore. We also get off a week around New Year’s which doesn’t count against our vacation. I forget how much sick time I get! I think I accrued enough that I hit some ceiling. Retirement benefits are great here. They match up to 5% and contribute a percentage for free depending on your age. So I get 4% from that, for a total of NINE PERCENT from them, plus I contribute 11% myself for a total of 20% of my salary to retirement. The health benefits are not as good as I had ten years ago. I pay about 20% of the premiums monthly, although this is for nice, standard health insurance with pretty low copays. Also dental, vision, life, and disability insurance subsidized by them. My take-home is kind of absurdly low when you subtract out all this stuff, but I like the security. Not an official benefit: they reimburse me fully for a lot more travel than I used to get in prior jobs, like international conferences and stuff. They also don’t care at all if you tack on personal travel as long as you can show that the different flight dates don’t jack up the airfare cost a lot.
Director of Claims (Property and Casualty Insurance)* August 10, 2017 at 1:00 pm 1. I am the Director of Claims at a regional insurance company in the midwest. I supervise the property and casualty departments, all litigation against the company and its insureds, and work with our agents on E&O issues. I also serve as a sometimes General Counsel. 2. Upper Midwest 3. 12 years’ experience as an attorney; 6 years’ experience in management 4. Three weeks’ vacation, with the possibility of rolling over 50% of that amount into the next year if I don’t use it all; unlimited sick leave; 401k match is 3% of employee’s contribution; my employer pays 80% of the premium for our health insurance plan. I also get a company car as a benefit, primarily due to the amount of travel I do for my job. The company car comes with paid-for insurance, maintenance, and fuel.
Director of Claims (Property and Casualty Insurance)* August 10, 2017 at 1:39 pm Forgot to mention that I receive a discretionary 6% bonus (discretionary based on company results, not how they “feel” about me). Also 12 weeks of maternity leave, but only six weeks paid. And there is a self-insured dental plan, but I forgot about it because I don’t participate.
Research Planning Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:02 pm Job: Research Development at a state Research I University (internal funding and limited submissions mostly) Area: Southeast US Experience: 2 years Benefits: 14 vacation days (more if you’ve been here longer), 12 sick days, closed between Christmas & New Years as well as other federal holidays. If you’re on FMLA, you can get sick leave donated to you from other employees. They pay most of my health insurance premium, can opt in to FSA, dental, vision, etc. with several plan levels available. They contribute to my retirement, but I don’t remember the particulars. May take up to 3 free classes a year. Discounts on food at on campus eateries, sporting tickets (some are free), daycare (at the small place for employees), parking pass. There are also some local businesses that give discounts to university employees, or state employees in general. Obviously, my workplace isn’t providing those, but they do try to compile them on the HR website so we can find them.
Associate Copy Editor* August 10, 2017 at 1:04 pm I work for a media company that runs several news websites, and I copy edit articles for online publication. – Phoenix, AZ metro area – I have 13 years of professional experience, but I’ve only been in this job since July 17 – My benefits don’t start until I have been here 60 days, but once that happens, I will have: medical insurance (choice of HMO, PPO, or high deductible plan/HSA – can’t remember premium contributions off the top of my head), LTD, life insurance, 401k with matching after six months of employment, parental leave (100% pay for two weeks, can be used by either fathers or mothers, for bio and adopted kids), pregnancy and childbirth leave (50% pay for 10 weeks, for mothers who are pregnant or have given birth only), 12 days of PTO in the first year (18 second year, 24 third year and beyond), unlimited sick time, bereavement leave (3 days paid), EAP, monthly catered lunch, welcome lunches for new employees (you get reimbursed $25 if you take a new employee out to lunch on their first week). they provide free keurig coffee in addition to the barista/cafe, oatmeal, granola bars, ramen, coffee creamer, tylenol, motrin, etc. Only 4 paid holidays, which is kind of a bummer, but at least the PTO is fairly good to make up for it. Our office also has a gym, a library, a full kitchen and cafe with an onsite part-time barista (drinks are free for now), a game room, and it is a really flexible, casual, fun place to work. All employees are issued chomebooks and noise-cancelling headphones and encouraged to work wherever they want to in the building) you don’t need to stay at your desk the whole day). We have several remote employees, but as a rule they like you in the office most of the time if you are local (but if you have a sick kid or something, wfh is fine).
Staff Technical Editor* August 10, 2017 at 1:04 pm Job: I edit scientific articles after peer review for publication in professional/technical journals. We edit in XML so that the product can be pushed out/published in different formats easily. I have to edit for style, grammar, and XML tagging. I am also the back up journal lead (which means I help with monitoring production for a particular journal, monitor cover art, etc.). Area: Columbus, OH Years experience: 3 years (in this gig). I worked in educational publishing for 8 years prior. Benefits: Vacation – 15 days/year plus 3 floating holidays (can carry over up to 2x your yearly amount), 12 sick days/year (with unlimited carry over) of which you can use 5 days for family sick time (kid, spouse, etc.), plus 11 paid holidays/year Retirement matching – We have both a defined retirement fund and a traditional 403b. Our org contributes 6% of your base pay to the retirement fund and will match 50% of what YOU contribute to BOTH, up to a max contribution of 3% of your base pay for each. That means they are putting in 9% of your base pay from the company in the retirement fund plus 3% into your 403b (if you put in at least 6% of your base pay into the 403b). It works out to be up to 12% of your base pay from the company! You are 100% vested in your own contributions from the start and in the company contributions after 3 years. Maternity leave/family leave – paid at 85% of normal pay during short term disability (this is our “maternity” leave up to 6 weeks). This is really good for our area. You have to use vacation or sick time to get full pay during STD time and/or if you want to take more time. What portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you: not sure Cool benefits: Fitness membership reimbursement (and discount on membership at our neighboring university rec center), Employee Assistance Program (counseling, legal advice, etc.), a SWEET yearly carnival/picnic with fair food and games DURING work hours that we get paid to attend (company), yearly Christmas swag from our department, Christmas $ card (dept.), flex time (we have to be working during core hours but can start anytime between 7-9 am; can also work extra one day to make up time from another); telecommuting 2 days per week PLUS extra “bonus” telecommuting days (4 per 6 month vacation planning period); free flu shots and an annual health fair; onsite chair massage quarterly
Development Associate* August 10, 2017 at 1:04 pm Job: Development Associate – support multiple people in fundraising and administrative activities for a large non-profit. Years of Experience: 4, only one year in current role Location: DC Benefits: 15 days of vacation, 9 days sick leave accumulated per year. Ten paid pre-designated holidays Matches 2% retirement with 3 year vesting schedule. I pay around $70/month for insurance including health, vision, dental and life, my employer pays the rest. It’s an okay plan. We also get $50 reimbursement towards gym memberships each month if we demonstrate that we went at least 10 times $2000 per year for professional development/education that contributes to our role. They’re not especially picky about how you apply those benefits. Relatively flexible about working from home
Education Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 1:05 pm I coordinate the classes for adults at a very small non-profit community center. Scheduling, advertising, admin, and client-facing. I also teach one of the classes. 30-35hr/week. 3-4 years of experience Portland suburbs I get 2-3 weeks of PTO/sick (accrues based on hrs worked) and fairly generous unpaid time off (no specific amount, but we set our own schedules and no one complains as long as you get your work done). Will also get health insurance next month but don’t know what the premium is.
Client Support Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm Job – I work for a company that makes financial planning software and provide support to financial advisors who either have technical issues with the software or questions about how to model or illustrate things for their clients. Most of this is over the phone but sometimes is via chat or e-mail. Geographic area – East coast Years of experience – At this job, 8 months. Prior financial industry experience of 4 years. Total work experience of 16 years. Benefits – 15 vacation days 100% company paid health insurance (not a high deductible plan) 4% match on 8% 401(k) contribution We also have a dog friendly office (which we handle really well, I promise!) Bi-weekly chair massages Free snacks Sponsored food trucks Tennis court Fully paid accelerated CFP course Casual dress code (most of us wear jeans and t shirts) Our team has a happy hour every Friday Monthly fun activities (baseball and soccer games, movie trips, company parties, paint nights, etc….pretty much all of these are paid for by the company)
Publicity Manager (Non Profit)* August 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm your job: I am the Publicity (Public Relations) manager for a NYC non-profit. I handle public relations inquiries, work with different departments to strategize on promoting various programs and resources, work with reporters and occasionally answer questions from the public. your geographic area: NYC your years of experience: 10 years a description of your benefits: My organization has pretty great benefits, compared to other organizations I’ve worked with. I get 4 weeks vacation and basically unlimited sick leave. There isn’t 401k matching, but there is a retirement account. We have full medical, a relatively decent dental (not wonderful, but better than others), vision plan, flex spending. My employer pays about 80%.
Software QA Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm Job: In a nutshell, I test software. Sometimes I do it by writing programs (or modify existing programs) that run automated tests. Sometimes I do it by running manual tests. Much of my job involves coordinating with others to determine exactly what the product is supposed to do in specific scenarios. Area: San Francisco Bay Area Experience: First job out of great school, and first in the tech industry. I’ve been working here for a year. Benefits: Work from home 2 out of 5 days a week, except when an important customer or potential customer is visiting (not traditionally considered a benefit, but this is a big deal for me). 15 days PTO per year. 3 paid sick days per year. A good PPO for health insurance with good provider, as well as dental, vision, and death insurance, all paid 100% by employer. Will have option to buy up to 40,000 stock options (is a startup that’s existed for ~8 years and growing). Free hot lunches, snacks, and drinks on days we are in the office. Other things I love about my job: I also like the fact that, for the most part, no one cares when you come and go in the office. My boss (and most people) usually don’t show up until after 9:30, and are usually gone by 4:30. I also love the fact that it’s reverse commute for me (and most employees), which is an underrated aspect of a job that can greatly affect life happiness.
Software QA Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:09 pm I also forgot that I my employer contributes 4% to my 401k if I contribute 5%.
Software QA Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:16 pm I also forgot that on top of the 15 PTO, there are 11 paid company holidays per year. So I have a total of 26 paid days off each year (excluding things like sick days, medical leave, bereavement leave, etc.).
Systems Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm Technical member of sales team for a Silicon Valley tech company. Work with customers to understand their goals and how what I’m selling can help them be more successful meeting them. Solve technical problems/address objections to facilitate sales. Advise customers on best use of our products for their needs. Los Angeles 3 years in this position/company, 25 in industry Benefits: Company pays 80% of PPO health plan, or same dollar value of HMO health plan (which works out to a higher rate). Dental and vision paid at 80% $50,000 life insurance fully paid, plus pre-negotiated rate on supplemental life insurance Fully paid disability insurance for me and spouse No defined/accrued time off — So “Flexible Time Off”. As long as it’s OK with management, I can take it, but the intent is that it will be roughly 3 weeks per year. (This is a recent change, last fiscal year it was 3 weeks PTO accrual annually — lots of tech companies are making this change.) 7-8 US holidays (some years one flexes to include an additional Monday) 401k plan, but no matching Annual discretionary grants of company stock, on a 4-year vesting schedule (publicly traded company) My company manufactures computer security hardware and software. I’m permitted pretty free nuclear family use of our products, so my home Internet connection is very secure. I’m a field employee (i.e. not based in headquarters). 100% of field employees are home office. So my work is either from home or mileage/transit-reimbursed travel to customers (essentially all in Los Angeles area). Reimbursement for home office basics — Internet, cell phone, office supplies.
Documentary / Commercial Producer* August 10, 2017 at 1:07 pm Technically I am freelance but permanently committed to one small company, which I was FT at for 8 years previously, so I can speak for the whole company here… No health insurance or 401k 7 paid days vacation plus 4 (city-mandated) sick days Now that I’m freelance I have much more flexibility with my work hours, can work from home often, and can take on side projects that interest me. And I can take off whenever I want as long as there’s no pressing business. But yeah, don’t go into indie film unless you can hang with the above.
Documentary / Commercial Producer* August 10, 2017 at 1:14 pm I should add, we do have unlimited Nespresso and snacks and Muji notebooks.
Project Coordinator/Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:08 pm -Project Coordinator/Project Manager: Manage small to midsize consulting projects, act as project coordinator on large ($500k+) projects. Small company with 30 employees. -Location: Southwest (but company has employees everywhere so more just United States) -7 years experience Benefits: – 15 days of PTO to be used for whatever we like (20 days at 5 years) – 401k matching of 100% up to 4% then 50% for 5-6% – Company contributes set amount towards health insurance which means for an individual it’s free. For a family it’s $$$ – 1 year salary of life insurance – Work remotely so easily can work when under the weather but not too sick to be a waste of space – 10 paid holidays (including 1 floating) – Other ancillary benefits – FSA, health advocacy service, etc. – Maternity leave is undefined which is a little scary but it’s a kind considerate company overall so we shall see when I hit that point in my life.
Documentary / Commercial Producer* August 10, 2017 at 1:22 pm Hi – sorry if this is an awkward question to ask and feel free to ignore. I’m thinking of transitioning into a similar role and am wondering if you would mind sharing a salary range? I’ve seen a few job postings that ask me for a range and I really have no idea if I’m in the right ballpark or not.
Communications Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 1:08 pm I create marketing and training materials for a POS software (owned by a big-international-retailer). I write, produce, and edit videos. I design graphics. I write a blog, maintain social media, and send emails. I have 4 years in this line of work. Excellent benefits but salaries are on the low-end and it’s hard to get raises. Start with 2 weeks vacation (goes up to 3 weeks after 5 years), but lots of flex time (so I could take a half-day for appts and make it up). No limit on sick days. No limit on working from home (depending on department and your role). No dress code. 4% matching 401(k) and company ESOP. Company covers about 75% of health insurance costs and we have an on-site doctor’s clinic and personal trainer we can use for free, along with a fitness center and fitness classes offered for free. Also have a weekly visit on-site from a chiropractor, therapist, and maususse, where we get excellent discounts (I’ve only been to the chiropractor – a 15 min session is normally $48 and we pay $20).
Communications Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 1:11 pm Love the benefits, love the work environment, but the pay/raises will probably send me packing someday – I came in at an entry-level salary and am definitely not entry-level anymore (and only getting farther from that “level” as time goes on!). It’s a lot of work to apply for a raise, and you have to “convince people” all the way up to the owner and a committee of higher-ups (present to manager.. they agree, present to next level.. etc). And after all that, the average increase is like 2 – 5%.
Associate Pastor* August 10, 2017 at 1:08 pm Job: Associate Pastor at a metropolitan area, program-sized church (weekly attendance over 200); I preach once every 3-4 weeks, am Director of Faith Formation (so I oversee the church school, as well as serve on the adult ed committee), coordinate pastoral care, and serve as the pastoral liaison on the social justice team. Geographic area: A city next to Boston Years of Experience: 3-4 if you include the internships I did while at div school. Benefits: -4 weeks vacation, 1 week can roll over into the first quarter of the next year -federal holidays -sick time is based off the MA state minimum (1hr earned every 26 hrs worked), up to 40hrs per year can carry over, to a maximum of 480 hrs -employer pays 100% of health/dental/vision premium -paid sabbatical (3 months) after 6 years -the amount I spend on housing/utilities is tax-exempt (not really a benefit but a tax law) -employer contributes amount equal to %14 of my cash-salary to my pension -SECA allowance (because clergy are considered self-employed for certain taxes) -continuing education/professional development allowance -2 weeks of study leave per year (doesn’t roll over) -employer pays full cost of life insurance and workers comp. insurance after 12 months
Associate Pastor* August 10, 2017 at 1:12 pm I also really like that the only times I *have* to be in the office is when I have meetings or it’s my pastoral drop-in hours. Aside from that as long as I have phone/email access I can work at a café, my porch, the libarary, etc. My hours aren’t tracked, so as long as I get my work done on time it’s ok if I work fewer hours one day and more hours another.
Research Associate* August 10, 2017 at 1:09 pm * Qualitative researcher at a nonprofit in D.C.– probably best described as hyperspecific investigative journalism. * Washington, D.C. * I’ve been out of college 3 years, but I spend the last two years of undergrad professionally researching the subject area. I’ve been at the nonprofit for a little over a year. * 12 days vacation (base 10, +2 every year, caps at 18); 12 sick days; 3 personal days. Office closed from Christmas Eve to New Years, so that’s another 7ish paid days? 3% 401(k) match, 100% insurance covered (including vision and dental).
Accounts Payable* August 10, 2017 at 1:09 pm -I was hired to do standard A/P – enter invoices and cut checks. My title hasn’t changed, but I now also do payroll, help with a few financial reports, and various filings. -midwest. -I’ve only been here a little over a year, but I have around 15 years of experience. -Vacation – 80 hours and doesn’t go up until SEVEN(!!) years of seniority and then I’ll get another 40 hours -Sick – 40 hours -401k- 100% matching of our contributions up to 3% of our salary -ESOP stock – I’m not 100% on how this works. I just became eligible July 1st (you have to be here for 1 year and then can only join Jan 1 or July 1 after a year). April is when we’ll get our statements and then I’ll have a better idea of how much stock I get a year. I do know our stock price, but no idea if I’ll get 5 certificates or 500. While this should probably be an amazing benefit no one seems to understand exactly how it works. -The best benefit is that short term disability is paid for 100%. My employer covers the policy which pays a portion of our salary and they make up the rest of the pay. So essentially this means paid maternity leave, as well as paid sick leave in general.
Accounts Payable* August 10, 2017 at 1:18 pm Stuff I forgot: I get 10 paid holidays per year. My company also offers health, dental, vision but I don’t know how much of that they cover or the exact costs since I am on my spouse’s plan.
Manager of Scholarship Programs* August 10, 2017 at 1:09 pm Education. National organization – same benefits across states. 15-24 personal vacation days 25 paid holidays (2 weeks in winter, 1 week in summer and other major holidays) 4% match 12 years work experience; 3 at current org Health insurance is 90% or stipend if you have your own insurance
Chief of Staff* August 10, 2017 at 1:10 pm Essentially in charge of business operations for a small software company (HR, IT, Legal, Finance) Philadelphia suburbs 12 years in this job 4 weeks of PTO and up to 2 weeks rollover Unlimited sick time (as needed) 3% retirement matching 60% coverage on health insurance Flexible schedules (core hours, schedule shifting) 6 weeks fully paid maternity coverage, plus 6 weeks at 50% pay with the option to work half time
Giudecca* August 10, 2017 at 1:32 pm This job is so interesting to me (my background is in HR, but I’ve overseen other traditionally non-revenue generating roles in the past, and think I’d be well suited to this type of job). I’d love it if AAM did a Q&A with you or someone else with this type of role.
IT/Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 1:11 pm IT: administrate and support a Windows domain and Windows laptops, also printers and misc office equipment (it all pretty much runs itself, all my users are very tech-savvy). Experience: ~10 years Admin: report directly to the director of HR and Accounting. Data entry, bank runs, answer phones, sign for packages, and various other office tasks. Experience: my first job as an AAsst, but I have about 9 years in office environments. Located in northern California. 2 weeks/year of vacation (accrued, rolling over at the end of the year) and 40 hours of sick leave (given in a lump at the start of employment and the beginning of the year, able to roll over). We can use extra sick time for vacation if we want. No retirement matching yet, but I know the management team is trying to get something started. Employer pays 100% of a Gold-level health insurance plan for employees and 50% for spouses and dependents (I think, don’t have either myself), with Platinum level plans available if you’re planning to have a major health issue. We also get a lot of paid team lunches, beer and flavored water on tap in the break room, and a six-pack of free beer per week.
Business Systems Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:11 pm • Job description: Administer and customize IT service management products for a notable, publicly held company. This starts with process design, and is implemented through programming and visual editors. • Geographic Area: Northern California (not San Francisco Bay Area) • 5-10 years in role • 6 weeks paid time off per year. (Shared pool for vacation and sick leave.) • 401(k) with 100% match up to 4% of salary. • Employee stock purchase plan available. • I chose an HMO for my medical insurance. The company pays about 2/3 of the premiums. • Lots of small perks, such as discounts on cellular service and access to discounted travel planning through the company’s agency.
Director of Therapeutic Recreation* August 10, 2017 at 1:11 pm Director of Therapeutic Recreation for a continuing care retirment community, overseeing 8 staff on three units of care: skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory support. All staff are certified therapeutic recreation specialists or certified music therapists. Philadelphia, PA 7 as a certified recreational therapist, 10 in the field if you count part-time work while I was in college (prior to certification) 100% medical and dental paid, life insurance matching my annual salary, $4000/year tuition reimbursement, CEUs and conference travel paid, all professional organization memberships paid, 22 vacation days that roll over up to 400 hours, 8% contribution to 403b by my company (they put this amount in regardless of if we contribute), discounted breakfast and lunch within our agency (typically hot meals for under $3 per meal – including salad, soup, entree, side, dessert)
Vice President* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm JOB: Vice President overseeing 3 departments at medium-sized nonprofit GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Midwest city YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: <1 year in current position, 5 years in non-profit management BENEFITS: Vacation – 22 accrued days in combined PTO bucket. Retirement – 401k with 100% match up to 4%, 50% match on next 3%; immediate vesting. Health insurance – employer pays 70% of family health insurance plan; 70% of dental; and 0% of vision. Other benefits: employer pays 100% of life and long-term disability insurance. No short-term disability, no paid parental leave. Tuition reimbursement available. Access to free fitness classes.
Accounting Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm I’m in offshore oil & gas, and benefits/raises/bonuses for our segment of the industry have been paltry for the last few years; unfortunately I’m at a company where they’re even more paltry than normal. I get two weeks’ vacation and five sick days per year. Our health insurance is pretty good and not terribly expensive, and includes vision and dental. We have a 401k plan but no matching. I’m lucky to have a great boss who recognizes that two weeks’ vacation is ridiculous and encourages me to just take days off as needed. My start/end time each day is also flexible, and I like the people I work with–which, to me, is a huge benefit.
Hotel General Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm -Generally manage ~30 employees as well as revenue and property upkeep and sales (corporate property, not a small business franchisee) etc etc etc -Central/North Florida (IE. Not the pricier Miami/West Palm area) -5 years experience -benefits: -6 weeks PTO (vacation/sick all in one pot, although I’ve never managed to use more than 4 weeks in a year, as my wife only gets 3 weeks vacation and I can only take 1 staycation alone a year without getting bored) -employer covers 75% of insurance premiums -4% 401k match -Free hotel rooms pretty everywhere I go
Hotel General Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:18 pm Also our insurance plan offers an HSA, which is a nice little tax break.
Sr. Manager Human Resources* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm As senior-most HR person, I manage the support team (payroll/benefits administrator, generalist, admin assistant) and through them am responsible for the day-t0-day HR world: recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, benefits, payroll and related tasks, wellness program, Workers’ Comp, etc. I am directly responsible for the strategic planning aspects – workforce planning, benefits evolution, compensation management, succession planning, training programs, etc. I work for a non-profit foundation that is the trustee for common properties for a consortium of homeowners’ associations, in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have 250+ employees, in a broad range of jobs, both represented and non-represented. HR has been my passion and my profession for 22 years and counting! Currently have 20 days/year vacation (can roll over to 40 days max); 12 days sick leave (roll over to 30 days max); 10 paid holidays (New Year’s Day; Presidents’ Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Veterans’ Day; Thanksgiving & Friday following; December 24 and 25. Medical (80% employer paid), dental and vision (75% employer paid); employer paid term life, AD&D, and LTD insurance; participate in an employer-funded defined benefit pension plan and 401(k) with no match; employees hired after pension plan closed have a 3% annual salary contribution and 2% annual salary match to the 401(k). Service recognition -5 year intervals – is $10/year; retirement gift (after 5 years of service without regard to age or participation in pension plan) is $15/year. (Yes, these two programs are way way out of date – last reviewed/approved by the Board in early 1990s!!!)
Sr. Manager Human Resources* August 10, 2017 at 1:18 pm Forgot to say that we also offer FSAs for medical, dependent care, and commuter benefits. All health plans are available for employee only, employee +1, employee +2 or more; no spouse-coverage surcharge, no smoker penalty. Employees can take supplemental life insurance and purchase term life for spouse (half value of employee’s supplemental coverage) and children (flat $10K per child).
Senior Customer Success Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:13 pm Job summary: I work with the enterprise brands that use my (small software startup) company’s service to ensure that they’re getting value/results and renewing their contracts. I make a base salary + a commission based on renewals and report into the sales org. Location: Washington State Experience: 2.5 years (4 years total at this company) Benefits: * 6 weeks PTO (vacation + sick leave) annually * 401k offered, no match * full insurance coverage (and it’s a plan that meets my needs well as a single adult – I was seriously injured 2 years ago and only paid $2000 total out of pocket for emergency room care and tests, surgery, and 20 weeks of physical therapy. Currently I’m in outpatient mental health treatment and it’s 80% covered.) * work from home flexibility (when I was injured 2 years ago I worked remotely for 8 weeks without issue) * dog-friendly office (I know this isn’t considered a “benefit” by everyone out there, but for me it keeps my elderly dog happy to be able to come in and sleep under my desk all day instead of anxious at home) * catered breakfast and lunch daily * commuter benefit – free bus pass or parking spot Unfortunately my salary is at the lowest end of what customer success managers make in my region, but the benefits are so good and suited to my lifestyle that I’m not looking too hard for other positions. The dog benefit alone is really great for my quality of life, and I’m still making enough to be aggressively saving while living well.
Research Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:15 pm Research Analyst for government agency Minneapolis 1 year here, 4 years total, PhD 13 vacation, 13 sick, 10 holidays, 1 floating holiday 94% of medical and dental plans, life insurance, long and short term disability paid parental leave (6 weeks?) flexible spending account 1:1 retirement match, not sure of maximum, mine is 5.5% onsite gym I got relocation expenses (up to $10,000) flexible schedule and option to work from home
Information Analyst Consultant* August 11, 2017 at 12:29 pm I work for a government agency, employed by my state. 6 years with the state, 1.5 years in current role, 2 months with current title. 13 sick days, 16.25 days of vacation, 1 floating holiday, 9 holidays, 1 personal (floating) holiday $50 per month for medical plan for one person (no decuctable, copays only) life insurance ability to add disability, dental, vision insurance HSA account 3% match on retirement, with a 3% contribution pension after 6 yrs.
Children's Librarian (Public)* August 10, 2017 at 1:16 pm I’m a children’s librarian in a public library setting in a large city in California. My daily job mostly consists of reference, collection management and programming for kids. I’ve been at this job for almost 2 years. I get 2 weeks vacation and 1 week floating holidays, which pretty much works out to 3 weeks. That ups to 4 weeks after I’ve been here 5 years. I get 13 days sick leave, which is a lot, and unused days rolls over to the next year. I pay like 11.5% of my pre-tax salary into my pension. For health insurance, I get health, dental and vision for some super low cost like $25 a month. It’s really nice.
Children's Librarian Also* August 12, 2017 at 11:02 am I’m a Children’s Librarian in a public library setting in a mid-sized city in Michigan. Same daily job duties. I’ve been here almost 5 years. I get 4 weeks vacation, 1 week of personal times, 12 days sick (roll over up to 100 days). I pay about $150 every 2 weeks for my family of 4’s health insurance. I have a 401k and need to up my contribution. It gets matched up to 4% of my salary. Salary is $50k/year.
Territory Manager-Sales* August 10, 2017 at 1:17 pm I manage sales and service covering 30 states. Some of my duties include meeting with government agencies, drafting proposals, responding to RFPs, negotiating vendor and sub-contractor contracts, managing inside reps, performing in-service, overseeing customer service, negotiating billing issues, and much more. Area: Southwest US Experience: 9 years Benefits: 3 weeks of PTO (sick/vacation), 401k administration but no employer contribution, health insurance (50% employer, 50% employee paid), vehicle, fuel, gym, and frequently free food (I can’t partake because of food allergies, but it is very nice for the other employees).
Traffic & Production Manager, Creative Services* August 10, 2017 at 1:17 pm Traffic & Production Manager – I work in the marketing department for a national Non Profit. I manage the project in take, ensuring resources are available, establishing timelines, ensure milestones are met, vetting questions and anticipating roadblocks, traffic files as needed, proof against brand guidelines, etc. I also manage our freelance and production vendors including printed and promotional items. I also manage our entire department’s budget. I am in the Southeast USA I have 15 years experience a description of your benefits — I’ve been with the company almost 2 years, and you start out with 20 days of PTO and one floating holiday. All sick leave and vacation are rolled into the one PTO pot. After a year of service, you can contribute to the retirement plan, and they will match 2%. Benefits are extensive and include Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending, Health Savings, Life/Accidental, Long Term Disability. I just pay for myself for my insurance, so for just myself, which is reasonable – we pay $75/month. However the cost skyrockets if you include a spouse, kids, or the whole family (going up to $920/month for a family) In network yearly deductibles for Medical is $750 (Out of network of $1,500), Dental $5/month (DHMO) or $15/month PPO, Vision $1/month, Basic life and AD&D are included at 2x basic salary and you can add voluntary supplemental insurance. Long Term Disability is 60% of your monthly income and is included in benefits. Also, depending on your department and manager, there are nice flexible working benefits – ie, adjusting your schedule to what works best for you so long as you’re available during core office hours and telecommute options.
Customer service/tech support (remote)* August 10, 2017 at 1:17 pm Job: Software company. I do tier 1 troubleshooting and answer client questions about my company’s products, usage, best practices, etc. Also do technical writing for some training and manual materials, maintain the manuals, upgrade testing when needed… I wear many hats. 50k, salaried Location: no central office, everyone is remote, my nearest coworker is something like 5 hrs away from me Experience: ~5 years here, ~10 doing cs/tech combo jobs Benefits: wfh with 4×10 schedule, federal holidays off 80 hours/10 days PTO Sick leave… no idea, might be unlimited Management is also very reasonable with personal appointments (car, bank, etc) 401k with some kind of match The best medical/dental plan I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot), not sure what they pay into it but my cost is under 150/month for just me with no deductible and low/no copays. Rx are also low/no cost. Company paid std (and life?) And there’s also a state std they have to pay for as well. Generous annual bonus, and occasional personalized “thank you” gifts That said, these are *not* typical benefits for this kind of job, especially for someone without a degree, and I’m extremely fortunate to have found this job. My previous company offered the typical HDHP that large soulless corporations push on their underpaid cogs, okay-for-retail wages, and retail hours, definitely not missing that.
Children's Librarian in the Midwest* August 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm I’m a children’s librarian in Indiana. I work 40 hr/week providing reference (finding James Patterson books and pointing to the bathroom) and do programming (storytimes aka the best part of my job). I make a very average salary for the area. 38k/yr. I’ve been in this position for three years and it requires a Masters degree. Benefits: Eyeglass and dental. Not sure of the full cost, but I pay less than $4/month for these combined. Health insurance. High-deductible PPO at $120/month. 3% of my salary deposited into Indiana’s Public Retirement System (government employee benefit). Conference fees, gas mileage, and per diem for work travel (mostly big annual conferences, rarely even a yearly thing) Time off: 11 paid federal holidays /yr 160 hours (4 weeks) of vacation time, accrues at a rate of 1.3 days/month 40 hours of personal time 80 hours of sick time Up to 40 hours of professional development leave (have to apply to use) Co-workers of mine frequently say we are paid in benefits here, which is true. The benefits and time off are not at all typical of library jobs, but the pay certainly is. Even part-time staff get paid leave and vacation time; it’s very generous!
Project Manager (Architect)* August 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm Job: I run several projects from initial design through construction at a time for a very small commercial/healthcare architecture firm. I’m a fully licensed architect. Years Experience: 7.5 total, 1 year at this firm Location: Houston, TX Benefits: 15 days combined PTO plus birthday off; i can flex my hours within a given week, so I usually have 36 hours in by the end of Thursday so most Fridays are half days. 2% match on a simple IRA after one year here 100% medical and dental premium is covered 100% premium on $100,000 life insurance I pay $300/year for 60% annual salary workplace disability All professional licensing requirements are paid by the firm with an extra $500 per year toward continuing education, national or state conference, etc. For a small firm in my industry, I have a very competitive salary and benefits.
Program Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 1:21 pm Job: Basically a high-level admin assistant in a state government agency (it’s a support position, but classified as professional rather than clerical). Provide technical assistance for outside stakeholders for two proprietary websites; manage contractors for programs I support. I also serve as editor for documents produced by my section. Geographical area:: A western state, but not California Years of experience: 6 years here, 6 years in other administrative roles at various companies Benefits: Vacations and sick: It was 4 hours of both vacation and sick time accrued per pay period for the first 5 years, it’s now 5 hours per pay period for each. I think it bumps up to 6 hours/pp at 10 years. At 26 pay periods per year, that’s currently 3.25 weeks of vacation and an equal amount of sick accrued per year. Both vacation and sick carry over; vacation up to 320 hours, sick has no cap. Vacation payable on leaving. Sick used to be able to be converted into years of additional health insurance at retirement before I started; then they changed it to a deposit into your 401k. Since 2014, it has no value at retirement. Between pre-2014 sick and post-2014 sick, I have over 200 hours of sick accrued. Exempt employees also get comp time they can use within the calendar year when they work over 80 hours in a pay period. Non-exempt like me can also choose to take comp time at time and a half in lieu of overtime pay if we have to work overtime, but overtime is rarely approved. Retirement matching: Post-2014, they added a $26-per-pay period matching for your 401k as a replacement for the sick leave converting upon retirement, which is matched 100%. So I put $26 into my 401k every week and they put $26 in too. While this sounds pitiful, it’s in addition to the employee pension program. This has also gone under revision in recent years, and I started under the newest program. You can choose to have an amount equivalent to 10% of your salary either split between the state pension program and a 401k, or you can have the entire 10% put into a 401k (that you can then take with you if you change jobs). I chose the latter option. The 10% is not subtracted from my salary; it’s in addition to it. The money they contribute is vested after 4 years. Health Insurance: Many different options. On traditional plans, the state pays a goodly portion of your premium (My premium was about $50 a month for awesome insurance on the traditional plan). I’ve chosen the high-deductible option instead, which has no premium at all, so 100% is paid by the state. They also deposit an amount roughly equivalent to half my deductible into my HSA. By combining what I used to pay in premiums with what I used to contribute to an FSA and depositing all that into my HSA, I have enough to cover my yearly deductible. I haven’t hit it yet. Family plans are similarly structured (I’m single). Dental and vision offered for very reasonable premiums (dental is about $10/month). I used to have vision but dropped it because I rarely need new contacts or glasses (gas permeable contacts). Other benefits: Basic life insurance and long-term disability is covered. They also offer discounts on short term disability and legal services. We have an EAP with pretty good services. There are incentives offered through the health insurance for healthy habits and weight loss. My agency covers a transit pass, but not all state agencies do. Discounts available for car insurance, gyms, cell phone plans, etc.
Compliance Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:23 pm Field: Education • Location: Remote Employee – Midwest • Experience: 16 yrs. In this industry; 8 yrs. Compliance • Benefits – 20 PTO days per year no roll over – 10 holidays – Remote working with laptop and phone provided. No reimbursement for internet, or phone. – Medical, Dental, Vision, STD. Don’t remember percentage is paid. Decent, not amazing. – Employer matches ¼ of the first 4% of salary – Discounts on company product – 5-50% – Normal Tuition Reimbursement
Sr IT Auditor* August 10, 2017 at 1:25 pm 1. I plan and conduct internal audits of IT projects (both agile and waterfall) from the business perspective (as opposed to a technical one). I have no direct reports, but I do lead other auditors during engagements. 2. Seattle 3. 6 years professional experience; 3.5 with this employer 4. -20 PTO days -7 company holidays + 4 floating holidays (essentially additional PTO days) -401k match: 50% match up to 8% -5% contribution towards an interest-bearing cash balance pension -80% subsidized health & dental -$500 ($1,000 for families) contribution to HSA + the ability to earn more via wellness initiatives -profit sharing (I generally receive about 7%) -unlimited tuition reimbursement, but only pays out $9k/year, so if I get a $90k MBA, it’ll take 10 years for the company to fully reimburse -very generous incentives for pursuing industry certifications (10% of salary up to $10k + a paid trip for our charter cert)
Fishcakes* August 10, 2017 at 1:26 pm Mish-mash of duties: jr. writer, graphic designer, web designer, copy editor, admin. Canada 15 vacation days. 2 personal days. 8 sick days. No pension or 401k. .5 hr lunch. No flex time or working from home for non-management level employees. Decent prescription drug plan. Sometimes we get timbits.
Senior Production Editor, STEM Publishing* August 10, 2017 at 1:28 pm Senior Production Editor, STEM Publishing Experience: 5.5 years, 5 months at current job Location: UK Benefits: 25 days of holiday + 3 ‘floating days’ (‘free’ days off between Christmas and New Year when the office is closed) 4 weeks (20 working days) sick leave per year at full pay Travel to work subsidy Subsidised private health insurance Flexi-time Flexible working at home policies Pension contributions matched up to 8% Various award and incentive schemes Subsidised meals at organisation-owned restaurants/cafes
Anonymous Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:28 pm Job: Process engineer for an engineering design firm Location: Gulf Coast Experience: 1.5 years here, 5 years total in industry Benefits: 10 days PTO (incl. sick leave) Pretty crappy HDHP (my primary care doctor doesn’t even take my insurance) that the company pays some part of Pretty crappy dental insurance (for example, I paid $300 to have a cavity refilled. insurance reimbursed $40-something of that) that is cheap, but I have determined I lose money on it so won’t be renewing it 401K after a year of service, company matches a small part employee stock ownership participation after 18 months Basically my company does the bare minimum in most areas.
Anonymous Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:29 pm Reading everyone else’s PTO/sick leave makes me want to cry.
DCL* August 10, 2017 at 1:29 pm Senior Manager, non-profit of about 75 people Washington, DC 20 vacation days, 2 personal days, 12 sick days, all federal holidays 4% employee matching on 403b Free health insurance for me and my family (no monthly cost sharing deducted from my paycheck but occasional co-pays for doctor visits)
Accountant (auditor)* August 10, 2017 at 1:29 pm Auditor for a large public accounting firm London (UK) 1 year of experience 26 days of holiday plus 8 bank holidays (plus the option to purchase another 5 days) (We don’t have an allotment of sick leave in the UK, we just take it when we need it) Pension: company contributes up to 12%, to reach that I need to contribute 8% Private healthcare, life insurance, personal accident insurance, interest free loan of up to £7k, discounts on various shops and gyms. Maternity and paternity leave above the UK minimum but I’m not sure exactly.
Academic Research Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:29 pm Academic project manager for NIH grants for our department. Manage 2 R01s plus parts of other studies. Also do all of our web content management and IRB proposals for the whole dept. This is a unionized position. Area: Southern California Years of Experience: 3 ish. Used to be a clinical research coordinator. Paid Vacation days: 15 per year, Paid sick days: 12 per year, Paid holidays: 13 per year Total paid days off per year: 40 Unlimited paid jury duty, 1 week bereavement time for family deaths. Other benefits: 90% of health insurance premiums paid (a very good plan too), vision and dental are free, free short-term disability insurance, 1-year’s salary life insurance, pension (deferred contribution) plan, 403b matching 3%, flex scheduling to accommodate stuff like Dr apts, free coffee & tea, regular free meals, occasional travel to neat places, LOTS of continuing education/training/courses paid for. Nice office with a view and the ability to work from home occasionally if I feel icky but still need to get work done.
Senior Business Intelligence Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:30 pm Use various tools (SQL, SAS, Tableau and more) to report data and trends to leadership and front line staff at a nonprofit health care/insurance organization Seattle area One year in this position, 6 years as a data analyst 26 days of PTO (when I hit ten years I’ll have five more), one floating holiday, 8 paid holidays. Can accrue up to 150% of PTO before you stop accruing. Health insurance for me and family of four is $86 per month. $15/$20 copayments, $100 coinsurance in the event of hospitalization. I pay extra for dental because of braces for the kids, but there is a free option which is perfectly acceptable for straight dental. The company automatically contributes 6.3% to a 403b and another 2% as matching up to 50% of 4% (I hope that makes sense) It depends on the job and department, but I am able to work from home three days a week and have the flexibility to work from home more from time to time if necessary.
Database/Business Intelligence Developer* August 14, 2017 at 11:24 pm Wow! Would love to know this company. Sounds like you are in a good position.
A* August 10, 2017 at 1:30 pm GIS Analyst (W2 contract through a staffing company, working onsite at a giant tech company) SF Bay Area 4 years experience Benefits: – free food – onsite gyms – flexible hours – ability to work lots of OT if I want I get zero vacation and 3 sick days (if enough hours accumulated). My staffing company is legally obligated to provide health benefits but they are the absolute bare minimum (only basic preventative care), so I have to purchase my own, and I dont qualify for covered california (ouch). Contracts are limited to 2 years.
IT Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:30 pm Job Title: IT Analyst – Government Contractor Location: Washington D.C. Years of Experience: 4 years Benefits: 15 days PTO + 10 federal holidays (I envy everyone else’s generous PTO!), 6% 401k match, 80% health insurance premium, gym membership, and training/certification/tuition reimbursement.
Executive Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 1:31 pm Location: Pacific Northwest Employer: State University 7 years of experience in this type of position 12 sick days/year 4.5 weeks vacation/year All regular holidays Employer contributes 6% of my salary to my retirement fund I pay approximately $50/month out of pocket for health, dental and vision for my family Tuition discount of 70% for up to 15 credit hours per term for me or my dependents (1 person at a time)
Clinical Social Worker/Therapist/Counselor* August 10, 2017 at 1:32 pm Job: Therapist/LMSW clincial social worker at a Federally qualified health facility. I do therapy with 9 patients each day (no case mangement or other bs often expected of social workers, just a therapist). your geographic area: Rural Michigan. your years of experience: 6 years working as a therapist. a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get: I get 200 hours of PTO that appears all at once at my hire date/anniversary. It’s all in one pot, I can take it whenever and I’ve never been discouraged from taking it. I just block my schedule so that patient’s aren’t scheduled and I take the time. Retirement matching: for every 3% of my income my job matches 1%, I believe it’s not quite a 401K. I do not pay anything for my health insurance benefits. Additionally, I receive $1,200 annually for continuing education costs and my workplace pays for my licensure fees (LMSW and CAADC have renewal fees) as well as association fees (they pay my membership fee for the NASW). For other health providers this is often included as a benefit but for social workers this is not that common. I also received loan forgiveness (Repayment) through the NHSC. They give up to $50K up front for a 2 year commitment of service that they then later verify (if you don’t comply they yank the money with interest). My student loan debt has been totally wiped out in it’s entirety. (MY partner has $275,000 in debt but still, it’s a win for us). This is a benefit through the federal government so not technically provided by my employer but still amazing to me.
Recruiting/Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:32 pm I do healthcare recruiting for a high-end eldercare and domestic staffing company. On top of that, I do projects like writing manuals, helping with contracts and licenses, website edits, marketing, invoicing, etc. Pretty much everything except for actually writing people’s checks. I don’t technically supervise anyone outside of our home health aides but am just below the general manager for our office. It’s a very small company (15) but we have 4 offices. Greater New York I’ve been here 1.5 years and that’s my only direct experience doing this type of work 10 days vacation, 6 personal days, 6 sick days, 401k (matches first 1% then matches .05% of the next 5% – so up to 3.5% if you do 6%), 50/50 cost share on medical (I’m still on parents insurance so I don’t know exactly what this entails)
Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 1:32 pm My job: “Consultant,” my formal title, is a very bad description for what’s really a senior software developer. The company was founded by former high powered consultants and they like to pretend that’s what we still do, instead of what we actually do, which is make a COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) product that requires a lot of configuration. The software is aimed at state and a smattering of large city governments, which is about as specific as I can be without the company becoming instantly identifiable. Mostly I work on, and was hired for my expertise in, a document generation product that we integrate into the system, for the states to create their notices with. My location: Providence, RI. My experience: Just over a year here (first six months as a contractor), 19 years total (with a couple of years in the middle of that where I had a hard time finding a job). My Benefits: Compensation – Since I don’t think I was on the aforementioned prior threads, I’ll start by mentioning that I make $79k per year. Performance bonus – once a year 8% that I’m eligible for, but that presumes that they decide to fully fund it for the year and that I met all my performance goals. Based on my coworkers’ comments, I have confidence in the latter, but not the former. Profit sharing bonus – once a year at their discretion, basically. I’m not holding my breath. 401(k) – “37.5 cents on each dollar an employee put into their 401(k) up to a maximum of 6%” of my salary, again payable once per year with a three year vesting, and only to the extent the owners decide to fund it. HR is always very careful to specify that traditionally the owners have, but they don’t have to. Parking – I pay $125 a month for my parking spot, which they fully reimburse. Relocation – reimbursed in full, I believe, but which I didn’t qualify for since I was a contractor at the time I moved up here. Tax Equalization – Because a lot of our people are sent to client sites for a month or three or six at a time. “Employees who, while working out-of-state, incur State income tax liabilities that are greater than the State income tax liabilities they would have incurred had they been working in their home state” get reimbursed for that additional amount. Diner’s Club Card – for business expenses Birthday dinner – in your birthday month, they send you a “coupon” that allows you to get a single meal reimbursed for up to $100. Time off – 15 days PTO (no separate sick days, capped at 25 days accrual), 6 set paid holidays, 4 floating holidays (up to 4 accrual). They’re also very flexible, so I can also take half a day off for an appointment or go home early without it being charged to PTO, and I don’t even have to make sure I hit 40 hours for that week if I do. This is official company policy, not just my lucking out with a generous boss. Medical – Two options available from BCBS of MA, I buy up from the HMO to the PPO for a total cost of $112.02 biweekly for employee only. $20 copay for pcp visits, specialist visits, or behavioral health; $150 ER visits; $0 in network deductible/$500 out of network. Three tiered rx drug coverage; I want to say $8/$20/$50(?) but I’d have to log in to double check. Dental – coverage from MetLife; $2.43 biweekly; free normal visits, $50 deductible more complicated procedures, up to $1000 annual max Vision – from VSP; $0.56 biweekly; $20 copay for exams, basically just a discount for everything else FSAs – Health, Dependent Care, Commuting Insurance – free: $100k Group Life and AD&D, LTD, and STD; paid: supplemental Employee, Spouse, Dependent life EAP – Let’s check my employee guide again. “24-hour toll-free access to professional advice, referrals and counseling … allowing them to deal with challenges such as parenting, child care, elder care, addiction and recovery, legal issues, education and more,” via a vendor, plus separate worldwide emergency travel assistance for employee and family.
Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 1:38 pm To clarify the birthday dinner thing, they pay up to $100 for a single restaurant visit, not a single meal, so you can take your partner or family or whatever and get it all reimbursed.
Faculty Assistant (union)* August 10, 2017 at 1:33 pm Supports 3-5 faculty at private university in teaching (course materials, course page preparation, coordinating multiple sections of etc.), research (editing, data entry and analysis, citation work), and general admin (finances, grant processing, calendar management, etc) Northeast, US 4 years in higher ed, 7 years in corporate third party HR admin Union-based, non-exempt position (benefits start at 17.5 hours per week or $15000 yearly salary) cost of living (3-3.5%) + service adjustment raise each year on October 1 (based on union contract) In addition to COL raises, we can apply for a position regrade at any time and we can be awarded small bonuses in recognition of work. Vacation: 15 days per year rolling to maximum of 30 days (increase to 20 after 5 years of service – maximum of 40 days) Personal days: 3 days (does not roll over) Sick Leave: 12 days per year rolling to a maximum of 130 days Paid Holidays: 11.5 (plus winter recess between Christmas and New Year’s) Paid Leave: up to 4 weeks for new parents who are primary care givers (Extra benefit: after 5 years, you can take an unpaid sabbatical up to to a year) Medical: They have multiple plans, but I’m enrolled in a generous HMO plan (single) that is $82 a month (I pay 13% of the premium) – benefits: $2000 out of pocket max, $20 copay for office visits, etc. and $100 copay for hospital (no other hospital costs), and prescriptions that run $7/$20/$45 for a 30 day supply and $14/$50/$110 for a 90 day supply Dental: $18 a month (I pay 40% of the premium) for a PPO plan that covers up to $3000 per year Vision: $6 a month (I pay 100% of the premium) for a plan with a $15 exam copay, $20 for glasses and contact lenses fittings, contact lenses and laser vision benefits (my medical plan also includes a free vision exam) Other related benefits: Health/Limited Purpose/Dependent Care FSAs and a HSA if you’ve enrolled in a HDHP Union medical benefits: Copay reimbursement Program – reimbursement of office visit copays over $180 (9 visits), prescription drug costs over $500, and hospital copays over $300 Disability and Life Insurance: 26 weeks of short term disability provided at no cost, ability to enroll in long term disability and long term care insurance, basic life insurance equal to 1/2 annual base salary provided at no cost with ability to enroll in supplemental life insurance up to 5 times your salary Retiree health coverage available if I meet certain criteria Retirement Options: Employee TDA or Roth, no match; university deposits 5% of salary per year until age 39 and 10% from age 40 into a separate retirement account – vested after 3 years of service Tuition assistance: up to 90% of classes up to $5250 at other universities, courses offered at 10% for university courses or $40 extension school courses; union education fund will also pay 50% post-tax of any courses or conferences independent of relationship to work once a semester Transit: 50% pre-tax transit passses, pre-tax parking, $15 a year Zipcar memberships, $240 bicycle reimbursement, etc. Perks: discounts on banking, mortgages, housing, computer, cell phone plans, cultural and sporting events plus free access to a ton of museums – my favorite of these perks is access to one of the top library collections in the world Fitness and Wellness: on-site center for wellness with discounted classes and services (acupuncture, massage, and reiki) as well as athletic facility access (13 gyms and 2 pools) – $24 for the year (single), $160 class access for the year, $130 for towel service for the year (with other levels of fall, spring, summer, and academic year) – health insurance includes a up to $150 reimbursement for gym membership reimbursement and up to $150 for weight loss programs so most of the fitness costs are covered
Development Manager (higher ed)* August 10, 2017 at 1:38 pm We totally work at the same place! You can tell from my summary that I don’t take advantage of the fitness perks, haha.
Faculty Assistant (union)* August 10, 2017 at 2:35 pm They are amazing benefits though! I know my dental place has told me they’ve never seen such great dental coverage before. Here is a secret fitness benefit that is not advertised at all: if you take classes at GSAS here as a TAP student, you don’t even have to pay for the athletic facilities or the class pass for that semester.
Media Relations Manager at a private undergrad college* August 10, 2017 at 1:33 pm Job description: First responder when interview or information requests come in from media outlets; create daily email digest of all media coverage relevant to the college, its faculty/administration, and alumnae (email goes to trustees & administration); distill each year of media coverage into an annual report for trustees; create original content for news section of the college website; manage up to 3 work-study students in their media-related duties Geographic area: NYC Years of Experience: 1 year in current role, 4-5ish years of relevant experience, 9 years post-college Benefits: –24 days vacation (plus 3 floating holidays, used around Christmas, that effectively add a full week of vacation time), some of which can be carried over into subsequent years –15 sick days –403(b) retirement plan, where 9% of gross annual salary is paid by the college into the account. (Fun story, when I started I thought it was something I had to pay into, so I was delaying it in an attempt to ameliorate the impact on my bank account… and then I got a statement six months in for my growing retirement account. Woo hoo!) –Medical coverage: I pay a tiny fraction of my plan (~4%?), plus a “modest” ($25-50) copay; I also have dental and vision coverage (I have astigmatism so my contacts cost a little extra out of pocket) –I also qualify for tuition assistance for the large research U that my college is affiliated with, if I choose to go back to school, and any dependents I might have (currently zero) could attend either U or college for free, which is MASSIVE considering our hefty price tag. –I also have my subway pass paid for with pre-tax dollars; it’s not a ton of money saved but it does add up. Most NYC employers offer this. –I have access to EAP, discounts on caretakers for children or aging parents, reimbursement for gym fees if I can prove that I go frequently enough, certain on-campus gym classes for free, and probably a couple other things. Now I’m at a nonprofit college and therefore am not paid a lot – I think it’s pretty common for large nonprofits to offer similarly generous benefits packages to balance out the paycheck. I left a Wall Street job for this one and am very satisfied with my decision (although my bank account is perhaps a little less satisfied).
Logistics Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 1:34 pm Work with freight forwarders to move air freight for a Fortune 5 company. Primarily US Exports but some freight returns to the US as well Upstate NY 10 years total experience. Health insurance (not sure of the % they pay but I pay only $15/payday (paid every other week) for it – I’m on my own plan, hubby is on his own plan with someone else, no dependents), dental insurance (also cheap, $5/payday), Vision ($3/payday); 401k (no company match, but there is discretionary company match depending on profitability of the company); no FSA available, which sucks. Vacation – 10 days, sick – 5 days; usually 2 floating holidays (no rollover) Disability is provided, can’t remember specifics. Life insurance at 2x salary provided. Can occasionally work remotely if needed. I’m on salary, but I do get frequently sent home early on Fridays, esp during summer, if the job is done for the day. ***I CAN WEAR JEANS TO WORK ALL THE TIME*** (work attached to a warehouse) :)
Technical Writing / Training / Documentation* August 10, 2017 at 1:34 pm – I work at a <10 person educational software company. I have a BA and MA, and my job duties contain but are not limited to: writing and editing all of our client-facing software documentation (text and video), phone and screen-share client training (and software demos, so both sides of the sales process), email-based tech support (and light project management thereof for the dev team), general proofreading of everyone else's Important Things, and whatever else they throw at me – The Southeastern United States -Been at this job 2 years, been doing tech support/writing adjacent things since undergrad, which is 8 years total, with obvious points of part-time employment while in school. – No traditional benefits – no health insurance coverage (I pay 250 a month for a useless high deductible on the exchange) – no retirement savings at all – no sick day policy – pay for my own parking Sort-of Benefits: – Flex time, ability to work from home and take days off occasionally (no leave policy, so this is based entirely on reading the vibes from the founders and seeing what you feel comfortable trying) – No dress code, so at least I'm not spending my meager salary on work wardrope a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get
Stock Assessment Scientist (Marine Biologist)* August 10, 2017 at 1:35 pm I’m a stock assessment scientist, so I take information about various fish stock and how much fishermen are catching and use it to model and estimate whether we are catching too much (overfishing) or if the population is too small to support fishing (overfished) and provide recommendations on how to fix these problems, such as reducing catch limits, adding size limits, shutting down fisheries. I work in a federal building as a “contractor” but my funding is from a Cooperative Institute, so I’m not a contractor in the official government sense and am paid more like I am on a federal grant that I don’t ever have to apply for. (for example, I wasn’t impacted by the hiring freeze and was able to start my job in February.) Location: Honolulu, HI Experience: Master, PhD, 6 months in this job plus 1-2 years of experience between degrees in field-adjacent roles. Pay: Slightly higher than the federal GS-13/ZP-3 equivalent but without the cost of living adjustment. Benefits: Way better than my federal compatriots: 21 sick days, unlimited roll-over 21 vacation days, I can roll over 15 per year and capped at 60. 13 holidays, all of the federal holidays except Columbus day (Hawaiians don’t celebrate Columbus day, not surprising) plus 4 other state holidays, so I basically get one day off every month. I pay 40% of my insurance premium and can include my husband and kids, although I am current on his insurance plan because it was cheaper. We get 10% contribution to our retirement account and have the option to contribute to a 403b. We also get 2 days for parent-teacher conference, 2 hours for blood donation, 3 bereavment days, jury duty pay, a few others I can’t remember because I don’t need them right now, and we can use our sick time for doctor’s appointments for us and our kids. We do not get paid maternity leave, but we can take the 12 weeks of FMLA, the first 10 days can be sick leave, afterwards you use all your vacation time and then take unpaid leave. It is a bit silly since we get so much sick leave and can’t use it for FMLA, but it is what it is. I am affiliated with the university, so we get many of the perks related to that, transit discounts, discounts on computer supplies, access and use of the university facilities and discounted gym memberships. I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff, but that’s all the stuff I use.
Marketing & Communications Senior Professional* August 10, 2017 at 1:35 pm My job: strategic communications planning and execution. On my project, I am the communications lead, reporting directly to the Principal Investigator (whose grant funds my work). It is a university setting, but I am a staff member, not faculty. Geographic area: Colorado. Years of experience: 11. Benefits: -22 days vacation per year, plus 15 days sick leave per year, plus 10 paid holidays per year. Both types of PTO have generous rollover allowances, which is lucky for me because there is no paid parental leave available for staff. -retirement matching: I contribute 5% of my salary to a 401(k); employer matches 2:1 (so, their contribution amounts to an additional 10% of my salary, vesting immediately). Some staff at my university are state-classified employees, so they participate in our state pension plan instead, but ‘exempt’ professionals participate in the 401(k). -health/dental insurance: I have a very good plan at the family level (me, spouse, kids); my employer pays 80% of the premium. There are plans available with somewhat less coverage that would be fully paid by the employer. -tuition benefit: tuition for 9 credit hours (~3 courses) at our university can be waived each year, allowing me to pursue a graduate degree while working. This benefit can also be transferred to spouse/dependents taking courses at our university. -modest employer-paid life insurance and long-term disability.
Academic Librarian (Subject Liaison)* August 10, 2017 at 1:35 pm (I’m not putting my actual title because it’s long and very unique and would reveal my identity immediately. But the bold above is what I do.) Location: West Coast, USA — Large state university (more than 35,000 students) Experience: 1 year in librarianship, ~5 years in a different field previously Benefits: -26 paid vacation days per year, 1 day personal holiday that does not roll over, 12 sick days per year, all Federal holidays -Health benefits: there are multiple potential health plans to choose from, and they vary pretty widely. I’m on my spouse’s employer insurance at the moment, so I can’t comment on the plans. -Retirement: there are two retirement options (you must pick one). There is a partial pension option that vests after 10 years, and there is a 403(b) option that vests immediately. I took the 403(b). The employer matches 5% for employees under age 35, 7.5% for employees 35-55, and 10% for employees age 55 and up. If you do not choose a plan within 30 days of hire you will automatically be enrolled in the 403(b), without employer contributions for 2 years. Other: -As university employees, some local businesses offer discounts and we have access to a heavily discounted local transit pass. We have access to travel funds for professional development (conferences, workshops, etc.) We also have the option to take one free course per term at the university starting 6 months after employment, as well as access to university sponsored child care services. I’m sure there are other perks that I don’t know about yet, as well, it’s a huge institution.
Reporter* August 10, 2017 at 1:36 pm Newspaper reporter in small/mid-sized city covering healthcare. 3 years at current job, 5 in industry 2 weeks paid vacation, 2 weeks sick leave (no carryover), 2 personal days, time and a half plus a comp day for working holidays, good health insurance with employer covering about half the premium, 401(k) matching up to 6%, with all or nothing vesting at 3 years, free life insurance, EAP, small discount on gym membership
Process R&D Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:36 pm Process R&D Engineer Midwest 2 years experience I get pretty awesome benefits and really, they are one of the main reasons I find it difficult to find a new job. I get unlimited sick days and currently 14 days of vacation (15 next year). I can roll over 5 days for next year if I wanted to. Flexible work schedules are available and so I work 9/80s, which mean I work 9 hour days and then get a Friday off every other week. It’s like 26 extra vacation days! We have a pension (much reduced now though) and a 401k that matches up to a total of 6% (I think). We get stock purchase plans and also yearly bonuses that can be 10%+. Once in a while we also get random deposits of money into our retirement accounts if the company as a whole is doing well.
Associate Professor* August 10, 2017 at 1:38 pm -Associate Prof at a small college – teaching 4 classes/semester, some administrative duties, small amount of research -NYC metro area -6 years experience post-PhD -4 weeks of vacation (does not roll over) and 5 sick days (note, it is very unusual for faculty to have vacation days, and we are limited in when we can use them; for example, we can’t take off a day we are teaching unless it’s an emergency or an academic conference) plus about 40 holiday days off (depends slightly on calendar) -401(k) with the equivalent of 1% of our salary automatically deposited whether or not we contribute, but no matching -I pay $91 (health), $5 (dental) and $.60 (vision) biweekly for health insurance; not sure what my employer pays -Tuition reimbursement -Paid life insurance
Associate Professor* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm Just to add, that health insurance rate is for me (family/couple plans are more expensive), and my salary is a 12-month salary.
SENIOR ORDER PROCESSOR* August 10, 2017 at 1:38 pm I do ordering for materials and create the work orders needed to install those materials in brand new homes (tile, wood, counters, carpet etc) I’m in Colorado , 4 1/2 years at this job I get 2 weeks of vacation and after I hit the five year mark that will up to 3. I believe it increases in weekly increments every 5 years, although I’d have to check to be sure. I have a cap of 80hrs of sick time I can accrue. I have a matched vested 401k. Health insurance is actually good this year. We also have a deal with the providers that if you get a yearly physical and you attest to not using tobacco then they discount your insurance premium. I was only paying about 30$ or so per check for my part of the premium of insurance last year. All preventative care is covered under insurance as well so the insurance is free, and the copay’s are reasonable. Life insurance. No work from home as it’s not compatible with my job type although others like managers and leads can and do. Picnics, company branded merch, that sort of thing is provided. Really chill environment where nobody cares about what you wear as long as it’s inoffensive, covers all the appropriate bits, and is safe for your line of work. <- this is a really important one to me as I prefer to dress on the goth side.
Tardis* August 10, 2017 at 1:38 pm Job info: Senior Policy Analyst at a university research center. I conduct and manage original research projects and present findings to academics and policymakers. I publish research through our center and also in academic journals and magazines. Experience: Advanced degree and ~8 years of experience. Geographical area: Washington, DC Benefits: – Vacation: 21 paid vacation days/year (no rollover) – Sick time: 12 paid sick days/year – Health insurance: Choice of 2 private insurance plans; employer covers 78% of the monthly insurance premium for my plan, which costs about $530/month total. Employer makes no contributions to FSAs or HSAs. A few different vision and dental plans are also available, but I don’t have them. – Other health: Employer offers several free exercise classes for staff throughout the year, and they’re generally pretty good classes. They also offer free counseling for employees, up to 3 or 4 visits with an in-house counselor. – Transportation: Pre-tax metro benefits (now required to be offered by employers in DC) – Retirement: Employer offers 4 retirement savings options, including both pre-tax and post-tax 403(b) options. There is some matching offered, but even re-reading our benefits information I haven’t the foggiest idea how much it is (and I work with numbers for a living!).
Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:38 pm Job: software engineer in the defense contracting industry Years of Experience: 3 Location: Baltimore area Benefits: – 4 weeks of PTO (combined vacation & sick leave) + 12 holidays – 401k match: 5% as long as I contribute 8% – Annual profit sharing: varies, ~8%, goes partially to 401k and partially to ESOP, paid in August – Annual bonus: varies, for me it’s been ~5%, paid in December – They pay 90% of premiums for a BCBS health plan, or if you have coverage elsewhere, you get a $144/pay period stipend just for not being on their insurance – $50/month gym membership reimbursement – Up to $10k per year for professional development/conferences – 1 week fully paid parental leave – 60% paid short-term disability (they cover the premiums) for up to 90 days – this, combined with the previous bullet point, is how people do maternity leave – $500 reimbursement for take-out meals in the first 3 months post-baby
Management Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:39 pm your job – system administration, training, and process improvement your geographic area – Denver your years of experience – In this role, 4 years a description of your benefits — PTO bucket – 12 hours per month until 5 years, then I think 16 hours per month; Retirement: we get a pension (government), so we contribute ~7% (vested at 5 years) and employer contributes ~11%; Medical: we have several plans to choose from, I have an HDHP plan for just me and my daughter, employer pays about 89% of the premium, and employer contributes $1200 this year to an HSA (changing how you qualify next year in an awful way). We don’t have any interesting benefits since we are government aside from having a lot of holidays off.
Bookkeeper (Nontraditional benefits)* August 10, 2017 at 1:42 pm -5 years experience (part-time) -Southern California -Duties: Reconciling bank accounts, creating workpapers, payroll, filing quarterly payroll tax and sales tax returns, communicating with clients, sending financial reports, misc office tasks including some admin work -My company is just my boss and I Benefits: *full control over my schedule. As long as I finish my work, my boss doesn’t care when I come in (but no paid leave) *During tax season, my boss bought me lunch every single day *No health insurance, but I’m under 26. We’ve talked about it and my boss will probably change this when I turn 26 and need insurance *Professional development (Me: Hey, boss. I want to learn [skill] and I can take a class through my school. Boss: Cool! If you take this online thing instead, I’ll pay for you to take it and I’ll pay you for your time.)
Senior Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:43 pm Senior analyst at F500 CPG company. Manage 1 direct report (so, mid-level, but not management) Mid-Atlantic 4 years experience, 8 months at company Vacation/sick: 10 days PTO, 9 holidays, 2 floating holidays. Sick time comes out of PTO. PTO increases to 15 days after 5 years. Retirement matching: 6% Health: OI pay about $100/mo for the lowest plan. Company contributes a few hundred dollars to HSA each year. Domestic partners (same or opposite sex) can be covered on insurance. Other benefits: small discount on company’s products. Matching for charitable contributions. Occasional company-sponsored community service events that you can participate in w/o using PTO. Benefits I wish I had: If not more PTO, a work from home policy, since everyone is always sick and gets everyone else sick from being in the office. Also, I have no idea what the maternity/paternity leave policy is – I can’t find documentation anywhere. I heard 6 weeks for mothers, but I’ve also heard it is only STD and therefore 30 or 60 days at 100%.
Accounting Associate* August 10, 2017 at 1:46 pm Accounting Associate Cleveland, Ohio 14 years experience, 4 years at current job Benefits: -11 holidays -10 vacation days -‘unlimited’ sick time (as long as its not abused there is no limit, I average 3-5 days per year that I take) -Health/dental insurance – firm pays 80% of premiums -401K matching -Pension – eligible after 5 years -Tuition reimbursement up to $5,000/year (only if related to position) -Underground private parking garage (this is really great for a downtown firm! Especially in winter… Not to mention other downtown workers who have to pay for parking are shelling out hundreds of dollars a month) -Not a ‘benefit’ per se, but annual raises are good, usually around 6% (I’ve gotten as high as 9% some years) 40 hour work week, rarely any overtime offered, OT only required for tax department for two months of the year. Most people leave by 5 every day. Work/life balance is great: if your kids are sick or school is closed due to snow, no big deal to call off; only a few key higher-ups might get interrupted with a work call or email while out sick or on vacation. The stability and work/life balance is awesome. Add in the 401k plus pension, for a private sector job? No plans to leave this place!
Bookkeeper/Tax Admin/Admin Asst* August 10, 2017 at 1:46 pm Bookkeeper/Tax Admin/Admin Asst at a CPA firm I do bookkeeping, help with specific payroll reporting/annual forms throughout the year, and help gather info client tax returns. Also everything an admin asst would do (phones, filing, emails, scanning, random projects, scheduling) -Dallas, TX -5 years of experience -15 days PTO this includes sick and vacation -health insurance is paid for by company for each worker, not their family or spouse (but I don’t use it since i’ts a very bad high deductible plan and I’m on my husband’s insurance)
Financial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:48 pm My title is Financial Analyst because that can cover just about anything dealing with money. I’m a CPA and I work in the finance department of a local government in the Pacific Northwest. I deal with accounting, reporting, budgeting, systems, etc., etc., etc. I have 22 years at my current employer and 26 years overall. Benefits include: * On-site (free) physical therapy. I listed this one first because it is probably the most unusual, but as a Financial Analyst I can also tell you that the costs of the benefit has been more than offset by the reduced workers’ comp claims. And that doesn’t even include the other costs of lost time. * 8 weeks of PTO annually (this is due to my longevity, exempt status, and an MSL balance conversion that gets me one extra every year). PTO is capped at 1+1/2 times the annual rate. * 6 days of major sick leave (MSL) added to my bank annually, capped at 480 hours (every 40 hours earned over 480 is converted to one PTO day). * 9 holidays a year. (New Year’s, MLK, Pres, Memorial, 7/4, Labor, Thanksgiving, day after Thanks, Christmas) * Short-term disability @ 67% and long-term disability (@ 60%, I think?). * Enrollment in the state retirement system. In a nutshell, monthly benefit = 2% of final compensation (average of highest 60 consecutive months) multiplied by years of service. We also have a 457 plan (employee paid). * Medical for full family paid at 95%, EXCEPT that since my family is covered by my husband’s employer, I get a waiver credit equal to one-half what the benefit would have been. (waiver credit = cash money). After retirement, I can remain on health insurance plan (which is great even though employee paid). * Dental and vision coverage for my family paid at 100%. * Life insurance = my annual salary, paid at 100%. Opportunity to purchase additional life insurance (employee paid). * 3 days bereavement leave (immediate family, siblings, parents/grandparents, in-laws). Jury duty and military leave paid. * Last, but certainly not least, the culture: awesome bosses all the way up the line; proper work/life balance; tools to do my job (ie software, a sit/stand desk, etc.); variety in my work; professional respect of my knowledge, opinions, and ideas; and a company culture that lets me be me. Hence, why I am still here after 22 years with no intention of leaving until retirement.
Financial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:52 pm I forgot that we have a tuition reimbursement plan; I’ve never used it. But I do get all my relevant continuing professional education paid for (40 hours a year), plus other training.
Financial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:54 pm I also forgot employee assistance plan, felonious assault insurance, and dependent life coverage of $10K.
Financial Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm I just reread my comments. I am never leaving. Rinse. Repeat.
Legal Secretary* August 10, 2017 at 1:48 pm Legal secretary at law firm (as opposed to in house) San Francisco, California (not just nearby, but in the city itself) I’ve done this for 20 years, at this company for 18 months Benefits: 2 weeks of vacation per year (10 days), one floater day, nine holidays, 12 sick days per year (they don’t have short-term disability here, only long-term, so you’re to save a chunk of sick days for disability if needed. Generally if someone knows they are about to quit, they will start frantically using up their sick days (mental health days). Health insurance – HMO and PPO. I have the PPO with a HSA (Health savings account). The firm contributes some amount ($60?) per pay period to the HSA for me. There’s a 401K. I don’t participate so don’t know much about it. Commuter Check Program – we get our commuter money tax free. EAP There’s a lot of other stuff like a charitable contribution matching program, two hours of paid time off for voting, four weeks paid time off for jury duty if on a trial or grand jury, leave (it doesn’t specify whether this is paid or unpaid) related to domestic violence or sexual assault. Then we have benefits that aren’t written out, but are part of what makes my firm so great – there’s a gym in our office, we have Cake Day once a month to celebrate all the birthdays happening that month, Wednesdays are Fruit Day where there’s a big box of fruit delivered in the morning, we have Corporate Massage once a month (partners often buy a massage for their secretaries and it’s 20 minutes), we have Friday Meditation, there’s an annual award ceremony to recognize peoples’ work anniversaries, this year they gave out Pride flags and rainbow ices during a heatwave so lots of people (including straight ones) now have a Pride flag in their pen holder at their desk.
Pet Sitter* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) I take care of people’s pets while they’re out of town or busy. I visit their homes; I don’t run a pet daycare or have pets stay in my own home. your geographic area Southern U.S. your years of experience ~10 years a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get I get however much vacation time I want to schedule for myself. I don’t have sick leave, but I would have another pet sitter fill in for me (with owners’ blessing, of course) if I were contagious or too sick to work. No real “benefits.” Making my own schedule and being my own manager is very nice. Also, a part of this job that people generally don’t realize: I don’t have weekends. Your holidays are my busy work days. Your busy work days are my easy days with light schedules. I have no complaints about spending holidays petting cats, though. :)
In-house counsel* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm In-house counsel in a small legal department of a mid-sized retail company Greater Seattle area 4 years in-house, 15 years total practicing law Benefits: PTO = 15 days vacation, 2 float days & 6 sick days. All PTO is use-it-or-lose-it, with PTO front-loaded on January 1. People actually take vacation here. Medical/health insurance premiums are @80% paid by company with good coverage options. Dental and vision are 100% company-paid but low coverage. Flexible spending accounts and employee assistance program available at no cost to employee. Life insurance – 1x annual salary up to $100K paid by company, optional additional coverage of employee and/or spouse is employee-paid. 401(k) is 50% employer matched up to 10% of employee’s salary contributed. The benefits above are available to corporate and retail employees after 90 days. Additional salaried/corporate employee benefits include paid long-term disability, optional short-term disability.
In-house counsel* August 10, 2017 at 1:52 pm Adding: 6 paid holidays – our paid holidays are on the low end, but we’re retail so many departments need to be here & open to support our stores which only close on Christmas and Thanksgiving Day.
HR Director* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm Job: I am the head of HR for a medium sized manufacturing company with a number of locations scattered throughout the state (I oversee all HR functions including recruiting and payroll and have a small team reporting to me). Location: Headquartered in SF Bay Area Experience: 12 years of experience in HR; about a year in this role Benefits: My company covers about 80% of medical and dental premiums and 100% of vision premiums. We have a high deductible health plan but the company contributes 50% of the deductible (individual or family) to our HRAs. We have employer paid life insurance and long term disability. Short term disability is covered by the state program. We have an EAP and offer a commuter benefit program, and FSA (including dependent care FSA). We match 2% of 401(k) contributions but we’re looking at adding a discretionary profit sharing component to our plan. PTO/Vacation/Sick: I am on an unlimited PTO plan. I am required to use a minimum of 10 days per year and 5 of those days must be take consecutively. Unlike some unlimited plans, there isn’t any problem with people taking time off, but it’s generally discouraged to take more than 2 weeks at a time — on average, it seems like people on the plan take around 4 weeks + sick days in total per year. The unlimited PTO plan is only for senior managers, so everyone else is on an accrual plan that starts at 3 weeks/year and goes up to 6 weeks per year depending on length of service. Vacation: We have between 10 and 11 paid vacation days per year (depending on when Christmas falls, we sometimes also get the day before or day after off). Other Time off Benefits: We do have a personal leave of absence policy that is handled on a case-by-case basis. Generally employees just take off what ever time they are legally entitled to by state or federal leave of absence laws. We pay people one week, in addition to the wage replacement program the state offers, for parental leave, and an additional 3 weeks paid for time off falling under pregnancy-related leaves (So, a woman who gives birth would get 4 weeks paid total and then have wage replacement through the state). Because I am on an unlimited PTO plan, the company will pay me for 6 weeks on any leave of absence before I have to go onto the state wage replacement program which replaces wages at less than 100%.
Associate Editorial Director* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm Manager of a group of copyeditors with some responsibilities over a larger department; advertising agency; New York metro; 11 years experience (10 at this company, 5 in this position). 28 base PTO +12 holidays + 1 floating holiday + 4 bonus summer days (not guaranteed but never yet withheld) + Christmas week (likewise) — started at 18 base PTO Medical, dental, vision, life/accident/disability insurance (pet and legal insurance also available) — total ~$80/mo for just me plus copays ($25 GP/$45 specialist), coinsurance (80% covered in network), prescriptions (nominal cost for generic) 401k match of 75% up to the first 6% of salary — 50% matched for under 10 years of service Hours and WFH are flexible (laptop available but not necessary); nobody watches the clock as we come and go Casual attire for staff who don’t work with clients No regular bonus (but generous referral bonuses and occasional anniversary bonuses); OT is only for non-management
Academic Advisor- State University* August 10, 2017 at 1:49 pm Academic advising at a California public university. It’s an exempt position, and we have a union. I have 17 years in. –Vacation is earned monthly, depending on length of service, and can accrue from year to year, up to 400 hours (440 after 10 years service). 6 2/3 hours up to three years; 10 hours up to six years; 11 1/3 hours up to 10 years; 12 2/3 hours up to 15years; 14 hours up to 20 years; 15 1/3 hours up to 25 years;and two days per month thereafter. –Sick leave accrues at 8 hours per month, with an unlimited maximum. (Unused leave may be converted to service credit at retirement) –Personal Holiday- one per calendar year –Health Benefits –Medical- premiums shared between university and employee (Depends on program chosen. Mine is currently fully paid by my employer) Copays are my responsibility –Dental Benefits- fully paid by employer –Vision Benefits– fully paid –Retirement- CalPers Retirement plan- both employee and university contribute to this. Can retire at 55 or older with a minimum of 5 years service. http://www.calpers.ca.gov –Employees have access to a fee waiver program at any university in the system- this can be transferred to spouse or dependents.
Office Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:50 pm Current job (in my notice period): Office Manager for a consultancy – basically all the running of the office, but also heavy in accounting/accounts payable, event planning, time and expense management, etc. Midwest – Chicagoland 4 years experience PTO (includes vacation/sick) – 20 days, 9 holidays Retirement matching 6% Maternity – 13 weeks paid! Unsure on health etc. as I am under my partners. New job: Office Manager – same responsibilities as above but for a construction firm Midwest – Chicagoland 4 years experience PTO (includes sick) – 15 days, 1 free day, 6 holidays – goes up to 20 days after 10 years at the firm Retirement – profit sharing plan – company puts a percentage of profits into 401k fund at the end of every year that then gets split amongst employees Maternity leave – 6 weeks paid, 6 weeks unpaid Again, through my partners insurance, so I’m not sure of those details.
Adjunct Instructor* August 10, 2017 at 1:51 pm Job: I teach online undergraduate courses on a contractual basis for a liberal arts college in the Midwestern U.S. The college has a small, long-established central brick-and-mortar campus and a significant online presence. Geographic area: Midwestern U.S. Years of experience: This is my 12th year of teaching as an online adjunct. In the past, I also taught for the institution’s traditional on-campus day program and its evening program. Benefits: – Vacation and sick leave: None; in fact we have less time off between terms now because the institution added a new summer term, which resulted in compressing the rest of the academic calendar. I work back-to-back 8-week sessions for most of the year without a break. If I take off, I don’t get paid. – Retirement matching: None. We also are not allowed access to the institution’s retirement program. – Health insurance premium coverage: None. – Any other interesting benefits: The only benefit we are allowed is a “grant” to cover tuition for ourselves and immediate family members who choose to take classroom courses with the institution. We can take online courses at a reduced rate, but we have to pay a portion of the cost. The institution has an agreement with numerous other small colleges that offers reduced tuition for immediate family members; however, that benefit is open only to full-time employees of the institution. Adjuncts don’t qualify. FYI, I work at least 40 hours per week on average for my employer, I have been employed consistently by them for the period I listed above, and I am a dedicated instructor. Colleges and universities today take advantage of the fact that people like me are willing to advance the knowledge and experience we possess about our fields, and they don’t have to offer us any perks or even a permanent job to get that experience.
Director of Development & Marketing* August 10, 2017 at 1:51 pm • Job description: I manage all fundraising and marketing for a nonprofit including major giving, events, grants, annual fund, employee giving, newsletters and annual reports, marketing and social media, etc. I supervise one part-time employee. My primary focus is on growing individual giving. • Geographic Area: Pacific NW • Experience: 10 years of experience, 3.5 at this job. I’ve had 3 promotions here (Development Manager -> Development Director -> Director of Development & Marketing) • 10 days PTO (sick leave and vacation combined). PTO is the only benefit I hate at this job – the salary is good, but it’s just not enough paid time off and the PTO is not competitive with other nonprofits in the area. I can take as much unpaid time as I want, but that’s not a great solution. • 12 paid holidays plus an extra day that can be used around your birthday. • Medical/Dental/Vision – I pay $30/paycheck, the company pays the rest. It’s pretty good insurance, but dependent coverage is paid 100% by the employee • Simple IRA – they match up to 3% of salary • Short & long term disability at 60% of salary • $50,000 of life insurance (plus option to purchase voluntary life insurance at a discounted rate) • Employee Assistance Program • Childcare benefit – up to $600/month in childcare tuition for children enrolled in our programs (we’re an education nonprofit) • Professional Development – they pay for almost any local professional development/conferences I want, within reason. • Paid leave for Bereavement (3 days) and Hazardous Weather (up to 5 days/year)
Librarian I / Archivist* August 10, 2017 at 1:52 pm — Digital Archivist / Librarian I — New York City — 3+ years of experience — 20+ vacation days (that roll over, year-to-year); 3 personal days; unlimited sick time (it’s not tracked; we’re sick when we’re sick); employer-matched 403(b); tax-exempt transit benefits; not sure what my employer pays for health insurance, i pay ~$150.00/mo.
Technical Writer* August 10, 2017 at 1:53 pm Create client facing user guides, some marketing documents, release notes on updates to software, etc. South Carolina 1.5 years of experience (approx.) 15 days PTO plus 15 paid holidays (we’re closed the week of Christmas) 100% 401k matching up to 4% of salary I cover 15% of the health/dental insurance cost ($250 deductible, $2250 annual maximum) they pay for parking ($80 a month) They’re extremely generous with flex-time and where you work (work from home, while traveling, remotely, whatever).
Data Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:54 pm Real job duties are a mix of data analysis, project management, and research assistant. My title’s unique, so not using that here. I have 7 years in the workforce, 1 specifically in this role. I’ve always worked for nonprofits. Washington, DC -80% premium payment for health/dental for self, 60% for dependents. There’s a lot of choice in terms of plans, but the cheapest start at $80/month (after the 80%) and have ridiculous deductibles. Our health insurance is known to be Not Great. -5% 401(k) contribution regardless of personal contribution. 4 year vesting. -17 vacation days and 12 sick days per year, as well as all federal holidays (paid). Only 5 vacation days roll over every year, though. I think this is bumped to 22 once you’ve reached 5 years with the company, but we are only 2 years old! So who knows. No sick rolls over. -Office is in a WeWork, so there’s unlimited coffee, tea, fruit water, and beer provided. WeWork provides a lot of discounts, and I took advantage of the gym discount for several months until I discovered Daily Burn -There’s an EAP through the payroll/benefits company that we use – we don’t do this in-house. -Comp time is generous and flexible work hours are permitted. Most of my coworkers travel a lot and there’s no qualms about bringing an SO along on a staff trip – we even make sure they’re invited to group dinners. -Not an official benefit, but 60% of the company telecommutes permanently, and even though I live 20 minutes away from our office, I was given permission to move time zones and also telecommute. Even those that live in the area have a one/two day work from home arrangement per week.
Revenue Agent (IRS Auditor) - Federal Govt* August 10, 2017 at 1:54 pm Job: Audit small and mid-size businesses including self-employed individuals Geographic Area: Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Years of Experience: 7, all in my current position with this agency (came from a different background after finishing school) Benefits: — 6 hours annual leave per pay period (works out to about 20 days per year) — 4 hours sick leave per pay period (13 days per year) — All federal holidays paid — Up to a 5% match on 401k, but can be less than that depending on how much you contribute — Govt pays roughly 70% of health insurance premiums — Pension. I contribute 1% but newer hires contribute 4% I believe — Union protection (Can be a double edged sword, but mostly good if you’re a worker bee)
General Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:54 pm Description: business management (contracts, finance, payroll, HR) for a small performing arts nonprofit Location: NYC Experience: 1.5 years at this job, 7 years of arts management in total. Licensed but non-practicing attorney. PTO: we are a bit weird in that most of the staff are also performers with their own gigs and tours, so we have unlimited PTO and incredibly flexible work schedules. All of us work from home/the road frequently. Sick leave: also unlimited. Insurance: employer pays 50% of premium for a plan employees vote on. I’m not on it because my spouse’s insurance is better, but the cost to each employee is about $350/month for quite a good plan. Vision included. Retirement: none, unfortunately. I would like to get a 401K program started while I’m here. Parental leave: literally none of the staff have children, so it hasn’t come up, but I’m confident that we will create a generous and non-discriminatory policy when it does. Transit: deducted pre-tax from paychecks. I also intend to ask the company to pay my licensure renewal fees, but I haven’t had to renew yet. There is somewhat frequent travel, usually to interesting/fun places, but no per diem for non-performers, which I also intend to change in the next fiscal year budget.
Director of Marketing & Communications* August 10, 2017 at 1:56 pm Director of Marketing at a smallish professional theatre. Handle all of the marketing, advertising, press, online presence, etc. Greater Boston area 7 years’ experience in theatre, 5 in marketing, just over 1 month at current job Vacation Time: 3 weeks Sick time: 10 days per year, can rollover up to 20 days Health: Company pays 70%. Dental is covered, vision is not. 403(b) program is available, but no matching, alas.
Taylor K* August 10, 2017 at 1:56 pm Senior Customer Service Representative I assist brokers and Human Resource with Eligibilty and Billing questions for major healthcare organization. 4 years of customer service experience, 1 year in this role. Benefits 80 hrs of PTO a year (they give it to you right away even for new hires so you do not have to build it up over time) 7 paid holidays (Even black friday) 401k and Matching roth IRA 6% Discounts on phone carrier bills and gym membership and even some sporting event tickets (example can get tickets to Daytona 500 or MLB team game for about half price). Also company sponsored volunteer events that do not use PTO to attend to. Health: Many different plans they offer but for the one Im on its about $30 a month (HDHP plan). Also offer dental and vision and life along with LTD and STD.
Social Science Research Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 1:56 pm your job – Research assistant at a nonprofit research firm; we are government contractors your geographic area – DC your years of experience – 2 a description of your benefits — – vacation and sick leave: 20 days/year combined vacation/sick (increases every couple years up to 30 days) plus 10 paid holidays – retirement matching: 403b plus a retirement plan that starts at 4% employer contribution and increases with age of employee and length of service (up to 20%) – health insurance: Not sure about %, but I have a great plan for $40/month plus dental and vision other benefits: – $5000/year tuition assistance – $1000/year for conferences and professional development – life insurance – EAP – $130/month transportation – flexible hours and telework/remote work
Hiking In Heels* August 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm Director of Finance/Human Resources at a state-wide conservation nonprofit with 15-25 employees, depending on season, and a budget of $1.25m Inter-Mountain West (Nevada, Utah, etc) 6 years in position, gross salary $52,750 with a total package value of $72,000 100% of health premiums paid for (deluxe group plan, value $565/month) 96 hours of Sick and 144 hours of Vacation accrued annually, and a catastrophic leave sharing plan 12 paid holidays per year Wellbeing Leave (similar to FMLA) up to 3% Simple IRA match 100% of longterm disability premiums paid for Flex time and option to work from home 2-6 times per month Professional Development time paid for (2-4 hrs/week) Dog-friendly office Professional in the field deals with outdoor retailers like KEEN Footwear and Patagonia
Applications Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm I am a welding and metallurgical engineer working for a small specialized manufacturing company. I develop new applications for customers to the point of production, perform critical inspections, consult with customers, etc. I’m in the Northeast USA. I have been in my highly specialized field for about 12 years, although 5 of those were my PhD work. 4 at my current company. Vacation time = 10 days (80 hrs) Sick time = 3 days (when I started it was 2) Holidays = 12 days (1st working day of the year (i.e. Jan 1 or 2), Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (x2), Christmas week (x5), +1 floating) 401K = 100% match on up to 6%, which I have maxed out since the start Health insurance = 60-62% coverage for medical/dental/vision (our dental is a “partially self-funded plan”, rather than a traditional plan) Other = Short/Long term disability insurance, FSAs, they say we have an EAP (although I’ve never heard of anyone using it and wouldn’t want to because our company is a bunch of gossips), safety, they have a life insurance program (although they do not cover any of it) Basically our benefits are OK, but nothing spectacular (despite what they try to tell us all the time). I will be leaving soon and during my job search have realized how much better benefits can be!
Full-time retail sales associate* August 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm Job: everything you think of when you think of retail (registers, fitting rooms, placing clothes) as well as helping visual staff with displays, back-of-house operations maintainence, managing other staff in manager’s absence. (It’s theoretically a management-track postion but not always) Location: Ontario, Canada Experience: 2.5 yrs with the company, in this position four months. Benefits: 3 weeks/15 days vacation (another week at 4 years exp, another at 8 years) (also a paid vac day for your birthday, but that’s for everyone) 7 sick days Guaranteed hours (retail specific benefit, probably) Matched retirement contrib (up to 4%) Dental coverage (base level paid by co, option to pay more for expanded coverage) Supplementary/holistic healthcare (massage, therapy, etc)
TechLady - Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm I’m a project manager at a mid-stage mobile application company that targets the construction industry. We have about 300 employees. My projects involve our technical infrastructure and security. Location: San Francisco Experience: 3 years Benefits: • Private health insurance, dental, and vision; premiums covered 100% by employer. “Premium plan” offered as opt-in, with employee covering the price difference between base plan and premium plan. • 401k offered, but no employer match • Take-what-you-need time off. Expectation is five weeks, not including sick days. Hourly employees get three weeks, but there is no penalty for “going negative” (the three weeks is simply for compliance with vacation payout laws) • Lunches provided three times per week at HQ, breakfast provided once per week • Flexible scheduling and work-from-home arrangements for HQ employees 12 weeks paid parental leave for births or adoptions (available for both parents if they both work at the company) • Optional company offsite once per year (past two years has been cabins/camping over a weekend, transit and meals are also provided) • Optional company holiday party once per year (remote employees flown in by company and lodging paid for by company) • Commission-based sales roles get an additional week-long company-paid vacation (Mexico, Hawaii, etc.) if they meet their targets all year • R&D roles get two individual weeks per year to work on projects of their own choosing • Opt-in volunteering events ~twice/year for HQ employees • $250 home office setup budget for new remote hires • $100/mo credit for phone and internet services for remote employees • $1000/yr on continuing education–can be classes, conferences, whatever (as long as related to role and approved by manager)
TechLady* August 10, 2017 at 2:00 pm Oh yeah, we have FSA cards as well, and commuter benefits (UberPOOL and Clipper Cards, I think up to $300/mo)
Management Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 1:58 pm job: sort of a business analyst plus a bit of development lite work (elearnings/sharepoint/random softwares), the most technical person not in the IT area here for: state government location: large midwest city, not Chicago experience: 6 here (4 promotions, in the middle of a transition to a 5th), 16 total benefits: time: sick: 4 hours/2 weeks; vac: 4/2 weeks, increasing over time +1 floating holiday +standard fed holidays health: no premium, choice of provider; dental coverage; some eye coverage (no glasses/contacts) pension deferred comp onsite gym access to some training tools/some training (I’m getting a lot, but it varies based on job, I’m just changing jobs so getting a lot of training) short and long term disability
Meeting Planner* August 10, 2017 at 2:00 pm I’m a meeting planner for a national organization. My department provides professional development to people who work in a field that requires them to take continuing education courses to maintain their certification. Our organization works closely with this field, and my team of fellow planners and I plan hundreds of programs a year nationwide. I work in a major city in the Southeast U.S. and have nearly 10 years of experience in meeting planning. Vacation: 20 days Sick: 10 days Paid Holidays: Generally 13. Sometimes the CEO approves an additional day or so depending on how the calendar falls. Retirement: I’m required to put in 2%, but I choose to put in 4%. My company puts in a 13% match. I was fully vested after two years. Insurance: We have a very good PPO plan. Part of the reason I stay here is because of the good insurance and retirement plan. Employees and the company share the cost of health insurance, but I don’t remember the percentage offhand. I know that the company pays the bulk of my premium, though. I have Employee Only coverage and pay less than $150 per month. We also have dental insurance. The company offers tuition reimbursement for both undergraduate and graduate degrees, but I have no plans to go back to school.
Meeting Planner* August 10, 2017 at 2:05 pm Adding that we also have access to a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) as well as short and long term disability. The company allots money (I forget the amount) that each employee can use annually for professional development, attending conferences, etc. We also have a casual dress code (jeans).
Bank Teller* August 10, 2017 at 2:01 pm Job: Exactly what it says on the tin. I’m a full-time teller at a large chain bank. Geographic Area: Vermont, USA. Years of Experience: About 6 months. Benefits: * 5 weeks of PTO, which includes 8 mandatory holidays. The rest is sick time, personal time, vacation, whatever you need it for. * 100% retirement matching up to 3% of pay, and an additional 50% on contributions up to 6%. Also, they’ll contribute something like 5% of my pay to my retirement without me having to make contributions at all. * No idea how much they contribute to healthcare premiums but my contribution isn’t that high, and I get vision and dental as well. * Tuition reimbursement up to $2,500 a year. * 16 weeks of paid parental leave. * Pre-tax savings accounts for healthcare, dependent care, and transit costs. * Reimbursement up to $5,000 for adoption expenses. * An employee assistance program for everything from legal issues to pet care to free short-term counseling.
Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 2:01 pm 20 years out of law school, 10 years in policy in Chicago. NPO under 10 employees, mostly consulting with courts and other government agencies. I am funded for a full time 32 hour position, primarily in family law & domestic violence. While most of my work is program (research, advocacy, drafting policy documents and legislation), I am second in command for fundraising, program development and pro bono relationships. I am paid $58,000/year. I get 10 vacation days, 4 personal days. I can work from home with notice as needed. 100% insurance premium is paid with deductible re-reimbursement. My only retirement benefit is the hopefully continuing federal student loan forgiveness program. I sometimes remark that my biggest job perk is a private office with a door that closes.
Kalliopesmom* August 10, 2017 at 2:02 pm I work in a Union hall, I am the admin (office Coordinator) I get 5 days sick leave, two weeks vacation, employer paid 80% health insurance, $3 an hour pension fund and decent hourly wage. The council pays my union dues as long as I am working.
Agricultural Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 2:02 pm Ontario Public Service employee. Civil systems engineer speciality (building code, reducing the risk around barn fires) Ontario Canada 10 years experience Vacation – 21 days Sick days – 5 (legal minimum in Ontario) Retirement – mandatory pension (~8% of income) with 100% matched. 35 weeks maternity/paternal leave at 93% salary health premiums – 100% 1 year salary life insurance 66% for LT disability (if necessary)
Development Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:04 pm I’m a development manager working at an environmental NGO. I work in the San Francisco Bay Area and I’ve got 10 years experience (eek! Where does the time go?) 12 sick days a year (but I’m not sure the hours ever expire) 4 weeks vacation (you start at 2, get 3 weeks for a while, and get 4 weeks after 5 years. However, given that salaries are often not very negotiable, folks often get an extra week’s leave in years 1-4 instead.) These hours also roll over up to a point, but we are encouraged to take them! 11 holidays, and usually a couple of extra leave days each year. 8% 401K match (this is the best!) Somewhat flexible hours. Pre-tax commuter and health account benefits. We’ve got vision, dental, and health (4 options on health). I think our health plans are $50-$100 a month for a single employee? Pre-tax? I have no idea what our employer puts in. Lots of employee assistance programs, for just about any type of help you might need; legal, financial, adoption, caring for kids with disabilities. I even think there’s a mortgage help one? A crisis fund for co-workers (those that are impacted by natural disasters. Co-workers can pool funds to help, and our company matches funding.) And all the usual (?) life insurance and disability type things. The really fun benefits are some great discounts on outdoor gear and wellness items. Plus, I get an NGO discount on my phone service. Occasional field trips to project sites. Really great emphasis on professional development. I will say that the *best* benefits I ever got were at my most miserable job. It was a highly dysfunctional private school and they had to have amazing benefits to keep anyone around at all. The best perk was the free lunches. I miss those like crazy! (The dysfunction, not so much.) Now then, I’ve realized we have a zipcar discount I need to go look into…
Nonprofit Program Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:09 pm My work: I manage two profit-generating initiatives (a consulting practice and a training program) embedded in a large, local nonprofit organization. This is a new direction for me; I recently took an internal transfer into this role. My work in general has been program and operations management in small nonprofit organizations. Region: Twin Cities, MN Experience: 13 years post-graduate school (MPP) experience, plus internships/etc. during college and grad school Vacation/Sick Leave: 28 days combined PTO, plus 2 personal days. Can save up to 1.5x my annual allotment before leave stops accruing. One note: our PTO amount is determined by our overall years of experience rather than tenure at the organization. I believe you get 18 days for 0-3 years of experience, 23 for 3-10, 28 for 10-20, and then 33 if you have 20+ years at the organization (it’s the only level that has that requirement; the rest are just dependent on your overall years of experience). Retirement: Matches 75% of the first 3% employees put in, then 50% of the next 3%. Health Insurance: Employer pays 55 – 70% of the premium, depending on how many hours are worked and the selected plan. Other: Life insurance (100% of salary up to $50,000, no cost to employee), long term disability insurance (60% of salary, no cost to employee)
Administrative Assistant - Recreation field* August 10, 2017 at 2:10 pm Job: I work as an administrative assistant to our city’s Recreation Director. I handle the basic things like phone calls, helping customers, registrations. As well as Purchasing, Billing, Guide/Flyer design & layout, tech support, website upkeep, facility scheduling, taxes, banking, etc. Basically anything to support my director to keep the department running smoothly. Location: WI Experience: ~10 years in current position, 12+ in clerical roles Benefits: *3 weeks paid vacation (this is based on years worked) *Most Federal holidays off as well *12 paid sick days per year, that may rollover up to 144 total *Perk vs benefit but: 1 hour for “appts” that you don’t have to use a sick day for, no real rule as to how often…but people tend to not abuse it *1 personal day (again, based on years worked) *Medical with HSA & option of FSA – which is pretty good, but has been going down hill from what I started with :( *Dental – Extremely basic, I think they only cover 1 cleaning per year? *Vision – Again, basic. Possibly only a certain amount toward an exam per year? *State Retirement *Long term disability *Life Insurance *Free classes offered by our department (fitness & educational) – there might be more, but our HR department is notorious for not being very forthcoming with information…
Digital Marketing Director* August 10, 2017 at 2:10 pm Job: Digital Marketing Director for boutique advertising agency Scope: manage 10 people in social media and content marketing for mid-size regional businesses Location: Kansas Salary: 73k Experience: 10 years Monetary Benefits: 10 days PTO (official policy but they only count it for multiple days off, you can take many single days off) 80% subsidized health insurance for whole family, just $300/month for health, dental and optical for employee, spouse and kids 401k match of 4% salary, vested immediately Employer paid life insurance, short and long term disability insurance, and accident insurance Workplace perks: Flexible schedule Work from home 20% allowed Flex time offered for “overtime” since we’re all salaried Professional development budget Coffee, sodas and snacks provided
project manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:11 pm Recently started a new job! Project Manager title – job duties are basically admin and event management Experience: 10 years overall work experience, about 5 related to this Location: SF Bay Area Salary: $60k Vacation: 15 days (which I can begin using after 6 months), also separate bucket for sick leave Holidays: ten or so Benefits: Relatively flexible schedule. 2 days in the office, 3 days from home – pretty good about letting me work remotely from anywhere if I’m traveling, etc Several options for health care but I have a 0-deductible plan and pay no out of pocket cost (including vision & dental). There’s no match for the retirement but several investment options pre- or post-tax. Pretty generous about reimbursing for home office setup, computer accessories, etc.
Human Resource Generalist* August 10, 2017 at 2:12 pm I work in HR for a small city in the southeast less than 5 years. Salary is below private market, but the benefits are excellent. Total compensation is quite good. 100% employer paid health insurance–a platinum plan as defined by the ACA-(it’s shockingly good–the best I have seen anywhere!) 50% employer paid dependent coverage defined pension based on years of service (we contribute and so does the employer) 5% 401 K contribution by employer (no match required) 15 days vacation 12 days sick (vacation increases with length of service) COMP TIME! for hours over 40–must be approved in advance –nice perk for exempt employees Health Savings account–employer and employee contribute 6 weeks paid parental leave bereavement leave tuition reimbursement good training budget heavily subsidized gym and pool memberships employer paid disability and life insurance Full time NP on site Free registered dietitian and tobacco cessation specialist on site I work for a great employer. I am very fortunate. We are not getting much in the way of raises which makes it very hard to recruit younger workers, but our retention is good.
Unofficial Front of the House Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:15 pm In a nutshell for my duties: * maintain social network accounts (managing content, changing layouts/photos) * hiring and apparently I have firing authority * training staff * writing trauning/operations manual (ongoing project that I can only work on in spurts because it’s a small company with 1 computer) * writing all forms (i.e., master checklists, inventory sheets, interview materials, etc) * fixing the mess of our filing system and doing the bulk of HR duties * keeping my staff from strangling one another (thankfully, everyone generally gets along now) * dealing with service techs/repairs * counter help/food service (making coffee, sandwiches, espresso drinks, waiting on customers, running cash register & counting it down at end of night) * placing orders for retail product/items we need in store I have it listed on my resume as “assistant to owner/acting foh manager.” Benefits? Lolololol. My boss has given me small cash bonuses and paid me for my vacation this year, but this is my 5th summer at the company. I used to be salaried, so I did “get vacation time” in the past, but no pto, no sick time, no vacation, no health insurance (been on Obamacare since 2014? 2015?) Lack of benefits is one of the three biggest reasons why I want to leave.
Senior Health Information Management Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 2:19 pm I release medical records, identify/report charting deficiencies, respond to audits, complete birth records, train new staff, and analyze workflow deficiencies. Greater Seattle Area, 2 years of experience Leave benefits: 5 days of sick, automatic 12 days of PTO (including your birthday) with additional PTO earned based on how much you work (~2 weeks), OT incurs PTO faster. PTO that’s incurred but not used turns into cash money. Volunteering is highly encouraged and you can get up to 2 weeks of additional PTO to be used for volunteer shifts at the organization of your choice. Retirement: we have several plans to choose from. Mine is 100% match up to $5K and 3% there after until the threshold (I’m not sure what that is off the top of my head). In order to retain some of our valued, older members they recently changed the rules a little bit and now allow you to start collecting 50% of pension once you hit 65 and are still working full time. Health insurance: there’s like 8 plans to choose from. I went with $50 a month for employee only; $0 copay, $300 annual deductible, and $1000 out of pocket max. This includes a health discount given to employees that participate in the exercise program, without it I would pay $120 a month. Disability: 80% coverage on short term premiums, 70% of long term. Continuing education: stipends are provided to purchase CEUs for certifications that are required for the job, they will also cover the exam fees when applicable. Higher education benefits depend on what type of degree you want. Nurses and informaticans are in the highest demand and can get their degree 100% paid for. Everyone else is something like $4,000 per year. Transportation: parking pass or metro card paid 100%. We also have company buses that run every 15 mins between the train station and all the buildings and a transportation department that will help you figure out the fastest/easiest way to get to point B. Other perks: flextime and telecommuting. We are always partnering with other companies and you never know what you’re going to get. Discounted tickets to sporting events, music, art, gyms, hotel, airfare, etc. etc.
Federal Course Auditor* August 10, 2017 at 2:19 pm My main role is auditing courses from groups that provide training under a Federal approval. Also serves as a mid-level manager for a customer-facing staff group so the majority of my work is management related. Boston Metro Area 10 years experience- 6 years as GS Annual/Sick Leave- 6 hours of annual leave per pay period (will increase to 8 when I reach 15 years of service); 4 hours of sick leave per pay period. Leave carries over to a certain extent (believe it’s 240 hours annually), so that is very useful. Public transit subsidy- $255/monthly. My pass is $363, so I still pay $108 a month plus $50 parking at the transit hub. Health/dental/vision- I pay about 30% of what is listed as the premium. Retirement: FERS- I believe 4.4% of my salary is deducted and there is some partial match for this. I will be eligible to retire at 57 if I stay with the Federal government because I became a GS employee at 25 and will have over 30 years of service at that point; 57 is my required “minimum retirement age” for the FERS program so I must wait until 57. TSP- like a 401k- I put in 5% to get the maximum matching amount. Unofficial perks: I am so able to park at our facility during non-business hours for free sometimes, which is unheard-of in Boston. Our office is very casual and the dress code is lax (probably too lax, but that’s not a fight I have ever gotten close to winning). Drawbacks: Lack of growth opportunities- most employees here will stay until they retire. I’m the newest employee with 4 years here; the last hire before me was more than 10 years ago. Raises are “set” unless a supervisor seeks out a “Quality Step Increase” or cash/time off award. If I meet the minimums, I’m guaranteed to move to my next step in the grade at the right time- this makes it hard for some individuals to be motivated to do more/extra. Lack of flex scheduling and telework options- they were promised when I was hired but have been deemed a poor fit for this role.
JuniorMinion* August 10, 2017 at 2:19 pm Texas Oil & Gas – Strategic Finance / M&A (Work for an oil and gas conglomerate) 7 years total work experience, 5 in this trajectory 90% employer paid health insurance (this is 100% for employees who make below some threshold – think ~$70k?) 10 paid holidays unlimited sick days 18 vacation days (I’ve been here for almost a year, the vacation tiers up after 3/5 years experience) 980 scheduling (every other Friday off in exchange for 9 9 hour workdays) I contribute 5% to a 401k and my employer contributes 7%, immediate vesting 7% employer only contribution to a “personal wealth” retirement account up to $115k of total salary, 11% employer contribution thereafter which vests in 3 years
JuniorMinion* August 10, 2017 at 2:25 pm Sorry also forgot Cellphone reimbursement up to $75 / month Gym membership reimbursement up to $55 / month (a lot of our competitors have on site personal training / free gym access. We do not due to location so this is to remain competitive)
Environmental Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 2:19 pm Job: Staff level environmental consultant (technical work on projects, occasionally interface with clients) Area: Seattle Metro Area Years of Experience: 6 Benefits: 17 days vacation (started at 12 days, got one additional day per year of experience to a max of 17). If I get promoted to a manager level, the max will be 22 days vacation. These roll over and can be accrued up to 200 hours (5 weeks) 10 days sick leave / year, rolls over and can be accrued up to 13 weeks 3% match on 401k, plus 3.75% of my salary is put into a pension type fund My health insurance is through my husband’s job, because his coverage is much better, and it costs the same to add me to his as it does for me to pay for my own. From what I’ve heard from my co-workers, our insurance isn’t fantastic.
Academic Librarian/ Dept. Head* August 10, 2017 at 2:19 pm Official Title Associate Librarian- Tenured academic librarian in a R1 State University, I am a department head of a subject specialty. I am responsible for teaching, collection development, donor relations, publishing, community engagement in an Archive and Special Collection. I am the subject specialist. In the midwest, USA Twenty five years librarian experience, MLIS degree, an additional 10 years related experience. a description of your benefits — 15 days vacation and unlimited sick leave, 5% retirement matching, Health insurance monthly- 80.00 from me, 560 from employer. Travel funds for conferences. Flexible schedule Competitive salary Good quality of life- short commute, easy housing, urban enough for variety of culture. Challenging and engaging position. , and any other interesting benefits you might get (If you want to be anonymous, don’t put your email address in the email field if you don’t want it linked to your Gravatar, if you have one.)
Another Academic Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 2:51 pm Midwest. Small specialized state institution. 30 years of service. 10 paid holidays, with some extra at the discretion of the governor. (Friday after Thanksgiving, Good Friday, a day adjacent to either Christmas or NYD. Paid time off if we close for weather related reasons. 13.334 hours of annual leave per month (20 days per year) can roll over 320 hours. 9.334 hours of sick leave per month (14 days per year) can roll over forever. 25% (up to 480 hours) will be cashed out when you leave (after 7 years of service) Pension, we pay 6% matched by the employer. 100% of staff members health insurance covered (crummy insurance though) vision, dental, disability can be purchased.
Editorial Coordinator (Admin/Ops)* August 10, 2017 at 2:21 pm I work for a media company doing admin work for an editorial team. So, lots of contracts/getting freelancers paid, a bit of training, work in hiring and onboarding, and generally doing whatever needs done. It’s something that probably could be done at a low level, but I was hired sort of mid-level, so I get to have some fun with workplace culture initiatives and stuff. I am in downtown Washington, DC. I have about 5.5 years professional experience now, and 1.5 in this job in particular. Our benefits are great! Unlimited vacation (recommended is 3 weeks), 4% 401k match, I think it’s like an 80 or 90% subsidy on health plan (I pay about $100 a month, and it’s a plan without a deductible and pretty low copays). My company is also really big on inclusivity, including trans-specific health benefits. My favorite perks are free LaCroix/soda, everyone has desks that can be standing or sitting, and in our DC office there’s a happy hour every Thursday where they put a bunch of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks at 4:30 and people chill and talk. It’s been great for getting to know other people in different parts of the company, and sometimes some real work-related stuff gets done (a couple weeks ago, there were about 4 of us there till 9:00, just talking about some of the things that haven’t been working as well as they could and figuring out why by talking to people with completely different vantage points on the issues!)
Director of Community Management* August 10, 2017 at 2:22 pm Job: Director of Community Management (social networking app) Location: Southern California Experience: 10 years Salary: Low six figures Manage 4 FTEs + outsourced team of 11 + occasional interns as-needed. Benefits: 100% employer paid health/dental/vision insurance, including for spouse + kids if spouse has no other health insurance option. Free meals in the office. Workplace is dog-friendly (within reason) 15 days PTO. Used to have unlimited OTO but did away with it. 401-k is offered but with no matching. Quarterly team-building events chosen by the team Fully subsidized gym membership (lower-end gym valued at approximately $65) Employer-paid cell phone bill for roles that require mobile app use on your personal device (basically all roles) Stock options, but fairly low compared to competitors and the long vesting schedule makes it unlikely most people will ever see value from them.
HR Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 2:23 pm This is an admin-level position (hourly) at an animal shelter (nonprofit) in Pittsburgh–merger of two shelters on 1/1/17. I have two years of experience. PTO is accrued. It ends up at 2 weeks/year for hourly and 3 for exempt. We have up to 3% retirement matching. Life, AD&D, STD & LTD, and vision are free to employees. Employer pays most of the cost of healthcare for employees but none for dependents; most are singles. There’s also a reimbursement benefit that starts at $200, goes up $20/year of service and caps at $300 for animal clinic services, merchandise and event tickets.
HR Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 8:35 pm Adding to this: PTO is 3 weeks after 5 years and 4 weeks after 10 for hourly; exempt start at 3 weeks and get to 4 at 3 years. Since hourly employees who work in the shelter and clinic are fairly low wage, there’s a nice thing they do with holidays. If they have to work on a paid holiday, they get time and a half for hours worked, plus their holiday pay. Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Client Manager - Market Research* August 10, 2017 at 2:24 pm My job – Market Research client manager. I manage a few associates on a team of client-facing market research analysts. Our job (collectively as a team) is to provide insights and recommendations for our clients based on consumer and retail measurement data. My role is to manage the team and ensure the client engagement is strong, while consulting and selling in incremental work. Geography: Chicago, IL, USA My experience: 13 years total; 9 years in Market Research Time off: 10 paid holidays, up to 10 sick days, 15 vacation days, 3 personal days per year. (Recently our company switched to “unlimited vacation”, so we’ll see how that 15 vacation days evolves.) 401k company matches 50% of your first 6% in contributions. (ie if you put in 6%, they contribute/match with 3%). We also have an opportunity to purchase discounted company shares through an ESPP. Health benefits: company offers Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending Accounts. I don’t know what % is subsidized, but we pay a pretty hefty amount per month…but that also seems to be the norm these days. We also have a ‘wellness screening’ where if we get our Blood Pressure, weight, cholesterol, etc measured every year we get a discount on the cost of the medical plan. There’s also some small amount of Education reimbursement for graduate degrees, an employee discount program for random stuff, a legal plan, ability to pay for commuter passes pre-tax, and probably a couple other small perks that I don’t recall.
Control Systems Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 2:25 pm your job: Basically project management for DCS/PLC projects and SME support on multi-discipline projects, minor programming for the DCS/PLC but I am the lead for the real programmers who do most of that these days. geographic area: Northwestish but not west coast experience: 4 years 18 days PTO for anything, up to 33 as you stay longer 100% matching to 7% of salary 401K employer pays 100% of health/dental/vision and puts money into an HSA (or FSA for reg plan), really flexible with hours as long as you are in for the “core” hours, tuition reimbursement, they’ll pay for licensing and professional development/training as well.
HR Assistant/HRIS Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 2:26 pm I’m in transition between Assistant and Specialist for a mid-sized community development credit union in the San Francisco Bay Area, California – mostly I do Specialist work, but they’re still working out the official JD and salary range so I haven’t been officially retitled yet. I configure, adjust, and troubleshoot our HRIS (UltiPro), write reports using Cognos BI, do analytical work as needed (we tried to get my job titled HR/HRIS analyst, actually, but our parent company wouldn’t let us), and am the unofficial IT tech for the HR team. I’m also the unofficial Excel expert for most of the organization. I also coordinate recruiting and onboarding in conjunction with the HR Manager. • 3.5 years in this industry/role; 6 years overall work experience • 3 weeks/15 days vacation and 12 days sick per year • 401k matched dollar-for-dollar up to 6% after one year of employment, vested at 3 years. The organization ALSO contributes 3% of an employee’s gross salary after one year of employment, regardless of whether the employee is contributing – so if you take full advantage by contributing 6%, you can overall get 15% of your salary per year put into your 401k (6% from you, 6% match, 3% additional) • Choice of two medical plans, HMO and PPO. Both premiums paid 90% by employer for employees, 80% for family. • Dental and vision are entirely employer-paid for employees. • Term life and AD&D insurance at $50k for employees, with the option to add supplemental employee life insurance or purchase spouse or child life insurance. • $10k adoption assistance • $2k/yr tuition reimbursement (50% of costs up to 2k) • 6 weeks paid parental leave available to be taken in any increment at any time during the first year after the child’s birth or adoption
Senior Trust Relationship Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:28 pm Job description: My company is fortune 500 and my department is responsible for handling corporate trustee/fiduciary accounts. I administer accounts invested in stock/bond market for trust funds and I specialize on the IRA (individual retirement accounts) side of the business. Basically, an account owner creates a trust which will and/or could restrict their beneficiaries from taking all the money after account owner dies. It keeps the beneficiary from being irresponsible with the account owner’s hard earned money. I’m not an attorney nor do I provide legal advice, instead, after the attorney creates the trust, I administer and follow the terms of the trust. My company is in San Antonio Texas. I have a total of 13+ years of investment experience and 9 of those years in Trust Administration. Since I’ve been with the company over 10 years, I now earn 13 hours of vacation time per month, receive 4 days floating holidays, 4 days of flex time, 2 days to use for volunteer. This time is combination of PTO and sick time. During the holidays, we receive an extra paycheck and annual bonus which is based on our corporate score and has been for last few years 17 to 18% of our annual pay. On our 401K, the company matches 100% up to 8% plus when we receive our bonus we get an additional 9% added to our 401K annually. Pay 100% for BA degree and master’s degree if it is relevant to our job. My medical insurance is individual policy. My company pays $6200 and I pay out of my paycheck around $1300 annually. That’s not including deductibles or other out of pocket expenses. My copay went from $5 to $116 a visit with my primary doctor though. We also have 2 options on flexible spending account or HSA. My company also offers Long Term Care Insurance which is way cheaper than me obtaining on my own! Interesting extras is that we have a medical clinic, pharmacy, massage therapy (for fee), free gym, free recreation programs/facilities (softball, soccer, kickball, etc.), physical therapy , support groups, etc.! We also have great cafeterias & Starbucks. We have employee classifieds so can post items for sell and discounts from various retailers. There’s a lot! I find it interesting that I seem to be the only Trust Relationship Manager!
Senior Trust Relationship Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:29 pm I forgot there are great maternity leave for both parents.
Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 2:28 pm Administrative Assistant for small office in worldwide special inspection/NDE company. I’ve assumed the duties of a QA/QC manager position that has been eliminated, as well as some lab and field technician duties, but these are not reflected in my pay scale or benefits in any way. I am in the Pacific Northwest, but the Eastern side of my state, although benefits are standardized in our company, so mine are the same as someone in my position in a California office, for instance. 10 years’ experience, 2.5 with this employer. I receive 2 weeks of vacation per year, although this was grandfathered in, policy was 1 week when I was hired on (increasing to two weeks after 3 years). I receive 24 hours of paid personal time, and one floating holiday per year, plus ten paid holidays. I do not know how much of my insurance premiums my employer pays, but I know I’m paying much, much higher premiums than a previous job at a very large, well-known company. I pay about $450/month for myself and one dependent. We also have a 401K with matching funds to 4%. I’m not sure how other offices handle it, but I can take unpaid time (except I can’t, because I can’t afford to) without penalty, so if I run out of personal/vacation and have a doctor’s appointment or whatnot, that’s not a problem with my boss. He also lets me flex my time so that I can take classes, and when I take a larger class load, the company has agreed to let me cut my hours and still keep my benefits. This paragraph is kind of ‘unofficial’ benefits, though, I just happen to have a super boss who advocated for me. Oh, and college classes that count towards a degree can be reimbursed up to $5000 per year, if the company agrees they will benefit from it and you sign a contract to stay for a year after each quarter/semester that they reimburse, and you continue to work full time while going to school.
Graphic Designer* August 10, 2017 at 2:28 pm Job: Graphic designer with some web development background. Some UI experience. Location: Southeast USA Experience: Moving on about 6 years post undergrad, started working technically three years before that, though. Benefits: 4 weeks PTO—no rollover, all in one bucket, flexible work schedule with WFH options, I WANT to say about 4% employer match, but don’t quote me on that, free snacks and drinks, team outings. Sometimes we get bonuses at the end of the year based on what we make and how long we’ve been here. Medical and dental insurance (workable, but not great), selective educational reimbursement. Startup culture with Nerf gun fights, beanbags, open office—we’re not limited to working at our desk. Casual dress. Downside: Not a huge amount of upward growth depending on who you have for a boss and what department you’re working under. Sometimes culture can be a bit “clique-ish.” You DO need to fit a certain mold in order to succeed in your specific department.
Graphic Designer* August 10, 2017 at 2:30 pm Adding this to say we do have national/local holidays that do not count towards our 4 weeks PTO.
Web Designer* August 10, 2017 at 2:29 pm Design flagship website and other web properties, email templates, social media / web graphics and other digital collateral; support other departments with their web design-related needs (intranet sites, external microsites/campaigns, that sort of thing); directly manage 1 junior designer. – Large international nonprofit – U.S. South – 8 yrs (5 here) Bennies: – PTO: 2 weeks vacation and 1 week sick (rolls over); 3 personal days (does not roll over). FMLA, bereavement, jury duty, military training leave etc. are separate. We also get “mission leave” for volunteering with our affiliates. – Holidays: the usual federal holidays plus Easter – Insurance: health (includes vision) and dental. Plans seem decent enough. Flexible spending plans are offered. – Retirement: 403(b), matched at 4% – Family/medical leave: 12 weeks paid per 12 months. New parent leave seems to be 6 weeks at 85% salary. There’s also an adoption expenses reimbursement for up to $1K per kid, max of $4K. – Other: Tuition assistance is offered for work-related degrees, and in our particular location, we also get a transportation allowance to cover the cost of parking or transit. – Work from home and flex-time are allowed, and generally left up to manager discretion. My directors have always been super generous.
Editor* August 10, 2017 at 2:30 pm Edit written products and all around external communications for 50-person not-for-profit. DC metro 15 years experience 20 days per year PTO plus 10 paid holidays (3 are floating holidays) up to 6% 1:1 401K match (takes 5 years to fully vest) Half (I think? ) of health/dental/vision insurance short-term and long-term disability both paid 100% by company life insurance = salary x 2 paid 100% by company Up to $2000/yr for related professional development Bereavement leave (up to 3 days)
Regulatory Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 2:32 pm Job: Enforcement attorney for self-regulatory organization Location: NYC Years of Experience: Approx 10 as an attorney, 3 1/2 in this role Benefits: 20 Vacation/Personal Days per year; can roll over up to two weeks of vacation – can get paid out for unused vacation when you leave the job 9 Sick Days per year, which roll over and accumulate until you leave (do not get paid out for these) 4-6% 401(k) match (has varied each year) I (single) pay $100/month for my portion of health insurance, which is a fairly good PPO plan. I also pay very small amounts for a basic vision and mediocre dental plan I believe maternity leave (or primary parental leave) is 3 months paid Several people in my office work 60% or 80% schedules
Principal Mapping Technician* August 10, 2017 at 2:32 pm I am a principal mapping technician for an energy utility. I direct and check the work of 7 mapping technicians and am responsible for training, data quality, and database management. I am in a professional union. I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, In this particular line of work, I have 7 years of experience, including time in graduate school. I get 3 weeks of vacation a year, plus the option to purchase an additional week. At 10 years of service, I will earn an additional week of vacation. Our sick leave policy is a little complicated, but we get 96 hours of sick leave a year. We also have short and long term disability plans that use our state SDI money plus additional pay that equals 70% of our salaries, which, since no taxes are taken, equals our regular pay. My health insurance premium is equal to 1.5 hours of pay per month. We have EAP, tuition refunds, lots of employee discounts on stuff from our energy bills to computers to cars, life insurance, accident insurance. We have a credit union. Our benefits are pretty dang good.
Principal Mapping Technician* August 10, 2017 at 2:34 pm Also, many employees have a traditional pension. I have a 401k, and my company matches my contributions at 75% up to $10,000 a year, and that vested after 3 years.
Senior Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 2:34 pm Job description: I was hired as a Sr. Software Engineer, to work on an (outsourced) insurance software. After my probation period was up I was promoted to development lead. Geographic Area: Eastern Europe Years of Experience: 10 Benefits: — 23 days PTO (+ max 14 bank holidays). Bank holidays don’t get comped if they fall during the weekend. – I think we get a year more, for every year worked, although the total number of PTO can’t exceed 28 days/year. – sick leave: I actually had to look this up, since I only took a maximum of 5 days of sick leave First: the law mandates that in order to get sick leave approved, you need a form letter from your GPO. The reason for this, is that it’s actually paid for by the government, not the company. Second: the GPO can “grant” employed people a maximum of 45 days of sick leave/year for temporary incapacity to work. Anything more, needs to be “granted” by a specialized doctor. Third: the maximum number of paid sick leave / year is 183 days Fourth: there is an exception for certain types of illnesses, which “grants” a sick leave for temporary incapacity of work of up to 1 year and 6 months – retirement: 15% of my monthly salary, which is the minimum legal requirement – private health-care, but no dental. – comped sports subscription, or the same amount comped for stuff bought from a well-known sports store. – flex time Everything, except for the initial number of PTO, is valid for all employees. Initial PTO is based on seniority (so Sr. level dev gets more than a mid-level one).
Senior Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 3:00 pm Heh almost forgot: company laptop and occasional WFH (at the manager’s discretion).
Account Manager/Tech Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 2:35 pm Account manager and tech specialist for an online affiliate/mobile marketing company Colorado 6 years in account management, 1.5 years in tech PTO: Employees start with 15 days plus 8 paid holidays (New Years Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Christmas Day). PTO increases to 20 days at the start of your 4th year; 25 days at the start of year 8. Up to 5 days can be carried over year-to-year. No distinction between vacation or sick days; it’s all from the same bank. We also earn additional days off by hitting monthly performance goals. YTD we’ve received an additional 3 1/2 days of PTO around St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, and we typically earn another 2-4 free days for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Paid bereavement leave (some limitations apply) of up to 3 days and paid jury duty leave of up to 20 days are also provided. 401k Matching: 25% of whatever you put in, no max (other than the legal annual max). If you contribute 10%, the total contribution is 12.5%. Company matches are paid annually. Insurance: Two health insurance policies are offered, one with slightly more variety in doctors and lower deductibles. If you’re the sole individual on the lower-tier policy (which is still very good), the company pays the entire premium. If you are on the higher tier, monthly premium is about $40/month pre-tax. If you have a spouse or dependents on either plan, you pay the full cost of their premium pre-tax (about $460/month for my spouse on my plan). Company also pays full vision insurance premium. Dental insurance premium is about $13/month pre-tax. Health and Wellness: Company will reimburse up to $150 per 12-month period for health and wellness purchases (e.g. gym membership, ski passes, rec sport league fees, etc.). There is also an on-site gym available at no charge to employees. Colorado, man. Public Transit Reimbursement: Company will reimburse up to $60 of your monthly costs if you take public transit to work. This is how much they pay property management for garage parking passes. Summer Fridays: Office closes around 3pm on Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. We can earn 3pm Friday outs during the rest of the year by hitting daily performance goals. Free Lunch Fridays: Lunch is provided by the company on Fridays. This varies from pizza to taco bars and Thai take-out. There’s also a kitchen stocked with snacks. New Hire Cash Incentives: If you refer a job candidate who gets hired, you are eligible for up to $500 in incentives. $250 is received after the first 3 months retained, and another $250 after the next 3 months retained. Casual Dress: This is pretty standard for Colorado in general, but jeans and t-shirts with sandals are pretty common summer office attire. The most formal dress I’ve ever seen is the CEO in a button-down and dress pants, which happens maybe once a week. As long as you’re in clean clothes, no feathers will be ruffled. We’ve also got unofficial “yoga pants Wednesdays” which is exactly what it sounds like.
Account Manager/Tech Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 3:06 pm Forgot to mention remote work flexibility. Preference is that you’re in the office, but we have multiple employees who split their time between the central office and their home office.
Technical Editor* August 10, 2017 at 2:36 pm I’m a technical editor for a public health NGO Baltimore About 10 years of communications experience–writing, editing, copy editing I’m senior staff, so I get 12 days of sick time, 22 days of vacation, and two floating holidays, plus half-day Fridays for two months in the summer, the working day before a federal holiday off, and supposedly extra time off during the winter holidays (though they don’t tell us until a few weeks before—I’m still new). We also get lunch bought for the whole company maybe once a month or so throughout the year, sometimes more. If you’re under 35, you get a 4% retirement contribution after two years. Once you turn 35, you get 8%. 100% vested from the beginning. They also recently added 6 weeks of fully paid maternity leave, plus 4 weeks parental leave. Some education benefits with the affiliated university, too.
Corporate Safety Director* August 10, 2017 at 2:38 pm Late to the game, but here goes: Plan, implement, oversee, modify safety program for a mid-sized, heavy industrial construction contractor (paper mills, oil & gas, chemical plants, etc.) New to the company, <2 years Experience: 17 years in industry plus 10 years collateral experience. Education: ChE, but this is very unusual in my field. Bennies: 2 weeks vacay, increases to 3 weeks @ 5 years 1 week PTO ~8 holidays/year ~$60/week for Employee + spouse BCBS plan with what I'd call medium deductables. ~$13/week dental and vision FSA account 4% match on first 5%, 100% immediately vested 401(k) 3x salary life insurance ST & LT disability (60%) ~10% bonus New, 4-wheel drive, quad-cab pickup truck, gas card for all gas. Once per year we keep a mileage log, then they figure out the tax implication and give it to us grossed-up in our check. No limit on personal use. Corp AMEX card. No side-eye or question on what I've expensed so far… 7.5% raise this year
Corporate Safety Director* August 10, 2017 at 2:43 pm Oh, yeah. Laptop, JetPack, & phone with no restrictions except the common sense ones (though I doubt they check)
Implementation Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 2:40 pm my job (Implementation Consultant) advise on compliance issues and manage audits for the business line I support, act as project SME on company-wide projects, procedure writing, implement policy & process changes, write requirements for reports and system improvements, and basically find answers (or find the person who has answers) to whatever issues pop up. my geographic area – large Midwest city my years experience – 1 year in current position, 4 years on current team, 18 with company My benefits: Vacation/Holiday: 27 days Paid Time Off (vacation/sick time combo), 8 paid holidays Retirement: 6% matching to 401K, also have an old pension plan from first few years with employer Medical: several plans to chose from, coverage for spouse & dependents, employer pays 90% of premiums and up to $850 in an HSA for employee (unsure for spouse/dependents, I don’t have kids and my spouse carries his own insurance). Other: work remote, yearly incentive bonus, 2 days paid for volunteer work
INGO CD* August 10, 2017 at 2:41 pm Job – County Director for a humanitarian NGO Location – conflict affected countries, currently based in the Middle East Experience – 10 years Benefits: Total leave approx 10 weeks per year. 1 week every 8 week RnR leave which includes a flight allowance, plus 24 days flexible annual leave. Flexible leave days can be rolled over to next year, or paid out at end of contract. Sick leave – reasonable amount, anything over 3 days at once requires Dr note Health, dental, vision fully covered. No prescription coverage. Accidental death and disability insurance. Housing costs, furnishings, utilities fully covered. Cleaner twice per week paid. Car and driver available. 1 round trip flight home per year. Per diem provided in addition to salary ( currently, approx $20 per day) Mental health Psychologist on call 24/7
Disaster management coordinator (charity)* August 10, 2017 at 2:41 pm 37k Employer provides health and dental Matched my pension-4% 15 days holidays all public holidays A few months scaled sick leave A week of personal leave plus parental,wedding, moving, volunteering leave Pretty casual depending on the situation.
Policy Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 2:42 pm Policy analyst in local government. I do research, analyze policy proposals related to our local legislative matters. I also process requests made pursuant to public records laws, write legislative proposals, and funciton as the records manager. Milwaukee, WI 8 years of experience Salary range is $52,000-$79,000 We can also opt to receive: health ins., dental ins., vision ins., (we pay a portion of the premiums) 403(b) retirement & life insurance totally out of pocket to the employee, and can get a Flexible Spending Account, sick time and vacation time. We have about 9600 employees so the array of benefit options is probably due to the ability to spread costs out over a ton of employees.
Policy officer* August 11, 2017 at 4:05 am Also a policy officer/analyst, at state government level in Australia. My workplace is pretty bad at advertising it’s benefits, but I get: – 20 days PTO, option to take leave at half pay if manager approves, plus 17.5% leave loading – 10 days sick leave plus access to carer’s, compassionate and domestic/family violence leave (among others) – anyone can request flexible working arrangements, but it still sometimes depends on managers if you’ll get it or not – 13 weeks long service leave accessible after 7 years – 12.75% super, can contribute another 2-5% and salary sacrifice as well – if you’re permanent I think you can also get study leave or support (but I’m not permanent sadly). I have 18 months experience in government/a proper adult job. But at normal officer levels benefits are largely the same regardless of your level or experience. We have state health insurance in Australia so that doesn’t get included in work benefits or anything.
Paralegal* August 10, 2017 at 2:42 pm – Paralegal for a Financial Tech company, primarily doing licensing work, NDA review, and other small contract review projects (all larger contracts are handled by my boss) – Orange County, CA – 1 year experience as a Paralegal, 5 years experience in Licensing/Compliance work – Unlimited paid time off. Yes, unlimited (they can, however, fire you if you never show up to work. I think the practical limit is more than three weeks at a time). The company pays our insurance premiums (dental, medical, vision, etc) with the exception of legal and any additional life or disability insurance we may add on. Downside to this company is no 401k plan (however employer adds a quarterly matchup to compensate while they try and get something in place. We are a startup and currently strangled on the 401k front by our much larger parent company). There is often company paid lunches, and there are free drinks (waters, sodas, etc) and free snacks (most of which are healthy leaning) in the kitchen all the time. – There is a slide in our office. That’s not necessarily a benefit worth making an employment decision on, but it is kind of fun anyway.
Daily Newspaper Reporter, full time* August 10, 2017 at 2:42 pm ~ Salary: $28,000 per year, frozen in 2009 ~ Vacation: 15 days after eight years on the job ~ Sick days: 6 per year ~ Other benefits: Health insurance, dental insurance, which I pay for and cost increase yearly. We get only a portion of mileage.
Daily Newspaper Reporter, full time* August 10, 2017 at 7:44 pm Upper Midwest, I forgot to mention. Insurance is about $150 a month out of pocket. There is life insurance, but you lose it if you leave. I have 15 years of experience. Been on this job 8 years. Our benefits were essentially frozen when management made a bad decision about ten years ago.
Operations Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 2:43 pm I am an operations analyst for a technology company that specializes in 3rd party administration for benefits. I do billing and payroll data analysis, file maintenance, reporting, etc. I’m in the Midwest. I have 5+ years of experience in life/health insurance and hold my state license for life/health insurance. I have 1.5 years of benefits administration experience and most of my HR experience was in recruiting, but I have 3 years’ experience in reporting and data analysis in the HR/recruiting sphere. Vacation – 12 days first 2 years Sick – earned, roughly 8 hours per month of work Retirement Match – 100% of first 3% Company paid – LTD/STD and basic life/AD&D Voluntary – critical illness, life/spouse life/child life, accident/AD&D, identity protection insurance, legal insurance, pet insurance, HSA, FSA. We also have an onsite fitness center, and various discounts at local places like massages, etc.
Operations Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm shoot – obviously my company offers medical, dental, and vision. I decline them because I’m on my husband’s plans.
Employee Development Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm Job: Well, everyone in this department has the same basic title despite all the different things we do. The benefits available are connected to your employment status (non-union or union, full-time or part-time) and not your assignment or experience level. For what it’s worth, I’m a career-switcher with 5 years in the field and 3.5 years at this organization, full time non-union employee. Location: Pacific Northwest U.S. Industry: Manufacturing Benefits: 11 days of accrued vacation time annually, a lot of sick leave but I can’t remember how much (80 hours/year? It’s a lot), the usual medical/dental/vision/disability benefits with a high-deductible/no-contribution plan which includes generous company funding of my HSA (covers most of the annual deductible). Only the major federal holidays, but we get a full paid week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Standout benefits: (1) Company defines a set of annual financial goals; we get a bonus if goals are met. The way it’s calculated keeps changing, but basically it works out to an extra 80-hour paycheck. (2) Massively generous educational benefit provided you complete programs in approved majors and approved schools (or manage to wheedle an exemption). We have an unusually high percentage of employees with masters and MBAs because you pay very little out of pocket. I’m working on a part-time professional doctorate, and only travel costs and a few materials have been out-of-pocket costs for me. It makes the bureaucracy almost worthwhile.
Executive Office and Administrative Specialist (Admin Assistant)* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm Library Administration office assistant/receptionist/student supervisor in a large Midwestern research university – I do lots of projects for various departments when their resources are stressed, as well as lots of event and candidate interview planning. The extensive event planning has been something that’s developed over the last year, as I’ve been in this position longer than most. 2 years experience – first job out of college Union position (out of three different job groupings at my university), so we don’t have as many benefits as say, P&A and Civil Service do. I get increased benefits with longer service as I get higher in the step rankings (which can take a long time – it really only starts changing at about 10 years). We’re under negotiations now. Sick Leave: .05 per hour, which works out to 4 hours per pay period and 1 day a month, no limit Vacation: same rate as sick leave, but with a limit at 208.00 hours; all federal holidays + 1 personal holiday Comp Time: not generally for union staff, but can be awarded by my supervisor Medical, Dental and Life Insurance – it’s actually really good here, a substantial portion is covered 100% by the university and most other things are 100% after deductible, which is $100 in network for me, $600 out-of network. Copay is usually around $0-75. No HSA account on the option I have, but I could have chosen a more expensive plan with it. My medical and dental costs me around $35 per paycheck. There’s a whole host of disability, spouse, and day care plans, but I don’t use any of them. Retirement: State retirement system at 5.5% of earnings, matched. No real other retirement plans for union employees – the other two classifications have additional plans with matching. There are two optional plans, but they aren’t matched by the University at all. Pay: 2% step increase every year of work. No other increase. Other: 6 weeks paid parental leave for birth mothers; 75% of the costs covered to get a masters’ or second bachelors’ degree here, 100% if it’s your first BA (this used to be 100% across the board, but the recession cut that).
Management Consultant* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm UK Strategy Consulting 7 years total experience (5 in academia, 2 in consulting) – Private medical insurance (medical history disregarded, including dental / vision) – 25 vacation days – 10 paid sick days – 3% match on pension fund (goes up with tenure) – Competitive salary + bonus (for UK standards) – Disability and life insurance – No official remote working policy (but most of the time no one really cares where I work as long as I get stuff done) – Limited travel (compared to the road warriors at the competition) – Parental leave at full salary for around 3 months (I think, no kids as of yet) – Really good coffee!
Senior Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm * Team lead in network security application development * Austin, TX * 21 years experience * “unlimited” vacation and sick leave. In practice, about 4 weeks of vacation, and maybe 2 of sick. * I pay $300 of the $1300 monthly premium for my family’s health insurance * 401k matching, 50% of what I contribute up to $3000 a year * EAP (I used it once, it sucked) * There is a dental and vision benefit, but I forget the details
VP, Data Science* August 10, 2017 at 2:44 pm I lead the data analysis group at a mid sized financial services company in Boston. I have 20 years of experience. 27 days vacation per year 10 company holidays Six week sabbatical eligibility after five years 6% 401k match, immediate vesting Company pays 75% of health insurance cost 12 weeks maternity leave, six weeks paternity leave
Tau* August 10, 2017 at 2:46 pm Since I just started my new job, I’ll give both. I have 2 years experience: Old Job Title: Programmer (I started off as junior, then got promoted to standard not long before I left) Geographic Location: UK Holiday: 22 days plus the ability to flex bank holidays (as in, you could choose to work the bank holiday and take the holiday as another day instead) Sick leave: Paid as long as you didn’t take too much, unpaid/paid at statutory government rates if you took too much. What “too much” means was left up to their discretion, but apparently more than my four days in one year. Pension: 1% match at first, going up to 3% for your 5% after three (?) years. Government minimum. Health Insurance: N/A Other: £1000/year car bonus, flexible hours outside “core” hours New Job Job: Software Developer (for bureaucratic reasons, my actual title is that of a completely different job role so not relevant) Geographic Location: Germany Holiday: 27 days, plus public holidays (there are anywhere between 8 and 14 depending on where in Germany you live) Sick leave: standard German – six weeks fully paid dropping to 70% pay afterwards Pension: assuming standard German, haven’t heard about any extras Health Insurance: assuming standard German Other: subsidy for public transport, free museum membership, will need to dig through our intranet to see if there are any I’ve missed. No WFH yet, but there’s talk about implementing it. Super-flexible hours with no mention of core hours yet.
programmer/web developer* August 10, 2017 at 2:47 pm I get health insurance for which I pay a premium (need to look up exact amount but it’s less than $200/month) and a health savings account (no match). Employer pays half of parking permit or bus pass (you can only get one or the other) We get gym membership completely paid for at the gym down the street. We have retirement accounts but sadly no employer match. It’s my first year and I get 3 sick days and 2 personal days, no vacation, but I can borrow off next year’s vacation which is 10 days. I don’t have a CS degree and had less than a year’s combined experience at two programming jobs before this one.
Economist* August 10, 2017 at 2:48 pm Mid-level (non-manager) federal government economist – I do a lot of policy and quantitative analysis. Washington, D.C. 10 years In the federal government, you get 4 hours a pay period of sick leave no matter what. With 0-3 years of experience, you also earn 4 hours of annual leave a pay period, which goes up to 6 hours at the 3-year mark and then up to 8 hours at the 15-year mark. We also get federal holidays, comp time for overtime, and things like that. Agency match depends on when you joined the government. Feds from my era get 1% automatic TSP (which is our 401k) contribution, then 4% matched if you put 5% in. So basically, if you put in 5%, you get a 5% match. Also, you could argue that our low fund management rates are a benefit too. And we can easily (not necessarily advised) take loans out from our TSP at any time for things like buying a house. My agency pays a bit over 70% of my regular medical insurance premiums (dental and vision are separate). And we have a lot of great insurance options to choose from. As a fed, I also get a pension (based on my high 3), as well as cheap group life insurance and ltc insurance. There’s an EAP. Feds in D.C. get public transportation benefits (for a regular, 5-day-a-week-er, it’s usually 20 or 21 days worth of train or bus fare in two directions). My agency also has extra benefits specific to us related to health and wellness like a gym subsidy. And I guess you could sort of argue that PSLF is a benefit that applies to us too. I get to travel to other cities and I work in a really convenient, nice spot, so I think those are benefits too. We have a subsidized gym and a health center and cheap cafeteria too. I’d argue that the pay transparency thing is a pretty big bonus too.
Economist* August 10, 2017 at 2:52 pm I should note since there are other feds above: based on when I started, I only have to contribute 0.8% of my salary into the pension. Others who started 2014 or later pay up to 4.4% and get the same benefit out as I do.
Accounting/HR* August 10, 2017 at 2:57 pm I got lucky in that respect, I was a Fed back when they still had the 0.8% contribution, so even when I left and came back years later, I still only had to pay the 0.8% rate.
Editorial Director for Licensed Publishing* August 10, 2017 at 2:48 pm My job: I run the print program at a company where we own the brand and license the IP out to other companies to make the products. We are also a nonprofit. My geographic area: New York City My years of experience: 15 Benefits: 26 PTO days to be used as we wish, 150% retirement matching up to 5% of salary, employees pay 20% of health care premiums, and our healthcare is very robust. We also get $600/year in commuter check for transit or parking, the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, summer Fridays, and a pretty lax dress code.
HR Manager* August 10, 2017 at 2:51 pm 60 person firm-stand alone role for US operations Midwest 8 years 3 weeks PTO (4 weeks at year 5, 5 weeks at year 10) 2 Floating Holidays 9 paid holidays plus we shut down between XMas and NY Day 50% 401k match, full vesting at 3 years Annual profit sharing (usually 7-10%) 78% of health and dental paid for EE plus all dependents (incl domestic partners) Co paid STD/LTD
Director of Human Resources* August 10, 2017 at 2:54 pm ◾Human Resources Director for a small municipal government agency in a large Northeastern city. 28 years of HR experience in municipal government Vacation – 27 days per year Sick Leave – 12 days per year No personal days 11 paid holidays and 1 floating holiday to use by the end of the calendar year Pension plan – Paid 3% member contribution for 10 years. I contribute to an optional tax deferred annuity – no employer match I have a basic health insurance PPO – 100% employer paid premium. Optional riders (for Rx drugs) and premium plans cost more, depending on the plan. Participate in voluntary Flexible Spending Account (other pre-tax savings accounts are available) Dental, vision and basic life insurance are provided through the union Four days of bereavement leave for specific family members (spouse, registered domestic partner, parent, child, grandchild, siblings, parents-in-law and any relative who resides in your household). Interestingly enough, grandchild is not included.
Production Editor (publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 2:57 pm In charge of shepherding books from editorial transmittal through copyediting/design/proofreading to the printer San Francisco Bay Area — company HQ is in New York (500+ employees) 5+ years experience PTO: unlimited sick days, 5 personal days, 20 vacation days, 10 company holidays 401(k): 2% automatically invested by the company, plus .5% matching up to 3%; fully vested after 2 years Health Insurance: company pays about 85% of comprehensive health/vision/dental; FSA/HSA plans available Extras: life insurance, QTE (transit) pre-tax benefit program, professional development tuition assistance, gym and museum membership discounts, can purchase inventory at 50-65% off list price, occasional work-from-home/flex time allowed
Production Editor (publishing)* August 10, 2017 at 2:58 pm Also! Summer Friday schedule: from Memorial Day to Labor Day, working an extra 45 minutes Mon-Tues to leave at 12:30 Friday.
Senior Associate Director of Programs* August 10, 2017 at 2:59 pm Public health project director with a large nonprofit that is affiliated with a major university. I lead evaluation and capacity building projects in partnership with state, local, and federal health departments, national public health organizations, and ministries of health. Atlanta, GA 13 years Benefits: Because of the university affliation, we receive university staff benefits. 120 hours of vacation leave and 96 hours of sick leave per year. Maximum vacation accrual is 300 hours and no max on sick leave. 10 holidays plus 2 floating personal holidays per year Insurance: health, vision and dental. Health plans include traditional or HSA. My umbrella employer includes a large hospital system so the coverage options are very good. Up to 9% match 403(b) and vested after 3 years Life insurance = base salary 100% paid by employer Tuition: 5 undergraduate or graduate hours at the university free or $2700 in tuition reimbursement at another institution. 10% discount on continuing education courses. Dependents and spouses can receive up to 100% undergraduate tuition scholarship depending on years of service
Shortie* August 10, 2017 at 4:41 pm My brain initially read this as Senior Associate Director of Penguins. I was so excited!
Reporter (energy)* August 10, 2017 at 3:00 pm Location: Washington, DC Years experience: 3 Vacation: 15 base, +5 days for every 5 years of experience up to 25 Sick: 10 to start, goes up to 20 based on years of service Maternity leave: 8 weeks fully paid Bereavement: 5 days, but explicitly states in employee manual that they will be flexible depending on the nature of the loss 401k: matches 4% with immediate vest Health insurance: I contribute $0 for high-deductible plan, with $500/year added to my HSA by the employer and a deductible of about $2,000; there’s a plan you have to pay for but I don’t know as much about it Dental/vision: free to employees – free cleanings, discounted dental work (paid $80 for a filling last year); free vision exams, discounted lenses/glasses Gym: $30/month Life insurance: free – I think it’s 150% of my salary
Director of Public Affairs (Nonprofit)* August 10, 2017 at 3:01 pm -director of public affairs for a nonprofit association in a state capital in the northeast -13 years of experience in public affairs and advocacy, i’m entering my 4th year at this job -24 vacation days/year (can rollover 20), 15 sick days per year (can rollover 120), short bereavement leave, 12 paid holidays, office is closed between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31 -They pay health/dental/vision coverage 100% for me and 80% for spouse and dependents. group life and disability. -retirement plan – I contribute 5%, they pay 10% -free parking, iphone -i can work from home if i have to
Training Director* August 10, 2017 at 3:02 pm -Customer training director, not in HR -Major metropolitan area, United States -Less than 5 years in this role; 15 years in the field -5 weeks vacation, 2 weeks sick leave, very generous 9% retirement contribution without me having to match, I think the health insurance premium split is around 75/25 employer/employee
Contract Management Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 3:02 pm your job – i’m an admin at a large IT company. i’m at a computer all day, e’er’ day doing spreadsheets and reports. also: listening to music/NPR and eating snacks. your geographic area – american southwest your years of experience – 3.5 vacation and sick leave – i’m hourly so: 2 weeks of sick time and, now, 3 weeks of vacation. plus 10 paid holidays. retirement matching – we have a 401(k) and they match .50 to our dollar up to 6% of our paycheck. health insurance – as a single, non-smoking, childfree, female bodied human: $15 per paycheck for the basic PPO. i added basic dental for another $10 a month. i contribute $25 per check to my HSA and my employer contributes $500 a year. i’m not used to having insurance but i think it’s good? my IUD was 100% covered, the EAP gets you 8 free therapy sessions, and my meds only cost me $30 a month now. other interesting benefits – * i have found my people and i love my job <3 * there is NEVER overtime. i do my 8 hours and GTFO. * we have Bring Your Dog to Work Day once a quarter. i love animals but don't have any pets so i LOVE THIS DAY. * there’s a restaurant in the building (we get a lot of free food, too.) * there's a clinic in the building and they give us free flu shots every year. * dress code? wear pants and try not to scare HR with the words on your shirt. * there's a pokestop right outside the front door!
Contract Management Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 6:45 pm common items i’ve seen others adding to their replies… compensation: 33K. i don’t have any college education. i’ve simply been working admin jobs forever. parental leave: i’m childfree so i don’t know for certain but i’m 99.99% sure there’s parental leave for both parents, that domestic/same sex partners are recognized as “parents”, and adoptions count as “having a baby”. we’re a fortune 500 company so there are a gazillion little perks that i have never gotten around to taking advantage of: discounts on everything from gym memberships to event tickets to your cell phone bill, tuition reimbursement, etc.
Associate Patent Examiner* August 10, 2017 at 3:02 pm Associate Patent Examiner at UK Intellectual Property Office (basically a trainee Patent Examiner) I examine patent applications to make sure they’re novel and inventive, and meet the requirements to be granted as a patent. I am in South Wales in the United Kingdom. I have been doing it for a year. I get 25 days PTO which will increase by 1 each year until I reach 30, plus 8 bank holidays and 1 bonus day. I pay about 6% into a final salary pension scheme and the company pays about 18% I don’t get health insurance (single-payer NHS, woo!)
Contract Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 3:06 pm Currently a Contract Administrative Assistant at an Investment Bank. I work on the trading floor. In addition to performing typical admin duties, I also onboard new traders, send requests for charitable contributions and train new admin staff. I got the job a little over 4 years ago through an employment agency. I have over 20 years of Administrative experience I’m located in the Northeast The Employment Agency that I work for offers Medical, dental and Vision benefits, but I don’t participate. The premiums are really expensive, so I have coverage that I purchased on my own. The agency does not offer retirement or savings benefits. Since the company that I am contracted to does not pay contract workers for sick days or holiday, The agency doesn’t pay me for those. However, when I was out for 6 weeks when I had surgery last year, the agency did pay me for two of those six weeks as per the Law. As for vacation–I can pretty much take as much as I want (since I’m a contract worker) as long as I coordinate coverage with my co-admins. While I do enjoy the work, and I like the people I work with, and I enjoy the freedom, I am currently looking for a full-time gig as a regular employee with a company.
Camp Staff* August 10, 2017 at 3:08 pm I’m one of 20 staff members at a year-round religious camp. We host 50+ events a year for 10,000 guests. My job duties range from staff management and high-level communications stuff (marketing, mailing, website design) to answering the phone, cleaning cabins, and teaching archery. My husband is also employed at the camp. If staff are married, the expectation is that both spouses work here. We fundraise our own salary and make $42,000/year between the two of us. This is important because the benefits are unusual – things tend to balance out. Upper midwest. Very small, remote town. Nearest stoplight is 20 miles away. 8 years of seasonal experience, 2 years full time/year’round. 2 weeks of paid vacation (although there are a lot of blackout dates) plus roughly 2 weeks when camp is just closed – these are basically extra vacation days. A smattering of holidays. No formal sick leave – you just take as much as you need. One year of complete maternity leave followed by reduced working hours and communal on-site childcare (everyone takes a turn watching the kids) for mothers of preschoolers. Paternity leave depends on the season – if it’s a busy time, the dad is gone basically only for labor and delivery, if it’s a slower time the dad takes a few more days off. We get our full salary during all of this. Retirement matching is a simple dollar-for-dollar match, up to 3%, in an IRA. No health insurance coverage. We buy our own through the marketplace. At our income level, we pay $150/mo for a silver plan. When pregnant, we qualify for medicaid. Other benefits include: Free housing and utilities (electric, water, heat) Free meals in the camp dining hall, plus basic groceries (20 items like bread, milk, eggs) Cars to drive in/around camp facilities. I only use my personal ‘town car’ once a week on my day off. During summer, free medical consultations with camp healthcare staff. Hunting and fishing access to camp grounds (within safety limits, i.e. when there are no guests here). While I’m not an avid hunter, our area is very popular with hunters and the protected camp grounds makes this a very valued perk for some members of the staff. The nature of religious work like this is that people just give you stuff, too. It’s hard to put a dollar amount on this or even to plan for these sorts of gifts, but it’s a significant perk. All things considered, I make far less money on paper now than I ever had before – but I spend way less too with the above benefits. So I’m happy with the deal.
Production Manager* August 10, 2017 at 3:10 pm Job: Manage studio partners (post) production process to make DVDs. I currently have 15 studios, totaling 35 new releases a month. For each release I have to get the materials, check them for accuracy, disperse to the people who need them, make sure everything is on schedule by coordinating who needs what to meet their deadlines, then send the finished masters and art to printing and replication. Lots of Excel spreadsheets, emails and follow up. In addition, I have to be planning ahead and making sure the studios are turning in the next set of titles to stay on schedule, and picking which scenes the studios should send in some cases. I am one of two people in this department. Area: Great LA Area Years of Experience: 13 in this field, 11 in this capacity. (Previously I was a compliance assistant, then sales assistant, then sales rep/production coordinator.) Benefits: 2 weeks vacation, to start. Since I’ve been here 5 years I now get 3 weeks. 5 sick days per year. No retirement packages. 50% of health insurance is covered by the company. Dental is offered but is only employee paid, and we just got vision, all employee paid. We were offered Aflac last year, all employee paid as well. If UPS is closed for a holiday, we get that day off. Sometimes, if the owner is feeling generous, we’ll get Christmas Eve, NYE off. (This year they gave us 7/3 off!)
Public Information Officer* August 10, 2017 at 3:14 pm PR/social media person for local government department in Southern California 12 years experience (fairly new to this position, though) Benefits: – 10 PTO days (+ up to 20 more we can purchase with our benefits allowance or salary) – 1-to-1 retirement match, up to 8% of salary – A “cafeteria plan” benefits allowance that’s a % of our salary (mine is ~14%) that we can spend on medical/dental/vision/life/disability insurance, HSAs & buying extra time off; any unspent allowance is added to your paycheck – A flexible schedule that lets us work 4 10-hour days a week (every Mon or Fri off), or a “9/80” that spreads the 80 hours over 9 days (every other Mon or Fri off) – depending on department & job duty
HR Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 3:15 pm HR Assistant for county government in Montana- one of the bigger counties and with all employees we probably have around 1,000 employees. Job duties include new hire paperwork, answering phones & directing calls (my boss calls me the portal to HR), giving out information, employee file maintenance, support the two HR analysts on projects, maintain forms (name changes, address changes, W4 changes, life insurance changes, benefit changes, all other forms HR uses- we are not a paperless office), support recruiter, maintain payroll database, employment verification’s, and backup to employee records & information coordinator. Salary: $33,800/year (actually a good wage for the area) full- time Experience: 6 years in HR, I actually have a masters degree in Accounting. Long story about why I’m not an accountant. Vacation (full time employee- all are prorated for part-time workers): 4.62hrs/pay period until 11 years of service, 5.54 hours between years 11 & 15, 6.46 hours between years 16 & 20, 7.38 hours after 20 years. Sick leave is 3.69 hours per pay period. 8 hours of personal leave a year. 10 paid holidays per year except for election years (even years) than we get 11 paid holidays. 6 weeks paid parental leave. Full time employees pay no premium for health & dental insurance, small cost for vision insurance. County covers all employees with $20,000 worth of life insurance- employees can purchase more for themselves, spouse, children too. Public employees retirement system with a same percentage match (so if contribute 15% that is matched with a county match of 15%). We can also do other deferred compensation with no county match. Overall my boss is pretty relaxed about schedules (flexing time) and time off. We do lots of fun things like birthday lunches or this week the county fair is going on so we went & had lunch there yesterday. My boss actually gave us each $10 for lunch at the fair.
Research Associate* August 10, 2017 at 3:19 pm -Pure research and statistical analysis -Northeast USA -5 years -Benefits: -PTO: 18 vacation days (not including paid federal holidays), 10 sick days -Retirement: Pension and guaranteed-return personal retirement account -Insurance: 100% insurance premium paid by employer, vision and dental included
Manager, Financial Services Operations* August 10, 2017 at 3:19 pm The Job: I manage a team of 11 retirement plans analysts across two sites, and the team is responsible for basically all complex and non-routine operational activities for our business line. I also represent the operations unit in a range of cross-functional strategic projects. The Area: Pacific Northwest The Experience: 14 years in the industry, 8 with this company, 3 1/2 as a manager. I also hold several industry-specific credentials. The Benefits: * 23.5 PTO days/year (increases to 28.5 at my 10th year); covers both vacation and sick * 4% matching contribution to the retirement plan if you contribute at least 5%; tiered profit sharing contribution starting at 2% after your first year and increasing an additional percent every 5 years to a cap of 6% * Health insurance is changing to a CDHP with an HSA next year. The portion paid by my employer varies based on what plan you pick, and I’m ineligible for employer funding for the HSA because my salary’s over the threshold. * As a manager, I’m part of a special incentive program where I’ll get a bonus if I meet my goals and my business line and the company as a whole meets certain targets. This swings around a lot; last year this worked out to about 9%, but this year’s going to be much smaller and possibly zero. * I have access to flex time and work from home; currently I flex my schedule but only work from home a handful of days each year. * Notable ancillary benefits include a free on-site gym with low-cost fitness classes daily, public transit subsidies, a $3 to $1 matching contribution on charitable giving done through payroll, and 8 hours paid to volunteer each year.
Sr. Copyright Administrator* August 10, 2017 at 3:28 pm I work in the legal counsel’s office of a large assessment publisher and handle copyright permissions New York/NJ/Philadelphia 6 years experience I get 3 weeks vacation, 7 PTO days, 1 community service day, 6% put in a penion and 3% matching contribution into my 401(k), I pay about $510/month for Aetna HMO with Teledoc, dental, and vision for me, hubs, and 7 kids. I get to work one day a week from home but not no an as needed basis (my boss is not very flexible but other managers are and allow more freedom). I have a flexible start time anywhere between 7 & 9:30 am and must be on campus at least 8.5 hours (to allow for lunch). We also have an EAP and a discount club.
Development Director* August 10, 2017 at 3:28 pm I am a fundraiser at a large arts nonprofit organization in an expensive city in California. I am not THE development director but I have a director title and I’m responsible for one of our lines of income. The pay here is very variable – I think my salary is fabulous but others are disgruntled. I have 10 years of experience and I’ve been in this job for 3. I have excellent full medical/dental coverage with low copays/deductibles and I am only responsible for a trivial amount of the premium, something like $10 auto-deducted from each paycheck. My vacation accrues X hours weekly and turns out to be about 14 days per year. This increases when you’ve been here 5/10/etc years. I get the same amount of sick time, and 4 floating personal days per year. FWIW we have a really bad benefits-management computer system that makes it very, very hard to track your leave time balances. We frequently close with pay (entirely or at 1pm, with advance notice) on summer Fridays. We have retirement matching but it’s not super generous, something like up to 2% of the total value of your salary each year. Our HR benefits coordinator is excellent and very helpful in setting up/managing retirement accounts. A cool perk of my job is being plugged in to the network of other arts organizations in the metro area. We get access to free tickets to essentially any event that we self-produce (dozens a year), and other arts orgs offer our employees tickets. Art openings, symphonies, plays (local productions and tours), commercial concerts, you name it. We even occasionally get freebies and other offers from our sports franchises. We also have discounts at a variety of local restaurants/businesses if we show our work IDs, and we have a special deal with Lyft for free/discounted rides if an employee leaves our venue late at night.
Senior Consultant (Project Coordinator)* August 10, 2017 at 3:30 pm – Defense contractor supporting a military Service and I do: technical document writing and editing; data analysis and monthly/quarterly/annual reporting on various criteria, train users on a picky piece of software, conduct monthly training on federal regulations and statutes. – San Dieg0 – 10 years as a contractor (6 years at current company) – 21 days annual PTO – both sick and vacation combined (bleh) – 10 Federal holidays (no day after Thanksgiving or long weekends if the holiday falls on a weekday) – health care 80% paid by company (my single person cost is ~$200 per month with a $2k annual deductible) – interesting tidbits: we can get up to $650 deposited to our health savings account per year for completing a health screening; 401k is matched up to 3 or 4% of what we contribute; tuition reimbursement; generous teleworking option (depending on our client). – We can also donate PTO to others if they have a compelling need, can’t go through disability for whatever reason and we have enough hours accrued (I never have enough accrued to donate but it’s nice for those that need it). – The company is massive and if you want to move out of the area, most of the time you can find another job within the company. Thanks for doing this, Alison!
Director of Product* August 10, 2017 at 3:31 pm Job Description: I’m responsible for organizing, overseeing, and instructing a team of 7 developers, 2 QA Engineers, and 1 UX Designer as they work on my product. I work with other departments (and other product folks) to gather information and requirements, write business and functional requirements, and run our team standups/meetings. I’m also the go-to person for anyone to come to with questions about the product development or schedule. Geography: Greater Boston, MA Years of Experience: 8 in related roles Benefits: * PTO = Unlimited* * 401k = 100% match up to 3%, 50% match for 4-5%, with immediate vesting * Health/Dental = I believe they cover 80% or more of the cost of both health and dental; I pay $216/mo for both. A HMO with good coverage. * Pre-Tax Transportation = I can put aside up to $300 (I think?)/month pre-tax to cover public transit and/or parking. * Pre-Tax FSA = I can put the max amount allowable by the Fed Gov. pre-tax into an FSA to use for medical expenses. * Shares = Our company is not publicly-traded, but it is venture-funded, so all employees at a certain level get “shares,” which are vested after 3 years and will pay out if/when the company is sold. * Bonus = Annual bonus up to 15% of my salary, depending on company + personal goals being met (word is it typically pays out between 60-80%). * Snacks & Stuff = We have snacks up for grabs, 2 beer taps that are rotated out on a regular basis (and often, a beer and a cider, for those of us who are “meh” about beer).
Director of Product* August 10, 2017 at 3:32 pm Oh, also forgot: * 9 paid holidays * $2500 annually for job-related training (classes, conferences)
Program evaluator* August 10, 2017 at 3:31 pm Job: I collect data on youth programs to help demonstrate their impact. Basically I work for a nonprofit, but it’s part of a university which is reflected in my benefits Geographic area: Midwest US Years of experience: 1 year here, ~6 years in the industry Benefits: 22 vacation days/year (though they don’t accrue), very flexible sick/family leave time, $2-for-$1 retirement matching with no waiting period, low health premiums (~$40/month). Great benefits all in all, almost makes up for the low salary
Project Manager* August 10, 2017 at 3:31 pm – Manage budgets, product development, event planning, training and technical assistance for a federal agency – ~5 years as a Project Manger, but 6+ in the specific field as my client, and 14 years in professional settings gaining a LOT of transferable skills. Location: Greater New York City Area/Washington DC Benefits: – 15 days vacation (the standard my company offers is 10, but I negotiated up) – 5 days sick time – 2 days floating holidays – 5 days bereavement – Matching 401K – Medical and dental (really expensive, so my family uses the plan my husband gets from his job) – End-of-year bonus based on a percentage of salary, determined via 360 review process (which was just implemented. Previously, bonuses and raises were really “unscientific,” with good employees getting nothing for years upon years because their manager just didn’t feel like doing reviews. So glad there’s a process now) My company has also just started some incentive programs to get employees to help create content for their blog/social media sites. While I can see this not being received well by the employees who don’t have the content knowledge that someone in my positions has, as someone with a communications and writing background, I’m psyched about it, and am currently working on three pieces for the month of August.
Calculation Engineer (Radiation Protection)* August 10, 2017 at 3:33 pm Germany 9 years experience Standard German health insurance (7 weeks sick leave at full pay from employer, after that health insurance pays 75% of my wages) IGM* ERA 11 pay stage (~60000€/year, 35h/week flexitime, 30 days vacation) Employer has a pension fund. I studied physics (I have the old German equivalent to a Master’s degree). Now I do radiation protection calculations and software engineering for our simulation codes. Before that I did thermal hydraulic simulations. Basically I’m a code and number monkey. *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IG_Metall (I’m a member)
Senior Medical Editor* August 10, 2017 at 3:37 pm – Senior editor in a pharmaceutical marketing agency (very well-known, global name recognition). I’m involved in professional marketing, where pharma, medical device, and health care companies provide information for physicians, nurses, etc – all healthcare professionals, as opposed to consumer marketing. – Manhattan -7 years experience – We start with 10 days vacation, and get 1 more day added to it every year. -10 sick days/year; 5 bereavement days; 30 jury duty days; all major gov’t holidays, plus 1 floating holiday. We get 2 “Flex Fridays” in the summer, where we can leave at 2 pm. This is in addition to half-days on the Fridays before every summer holiday. – Retirement matching, 50% – Not sure what portion the company pays for health insurance Misc benefits: – Telecommuting a few days per week, and whenever we need to be home for random things that come up. It’s common for people to work from home 2-3 days/week routinely, everyone does it. – Everyone basically works 9-5. Very little overtime (but it happens from time to time). – Catered lunch for all once per week – Yearly bonus – Tuition reimbursement – Pre-tax commuter benefits – Numerous ’employee discounts’ – we have accounts where we can get discounted prices for consumer good, sporting events, hotels, car rentals, etc. It’s a great company with great people, I’m very happy here.
Rae* August 10, 2017 at 3:38 pm Annual fundraising manager for a private non-profit professional society. We have 55,000 members and a staff of about 120. I manage two staff and 30+ volunteers all around the world. Our program includes direct mail, training, and fundraising events. It is very visible and customer-facing. I travel and speak approximately 8 times per year. I make $72,500 per year. Atlanta, Georgia area 12 years of fundraising experience in various professional capacities; 3 years in this specialization The benefits here are amazing, especially coming from the public sector where the benefits were just lame: 6 days of sick leave up front (not accrued) 13 days vacation for first 5 years – 18 days for year 5-10, then 24 at 10 years+. We can roll over 18 days from one year to the next. This is accrued every bi-weekly pay period. Employer sponsored 401k. They will match up to 100% of employee contributions up to 6% of salary. After 10 years, they will match 125% There is also a matching retirement pension program. The employer will invest up to 100% of your contributions (max 3% of salary). Graded vesting and fully vested after 6 years Tuition assistance after one year Employer pays 90% of health insurance premium for employee-only plans Employer pays 100% of dental and vision insurance premiums Life insurance policy paid by employer for the standard rate (like 2.5x salary) Short and long-term disability paid by employer And probably the most amazing benefit to me, even though the above list is nothing to sneeze at: COMP TIME. Salaried full time employees get full 8 hour days of comp time for working events and traveling on the weekends! So in practice, I can travel to a training session on a Thursday, train all day Friday, then travel home Saturday and take Monday as a comp day. No one expects me to suck it up and be cool with using vacation just to have a normal two-day weekend. I have never encountered that attitude at a non-profit before. I love it here. Non-exempt salaried employees get half comp/half overtime… I don’t think I would enjoy that as much.
Rae* August 10, 2017 at 3:58 pm Oh! I forgot to mention: Spot bonuses of up to a few hundred dollars when your supervisor is impressed with you. 12 paid holidays. Routine telecommuting – about half the staff telecommutes one or two days a week. 9 on/ 1 0ff work schedule: work 80 hours in nine days, get that Friday off. You can do this in addition to telecommuting.
Public Radio Reporter* August 10, 2017 at 3:39 pm Job: PK-12 education reporter for a public radio station licensed to a state university Salary: $47,476 — before our organization bumped our salaries up to comply with the overtime rule that didn’t go into effect, I was making $43K Geographic area: Midwest Years of experience: 8 Leave: 8 paid holidays, 17 vacation days, 4 personal days and 12 sick days per year. After five years of service, we get an extra week of vacation time (so 22 days). Vacation and sick days accrue; personal days become available every year on your work anniversary. We can bank 34 or 44 vacation days depending on time served. Sick leave doesn’t expire, but it doesn’t pay out if you separate from the university. Unused sick time counts toward our pension, though, so theoretically if you spent a career here without ever getting seriously ill, it could count as a year or more of service. Retirement: We have to contribute 1 percent to a pension plan that will pay a small benefit — employees who were hired prior to 2011 contribute more and are ONLY vested in the pension plan. But for those of us hired after 2011, the university automatically contributes 3 percent to a 401K. If we match that 3 percent, the university will contribute another 2 percent — so if we put in 3 percent, they’ll contribute 5 percent. Health insurance: We have two options, a PPO plan and a high deductible plan. The high deductible plan is only $35/month for an individual, provided you get the tobacco free discount. (I’m not sure what portion of total cost this represents.) It’s just me on my plan, but I’m putting my partner on next year, and I’m anticipating I’ll pay $90/month. Our deductibles are pretty reasonable, IMO — $1,500 for an individual and $3,000 for a family, and the university contributes the first $400 to an HSA. We are not required to contribute. I have an autoimmune disorder that requires a very expensive prescription, so my concern is always out-of-pocket max, which is $3,000/individual or $6,000/family (I hit it in February).
Public Radio Reporter* August 10, 2017 at 3:46 pm Wanted to add: I know $47K sounds really, really low to some, but to put it in context, housing costs are really low here. I was able to purchase a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in a desirable area when I took the job in 2014. My mortgage (inclusive of taxes and insurance) is just under $1,000 a month.
Credit Card Debt Collector* August 10, 2017 at 3:41 pm List the following info: ◾your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) ◾your geographic area ◾your years of experience ◾a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get ** Job Role: – Inbound & Outbound collections calls to customers who have delinquent accounts with our bank (I specifically work with accounts that are 90+ days past due) in attempts to resolve the delinquent balance using a variety of tools and options we can customize to fit our customers’ needs ; – Field customer inquiries about their delinquent accounts (all collectors in my dept. have different methods or “styles” of communicating this information to our customers. I find that a mixture of education and empathy are most successful); – Follow specific guidelines and laws in regards to information security, credit reporting and disputes, fraud, ethics, elder abuse, collections, and communications. An example of some federal laws we work under are the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Some methods we use to ensure compliance include: recording each individual call, call reviews by our management team and our compliance specialists, and in certain situations we must read specific scripts to our customers verbatim; – Meet performance goals and metrics as set by management. These goals often change on a monthly basis based on market/financial forecasts and current events. ** Geographical Area : Pacific Northwest ** Experience: 10+ years in customer service management and retail management, 2 years in the financial industry (accounting for an overlap and these two fields are not mutually exclusive). ** Benefits: – Paid Time Off: newly hired employees are eligible for PTO immediately. I receive about 18 days (8 hours each) of PTO per year, PTO benefits increase with years of service; – Paid holidays: we recieve 8 paid federal holidays per year. Should the holiday fall on a day off, we retain the holiday as a “floating paid holiday”; -Paid sick time: In accordance with state law we recieve a certain amount of protected sick time per year, which we accrue throughout the year; – Medical, Dental, Vision: We have several different options and you may opt into whichever benefits you choose. Combined I pay about $160 monthly (about $80 out of each paycheck) for my HMO plan, dental, and vision (through VSP); -401(k): We recieve a decent 401(k) package. Any employee can easily access their 401(k) account and customize their investments and their withholding at any time. We recieve a match from the company after 1 year of employment upto 6% of our pay. The matching funds are deposited on a quarterly basis and are fully-vested; -Stock program: Option to have a percentage or fixed amount deducted from our pay to purchase company stock and a limited amount of other stocks, with no commission or sale fees; – Commuter/Carpool benefits: In certain geographical areas you can opt to have your transit pass automatically deducted from your before-tax pay. Additonally, at our office employees who carpool and sign up for our carpool program recieve preferential parking spaces and a monthly incentive ($35 I believe ); – Tutition reimbursement: After 1 year of service for classes that meet our business needs and classes that apply credits toward a degree that meets our business needs; – Additonal benefits: Options to purchase life insurance, additional disablity insurance, legal-insurance (which covers legal fees/attorney costs for certain work and personal situations), adoption assistance (financial and support), paid maternity/paternity leave, unpaid extended leave, paid community volunteer time, company discounts; I also would like to include our working environment in this reply. Our office has one of the best working environments that I have experienced in my career. We strongly promote diversity, work/life balance which includes a work-from-home program, occasional catered meals (a few times per month), events and parties held by the company, career development classes and clubs (including an on-site Toastmasters Club). Our working environment is a key factor in our retention. ** Pay: Base: $31,500 annually (I have been with the company for about two years now and have reached this pay grade after some small performance-based pay raises); Monthly performance incentives: $300-$1200 depending on eligibility and metrics met; Schedule differential bonus: We recieve a small percentage bonus for the hours worked outside of “normal” business hours; There are multitudes of other “fringe” benefits and advantages in our company, but have omitted them for brevity (seriously, I could go on and on). If I had to grade my satisfaction: Benefits: 9/10 Working environment: 9/10 Pay: 7/10 Job Role: 6/10
Credit Card Debt Collector* August 10, 2017 at 3:45 pm Totally did not mean to include the prompt at the beginning! OOPS! Not sure if Alison can edit that out of the comment. Apologies.
Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 3:47 pm -Immigration Attorney at a small firm (2 attorneys and 4 admins) -Pacific Northwest City -3 years as a lawyer, 1 at my current job/practicing immigration law -Currently no paid time off other than the 7 holidays a year the firm is closed; my boss is in the process of implementing a plan at would give us 5 vacation days and 5 sick days (I would so much rather have 10 discretionary days) -Currently receive $100/month stipend for health insurance which covers half of my premium, but I will be losing this once the paid time off is implemented -The firm pays my annual bar membership and I will be getting an annual CLE budget but the amount is still being worked out. -I get reimbursed monthly for bus fare/parking I really enjoy my job, but it is hard to imagine staying here for a long time.
Program Director* August 10, 2017 at 3:50 pm Director, University Arts Center (Public School/Union Employee). I manage a staff of 3 FTE plus student and seasonal workers, produce 100+ cultural events annually across 4 programs and serve on university committees and local boards. Salaried position, average 55 hours/week. North East 3 at organization, 14 total a description of your benefits — 11 holidays, 22 vacation days (roll over). Vacation time capped at 480 hours with any excess rolling to sick time, 15 days sick leave (roll over), 3 personal days (don’t roll). University pays 80% of my health insurance premium. for mid-range plan. Long term/Short term disability Dental and Vision provided as part of Union membership ($300/year). State retirement plan. 9% of my salary plus an additional 2% on wages over 30,000 deducted. Vested after 10 years.
Employee Trainer* August 10, 2017 at 3:51 pm your job (the more descriptive the better, since job titles don’t always explain level of responsibility or scope of work) I train gov’t employees on systems and processes, specifically within the child support system. Currently I am not developing the curriculum, though angling for said promotion very soon. I am, however, not a gov’t employee, as we are employees of a university’s nonprofit arm that contracts with the state, so the benefits are academia. your geographic area A large northeastern city from which our president hails (sigh) your years of experience 7.5 years adult education (plus 2 years teaching HS before that), started this very niche job 7 months ago though I use many of the same skills I did as an ESL teacher, just a different subject a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, This first year (and first three years), 15 days vaca 20 days sick. Sick rolls over, vaca 33% does, plus 4 “floating holidays.” It’s enough. Lucky to rarely be sick, so if my wife and I have kids while I work here I should have plenty of days to use to stay home for a while. retirement matching After one year (so, during the winter), they contribute 8% and then after several more, 10%. I can contribute whatever, those are their rates. what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you I don’t know pct wise. I know I pay a couple hundred (230) a month (my salary is 70k pre-tax) for me and my wife and my copays are lower than any other job I’ve had because it’s a big school that I technically work for. This includes dental and vision and the network is large. and any other interesting benefits you might get I get tuition reimbursement (again, after a year) at various campuses of the school I work for. We get various discounts on things we can buy through the school, too. It’s academia without the politics since I’m not on school campus. Best job I’ve had, and, as mentioned, going for a promotion (my boss told me to apply and my real boss (wife) is excited for me to do so).
Communications Director* August 10, 2017 at 3:54 pm I lead the communications team for a national social marketing campaign (think Mother’s Against Drunk Driving but the completely different topic and much smaller reach). We are a non-profit located in Washington, DC. I have six years of experience. I receive 15 vacation days and federal holidays with unlimited sick leave. After one year’s employment, we receive up to a 5% retirement match. My employer pays all of my health insurance and dental premium, but as costs have gone up, the plan has been downgraded. My colleagues with chronic health issues have been complaining that the coverage isn’t all that great and there are a lot of out-of-pocket expenses. So it sounds great, but we’d rather pay a portion of the premium for better coverage. I forget what it is, but our family leave policy wasn’t great, but there’s a new law in DC that requires eight weeks of paid leave. I actually had much, much better benefits at my last two jobs (a lot of non-profits offer generous benefits to make up for terrible salaries, and I took a massive pay cut for my current position) like professional development tuition reimbursement, public transit paid for, and student loan repayment. My benefits are offset in a lot of ways by over-the-top stinginess in other areas of the organization. I am encouraged to take public transit on my dime to get to meetings around town, for example.
Higher Ed Marketing Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 3:54 pm Higher Ed Marketing Coordinator for our Arts departments, located in Colorado. 3 years of experience in this particular field, though more counting grad school Benefits are pretty generous at our institution for staff: -You earn 16 hours (2 days) of paid vacation each month you work. It can also roll over year-to-year up to a certain limit around 380 hours or something. -Additional 13 paid holidays a year -90 days annually paid short-term disability/sick leave, which people also often use for maternity/paternity leave -Mandatory 8% retirement contribution from employees, but automatic 11.5% contribution from employer (we don’t get social security) -Medical, Dental, and vision premiums paid at approximately 65% by employer; several healthcare options available, but I’m on a zero-deductible HMO plan. Ability to add your spouse or family for slightly more than the employee rate. -auto-enrolled in Basic Term life insurance -Dependent tuition grants at 100%, and a certain number of tuition credits per year covered at 100% for employees -can deduct meals in dining halls and recreation center memberships pre-tax Other “perks” more specific to my department: -My boss is pretty committed to me having some professional development budget each year, so I can typically choose one professional conference to attend -We’re allowed to flex our schedules somewhat as needed, and no one is checking that I’m at my desk at the exact same time every day -We have an awesome outdoor rec rental program that allows us to rent free gear for trips
Employee Trainer* August 10, 2017 at 3:54 pm Oh, and flextime. We can come in anytime 8-10 so long as we stay for 8 hours.
Hiring Mgr* August 10, 2017 at 3:57 pm VP Sales, Tech company–small startup (30 total) Cambridge MA 170K base + commission Use your own judgment time off/sick/etc..no formal policy Pretty good health/dental for a startup (they pay 75%) 401K but no match Discounts on Gym, T pass (Boston subway/bus system), etc.. Free bowling shoe rental at local candlepin lanes
Winger* August 10, 2017 at 4:21 pm Free bowling shoe rental at local candlepin lanes Genuinely curious if this is a common perk among employers in the Boston area
Hiring Mgr* August 10, 2017 at 4:41 pm No, typically it’s just 50% off… my employer values work-life balance though so they go the extra mile.
Bluebell* August 11, 2017 at 8:59 am The question is – do you work near the vintage candle pin place that is closing this month? If so that benefit will go away :)
Hiring Mgr* August 11, 2017 at 10:08 am Yes, Lanes and Games.. Very sad–I was in a league there for the last five/six years… end of an era
Manager, Business Intelligence (Non-Profit)* August 10, 2017 at 3:57 pm Job Description: I oversee a small Business Intelligence team with a DBA, two data analysts and myself. We provide data analysis, reports, dashboards for our mid-size, non-profit organization using SQL, SSRS, and other reporting tools. Geographic area: Pacific Northwest, USA Experience: I have worked for this organization for many years but have only been a part of the BI team for about five years. Benefits: Medical and dental (I pay about $35/month plus co-pays); Paid Time Off: our PTO is used for all time off including holidays, sick and vacation. I get 324 hours (40.5 days) per year; Retirement: My employer matches up to 4% of my salary for my 403b plan; employer pays for a life insurance policy for each employee equal to the annual salary of employee; we have short-term disability insurance; employer contributes a few hours a month for each employee for an extended illness bank to be used for FMLA or other extended illnesses; we are eligible for discounted gym memberships.
AnonasaurusRex* August 10, 2017 at 3:58 pm IT Application Analyst (but also some PM and Business Analyst work) in healthcare Northern Illinois, not Chicago 20 years of experience at multiple levels in IT all with healthcare related stuff. PTO, holiday and sick are all one benefit – accrued based on worked hours (capped at 80 hours worked per pay period), rates vary by years of service. My rate is .15 hours per period, caps at 420 hours, rolls over each year, must be paid out at termination per IL law Matching 403b up to 5%, Roth up to 3% Health insurance is 4 plans, 2 are hi deductible with HSA one covers at 70/30 the other 60/40, two levels are “premium” plans with no HSA, the difference is the deductible amount. FSA is an option with all plans. (all have single, single +child, single + spouse, and family options and varying by PT or FT, we offer coverage to a lot more staff than we are required to, essentially if you aren’t ad-lib you can get coverage if you want to pay for it). Vision and dental come at 2 levels, with varying coverage options for different things. The difference is basically does your family need a lot of contacts/glasses vs not, and do you need orthodontics coverage vs not. The deductibles suck though and people often hit them with just 1 dental issue or 2 sets of glasses. There is an optional limited FSA for just vision and dental available with both plans. As an example, I make about 70K a year, my health, dental and vision coverage per pay check is $200 for full time family coverage in the 70/30 plan, dental with ortho, and vision with a lot of glasses and contacts (we have bad eyes lol). That doesn’t include our HSA deduction. Optional plans include supplemental life, long term disability, identity theft, pet insurance, adoption fund, dependent care, and some weird purchasing program where you can buy like a big TV or a fridge and have it payroll deducted with no interest. Also it’s a hospital so we have a cafeteria and employees get a 10% discount on anything, same with the gift shop which also carries small grocery items like milk, bread, etc. Parking is free and actually not a terrible walk to anywhere. My position is very flexible, which is a huge side benefit for me. We basically set our own schedules and can work from home as needed, anytime. A lot of hospital staff work 12 hour shifts so they only work 3 days a week, doctor’s office staff work 4 10 hour days usually. Some areas do special rotations of 7 on 7 off overlapping weeks and pay periods to avoid OT.
Research Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 3:58 pm Job: Research Librarian (mix of tasks, we’re effectively a special library. Library staff is 1.5 people). Exempt, full time. Area: Boston metro Experience: 10 since getting my MLIS, 17 working in libraries. Benefits: – 22 vacation days (Positions like mine can store up to 44). – 9 sick days. (We can store up to 120.) – 4 personal days (Unused personal days turn into sick days the next benefits year.) – 11 paid holidays, sometimes additional half-day holidays depending on how the days fall. – They pay 80% of our health premium (with discount for some non-skeezy wellness activities) and there are discounts at two local fitness clubs. – Complicated retirement thing in two parts: one is a flat rate for everyone who qualifies that year. The other is a rate that increases (slowly) with seniority. Right now that’s about 6.5% total for me (I’ve only been here a couple of years). – Health insurance, dental insurance (both solidly good but not stunningly amazing), long term disability coverage, life insurance coverage (equivalent to a year of salary). – FSA, childcare FSA, plus a deal where we pay the first chunk of deductible costs for health care, they pay the next large chunk if needed, we pay the last chunk. (If I used all of mine this year, they’d pay about $1600 out of $2500). Also options: vision care, short term disability and some related plans, and a really good tuition reimbursement plan for people getting certification or degrees related to their jobs (limited to people under 40K in salary, but very generous otherwise.) Non-core staff (which includes me) also get a fair amount of flexibility for things like staying home on very snowy days, doing some work from home if sick/having something come up/etc. My previous library jobs have been in education: in one I got no vacation time, just 3 personal days (but did not work when school was not in session, so 9 month contract, more or less), and about 12 sick days. In the state university job, I got about 22 days vacation and 20ish days sick time each year, plus about 10 holidays. Retirement is better here, but the other benefits are roughly similar.
Research librarian (academic)* August 10, 2017 at 9:39 pm Similar to above. Reference and collection development librarian at large university in the northeast of US. 22 vacation days plus added holidays and one week break in-between Christmas and New Years. 10% match for 403(b) Excellent health care – I chose the HSA with $1,000 seeded by employer each year 10+ years of experience
Public Librarian (Librarian I)* August 10, 2017 at 4:00 pm I am a children’s librarian in a large city library system. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area (very high COL) but am lucky to live in the same city as I work, and can walk to my work location. I have been a Librarian I for 2 years and have received 2 annual raises (steps up on the payscale) and 1 union-negotiated raise of several percent. I am now making more than I was when I took a pay cut to come over from the private sector. Plus it’s all transparent, which I consider an enormous “benefit” of the job. 10 days of vacation, 12 of sick leave. Vacation accrual is capped at 2x annual maximum. After 5 years, vacation goes up to 15 days. (18 days after 13 years… all the way to 30 days after 30 years.) I have heard the legends of long-term government employees accruing mountains of leave, but I’m still new and so far I’ve used all my sick days each year and am trying to hang on to some vacation days in anticipation of parental leave (partially paid through the state, but otherwise funded by my accrued sick and vacation time). We are required to save a percentage of our paychecks into the state pension (no match), and can contribute additionally to a 457(b). $0 premium on my health insurance (it’s a pretty good plan) and $12 per paycheck for my spouse’s. Also, instead of 40 hours, we only work 37.5/week. It honestly makes a difference.
Sterile Processing Technician* August 10, 2017 at 4:02 pm Oregon I clean, inspect, assemble and sterilize surgical instruments. Twelve years experience, general Tech certification and specialty Instrument certification. *Vacation accrual increases at a faster rate the longer one works here. *Employee illness bank earned at consistent rate for every employee. *Various “employee discounts” for businesses around town, such as a phone provider and a shoe store. *Retirement matching contribution increases the longer one works here until one is 100% matched. *Ten % discount on food services. *No charge for classes also offered to the public. *Surgeries and other services such as lab, charged as materials only.
Systems Admin* August 10, 2017 at 4:04 pm IT support for non-profit training organization with about 200 workstations. Support desktops, mobile devices, network, phone system and website. 30 years tenure. — 2 weeks annual paid vacation after 6 months; after 30 years, have graduated to 5 weeks. Pretty strict use-or-lose-it, but some managers make it really tough to use vacation days at any time. Carry-over exceptions are subject to board approval, so taking advantage of this benefit requires either a good manager or assertive push-back. — 12 paid holidays, plus we are paid for days we are closed during Christmas week. — 10 sick days per year with 2,000 hour carry-over ceiling. If staff exceed (like for cancer treatment, etc.), other staff can donate their vacation pay. — 100% paid medical/dental (for high-deductible plan). No vision, optometry, or orthodontia coverage. Can add spouse for $650/month, kids @ $450/month/each. — 401K plan with 3% annual matching up to 15% of total contributions. — Cafeteria plan benefits (if you want to put aside pre-tax $$ to cover uncovered medical expenses, child care, a few other things that don’t apply to me so I don’t have details) — When I started here, professional development was valued, and every employee was expected to complete an annual minimum number of hours in company-paid training of your choice. Unfortunately, training budget was killed off about 15 years ago, and no one’s been able to get financial support for training in years. They still list it as a benefit in the employee handbook, though.
Senior Mechanical Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 4:07 pm Job: MEP Engineer (work with architects, etc. to design HVAC, plumbing & electrical in new buildings and renovations) Location: Midwest, USA Experience: 16 years, Registered Professional Engineer Benefits: -18 days PTO (typically would be 15 days but I negotiated for more), no roll over except with supervisor permission which is easy to get if you have a good reason – and you get them at the beginning of each year -3 sick days – get them at the beginning of each year and can bank them for use for maternity leave or disability -2 days bereavement leave -Jury Duty – up to 4 weeks normal pay and can get authorized for more -8 weeks at 60% pay maternity leave -All the USA federal holidays plus the day after Thanksgiving -Medical, Dental & Vision – 2 options on Medical and we pay nothing for them, it covers you, your dependents and spouse if your spouse does not have coverage available through their job/doesn’t work – medical includes Teledoc which is video/phone doctor consulatations, smoking cessation program, confidential toll-free number to call if you need help with stress, depression, etc. -Life Insurance 1.5x yearly salary (maxes out somewhere, but its a pretty high max that only really affects the top people), short term & long term disability, AD&D -Voluntary life insurance and AFLAC-like policies you can sign up for -401k where after you have worked there a year you get a match based on how much revenue the company has generated, but for the last 5 years they have done up to 15% match -Reimbursement for memberships in societies related to the job and renewing the PE license
Detective Sergeant* August 10, 2017 at 4:11 pm I manage a small team of felony investigators, specializing in sex assault investigations, for a police department. Due to the size of our unit, I also carry a case load. I’m on call approximately 2 weeks a month. I’ve worked as an officer for 10.5 years; starting in patrol, I worked my way up to detective, then promoted to sergeant earlier this year. I made about $60,000 last year. We’re in the Northwest (think mountains, snow, and cowboys). I get 150 hours of vacation a year, 120 of sick, and can earn an extra 120 in comp time. I also get a clothing allowance, work 4 10’s, and a take home vehicle (which I am allowed to use as my personal car). In my position, I work dayshift and get holidays off, barring an emergency. Also, after a year, we can attend up to 6 college credits worth of classes for free, and they’ll flex our schedules for it. My company pays about 75% of my health benefits.
Legal Secretary* August 10, 2017 at 6:06 pm Are you Law & Order SVU? I have SO MANY questions! I wish we could interview people with interesting jobs. To you, maybe you have a couple of family members in law enforcement, and a few friends, but I literally have only ever talked to a cop the one time I got pulled over because a light was out on my dad’s car and I got a warning (I’m white). So your job is totally foreign to me.
Adereterial* August 10, 2017 at 4:12 pm I’m a civil servant – currently restructuring part of a small government department in the UK. 20 years work experience all told but 9 years in the civil service and a year in this specific role, 3 years at this grade. Benefits: Career average pension – pretty low contributions my end and a significant employers contribution. Flexi time & flexi leave – I can technically accrue a surplus or deficit of up to 3 days per 4 weeks and can take up to 5 days flexi leave per month. I currently have much more as my job entails significant travel… 31.5 days vacation a year, and 9 public holidays (civil servants get an additional day for the Queens Official Birthday – there’s normally only 8 public holidays in the UK). 6 months sick leave at full pay followed by a further 6 months at half pay. 6 months maternity/adoption leave at full pay, followed by 3 months at statutory maternity/adoption pay then up to a further 3 months unpaid with the right to return to the same job. Then up to 4 further years unpaid career break with the ability to come back at the same grade (but possibly not same job). Employee discount/cash back scheme, & employee assistance scheme including legal advice, counselling, debt advice, physiotherapist helpline etc
Sales Support Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 4:16 pm your job: I visit customers’ facilities (generally schools, hospitals, and nursing homes) and laser measure their entire building, and record other information like floor type and number of fixtures (tables, chairs, etc.) I upload the information into a program we have, which essentially calculates the total number of labor hours it takes to clean the building per year. I then work to optimize & standardize the customers’ current cleaning process to save money on labor and products. your geographic area: Kansas City, Missouri your years of experience: 4 months in current role. 2 years prior experience in customer service & AP/AR a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get: -I currently have 10 days of vacation/year. Once I hit 5 years, I’ll get 15 days of vacation/year. -Additionally, I get 2 personal days (that can be used however you want), that carry over from year-to-year for up to 5 years. I haven’t used any since I started here, so I currently have 4 personal days. -Unfortunately, we get no paid sick days; the idea being that personal days could be used for appointments and being sick. This causes a lot of people to come into the office sick, because they don’t want to waste their personal/vacation days, or take an unpaid day. -7 paid holidays -401K match up to 5%
Senior Software Developer* August 10, 2017 at 4:17 pm * your job: Senior Software Developer I develop software for machines used in the car manufacturing industry. I’m the principal developer on some projects and a contributer on others. * your geographic area: Germany Now in Germany there is net salary (what goes into your account after taxes and mandatory insurances are deducted) the gross salary (what you negotiate, what’s on your payslip, and what goes in your tax report) and then there is “additional salary costs” (your employer has to pay around 20% on top of your gross salary, to match your insurance contributions). And there are benefits that are required by law, benefits that are required by the union agreement and (somewhat rarely) individually negotiated benefits. I’ll point out which is which down below. * your years of experience: 5, growing from junior to senior developer *a description of your benefits: **vacation: 30 days, (20 by law, 10 by union agreement) **sick leave: It’s complicated but by law it’s 30 days or more depending on circumstances. After hat your health insurance pays you a reduced salary for a while and then social security kicks in. Downside to the generosity: You usually have to provide a doctor’s note. **retirement matching: The law requires every employee to put 9.35% of their gross salary into the federal pension system and the employer has to match that with 9.35%. Because of the union agreement, my employer also puts 30$/month into a private pension insurance for me. I can contribute to that but I don’t have to. **what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you: I’m in the public health insurance so I’m required to pay 8.3% of my gross salary and my employer is required to match with 7.3% of my gross salary. Another 1.5% of my gross salary go to unemployment insurance and another 1.525% to long term care insurance, again both matched by the employer. No matter how much or little I earn, I get the same level of insurance as everyone else in the public insurance (which is pretty good). So these are the extra ~20% “aditional salary cost” that employers have to calculate when they negotiate your gross salary with you. *and any other interesting benefits you might get ** Christmas money: I get a whole month salary extra at the end of November (union agreement). ** Vacation money: Whenever I take vacation, I get an extra 1/60 of my monthly salary per vacation day that I take – so in total half a month’s salary extra per year (union agreement). ** Working hours: A full work week is 35 hours for me (union agreement), the usual is 40 hours. ** Flextime: My “core time” is only the two hours before and the two hours after lunch, so provided it works with the meetings, I can choose to work early or late, or only do 4 hours one day and 10 hours the next (but never more than 10 hours a day). This is a benefit my company offers to anybody whose job doesn’t need stricter hours. ** Childcare on site: We have a childcare center in a building on company property. Employees still have to pay the full price but they get spots before the public and it’s just very convenient. I don’t have any individually negotiated benefits, because the package is already pretty good and individual benefits are just not done for people below management level in my company in order to not make an administrative & tax headache out of it.
Software Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 4:17 pm Job: Software engineer: Specifically, I design, code, and test software as a full-time contractor working with a contracting company on a government contract. Region: Northern West Virginia Experience: 9 years with a Master’s Degree – Unlimited sick and vacation days. Time off requires approval of the customer and company, but it’s rarely ever denied. This is offered to all employees regardless of seniority. – Retirement plan matches up to 3% of my salary as part of a SIMPLE IRA. There is no vesting period, once it hits my account, it is mine forever. – Dental, health, and vision insurance plans are offered. The rates are very good, I pay less than $200 a month for all three combined. I can get a discount on my deductible by participating in the “Wellness” events. – HSA’s are offered. – Flextime per customer approval. – A few discounts are offered, but nothing substantial. – Education and certification reimbursement. Capped at $5000 per year and must be relevant to position. – Yearly all expenses paid for trip to a four or five star hotel with a fantastic restaurant. We get to choose the place, within reason, and it rotates per year. It does have to be within a two to three hour drive. – Major downside: Every few years, the contract goes up for a recompete and there is no guarantee you will be brought back with the company at the same rate, at all, or even as a subcontractor.
Membership Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 4:21 pm Job: Membership, nonprofit association Location: Washington, D.C. Experience: I’ve been in this role for 3 years and don’t have much more experience in my field than that BENEFITS: – PTO: 17 days. This will go up to 22 when I have my first annual review post-3 year anniversary. We just switched to a system where vacation and sick days are treated the same. Previously, I had 10 days of vacation time and 12 days of sick leave. Our office is also closed between Christmas and New Year’s and that is treated as paid time. – Emergency Medical Leave: 5 days. This is for longer-term or ongoing illnesses, and can be used only after 3 days of PTO or for ongoing FMLA conditions. – Health Insurance: Employer pays everything for all plans. We can choose from a PPO or an HMO from the same provider, or a more basic plan where all services must take place in that provider’s facilities. The price differences only really come up when adding family members to the plan, in which case there are more or less expensive options. – Vision/Dental: Also both totally covered. – Transit Benefits: Pretty standard–we can add up to the federal limit to a card pre-tax every month. – Retirement Benefits: Employer puts in double my contributions for up to 5% of my salary in a 403b account. I’ve never even heard of another employer offering that much–it definitely makes me wary of leavin this job. – Flexible Time: Non-exempt employees (me!) can work extra hours to have a schedule of M-F one week, M-Th next week. This is the best and I don’t know that I can go back to 5 day weeks every week!
Intake Coordinator/Social Worker/Case Manager* August 10, 2017 at 4:26 pm I am a short term case manager for high level (complex) programming intakes for housing and homelessness services at a mid-size non-profit in a mid-size rust belt city toward the East, but sometimes considered mid-east. Cost of living is relatively low, but on the rise due to gentrification/tech boom. -23 days PTO + 11 paid holidays throughout the year. If school district closes, we get a paid snow day. If we don’t use all our PTO it gets turned into a Catastrophic Leave Bank at the end of the year on 3:1 ratio. -3 days bereavement leave -Short and long term disability -$40,000 life insurance policy -Employee EAP -Health Insurance premium covered at 70%, no co-pays for mental health and no deductible. We would have to pay full premium amount for spouses or children, however. -Vision and Dental that you can add family to for very inexpensive (under $10 per month) -401k matching up to 3% and than 50% matching up to 6% -Continuing Ed assistance and supervision for licensing if I wanted it
Intake Coordinator/Social Worker/Case Manager* August 10, 2017 at 4:28 pm Should have mentioned, health/dental/vision insurance and 401k can be deducted out of our paycheck pre-tax
Instructional Designer* August 10, 2017 at 4:28 pm I develop e-learning courses and also do technical writing work in the medical field. Southeastern US 6 years current role / 9 total years – PTO pool of 3 weeks + holidays (increases in five year increments) – 401k/403b & Deferred Comp, matching up to 6% of income, 5 years vested – 80% employer paid insurance with a flexible spending account
Actuary* August 10, 2017 at 4:29 pm Job: Perform actuarial valuations of terminated pension plans (government contractor) Area: DC Metro area Experience: 15 years with this company Benefits: -Officially we get 15 days vacation, 5 personal days, 6 sick days, and 7 paid holidays. Unofficially we get unlimited time off as long as our work gets done. -Company covers ~85% of health insurance/dental premiums. We have a high deductible plan, but they put the full amount of the deductible in our HSA’s each year. Company pays for life insurance (2x salary) and short- and long-term disability insurance. -Company matches 100% of 401(k) contributions up to 6%. They also occasionally add money to our 401(k) accounts as part of profit-sharing. -We get a set bonus based on our billable hours over our annual hours goal, and another large bonus based on job performance. -We have flexible work hours (I don’t get in before noon), and can work from home at our own discretion.
Librarian* August 10, 2017 at 4:32 pm -Senior Librarian (Adult Programming Librarian) -New York City -10 years paraprofessional, 2 as librarian -paid leave: 15 days vacation, 1 floating holiday, 11 bank holidays, 10 sick days -retirement – we get a pension, so no 401k/403b matching but… you know… pension! -health insurance – we have a lot of choices, with the cheapest hmo option being $0 out of the paycheck and low copays (like $10 for checkups or $0 for “preferred doctors”) -other bennies: we have almost 100 locations so if the job gets stale you can move. the library pays for $1000 per class towards a second degree.
Sr. Director of Product Marketing* August 10, 2017 at 4:32 pm Manage a team of product marketing managers and coordinators responsible for all product marketing including demand generation, sales enablement, strategic communications, customer loyalty programs, and influencer engagement for $140m organization (non-profit that operates like a business, not a charity). Portland, Oregon 27 years in the industry, 2 years in this specific role Benefits are the same for all staff: 6 weeks PTO (vacation, sick time inclusive) 15% of salary contributed to retirement fund regardless of whether or not I contribute anything 100% of my insurance premiums paid (health, vision, dental, disability, life); less generous for family members additional paid time off to volunteer in community flex hours, option to telecommute on as-needed basis fully paid public transportation pass for buses and trains company provided cell phone
Digital Marketing Manager* August 10, 2017 at 4:34 pm As the Digital Marketing Manager, I lead all Digital Marketing, and manage a team of 6 FTEs and 1 contractor, for a Fortune 500 company. We’re located within the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region. 10 years of experience. 15 PTO days + 3 “floating holidays”, with sick days coming out of the same PTO bucket as vacation (they sometimes mandate the use of 1-2 of these floating holidays, when a holiday is on a Tuesday, for example, they’ll mandate everyone take off on Monday). You earn 5 more days after every 5 years of service. 7 paid holidays per year (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day). Ability to buy 5 more PTO days, with the cost being pro-rated across paychecks for the year. They match 50% of your 401k contributions, up to 3% of your salary – and based on company performance for the year, they may contribute additional match up to another 50%. There is a 5 year vesting schedule for the company’s matching contributions (0% for less than two years of service, 20% for two years, 40% for three years, 66% for four years, 100% for five years). I pay $234 for health insurance, $20 for dental, and $6 for vision per month out of pocket – they pay the rest. This is for an average to slightly above average PPO plan. Supposedly the out-of-pocket costs increase based on your compensation level, but I am not sure how this works. Employee assistance program is available. Life insurance at 1.5x annual salary (with the option to buy more), short and long-term disability, AD&D. Some employee discounts are available to us. We can buy the products we sell at near wholesale pricing. Legal assistance plan is available. FSA is available. We do get to dress casual in jeans along with free bagels on Friday. Our HR team seems to benchmark for almost exactly average with our benefits, which means they’re neither amazing nor terrible.
Senior Account* August 10, 2017 at 4:34 pm Small division of a larger company DC Metro Area 12 years of experience 3 weeks sick + vacation, 3 float days a year, work at home 2 days per week and can work additional days instead of using PTO for sick tim, 50% 401K match, employer paying 85% of insurance premiums, flexible schedule for appointments and other items.
P* August 10, 2017 at 4:35 pm Buyer Chicago, IL 15 years professional experience, 2 as a Food buyer Medical insurance $1000 deductible for in network PPO 3 personal days 6 sick days 10 vacation days, after 7 years 15 days *I’m looking for another job because of the crappy vacation policy
Associate Attorney* August 10, 2017 at 4:45 pm Associate attorney at mid-size firm. Northern California 12 years experience 3 weeks vacation, 12 days sick leave (3 days of sick leave can be taken as bereavement) Not sure the % employer pays for health insurance – I pay a little over $100/month Life insurance in an amount of one year’s salary FSA Long term disability 401K match of 25% of my contribution up to 4% + profit sharing
Senior Payroll* August 10, 2017 at 4:45 pm SME and respobile for improvements, complicated queries and all projects for a largish org. 6 yrs experience in payroll. New Zealand 22 days annual leave per year (rolls over, so if you don’t take it, you legally can not lose it, paid out when you leave if not taken) 7 days paid sick per year, rolls over, no capping 11 paid public holidays I have medical coverage which is worth 4500$ roughly per year (NZ has a public health system, so I’m not sure how rare medical benefits are here.) 4% employer contribution to match my 4% to my super fund. Redundancy compensation. Additional 2 weeks leave if I get to ten years.
Archaeologist - Cultural Resource Management* August 10, 2017 at 4:46 pm – I am a Cultural Resource Management (CRM) archaeologist. I work in the private sector for a consulting firm. Basically any time a project goes through with federal money, permitting, review, or permitting, archaeology/cultural resource studies are required. I am a Project Supervisor so I run field projects, supervise field technicians, write technical reports, and interact with clients and government agencies. -Mountain West -10 (11 including field school and volunteering) – Time off: I get 10 days of paid vacation, 4 sick days that I can use as vacation at the end of the year, and 6 paid holidays -Health: My company is really small so they aren’t required to provide anything. However, for full time permanent employees they pay a stipend that is the equivalent of the accepted silver plan on the local insurance exchange. -401k: 3% contribution when eligible (not a match…you can contribute whatever you want including nothing)
Allocation Analyst (Retail industry)* August 10, 2017 at 4:55 pm Basic job description: I make sure that our retail stores are stocked with the correct amount of merchandise. Location: Dallas, TX Experience: 7 years with this company, 12 years in the industry either at the corporate or store level PTO: 15 days vacation, 6 sick/personal, 2 floating holidays; no roll-over of PTO Health insurance: We have a few different plans to choose from, I think the one I’m on has the company paying about 50% of the premiums; dental is about the same. I know we have vision benefits but I haven’t really paid attention because I got Lasik a couple of years ago. No spouse coverage unless they do not qualify for another plan (Ex: they cover my husband because he doesn’t have benefits through his job, a small start-up) Retirement: 401k, company matches up to 4% (I think? I know I contribute more than what they will match) Life insurance, Long Term/Short Term Disability, Employee Assistance Program Employee discount at our retail stores. We also get some discounts to area attractions (theme parks, movie tickets at a specific chain, stuff like that).
Family Nurse Practitioner* August 10, 2017 at 4:59 pm -I work as an FNP in a Community Health Center doing primary care with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. I also have a sub-specialty in Women’s Health -NYC -<1 year -22 PTO days (sick and vacation in one pot), my employer covers 100% of my health insurance as well as any copays, medications ect., 4013b for retirement investment, continuing education funding/5 add'l days for conferences, and there's also a fund for transgender employees to receive funding for services not covered by insurance
Rana* August 10, 2017 at 5:05 pm Indexer and editor, with a focus on scholarly books. I’m self-employed, so I get no paid benefits. The health insurance I have is through my spouse’s employer (before this, we were covered by insurance I paid for – thanks, Obama!) I do have flexibility as to daily schedule, time off between projects, and control over which clients I choose to work for and for what rates. It’s currently working for me!
assistant professor (Humanities)* August 10, 2017 at 5:06 pm I work at a university in the state system in the southeast but it’s the state benefits. -4 years experience prior to this job, first year this job -two typical options – one is $10 a month, the other is $97 a month (not ACA compliant because they are cheaper than exchanges, I picked the cheaper High deductible one – $3600 – because I still have around half that in my HSA from lastjob). The state is obviously subsidizing a lot of this. There’s also a dental plan that covers 80% of cleanings and x-rays for $15 a month, and vision for around $10 a month. -I’m faculty (9 month contract) so I have to get permission to leave campus for conferences, and also have taken 1 sick day in my working life because my schedule is so flexible it’s not usually necessary (I think I have around 9 sick days or something). No vacation. -eligible for state pension plan but I’m skeptical it will exist when I retire in 30+ years nor am I sure I’ll be here in 5 years to get vested, so temporarily opted for 403(b) – 9% of my pay, 7% from them. (You get five years to enroll in the state pension plan). After promotion then we’ll see.
assistant professor (Humanities)* August 10, 2017 at 5:07 pm there’s also life insurance, disability and EAP. hopefully will only have to explore the last option! free gym on campus, you can also pay for a gym that costs money.
Librarian - Systems Manager* August 10, 2017 at 5:15 pm Job: Public Library Systems Manager (Administrative level) for a large urban public library system. The position is appointed (not civil service) and we are employees of the local city government. While appointed, the benefits follow what is negotiated by the unions that represent civil-service employees Region: Southeast Experience: 17 years Leave Combined PTO/Sick: 29 days (increases for every 5 years of service up to 20), 1 personal day, 12 holidays, separate bereavement leave up to 5 days Health: 100% coverage for high deductible HMO option for employee only, pay 5% of premium for lower deductible HMO or other PPO plans. Vision and dental are optional and offered at reduced rates. Optional FSA Life insurance: 2x annual salary Pension: employee contribution 10%. Defined contribution plan is available for current employees and required for new hires. There is a city match but I’m not sure what it is. Optional deferred compensation account (457) Employee Assistance Program
Senior Technology Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 5:24 pm The incredibly non-specific title sort of reflects the broad responsibilities – software/hardware troubleshooting, customer service, desktop management (configuring Group Policy, JAMF, etc.), software packaging & configuration, project management, supervising student employees, teaching technology workshops, answering the doorbell for the loading dock… (We’re not even that small – I’m one of 6 with my exact job title, plus 2 leads and a manager in my immediate workgroup. I’m praying for more focused duties in the next re-org.) Higher ed, NE US. 5 years experience. 31 days combined PTO + 2 days off for Thanksgiving and ~5-7 around Christmas-New Year’s. 3% employee contribution + 9% employer contribution to retirement (I know, I don’t question it), employer pays 85% of health insurance premiums for a solid plan ($500 deductible, then 20% copay on most things, preventative care fully covered.) Use of facilities like gym/pool/etc. Given the field, I also think it’s worth mentioning that overtime is pretty rare, though there’s not much flexibility. Overall, the pay isn’t as high as the commercial sector, but the benefits are pretty great.
Senior Technology Specialist* August 10, 2017 at 5:28 pm Also life insurance, EFAP, etc., and a lot of other little weird perks related to the environment.
Associate Archivist* August 10, 2017 at 5:27 pm Job Description: Lead archivist over two hospital collections in a 7-hospital system. Arrange and describe materials, reach out to current departments to collection records of enduring value and to make them all aware there is an archive which collects hospital records. Produce exhibits quarterly and for special occasions as necessary, informational PP slides (of a historical nature from the collections) to be shown in public areas, and social media posts to advertise the collections. Support the work of the hospital by answering reference questions and providing photographs for marketing, communications, and any other departments as needed; also provide reference for outside researchers. Geographic area: New York City Years of Experience: 26 Benefits: -8 paid holidays, and 29 days PTO, some of which can roll over into next year and 5 days which can became part of a 130 day max ‘sick account” for long-term illness – 403b retirement account into which the employer matches up to a 3% of my contributions -health insurance (medical, dental, eye glasses, disability, life insurance for self and family members, college saving accts and parental nursing care accts), not sure how much the company foots, but my portion isn’t too bad -4 different medical plans to choose between, including using the hospital’s staff, which has no co-pays and some no or low cost on tests and procedures – Flexible spending accounts for healthcare or dependent care – transit cards using pre-tax dollars for subway or parking use -long-term disability coverage (portion we pay) and extended short-term coverage (meaning a weekly benefit that is almost a regular salary check, much more than the NY State max of $175.00). -My department will also underwrite professional development and cover one national conference a year, which can run into thousands of $, though that’s not guaranteed. If you’re presenting a session, they’ll cover more.
Associate Archivist* August 11, 2017 at 9:58 am want to add that we also have various wellness programs we can participate in – yoga, running club, walking club, meditation hour, diabetes prevention, new parent classes, mindfulness classes (?), a day-care center for parents (fee based), and various work training programs (eg: Excel spreadsheets, or other computing lessions).
RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR* August 10, 2017 at 5:30 pm Research Administrator (University) Southeastern US approx. 23 years 10 paid holidays approx. 22 days of leave/year (can rollover) approx. 22 sick days (can rollover) 4 personal days (basically Christmas to New Years when the university shuts down) Several retirement plan options. My choice: employer contributes a fixed 7.26% + 3% I have to contribute. Payout is based on years of service. As I recall, 30 years is approx. 80% of the average of the 5 highest paid years. It goes up or down depending on how long you are employed. 401K with 1:1 matching (there is a cap). Health has several options, same cost which depends on type of coverage. Since my spouse is also employed here, it is $13 biweekly. My plan: $0 deductible; copay $20/$40(specialist)/$200 (hospital stay). Rx is $7/$30/$50 They have various vision, dental, pet, long term disability, etc. insurance available, however I don’t recall the rates. Tuition reimbursement is also available (actually, if you meet the criteria, they pay up front–my spouse is doing this to get another degree). Discounts at various businesses (everything from cellular service providers to retail shops and restaurants).
RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR* August 10, 2017 at 5:34 pm To clarify: What I do is manage research funding and research programs. Lots of accounting as well as contracting within the US and internationally. Currently I also have my hand in the clinical side as well so add in various compliance requirements.
Communications Manager - Local Government* August 10, 2017 at 5:33 pm Communications Manager – manage all internal & external communications for a division in large local government agency (urban). Set communications strategy & standards, approve all graphic design & printed materials, manage website & social media, handle all media requests & PR, etc. No direct reports; chair several committees comprised of agency personnel. Intermountain West 10.5 Years Experience Vacation & Sick PTO – 96 hours annually per each, with vacation accrual rates increasing with seniority (e.g. at 3 years it’s 120 hours, 6 years it’s 144, and so on); never expires Personal PTO – 8 hours annually (no accrual, it’s use or lose) Paid Parental leave – 6 weeks for all parents, including adoption, additional 6 weeks for birth mothers Paid Holidays – 11 annually (we have a special state holiday in the summer) Compensatory Time – as earned Retirement – State Retirement System with Pension & 401K options – employer pays 10% Health Insurance – 100% of premium paid for myself, spouse, and any dependents Other perks – on-site gym, on-site childcare (subsidized by employer), flexible hours (e.g. I work 4 10s), transit & recreation center discounts. The pay could be better but is not outrageously out of line with market, but the benefits help to make up for that. Especially the healthcare.
Teacher* August 10, 2017 at 5:34 pm I am a 2nd grade teacher at a public charter school in northern Utah. I am going on my 7th year of the field. We get 10 days PTO, my employer covers all insurance (and gives a decent stipend to those who don’t partake of the insurance), and while we don’t feed into the state pension system, we have a retirement system the school will match up to 5%. your geographic area your years of experience a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get
Production Supervisor* August 10, 2017 at 5:49 pm *Production supervisor managing seven employees between 2 shifts in an company that specializes in e-discovery; I also perform statistical analyses, company and departmental strategy, and the company’s training program. We are a small business with ~75 employees. *Southeast *4 years as supervisor; 5.5 years in the industry *Benefits: – Matching 401(k) up to 4% – Health benefits (I know how much I pay, not sure about their contributions) – Vacation/Sick/Personal days: unlimited – truly unlimited, I think I average almost 2 months off per year
Production Supervisor* August 10, 2017 at 5:54 pm I forgot: Salary: $43K + bonuses; monthly bonuses are based on costs/revenue ratios. Other Benefits: – Work from home when necessary – Life insurance policies (I think I have 2)
Sr. Digital Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 5:50 pm I track and analyze video content consumption on digital devices – web, mobile, connected (e.g. Roku, Apple TV) for a media company. Major metro in the Southeast 10 years of experience in media overall, 3 in digital 3 weeks PTO (started with 2, got an extra at 3 years and will get another week at 7 years) I believe retirement matching is up to 7%? And insurance is covered up to 40%. I’ll be honest, I don’t really know. I used to work for another major media company, and this was comparable benefits, so I didn’t look that closely. We also get a paid volunteer day every year and a ton of discounts to partner companies.
Business Services Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 6:07 pm Midstream oil and gas company in Calgary, AB (Canada) I coordinate an owner/operator program, mainly dealing with insurance premiums/claims and general administration. I supervise three people. Years of experience: 9 years with this company, 12 years in professional office jobs – 4 weeks of paid vacation, option to purchase a 5th through flex credits (maximum of 5 weeks base, based on years of service) – 12 flex days, one per month, “use it or lose it” – unlimited sick time – Pension Plan – currently maxed out at 7% of my salary, with company match of 7% (maximum is 9%, based on years of service, with matching amount by employer) – optional employee share purchase, company will match up to 3% of employee salary – flexible benefits plan, 6% of annual salary (can be allocated in different ways depending on the level of coverage one needs) – $300 personal spending account (for club memberships, green fees, gym passes, etc) And then all statutory holidays are paid holidays (in Canada, that’s 11 days). Our office (like many in downtown Calgary) is also closed during the Stampede Parade in July, and we get that as a paid day off (doesn’t come off our vacation or flex time).
BigLaw Staff Manager* August 10, 2017 at 6:08 pm I oversee people who support the attorneys of a large law firm in a variety of ways (paralegals, law clerks, etc.) in the Washington, DC area. I have about 20 years of total work experience in the legal industry with about over five years in my current role. My benefits include: * Health, dental, and vision insurance (I don’t know the percentage they pay, but it is subsidized and as affordable as healthcare can be these days. Plans are good quality.) * Either 3 or 4 weeks of vacation (does’t matter, have no time to take more than half them) plus 12 days of sick/personal time * 401K with matching and quarterly share payments * Flexible spending accounts for child care, medical expenses, and commuting transportation expenses * 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave (sadly, this improvement came after I had my kids, but I still had 12 weeks of job protection, paid at about half after my vacation ran out, which is good for the US) * Access to employee assistance program
Legal Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 6:16 pm I primarily do document preparation for the areas of family law/domestic relations, estate planning, probate – but I also do backup reception and the dreaded “other duties as assigned”. Location: Oregon, USA Years Experience: 7 Benefits: 80 hours vacation/personal, 40 hours sick time, 100% employer paid health insurance; 10-15 paid holidays. Other Stuff: Snacks and Coffee/Alcohol; Dog friendly; Relaxed dress code (except if you are going to be in client meetings or going to court).
Teaching Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 6:21 pm Geographic area: Southeastern US, large state university (I am *this* close to naming and shaming) Years of experience: 4 (2 years MA, 1 year adjunct, 1 year PhD) Job: I’m a graduate TA in the humanities. I work with one class per semester meeting students and grading their work. Starting next year, I will teach independently, which I’ve also done previously. Insurance: I am graciously permitted mediocre student health insurance with no dental, vision, or dependent coverage, even though comparable public universities in my state offer some or all of these benefits. About 80% of the premium is subsidized by the university. This is good, because otherwise none of us could afford health insurance. Neither of these benefits existed before the grad students unionized, and it took years of fighting to get them. My department subsidizes whatever part of my premium the university doesn’t, but that’s up to individual departments and not all grad students get it. Many departments also manipulate our personnel status so that we don’t qualify for the insurance, or don’t qualify for the full subsidy. Other benefits: Since I pay the fee for the university rec center (a fraction of the $1,800 per year I pay back to the university to have my job), I guess technically I get to use that? You know, if I feel like walking a mile to get there from my building. The union *might* be able to get us 5 days of PTO this year – another benefit that our alleged comparables have that we don’t. Do I sound bitter at all?
Client Services Coordinator* August 10, 2017 at 6:22 pm Job – I’m a social worker for a trust fund for people with special needs. It’s basically executive customer service for an impossibly difficult client base with a lot of internal policies and procedures work thrown in the mix. I replaced someone who’d been there for many years without writing anything down* and…yeah. I drink a lot more than I used to. Geographic area – mid-Atlantic, mid-sized city Years of experience – I’ve been in this job since I got my MSW in 2016. I’ve been working in nonprofits in some capacity (staff, regular volunteer, intern) since 2009, so 8 years. Benefits – we get all our PTO as one bucket. I get 4 weeks unless I manage to stick around for 2 more years. Allegedly I qualify for a SEP but I won’t get any money toward it until after a board meeting next winter so who knows. My employer does not offer health insurance but will reimburse 50% of what I pay to buy my own plan…except that they won’t reimburse me because I’m on my husband’s plan and they were incredibly deceptive about it**. We get bonuses at Christmas and our workweek is 35 hours, so that’s kind of nice I guess? An unofficial benefit is that I work 5 minutes from my house so I get to go home every day and hang out with my pets during lunch. I save a ton on not eating out, which is great because I’m spectacularly underpaid***. *this is why I’m actively job-hunting **also this ***and this
Pharmacy Technician* August 10, 2017 at 6:32 pm I work with doctors, nurses, care management, and the pharmacy to ensure patients leave with their meds in hand, which means I solve all sorts of insurance and prescription issues along the way. I work in a smaller city and have been in my position 2 years. I get about 25 days of PTO(which is for vacations, sick days, and holidays – it’s all one big pot), pretty great health and dental insurance, life insurance (1x salary), 403b matching (up to 2 percent, I think), a pension (!), a parking or public transportation stipend, a small amount of tuition reimbursement, an Employee Assistance Program, and healthcare discounts for myself and family members (including extended family members) on any services offered by our large healthcare network. I also get a discount on my phone bill through Verizon.
Pharmacy Technician* August 10, 2017 at 6:41 pm Oh, we also have an extended sick bank in case we’re out on workers comp or disability. It was a huge hep when I had appendicitis
Municipal clerk* August 10, 2017 at 6:36 pm City clerk (records custodian, take minutes, publish ordinances. Specific to my particular job, I also handle everything related to our property tax bills, manage our library, and I’m the front desk receptionist) Location: Kentucky Years experience: Closing in on 2 years Benefits: 4.3 hours paid leave every pay period (2 weeks) & 4 hours sick leave each month, with no expiration. Health insurance is 100% paid, dental is optional but also 100% paid, and we get $1,900 deposited into an HSA every July 1. I’m not positive about this, but I believe my employer pays about 18% of my gross salary towards retirement.
Lawyer* August 10, 2017 at 6:40 pm I’ve been a lawyer for 10 years. Job description: I work for a non profit in a northern state (that borders Canada) Vacation: 10 days per year Personal/other type of days off: None Sick Days: None, they are unpaid Paid holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day Retirement: No matching or any other kind of benefits Insurance: Company pays 80% of all medical, dental and eye doctor stuff.
Quickbeam* August 10, 2017 at 6:50 pm Nurse (RN) Case Manager Midwest US 30 years Medical management of catastrophic work injuries O sick days 23 days paid time off 10 paid holidays 6% salary match to retirement fund annually plus 1:1 dollar match of 401K to 5% Profit sharing annually, historically 8-16% Base salary 100,000$ USD On site gym, showers
R&D Manager (Food Science)* August 10, 2017 at 6:52 pm R&D Manager for a food manufacturing company. 1 direct report, responsible for developing new food products from concept to commercialization. Brand is the market share leader in our category West Coast, Canada 15+ 3 weeks vacation, 3 flex days, 6 paid sick days + national holidays. No carry over of vacation or unused sick days allowed. RRSP matching up to 4%. 50% of insurance premium paid. Can purchase company food product at well below retail or manufacturing cost, approx 95% discount. Nobody buys the product, I don’t think we could pay employees to eat it, even though we have millions in sales…just a very niche customer base.
Retail Store Manager, wireless* August 10, 2017 at 7:01 pm Job description : Responsible for day to day management of mid-level volume wireless store. Location: New York City suburbs Years experience: 20+ (9 with this company) Benefits: 6 weeks PTO. Can carry two from year to year, so could theoretically take 8 weeks in a year. They are supportive of the use of time, with few restrictions outside of the holiday season. The top tier “A” health insurance plan costs me about $25 / week for individual coverage. Coverage is really good. 401K match on first 5% of contributions, as well as a stock purchase plan where I can buy at a discount through payroll deduction. I also get a large discount on my wireless services.
Retail Store Manager, wireless* August 10, 2017 at 7:06 pm Also have 9 paid holidays per year, and a 10th floating holiday that can be used as PTO essentially. No sick time, as the PTO bucket is substantial.
Receptionist - Architectural Firm* August 10, 2017 at 7:05 pm Job – Receptionist for a small architecture firm. Due to our size (I’m one of three admin staff, including HR/accounting) this works out to be sort of a catch-all for a lot of administrative things, so it’s sort of a cross between receptionist/office manager/office administrator/administrative assistant. Area – Major city in the PNW Years of experience – 1 at this job, 3 in administration (though my main career track/degree is in theatre…this is just keeping me afloat till grad school) Benefits overall are pretty decent, except for medical/dental/vision. We get 15 days of vacation to start off (20 after 5 years) and 6 days of sick leave, though it’s all rolled into the same PTO account. We get 3 days paid bereavement leave within state or 5 days if you have to travel out of state. Standard 12 weeks FMLA after you’ve been employed for 12 weeks. Section 125 FSA for childcare and metro. Employer pays 90% of medical/dental (0% for spouse or dependent), 0% of vision. The medical/dental plan is not great though, with high copays and high deductibles. Most employees have the option of flextime (setting their own schedules, working remotely some days, etc.) though I have a strict 8-5pm schedule since I cover the front desk. After your one-year anniversary, 100% match for 401(k) up to 3% of your salary. Vesting starts at 40% after the second year and goes up 20% each year. And unlimited free coffee/tea in the office kitchen. We also have occasional free happy hours/company picnics/random snacks like ice cream in the summer. I get a glass of wine shoved in my hands at least once a month during work (not complaining!)
Receptionist - Architectural Firm* August 10, 2017 at 7:08 pm Oops! Meant 12 weeks FMLA after you’ve been employed for 12 MONTHS!
Elementary Teacher* August 10, 2017 at 7:15 pm Ontario, Canada Going into my 6th year as a permanent full time employee (5.5 years supply teaching before that). Salary will be $77,832 in September (we have a salary grid based on years worked and category placement (a combination of type of degree, extra qualifications, marks in undergrad, etc). All school holidays (12 weeks total – two at Christmas, one for March Break, and 9 weeks in the summer) – technically we only get paid for 192 teaching days, but realistically our salaries are equitable yearly salaries and we get paid every two weeks even though the holidays. 6 sick days, 5 personal days We contribute to our pension as a % of our salary (we also contribute to the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance, like all Canadian workers). Employer matches CPP contribution and pays slightly more into EI. Does not pay into Teachers’ Pension Plan. Our extended Health/Dental is fully paid by our employer (school board). For non-Canadians, extended health covers things like prescription drugs (we pay $2 per prescription), semi-private hospital stays (usually 2 in a room instead of 4), and other medical equipment costs. Actual heathcare is covered by the province. Dental coverage is similar to the US, I would imagine (we don’t have public dental coverage except for very low income families). There are various discounts we can get as teachers – through our employer, union, and professional collage (e.g. anything from cell phone plans to restaurants to hair cuts).
Elementary Teacher* August 10, 2017 at 7:22 pm woops I forgot about the 1x salary life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance (I also have the option of paying about $2/month to triple the amount of this coverage, which I do).
bicycle mechanic* August 10, 2017 at 7:24 pm * fix bikes and build new ones, all bike-related purchasing, advise owner on what to stock, assign “side work” to sales staff when we’re slow, create all systems/tracking/spreadsheets/checklists for daily operations. $15/hour, ~27K per year (including a G in tips) due to seasonal reduction of hours. * major city in the southwest, very high cost of living for a non-coastal city * 5 in industry, 3 at this employer * no paid time off of any kind, no insurance, no retirement. The owner did shop around for insurance, but we were going to have to pay 100% of our premiums. Our pay is low enough that everyone had a $100+ obamacare subsidy or was just going without insurance, so purchasing insurance through our employer would have been a pay cut. *At the whim of the owner, we’ll get time and a half or a little bonus ($50-100) for things like working on holidays. He has also offered to give loans or front us a paycheck if needed. Luckily I’ve never needed to do this. * I can buy bike parts at wholesale, and use shop facilities for my own project if it doesn’t interfere with regular operations (which is rarely, since the shop is teeny tiny)
Call Center Supervisor* August 10, 2017 at 7:33 pm -Midwest -10 years with the company, 2 years in this role -4 weeks PTO/sick leave combined (3 weeks for first 4 years) -25K life insurance policy if enrolled in health plan -Not sure how much the company covers of the health plan but I pay $250 per biweekly paycheck for myself + children
Laboratory Manager* August 10, 2017 at 7:36 pm I work for a research lab associated with a hospital. My lab develops cancer therapies. I do operations, but not people management, for a team of 15 people in the Pacific Northwest of the US. I have 20 years of experience as a scientist, and five as a lab manager. I get 6 weeks of PTO which has to cover all holidays and sick time. I have the option of working holidays if I want to save the PTO. Retirement matching is 5%, which is vested after 2 years. Employer pays 100% of my insurance premium as well as 100% for my kids, I pay for my spouse. $5000 toward childcare. Not taxable. 100% Tuition assistance if the degree/certificate relates to my job. ($5K max per year) 100% pay for 6 weeks of maternity leave Bus pass paid 100% We are a popular hospital and lots of local places give discounts.
HR Manager* August 10, 2017 at 7:43 pm I’m an HR Manager in the Pacific Northwest of the US (Oregon/Washington). I am truly a generalist, addressing everything from recruiting to performance management, leave administration to employee engagement. I run a small team; my company is a white-collar professional services organization with employees across the country. I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree with roughly 5 years of experience in HR. We don’t have separate sick and vacation banks; first year employees get 120 hours per year (3 weeks) of paid time off, with that getting bumped to 160 hours (4 weeks) after 5 years with the company. 8 paid holidays are offered in addition to that. The company offers two medical plans (functionally identical except for premium cost and deductible); I have the cheaper higher deductible plan and my employer picks up about 70% of the premium cost. One dental plan option; company picks up roughly 60-70% of that as well. One vision plan option, fully paid by the employee (but it’s a whopping $6 per month, so no biggie). You’re allowed to start contributing to 401k immediately, but company match starts after one year. (Maximum match is 4.25% of base salary if you contribute 6% or more.) Match funds are fully vested after 3 years. Medical and dependent care FSA plans (so you can use pre-tax dollars for medical or childcare expenses) Company-paid life insurance valued at 2x your annual salary (maximum of $100,000), company-paid long term disability, AND company-paid short term disability. Additional life insurance coverage is available for purchase but is paid for by the employee. Aflac accident and critical illness plans are available for employee purchase as well. We have a wellness program where you can earn an Apple Watch by being physically active; you can also work out to get general gift cards and merchandise as well. There is no cost to the employee to participate. We have an employee perks program where you get discounts at major retailers across the country. In addition, many of our employees work from home, which is a nice perk! Work from home employees also get a partial reimbursement of internet costs.
Director of Operations* August 10, 2017 at 7:45 pm Job: Director of Operations at a university, managing 9 people providing support for 50+ people Area: California Years of Experience: ~20 Benefits: ~5 weeks vacation; 12 days sick time (15 days in a calendar year can be used for family sick leave, e.g. sick kid, parent, etc.); 1% retirement for all employees after 1 year, plus up to 5% add’l matching; Family dental and Employee Only Medical at no cost to me; health-related incentives (including reduced cost fitness classes, free gym, and bonuses for attaining certain goals); reduced cost at on-campus dining facilities Higher ed. may not always pay as well as industry, but the benefits come close to making up for it.
Site Reliability Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 8:00 pm Dev/ops type work. My team’s software engineers do more coding than the SREs do, and we do more operations than they do, but there is quite a bit of overlap and we work together closely. Location: Boston Experience: 2 years + master’s degree, a few years’ prior work experience in a different field My company offers: * unlimited PTO (and we actually get to use it) + 10 company holidays * 50% match of 401k contributions up to 8% employee / 4 % employer * They pay >90% of my health insurance premiums, I pay about $400 a year (it’s just me). I picked a high deductible plan but they contribute half the deductible into my HSA. * FSA for health or dependent care * Good dental with $2000 yearly max * They pay for life insurance (2x earnings, you can also purchase supplemental) * They pay for short + long term disability. * 3 months paid maternity leave, 1 month paid paternity leave * Subsidized transit or bike commuter reimbursement * stock purchase program * 2 paid volunteer days * Very supportive of remote work when your role allows it
Field Service Engineer* August 10, 2017 at 8:02 pm Job: Working as a service engineer at an R&D facility. Fix machines the scientists break during experiements. Specialize in high powered lasers. Work rotating first & second shifts, plus on call time. W2-contractor placed in this one facility permanently (my coworkers generally travel 100% to different facilities) Experience: 4 years of this, military previously. Area: Southern California. The facility I work at is Dutch-owned, and the company I am actually employed by is German. Bennies: 15 paid days off (vacation/sick) per year plus 7-8 paid holidays. 6.5% match in 401K. Tuition assistance if it relates to job. Opportunities to travel to Europe frequently. Unlimited vision benefits with as many visits/pairs of glasses as I need (the lasers can damage the eyes easily), dental is paid for but not a great dental plan. Health insurance is just so-so, plan is okay, employer pays about 60% of premiums. HSA available too. Cheap tickets to local events (facility is a frequent sponsor of community events), free German language classes, company phone I’m allowed to use for personal use too. Very cheap life insurance, disability insurance, dismemberment insurance (~5$ per month), paid overtime and holidays, lots of free meals/beer (ah…Germans…). Everyone used to have company cars but they took them away in favor of a permanent raise instead (around $4/hr if I remember correctly) because people complained about not liking the cars (buick sedans)
Energy Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 8:13 pm I work for a public utility in the northwest – the specific job description is fairly irrelevant since anyone in the utility is eligible for the same benefits. 10 years with the utility, 17 in the industry -Currently at 3 weeks vacation, starts at around 2, increases at various milestones and can get ridiculously good at more than 15 years. – All federal holidays plus two “floating holidays” -1 hour sick leave for every 40 hours worked, no max and can carry over. We can also donate sick leave to other people. -Retirement system eligibility after 5 years, I’m embarrassed I can’t remember percentages. -Excellent medical coverage for me and spouse (which is unfortunately the largest thing keeping me in a frustrating job), small monthly charge for the spouse, includes decent dental and crappy vision (but better than no vision) -Free bus pass (no parking subsidies) -FMLA eligibility is a thing. I don’t know much about it.
Personal assistant/secretary/receptionist* August 10, 2017 at 8:15 pm I work as a personal assistant to a small group of barristers, which entails secretarial and general admin duties, some legal assistant/low level paralegal type work and personal errand running. I also do general reception duties for the entire floor (there are 17 barristers here in total), order stationery and kitchen supplies, pay floor invoices, and oversee the care and feeding of the photocopier. Region: Australia Years of experience: A year and a half in this job; two years as a legal assistant; four years as a court reporter; previously: retail. Benefits: Four weeks annual leave per year, accumulating at 5 hours, 45 mins per fortnight, with the caveat that I shouldn’t take time off during busy periods (March-May, August-November), and the office is closed for the first couple of weeks of the new year; ten days personal leave per year, accumulating at a rate of 2 hours, 53 mins per fortnight, but my bosses are quite okay if I go into arrears, eg, last year, when I broke my foot; this year, when I had laryngitis. These leave benefits are pretty standard in Australia. That’s the extent of my financial benefits (semi-socialised healthcare = we don’t need employers to cover our insurance), but I also have lots of downtime in my job, and my bosses are quite okay with me using that time to read blogs, write a novel, and quietly do my own thing provided that everything else is up to date, and I can drop what I’m doing to assist them when needed. They’re also flexible about coming in late and leaving early, provided I don’t abuse the privilege and they can spare me. I think, in my 18 months on the job, I’ve only had one such request turned down. Having said all this, I’m in a SUPER niche job, even within the legal field.
Web Producer* August 10, 2017 at 8:21 pm Job: I do web production at a tech firm. I’m currently on a short-term contract, but my benefits at this job are pretty much the same as most of my previous contracts. I’m hourly exempt because I work with computers, so no overtime pay. Area: Pacific Northwest Years of experience: 21 Benefits: the company pays 50% of medical and dental (which is actually pretty awesome for this line of work! Most agencies don’t put anything towards medical). No 401(k), no vacation, no sick time, no paid holidays, no paid leave of any sort. I believe the city I’m working in requires paid sick time, but you have to be at the job for a year before you can use it and I doubt this job will last that long. I don’t get paid if I don’t work, so holidays mean I either miss a day of work or I work four ten hour days to make up for it. Parking is very pricey, so I pay for my own transit pass. The company provides equipment (not every company does this; I’ve had to buy my own work laptop before). Before my last contract, I hadn’t had paid time off for almost a decade. In my last job, I got 10 days of PTO and ended up using almost all of them when the client accidentally shut off our access to the internal network and we couldn’t work for two weeks. It was either use PTO or have no income for those two weeks. Yes, I’m working on switching careers.
Receptionist in Oz* August 10, 2017 at 8:22 pm I’m a Receptionist (but my responsibilities align closer to office manager) I work in Australia and I’ve been working in admin based roles for eight years and been with this company for five and a half. Vacation: 4 weeks accrued annually and rolls into the next year Personal leave: 4 weeks and rolls into the next year (I currently have 225 hours accrued) Long term service leave: an additional eight weeks of leave per year that must be paid out if you resign or are made redundant after seven years and is accessible after ten years. Parental leave: 8 weeks paid at full pay after being with the company for 12 months Maternity leave: Guaranteed 12 months off plus a possible additional 12 months if arranged with enough notice (this is also an Australian employment law but my company is very supportive and makes it very easy to arrange) Work week is 38.5 hours but we get paid the full 40 hour a week salary no matter what. Consistent raises to match cost of living (this year 3%, last year 2%) Flu shots and health initiatives: The company organizes voluntary flu shots and health initiatives without the pressure to participate and does not exclude those who choose not to participate from enjoying the “rewards” at the end of these initiatives like company lunches, social clubs, etc. We tend to hold company lunches to celebrate the completion of a health initiative and even though it might only have had active participation from a few people to half the company everyone is invited and it’s not tied to any kind of measurable achievement like weight lost or distance walked. An example of this is a small group of individuals who started a free-to-join soccer team. We had a catered company lunch to celebrate their victory at the end of the season. Discounts on private health insurance costs (Australia has public healthcare so private health insurance isn’t a company responsibility.) Salary: I started at $50,000 per year and am now at $62,000 per year (mind you this is before tax – after tax it’s closer to $45,000 per year). Superannuation contributions: the equivalent of 10% of your annual salary is paid to a superannuation fund of your choice. This is being increased to 12% and is not a deduction from our annual pay like 401k but a separate amount that is in addition to salary and isn’t taxed. The company is made up of about 75 people and has a wonderful culture of family, support and career progression. We do work nationally and internationally across most STEM fields and the majority of our non-support staff hold PhD’s or are in the process of obtaining a PhD. It’s quite exciting and interesting to come to work and learn about the different technologies and fields people are trying to develop and the non-support staff are passionate and eager to share what they’re working on without being rude or condescending to someone without a background in their field.
Receptionist in Oz* August 10, 2017 at 8:30 pm I forgot, any time the business is closed on a work day (Monday through Friday) we get paid holiday pay at our current salary rate. So when we close for two weeks over Christmas/New Years it doesn’t come out of our vacation or personal days. Or if there is any other reason that the office is closed for the day (like when the AC breaks during summer) we all get a paid day off.
QA Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 8:32 pm Job: I’m a lead software tester. My primary responsibilities are developing test plans for new clients, training other testers, and mercilessly hunting down bugs :) Geographic area: Chicagoland Years of experience: 1 Benefits: Health insurance – the company covers half of the premium. Also, as of today, I get 10 days of sick time and 10 days of vacation time a year. At our company, only salaried employees get any PTO at all, and prior to the promotion I got yesterday, I was hourly and therefore had no PTO (just like 80% of our other analysts). Those are the only benefits I receive. Probably also relevant: the company I work for is a nonprofit.
12-month faculty* August 10, 2017 at 8:48 pm I’m at a public university in California, faculty, but in an administrative role so I work through the summer. 2 vacation days per month plus a bunch of public holidays, 1 sick day per month, 1 personal day per year. A PENSION. The uni covers most of my health premium (although if I had kids it would be quite expensive).
Director - Economics (Australian Gov)* August 10, 2017 at 8:49 pm Director of Economics for a mid-size Australian Government department. 7 staff, low 7-figure budget. Responsible for creating, analysing, directing and communicating economic policy. 4 years of experience, plus PhD. $150k AUD salary, inclusive of 15% pension contribution. 6 weeks holiday/year 4 weeks sick leave/year Completely flexible working hours and location (average 50 hours/week, much of which from home) Strong professional development ethos (travel, training, conferences, courses) Australian – so health care is good, cheap and not part of package.
Payroll Clerk II* August 10, 2017 at 8:55 pm Job: Part of a team of 14 people that runs bi-weekly payroll for over 10,000 employees. New Hires, Transfers, Retirements, Leaves – paid and unpaid, Benefits during Leaves, Top Ups, Terminations, Dismissals, Workers Comp, MTD & LTD, etc. Location: Lower Mainland, BC, Canada Experience: 4 years Benefits: Annual increase every Jan 1st + Anniversary date – Union environment Vacation – 15 days to start, increases with years of service, un-used rolls over EDO – 18 days – use or lose by Dec 31 Sick Leave – 20 days accrue per year Gratuity Leave – accrue Max 3 days per year Defined Benefit Pension Plan – (8.5% of regular earnings for EE + ER % of whatever Pension Plan decides) Employee Savings Plan – (1.5% of regular earnings with company match) Basic Medical Premium – 75% ER paid Extended Heath Premium – 100% ER paid – covers 80% after $100 deductible Dental Premium – 75% ER paid – covers 80% basic & 50% of major Life Insurance – 75% ER paid Transit Rebate – 25% reimbursement Professional Fees – 100% ER paid Profession Education Courses – 100% ER paid Discounts on various events around the city,
Controller* August 10, 2017 at 9:00 pm Job: Controller of a private company with over $500 million in sales and over $100 million in inventory. I have a team of 20 direct and indirect reports. Geographical area: Florida Experience: CPA and 12 years of experience in public accounting and private industry. Benefits: -100% paid health and dental -Three weeks of vacation -Three floating holidays -One week of sick -401(k) with match up to 2.5% -Shares of company stock put into an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for retirement (total value of shares is equal to 20% of my salary). -Jeans are acceptable everyday (saves me money on work clothes!)
Senior Collector - Revenue Cycle Management - Healthcare* August 10, 2017 at 9:08 pm I collect from insurance companies for a healthcare provider. As a senior collector, I have 2 “collectors” and one “collector 2” for whom I am responsible for their QA, production, and training. I’m not a supervisor – but more of a Subject Matter Expert. I assign them work and correct their actions. This is an hourly, non-supervisory role. I work large volumes of claims, using spreadsheets, to analyze for trends and, basically, find the best way to get paid by finding and correcting errors or appealing health plans. I work in Tampa, FL, with 6 years in Medical Collections. 22 days paid time off, 6 holidays, 50% of up to 6% 401k, I don’t remember what my employer pays, but I only pay $74 every two weeks for my spouse and I for High deductible plan. We have flexible schedules (come in between 7 and 9 and work 8-10 hours and can work 4 days a week). Many positions are remote, but they are working on making mine and the collector positions remote. We have a relaxed business dress code (tennis shoes are ok and jeans, unless leadership or healthcare Executives stop by – then it’s business casual – dress pants and dress shoes). We have an interesting program that was posted here once – where we voluntarily contribute $2 every two weeks into a employee assistance fund. I’ve used it and it’s been a benefit. They give “points” to employees who go above and beyond and we can buy stuff – my last purchase was $50 to Zappos.
Assistant professor (STEM)* August 10, 2017 at 9:10 pm Asst prof in a health-related STEM field at a private R1, midAtlantic. PhD+masters+5 years experience post-PhD. This is a 12 month, soft-money position (80%). PTO: unlimited Parental leave: 10 weeks paid (moms who give birth) or 4 weeks paid (dads, adoptive parents) Adoption assistance: 15K Retirement: 6% contribution if <35, 12% contribution if 35+. Not a match – you get it regardless of how much you contribute. Kicks in after 2 years of employment Medical: We pay $500/mo for a family policy Dental: $70/mo for 2 people (would be $160/mo for a family policy) Other insurance: life, vision, short term disability (paid by employee); long-term disability, emergency evacuation (paid by university) Tuition assistance for dependents: They will pay 50% of undergrad tuition for 4 years Other tuition assistance: my spouse, dependents, and I get reimbursement ranging from 25-100% for credit and non-credit classes in various divisions of the university
Field Biologist* August 10, 2017 at 9:12 pm -I work for a nonprofit conducting zoonotic disease surveillance: small mammal trapping, designing public education and occupational safety training materials, data analysis, report writing, presenting at meetings and conferences, data and peer-review publication -Northern California -$60,000 -10 days vacation per year, 12 days sick leave per year (only 12 days allowed to be accrued) -Company contributes 6% of my annual salary to 403B account -As a single person, my premiums for health, dental, vision & long-term disability are $0
Teacher (public school)* August 10, 2017 at 9:21 pm Teachers’ unions are the biggest ones left, so while the pay is not great the benefits are solid. New York state, NYC metro area I have 187 working days per year, but am restricted to the school calendar. 20 PTO days per year, 5 personal/15 sick. 3 bereavement days. Sick days roll over. However, personal days are rarely approved (a colleague was denied a personal day to go to an out-of-state house closing) and there is no payout on unused sick time (colleagues regularly retire with 200+ unused sick days). Any absence of 4+ days requires a doctors’ note. Good health insurance plan, but it is much more expensive for nontenured teachers (~$800 monthly for a family plan) No paid maternity leave except for accrued sick time, but I can a semester or a full year unpaid if I choose The dental is expensive crap which is not available first year A lot of other insurance is available at reduced rates through the union (we’re currently using the life and homeowners’ insurance) Pretax FSA for healthcare and childcare expenses (up to IRS caps, which are ridiculously low for childcare) Tier 4 in the retirement system (based on when you entered the system, there are also a tier 5 and 6 but they are crap, and I doubt there’s anyone in the earlier tiers who isn’t already retired): Pension based on average of top three consecutive years If you work at least 20 years you get 2% per year up to 30 years (60%) and an additional 1.6% per year after that Reduced rates if you work less than 20 years or retire early, but you can get no reduction at age 55 with 30 years 3% contribution for the first 10 years 403b available
Application/Solution engineer* August 10, 2017 at 9:24 pm Pre-sales technical application engineer. I talk to customers, help them select products and software, work on proposals and projects. Midwest based. 11 yrs experience, 2 in my current role. Large company. My level is base salary only (next level up is bonus eligible). Unlimited vacation/sick/pto, per arrangement with manager and business needs. I work in office, but lots of flex and many work from home. 401k with 50% match up to my 8% (company 4%), vest at five years. I have pension, but most people starting after me don’t. Free basic vision and dental, with premium option available. High deductible Healthcare with three levels of premium vs. max deductable. All preventative at 100%. Tuition reimbursement, health care savings acct premium tax. Discount fitness center. Cafeteria with 20% discount healthy options. Limited Dr availability on site. Hardship/loan option. Lots of professional development and leadership and functional education available, including free online and paid courses if your business will support.
Application/Solution engineer* August 10, 2017 at 9:30 pm Oh! We can nominate people for money to be used toward gift cards of recipients choosing when people really go above and beyond. Several surgical centers of excellence with reduced rates for common procedures (idk details), and free second opinion program. Good parental leave and wellness babies program. Adoption support… 10-15k..
Medical Administrative Assistant* August 10, 2017 at 9:33 pm My job: I am one of the people who provides administrative support in a nine-provider gastroenterology practice. My primary duties include processing incoming referrals, reports, and other records; fulfilling outgoing record requests; posting payments; and doing the nightly deposit. I also know how to check a patient in and out, and answer the phone. Where I live: A relatively rural area in a Great Lakes state. My experience: About three years overall, almost a year and a half of which is in my current job, which is my first job in this field. My benefits: One big pot of PTO time, which is used for all time off. We can use it for anything (i.e., there is no distinction drawn between vacation, sick, etc.), but we do not get separate paid holidays. If we want to, say, get paid for Christmas, it comes out of PTO. It accrues at the rate of a little over five hours per paycheck. Health, dental, and vision insurance, with 90% of premiums paid by employer. It’s not the world’s greatest insurance, but I don’t have many medical needs and only pay $7.29/paycheck for it, so I won’t complain. A 401k, where the employer contributes 3% automatically, and then a lump sum at the end of the year based on practice profitability. A yearly allowance for uniforms. We have the option to purchase Aflac insurance, but I don’t feel I need it, so I declined.
Communications Manager* August 10, 2017 at 9:41 pm Handle social media, email, website, and all content creation for a small program in a large company. Manage vendor and freelancer relationships, as well as interns. Handle a six figure multimedia budget. Work in a large US city, with occasional travel. 15 yrs experience in my field, three in my current role Very large international company Came to the role through a contracting agency. Still a contractor (officially a W2 employee of said agency.) Five paid holidays per year. No other benefits whatsoever. No PTO. No insurance (I buy mine through the private marketplace.) No paid training. I did it because of the company name. Now I’m job hunting. I haven’t had a vacation in three years, and I’m terrified of losing my insurance when the private marketplace collapses.
Physician #2* August 10, 2017 at 9:48 pm I am a subspecialist in a medical field, in my last year of training (6 years out of medical school), at a Mid Atlantic university hospital. Salary: 72k Vacation: 26 days per year (1 per pay period) + 10 federal holidays Sick leave: 12 days per year (1/2 per pay period) Maternity: hahahahaha none — pregnant staff have to send out “please donate leave” emails on the regular Conferences/Continuing Medical Education: 5 days/$1000, but in practice unlimited because I’m in training Insurance: medical; dental and vision are supplemental. Retirement: none at my current training program. At my residency training program, we were eligible for a 457 (no employer match)
Claims Examiner Short Term Disability* August 10, 2017 at 9:56 pm formerly called Benefits Specialists, but BS STD raised some eyebrows. Largely customer service oriented, we have to have some medical knowledge and critical thinking skills. We make sure the claimants have the coverage they say they do, make sure the medical documentation is adequate, make sure the employer has contributed their information and we usually have to ask a few nosy questions of the claimant. We’re dealing with sick or injured people, and lots of maternity claims. Middle of the USA I have been at this job almost a year. $17.45 hr. Annual bonuses and raises. I have STD benefits of 100% basic weekly earnings for the first disability period for the first two weeks. Second and subsequent disability will be 75%. LTD benefits as well. Matching 401K and FSA contributions Good medical plan, and vision and dental. 136 hours of PTO per year for the first 4 years.
HR Manager* August 10, 2017 at 9:57 pm HR Manager for a small non-profit in northern Indiana Part-time, so no benefits. However, I want part-time and this position offers completely flexible time. I can also work remotely anytime. Works for me much better than monetary benefits!!
Software Implementation* August 10, 2017 at 10:07 pm I work with clients who buy our software, consulting on the the configuration, testing and implementation. Located in Midwest but travel to customer sites when not working from home. Experience – 5 years consulting but have 20 in discipline. Health and Welfare plans: 100% company paid at all coverage levels Ltd,std,sup life,flex spending, etc. paid 100% by employee PTO: unlimited for salaried 401K: 45% match on 100% of contributions Stock options: annual based on company goals w/3 year vesting schedule, 100% vesting if you pass away while employed Flex time Reward trips for performance, cash awards for peer recognition Reimbursements for children’s activity fees and scholarships for employee dependents(capped) Tuition reimbursement up to 5250.00/yr Wellness program participation $$ 3 community service days/yr Many other smaller or random benefits. Most unique one: if you pass away while employed they pay all your funeral costs.
Defense Contractor Proposal Analyst* August 10, 2017 at 10:17 pm Job: Software proposal estimates for a US defense contractor Area: Dallas-Fort Worth Experience: 5 years Benefits: 3 weeks vacation, holiday shut down Christmas Eve through New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Friday after as holidays. If 4th of July falls on a weekend the day before off (same if it’s a Thursday we’ll have Friday off), 40 hours/year sick/personal business (which is BS, if you use more than 40 it can effect your annual review/rating), 9/80 work schedule, 1/2% for every 1% I do for a 401k match up to 4%, additional 4% in 401k (pension replacement), Last I looked health insurance full premium was around $5,500 for a single person. I pay around $25/week for it. I’ve heard that there’s a scale on how much you pay toward insurance based off your salary, so lower paid employees pay less. Good prescription benefits. They have a health savings account you can get money for by just using a pedometer and getting an annual physical and it rolls over every year. Telecommuting but if your manager is old school they’ll discourage it.
Media Instructor/Broadcast Station Manager* August 10, 2017 at 10:20 pm I work at a medium-size regional state university in the upper Midwest. I have a split appointment: half as a (non-tenure) university instructor (teaching half the normal load of classes) and half as general manager of the campus public radio station which has substantial student involvement. My position is a 12-month appointment, and I have a three-year contract which I can renew. I’ve been a professional broadcaster and journalist for 30+ years, I have 25 years in the state university system and nine years in my current role. My academic background is in business (MBA–I worked my way through grad school as a disc jockey). I receive 22 days of paid vacation per year, which can be rolled over into the next year before being forfeited. However, since I’ve been with the university system for more than ten years, I’m allowed to bank a maximum of 40 hours about to be forfeited for leave/sabbatical—which, given the particular nature of my teaching role, I will never be able to take. I also get nine legal holidays per year and six personal holidays as well; neither of these can roll over. I get eight hours of sick time added to my “bank” every month, but since I’ve taken only a handful of sick days in the last 25 years, I have over 2,300 hours of sick time available…it just keeps building up. The way our system works is that at retirement, unused leave/sabbatical and sick time is converted to a dollar value based on your hourly rate and that amount can be used to pay the premium which allows you to remain on the state insurance plan…a boon if you want to retire before you’re eligible for Medicare. I kick in about $250 (pre-tax) of the $2,000 per month for health/dental/income continuation insurance and about $350 (also pre-tax) of the $800 or so that goes toward the pension plan each month. I might end up with 36-38% of my current salary as a pension. I participate in a 403b plan (like a 401k), but of course there is no employer matching. Other than the curse of grading assignments – hated by every teacher everywhere – about the only negative of the job is that I’m on call 24/7 for the broadcast operation, which has been the case nearly all of my career–I’ve worked many, many Christmases and other holidays.
Supervisng Parole Offficer* August 10, 2017 at 11:36 pm I manage an office of 16 parole officers , two senior parole officers and 5 support staff in the NYC area. I have been working for this agency for 23 years and in the pension system for 28. I receive 20 vacation days , five personal days and eight sick days per year in addition to 12 paid holidays. My sick time can accrue up to 1500 hours, and whatever is left when I retire will be converted to a monthly amount that goes towards my share of health insurance coverage and that same time will also give me additional pension credit.Before moving into management, I received 13 sick days per year but along with losing the sick days, I gained the benefit of long and short term disability coverage. As mentioned above , I have health insurance and a pension. My employer pays about 90% of the cost of my coverage and 75% of the cost of dependent coverage. This will continue when I retire and collect my pension ,which at 55 and 30 years of service will be 60% of my pay. I contributed to my pension for about the first 14 years, but not since then ( the law was changed) I also currently have vision and dental coverage which I do not pay for, but that will not continue in retirement. I have a deferred compensation plan , but my employer does not match my contributions.
Anonymous because* August 11, 2017 at 12:19 am I’m not going into much detail because I’d have to look it up. I’m an account specialist – i basically spend all day setting up new accounts for our clients, help problem solve existing accounts, close old accounts. I’ve been with my current co. 4 years (1st year as a temp). Benefits: medical, dental, eye insurance. Co. Pays most of the premiums. Life insurance. PTO starts at 1 week/yr plus one personal holiday and one day paid to volunteer in the community. sick days are PTO. We also get x hours per pay period additional PTO based on years w/co. I think i get 6.52 hr/pr. This is the first job I’ve ever had that paid me to stay in bed sick – I’m still amazed! I used to work in food service. Not only did we work sick, i had co-workers work until the day they went into labor, and were back a week later. There’s also a gym in the building and showers, free.
Elementary School Secretary* August 11, 2017 at 12:23 am Elementary School Secretary, Pacific NorthWest, 15 years I don’t get paid for 6 weeks in summer, Christmas break or spring break and I do not get vacation time. I get 12 days of sick leave a year that carry over; 2 personal days and we can carry 6 days on the books. My retirements is pretty good, it’s a set amount with the school putting in 2x what I do. Health insurance, well it’s a good thing we have military medical. We get a prorated amount from the state, but it doesn’t cover families well. Great benefit: We’re family friendly small school district. If my child has an event at another school (MS & HS within easy walking distance), I am encouraged to go. Also the commute is great.
Office Manager/EA to President* August 11, 2017 at 12:25 am Western Canada Working 15 years at a private financial company (24 years industry exp) 4 weeks vacation 10 personal family days 4 flex days in the summer No tracking for sick days, medical or dental appointments (we’re treated like adults, so if anyone starts abusing this it may change) It’s Canada so health insurance is a bit different. 80% prescriptions, massage, acupuncture there’s some other treatments like podiatrist etc but I’ve never used it Dental is cleaning and check up every 6 mths, 80-85% for most other necessary dental work. I think ortho might be a bit lower There’s life insurance and long term disability insurance (both are determined by salary) Vision is $500 per year The health, dental and vision are for every family member RSP (I guess this is similar to your 401k) my employer will match my contribution up to 7% And to give some scope, a similar position in a public company in my area – these benefits would be even better than mine.
Human Resources Assistant* August 11, 2017 at 12:42 am Job: HR Assistant for a non-profit with about 1,000 employees. I do administrative assistant-type duties relating to benefits, leave, work comp, employee recognition, and personnel file maintenance. I became the department go-to for ACA administration and our benefits enrollment website. Geographic area: Midwest Experience: I had just graduated from college with a psychology degree, but had no HR experience before starting this job. I’ve been here about 2 years. Benefits: – 10 vacation days (can roll over, but max around 15 days) – 12 sick days (roll over, max out around 500 hours) – 8 holidays+1 floating holiday – I can contribute any percentage of my income to my 401k. The employer will match up to 2% after one year of employment. It is not fully vested until 8 years of employment. – There are two health insurance options. Employee premiums for single coverage are $80/month for a HDHP or $110/month for PPO plan. Each have a $2500 deductible. – Dental and vision insurance are pretty cheap (about $10 and $5/month) – No parental leave
Passive Job Seeker* August 11, 2017 at 10:04 am *Double-take* Eight years until full vesting for a 401k?
Operations Manager (Student Loans)* August 11, 2017 at 1:25 am I manage a call center team that services federal student loans. We have a roughly 3:1 ratio of outbound to inbound calls. Region: Twin Cities, MN Experience: 16 yrs professional, 8 in management Benefits PTO: 20 days annually, bumps to 25 with 5+ years at the org. We also have 10 paid holidays and the occasional awarded employee appreciation day (3 so far this year). 401K: 100% match first 4%, 50% match second 4% plus profit share. Health: Employer pays approx 90% of the premium. Other: Vision, dental, short & long term disability, few other minor things. Interesting: 100% reimbursement of student loan payments up to $400/mo, paid annually (must be employed at the time of filing). This is of course added taxable income. It’s been discontinued, but last year, we had a computer purchase program that allowed for reimbursement of 1/3 of expenses for home computer purchases on just about anything up to $1000. I bought a gaming laptop on sale effectively for it for a little over half price after the reimbursement!
Sr. Software Engineer / Team Lead* August 11, 2017 at 1:29 am 1. Job: I work at a big industrial company (6000 people) and writes and oversee the software for the manufacturing plants. 2: Geographic area: Germany 3: Experience: 10 years in the job, 4 years at current company 4: Benefits: 30 vacation days per year (available right away) + 1 day/month on top. You can leave every second friday at 12. Unlimited sick days (but if you’re out for longer than 6 weeks for the same illness, you don’t get your normal salary anymore but less money from the health insurance; also need a doctor’s note from the third day on) Employer pays half of insurances: Health, pension, long term care, unemployment Employer pays all of accident insurance If I had a savings plan, they’d pay around 30€/month into that
Senior Customer Service Executive* August 11, 2017 at 1:53 am Level 2 customer service for an online hotel booking service. I’ve got 3 main responsibilities: Lower level agents call us when they need help with anything or approval to pay out money for any reason (hotel overcharged, guest is unhappy and wants compensation, etc…), I make plans for any issue which affects more than two different reservations (like if a hotel burns down and the guests need to be relocated, or if prices are set wrong), which lower level agents carry out, and if anyone asks to speak to a “manager”, they’re transferred to us. Seattle Washington area 1.5 years in call centers, just over a year in this specific call center, and about 3 months in this position. 20 days vacation/sick leave per year, and 9 paid holidays that I still might have to work, but if I do they’ll give me the choice of another day off or 8 extra hours on top of time and a half for the day itself 3 health care options, the cheapest of which costs nothing, and the company pays me 250 EUR/year to take it. Probably not very good, but I don’t pay a lot of attention to it. Very cheap dental and vision too. matches 50% of the first 6% of my 401k
Recruiter* August 11, 2017 at 2:08 am I’m a senior recruiter at a non-profit. Total of about 12 years of experience, close to 3 years at my current company. Washington, DC metro area Vacation Leave – 20 days per year (can rollover 15 days, and anything beyond that can be converted to sick leave), payable at separation Sick Leave – 12 days per year, (can rollover up to a maximum of 90 days), not payable at separation Holidays – 12 days per year (10 fixed, 2 floating) 401k – Employer automatically contributes 6% of the employee’s salary, AND will also match the employee’s contribution dollar for dollar up to 4% of the employee’s pay. The employee is always 100% vested. I don’t know the percentages for the insurance coverage. I’m guessing around they cover around 85% for employees, 0% for spouses, and 75% for children? For my family (spouse on my plan and child) I pay over $500 biweekly. :( A single person is between $35-50 biweekly depending on the plan. Vision is free with an optional buy-up, and Dental is about $6 individual/$50 family biweekly. Other benefits include an EAP, HSA, Medical FSA and Dependent Care FSA, 2x life insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability, free Teladoc. NO paid maternity/paternity leave, which I can’t believe. I telecommute FT, which is pretty a pretty valuable perk!
Information Systems Advisor* August 11, 2017 at 2:20 am – I administer (along with my colleagues) the systems that my organisation uses to store information, and train people in how to use them. I also help out with records management. – A large city in New Zealand. – 3 years in related experience, but this is my first year in this kind of role. – 20 days annual leave (I think you get an extra week on your 5th, 10th year etc.), 10 days sick leave (I can accrue up to 60 as a union member), my employer matches 4% of my Kiwisaver contributions (and will up to 8%, I think). I might be able to get private health insurance at a discounted rate, but NZ’s public health system is good so I’ve never bothered. We also get a special rate at the gym across the road!
VFX Production Manager* August 11, 2017 at 2:36 am London, UK 6 years, 2 years at current company 20 days holiday + public holidays + 1 day per year of service 0.5 days sick pay per month of service. Resets on contract anniversary. Perkbox subscription Pension contribution A lot of free beer and pizza “Enrichment activities”
Administrative Assistant* August 11, 2017 at 2:43 am Administrative Assistant, but higher-level. Insurance brokerage. Southern California 3 here, 5+ before this. -> Combined vacation and sick time starts at 10 days/year, increases to 15 after the first year. I think it increases to 20 at the 5-year mark. (No separate sick time sucks given the amount, and yes people come in sick.) PTO can be accrued up to 1.5x your annual allotment. I wouldn’t be surprised if some upper tier employees negotiated more. It accrues per pay period, which means that you don’t actually get all 10 days until the end of that first year, and so on. -> 3 floating holidays that expire at the end of the year, plus we get major holidays. -> Health coverage is good. Medical: several plan options. I’m on the high deductible plan, which at least has low premiums. The company contributes half the deductible amount to an HSA, which is a big plus. Also we don’t have to do any invasive screenings or “wellness” programs. -> Dental has very low premiums, under $5/month, and vision premiums are paid by the company for individual employees. Life insurance is covered, and there are lots of voluntary benefits (disability, additional life, pet insurance, etc.). -> 401k is 100% vested immediately, 3% of salary is contributed by the company, then they match your contributions up to around 3-6%.
Director of Operations* August 11, 2017 at 3:21 am Director of Operations for a small nonprofit (less than 25 employees) in Southern California. -12 years in this job, 1 year before this job -Sick time: 1 day per month, can accumulate up to 9 weeks. Accrual is monthly. -Vacation time: 4 weeks a year (starts off with 2 weeks, and then gradually increases to 4 after working there for at least 5 years). Can accumulate up to 6 weeks total. Accrual is monthly. -Public Holidays: 9 public holidays a year, which is on the low side compared to other nonprofits locally. -Health coverage: HMO copay plan, free to the employee. Adding dependents costs % of premium. -Dental: PPO plan, free to employee. Adding dependents costs % of premium. -Small life insurance coverage paid for by employer. Can get additional voluntary benefits, paid by employee. -401k is a Safe Harbor plan with 4% match. Good plan with low fee index funds and employer pays cost of the plan, so employee cost is only expense ratio of funds chosen. Overall it’s not a bad package, though the time off is fairly light compared to other nonprofits in the area – if we want time off between Christmas and New Year, which is usually a fairly dead period of time, we have to take vacation, whereas for several other local nonprofits close by, that’s paid time off that doesn’t use vacation and is automatically given to all employees. There’s also restrictions on when we can take time off – in the busy season we are not allowed to use vacation to actually take a chunk of time off aside from an odd day here or there.
Anxa* August 11, 2017 at 3:29 am Seasonal environmental health assistant/summer health inspector. -First summer in this job; first paid experience in this field -Sick time: we’re allowed to call in sick (unpaid) -Vacation time: so far all of my time off (2 half days) has been approved without issue. Unpaid. -Public Holidays: Unpaid holidays off. -Health coverage: PPO. Employee pays about half. I didn’t opt in because my job would be over by the time the benefits processed. We got one recognition breakfast with gifts, have a staff lunch coming up.
Personal Assistant (Finance Industry)* August 11, 2017 at 3:37 am PA to 2 Partners, support to wider team. Smallish firm so I also cover other areas – admin, facilities, stock management, reporting functions. It’s a mix I really enjoy. Area – City of London, United Kingdom Secretarial experience 10 years, current company over 1 year. Benefits: Salary is good Really good annual bonus (15% this year, likely 30% next year) 25 days annual leave per calendar year Leave allowance is separate for things like bereavement, sickness (I believe in the UK it’s unlimited, though obviously if it’s high then they may examine it to see if it’s being abused) Salary sacrifice pension, company matches contribution up to 9% Private health insurance Flexibility for medical appointments etc I also consider having a company phone to be a benefit within my role, because assistants do get calls outside work hours from time to time and it keeps my personal number out of people’s hands – and also means they can email me instead, knowing I’ll pick it up when I gave a second. Less intrusive. And no, most of the time they are not bothering me at home.
Corporate Librarian* August 11, 2017 at 3:42 am Job: Unionized librarian for international corporation Area: California Experience: 5 years as professional, 2 years in union position Benefits: – 10 days PTO per year, which carry over, plus major holidays, and now up to 6 days sick leave (thanks state of CA!). I appreciate the pay and health benefits of the union contract, but 10 days PTO has been harder for me to manage on than I thought. Haven’t had more than a long weekend off in 3 years. I’ve considered requesting unpaid leave in order to take a real break and still have a couple days left over for family obligations/emergencies. – Medical, dental and vision, several options, and we don’t pay premiums for ourselves, just for dependents. Which is almost worth the lack of PTO. Almost. – No 401K, but there is a pension plan. I won’t be vested for a few more years.
Legal Assistant - Wills, Probate and Estate Administration* August 11, 2017 at 4:20 am UK (South West) 1 year experience BA (Hons) LLM/LPC £23,500 p/a 20 days annual leave Private health insurance Matched pension contributions up to 5% Office Fruit (yes, they count this as a benefit)
Lena* August 11, 2017 at 4:32 am New Zealand Medical receptionist, I’ve been with this company 2 months, in the industry 3 years. I have a degree but it’s not relevant. 5 days sick leave, 20 days annual leave, 18 weeks maternity leave – all legal minimums. They also contribute 2% of what I earn, on top of my salary, towards retirement savings. We have a group scheme for health insurance so I get a good rate. Also get our company’s services free (to a cap, but most would never reach it/need it), same for our partners/dependants.
Senior Operational Analyst (UK Civil Service)* August 11, 2017 at 4:41 am UK Civil Service, Senior Operational Analyst (two grades up from graduate recruit) – Cost-benefit analysis, “soft” and “hard” operational analysis, mathematical modelling, coding (not up to the level of software development) – Southern UK – 15 years experience – £35k – 32 days holiday + 8 bank holidays plus opportunity to sell/buy some of this – sick leave not specifically rationed, doctors note required for >7days, “triggers” for management intervention at 12 days per year, for serious illness: 6 months full pay + 6 months half pay – parental leave is 6 months full pay, 6 months statutory pay – two professional memberships paid for – free onsite parking (all the above under pressure to be reduced or removed) – contributory “career average” pension – 5.75% from salary, + ~12% employers contribution (however, none of this is saved or invested so if the UK government goes bust there is no pension). – no health insurance – very flexible flexi-time: office is open 7am-7pm, just put in on average 37 hours per week any time within those hours, and you can take up to 3 days per month off as “flexi-leave”. – working from home available, but not always possible to do given nature of work. – 1 week training per year (on average – can be sponsored for degree/masters/PhD discretionary basis) – milk is supplied in the office kitchens for tea and coffee (which are not provided) – what we don’t get: refreshments in internal meetings, zero subsidies for things like the onsite canteen or gym, strictly no using public money for Xmas meals etc (even self funded outings have to be not seen to be extravagant), absolutely no accepting gifts from external companies – not even a meal-out when you attend a site meeting (working lunches only).
HollyTree* August 11, 2017 at 4:41 am Job Title: Marketing Executive Area: Greater Manchester, UK Experience: Less than a year Benefits: 20 holidays per calendar year, as well as all 8 bank holidays off Unlimited sick/bereavement time as dictated by UK law Nine months maternity leave Flexibility with doctors appointments – I work 9-5, but since my place of work is open over the weekend, I can either take a half day or just make up the hours that I miss, no questions asked A company car (if I could drive, which I don’t :) ) Aside from the car, this is all completely standard in the UK. I’m looking for a better package somewhere else.
HollyTree* August 11, 2017 at 4:42 am Oooh, I would get a pension scheme also, but I’m not quite old enough yet.
Marketing Assistant* August 11, 2017 at 4:57 am your job: Marketing Assistant, B2B Sector, company with less than 50 employees your geographic area: Ireland your years of experience: 2 years, in the job 2 months a description of your benefits: 20 days vacation plus 10 days off at Christmas/New Years, and all Bank Holidays. No health insurance but I don’t think that they do that here.
peanutbutty* August 11, 2017 at 5:34 am Job Title: Public engagement at UK Higher Education – help researchers link up with people outside the university and communicate their research with wider audience Area: UK Experience: PhD + 5 years (1.5 in current role) Salary: £35k + increase ~£1k a year up pay points within my grade Benefits: 35 days holidays per calendar year; office does not close for UK bank holidays but these are included in our holiday entitlement so can take them whenever – either on the bank holidays or save them for different time Sick leave – 6 months full pay (after minimum time in job, I think 6 months??), next six months half pay. Maternity – 12 months entitlement; weeks 1-16 @ Full Pay/ Weeks 17 – 39: @90%/ Weeks 40 – 52: Unpaid Flexible working when required e.g. work from home if waiting for delivery, plumber etc; change start end times as required as long as make up the hours another day that week No health insurance because its the UK and free! ((The comments/ posts I sometimes read here where people are worried about being sacked because then how would they afford cancer treatment etc fill me with absolute horror and disbelief)) Various discounts for being an employee of city’s major uni – 10% off everything from gym membership to car rental to hair dresser to electricians etc Other than the flexible working and the discounts for random stuff, everything else (holiday leave, sick leave, maternity) is pretty standard for public service jobs in UK, although the salaries for higher education tend to be higher than other sectors.
Senior Operational Analyst (UK Civil Service)* August 12, 2017 at 5:40 am You still have pay spine steps in your department!? I thought those had all been eradicated with extreme prejudice in the name of austerity.
Lawless* August 11, 2017 at 6:52 am Member Services Manager at a professional association East coast USA 50k annually 5 years in the field, three weeks on the job. This is my first full time position. I get 10days of paid vacation, plus the office closes for a week at Christmas and on major holidays. 7 days of sick leave per year. 2 personal days Somewhat flexible work hours, telecommute ability. Employer matches up to 5% of investment contributions. Employer pays 95% of heath insurance costs. vision and dental are only 20 bucks a month extra. Employer pays life insurance premiums. Paid sick/maternity leave Can take a “volunteer day” to help at another org and not use vacation days Free office coffee (lol) I feel like I lucked out.
Lawless* August 11, 2017 at 6:54 am Forgot to add that I have a Masters in a field related to the professional org’s clientele
Veterinarian* August 11, 2017 at 7:07 am Job: veterinarian – consulting, medical treatment, surgery, radiography, pathology, dentistry, etc. for mostly cats, dogs and birds, with some rabbits, rats, guinea pigs or the odd lizard. Geographic area: New Zealand Years of experience: three years working (plus five years getting the vet degree, also studying for a Masters for three years so far while working) Benefits: – four weeks paid leave per year – five days sick leave per year – three days bereavement leave per bereavement – ten minutes paid break per four hours worked, half an hour unpaid lunch break per day – no paid parental leave, although they’ll hire a temp and hold our job for us if we’re interested in coming back to work post-babies – a contribution from the employer to costs of continued training (mandatory for vets in this country), on the condition that some benefit to the business can be demonstrated (for instance, taking a course to learn a particular new skill that we can then offer clients as a service. Brushing up on old skills doesn’t count – we pay for this ourselves) – staff discount – puppy cuddles! This was from when I was first employed at my current job, as a permanent part-time vet, and is fairly standard for vets in this country. Apparently at some point over the past year, I’ve been changed to a casual employee instead, although still on the same work schedule – I don’t have a new contract, and I’m not sure when it happened, so I don’t know what my current benefits are. Other details of being a vet in NZ, if it’s of interest: – healthcare is free or of negligible cost in NZ, so there’s no employer contribution for this. If we’re injured on the job and have to go to the ER or something, some employers will pay you for that day, although mine takes it out of my sick leave. Everyone working in NZ has to pay an ACC levy with their taxes, which contributes to healthcare – this is a different percentage of your income depending on your job and how dangerous it’s deemed to be (therefore, how likely you are to get injured). Call centres for example are very low, vets are very high. – vets have a mandatory fee to pay every year, to be licensed to work in NZ. Usually the employer will pay this for the vets that they employ (although I don’t get this, since I’ve been either part time or casual – I have to pay my own fees) – most workplaces in NZ have the Kiwisaver scheme, which is where you’re signed up to a government programme where some percentage of your income is taken out of your paycheque and put into a retirement saving, and the employer usually has to contribute the same amount towards your Kiwisaver (a legal requirement of employers). I don’t have that benefit – my employer will reduce our wage by the amount of their contribution to put that in, if we’re signed up to Kiwisaver, so I opted out. – most people in NZ are paid for public holidays that they would normally have been scheduled to work (I don’t get this any more, as a casual employee) – if I were to be laid off, I wouldn’t get redundancy pay – I’m pretty sure this is standard for employees in NZ – I can also be fired for health problems that would interfere with me doing my job – this is in the contract, and is legal for vets. There’s no FMLA, and they don’t have to try and make accommodations – a vet has to be able to do the job of a vet. (Obviously an employer won’t get ridiculous about this for minor, short-term things – for example, when I sprained my wrist last year, I was allowed to ask one of the vet nurses to assist me in the consult room with picking animals up to put them on the table, and restraining them for examination/procedures, and there was no consequence to my employment – it was an inconvenience to the clinic manager, though.) I think that’s everything…some of it’s quite different to things in the US or things in other professions, so I hope it’s of interest!
Associate Dean* August 11, 2017 at 7:46 am This is partially copied from another UK university employee above: Job Title: Deputy head of a department (3000 students) within a university (30 000 students). One of five deputies. Area: UK Experience: 12 in related industry, 15 in academia. PhD and teaching qualification Salary: £60k + nominal increase (determined by union negotiations annually, currently 1.5%) Benefits: 35 days holidays per calendar year, plus statutory holidays. I am expected to do research and be in contact for part of this. I also get Time Off in Lieu for weekends and travel. Sick leave – 6 months full pay (after minimum time in job, I think 6 months??), next six months half pay. Maternity – 12 months entitlement; weeks 1-16 @ Full Pay/ Weeks 17 – 39: @90%/ Weeks 40 – 52: Unpaid Flexible working is pretty available – I am expected to be where I am needed when I am needed, but I can easily take a day to do email from home or similar. No health insurance because its the UK and free! The university matches my pension contributions, but I still lose around 45% of my salary to deductions (income tax, national employment insurance, and my own pension contributions). Other than the flexible working and the specifics of the pension, everything else (holiday leave, sick leave, maternity) is pretty standard for public service jobs in UK, although the salaries for higher education tend to be higher than other sectors.
Banker* August 11, 2017 at 8:30 am Banker in the operations department, Amarillo TX. 2 weeks vacation, 12 sick days per year Fully paid health and vision insurance for HDHP, annual employer contribution to HSA $2,000 (Can’t remember if dental is fully paid or just heavily subsidized) 401k 100% match in bank stock up to 6% of salary $1,000 in tuition reimbursement per year Christmas bonus of varying amounts Gym reimbursement if you actually go Probably more that I don’t use.
Wintermute* August 11, 2017 at 8:37 am At the risk of outing myself in the letter I wrote way back when… Job Title: National Network Operations Center — Associate I (lowest-level of technician grades). To sum up I watch a cellular phone network, recognize, troubleshoot and diagnose all system faults, from utility power outages to router configuration errors to cut fiber optic lines to radio module failures and antenna issues. Area: Chicagoland Experience: 2 years in this role as of this month, 6 with this company overall. 8 in the IT field overall Salary: 25.50/hour base (53k/year) plus 10% shift differential plus bonuses averaging 4k for a total of roughly 60k/year. Benefits: 120 hours vacation (3 weeks) and 40 hours personal (1 week) time. Up to 40 hours of vacation can be rolled over per year Sick leave – 40 hours of sick time. At the end of the year any unused time can be applied towards a bank of short term disability time paid at 100% wage rather than 60% for normal short-term disability. Disability short-term is up to 6 months paid at 60% of wage (excepting saved time banked as above. Maternity – 6 months for women, unsure for men, it may be the same; unpaid Retirement — up to 5% matching contributions, employee stock ownership plan, financial advising provided free or minimal cost depending on intensiveness needed. Insurance offered: Health plans start at 60/month for a basic single-person plan. Dental offered for 30/month and vision for 8. Legal insurance available at discounted rate. Discount for auto insurance from the same provider that supplies our group life insurance. Life insurance of 6k for employee included free, additional coverage at discount including option for coverage for family. Fringe benefits: In the markets where we do business a free company cell phone is provided for free from stock available (usually decent but rarely top of the line) with option to purchase whatever phone you’d like at bulk wholesale cost, and the option to sign up for beta testing trials and user acceptance testing trials for a chance to test drive pre-release phones (I did this for the Nexus 6… it was great! and they let me keep the phone) They supply service for free with unlimited usage. In some markets we have a large network of friendly companies that supply discounts, from friendly sandwich shops to the place that does oil changes on our fleet vehicles and trucks. 40% discount on most purchases at our stores excepting high-end brands (Beats by Dre, etc) drones and VR headsets. 60% discount on phone cases, batteries and screen protectors. Discount phone plans for family. Ticket discounts to events sponsored: local state fairs in 5 different states, music festivals in some states, professional sports teams (I can’t say which or I’d completely out myself but these are major-market sports teams you will have seen in playoffs on TV, as well as AAA baseball and some others) overtime opportunities working special events, outreach events and publicity events at said sports games and state fairs, etc. as well as christmastime at retail stores.
Technology Coordinator* August 11, 2017 at 8:40 am Actually, that’s only about a third of my job title… but the full thing might be recognizable. Job: I work a desk at a public (non-municipal) library. Predominately, the job consists of overseeing and providing assistance to patrons in our computer lab, and running digital literacy classes. I also oversee our makerspace, and run programming there. I provide onsite technical assistance and repairs to patron owned devices as well, and manage the library infrastructure. Location: I’m in New England. Experience: Almost a year in this role – 4 years total in libraries, including 1 in management. Benefits: 2 weeks paid vacation (up to 1 week rolls over) 3 weeks sick time (accrued, not awarded – rolls over at 1/2 remainder) 3 personal days (does not roll over) Retirement fund that employer matches up to 5% of gross pay contributions for. Employer pays 60% of health and dental insurance payments Because I’m a full time employee, I’m eligible for tuition reimbursement from my employer… up to 1/2 the cost of one course each semester. However, I have to sign an employment contract saying I won’t leave the position for a certain amount of time when I request the reimbursement. No library fines. First access to new materials. Access to extensive discounts on many items when purchasing them for personal use (ranging from the obvious books to furniture, electronics, and even rental vehicles), thanks to consortium level bargaining agreements.
Senior Data Analyst* August 11, 2017 at 9:05 am Extract large datasets from multiple, disparate sources, merge into cohesive whole, validate and analyze results, work with statisticians and business analysts on “deep dive” analyses, report results to line of business representatives and/or government regulators. Assist lines of business in implementing changes stemming from regulatory changes and orders, monitor business data to ensure policies are correctly implemented and continue to be followed. Basically, I write a whackload of code to pull great heaping piles of data, then I write a whackload more code to search it for problems, then I work with other folks to document those problems and make sure the are 1) understood, 2) fixed, and 3) no backsliding. And sometimes we show our documentation to government types to prove that the above has been accomplished. Region: Twin Cities, MN Experience: 21 years Benefits: market rate salary (exempt), 22 days PTO (will jump to 25 at 5 year mark with company), 50% retirement matching (will go to 100% at 5 years), ~70% of health/dental/vision premiums paid, emergency day care, maternity and paternity leaves, flex time, relaxed company culture, telecommuting positively encouraged, legal aid, EAP, LifeWorks perks program, free flu shot on-site annually, free health and wellness programs including nurse line, strong diversity and inclusion culture and programs, and I am only rarely required to work more than 40 hours/week.
redwitsch* August 11, 2017 at 9:22 am Customer care We are small company (whole office is 5 persons including boss), so I am doing basically everything except accounting and marketing.We are selling interior goods (mouldings, ceiling tiles, rossetes,etc.) I am taking orders from customers by phone, email, fax, planning how to get goods to them (parcel company, our truck /mainly for DIY stores/, train), purchasing goods and working with producing on produce plan (65% goods we are reselling, 35% we are producing), doing invetory check with warehouse, dealing with reclamations from customers and answering all their questions, or rerouting to someone with asnwer. Czech Republic, Europe 3,5 years of experience. I have 20 working days of vacation as stated by law. I have also all state holidays paid if they are on working days (it is 13 days) and we get Silvester day free too outside vacation days. Sick leave maximally 1 year but you need doctor note for everything, first 3 days I am not getting any pay, 4-14 day I am getting reduced pay from employer and from 15 day from state, and after 1 year I need to be evaluated, if I am still sick or not, if yes I will get disability pension for state. – also stated by law. For this and for state pension system (where I get about 50% of my salary before retirement) I am paying 6,5% and employer 25% to the state – also state by law. I also have private pension saving – I am giving about 6% and employer is giving 2,5% of my salary. For health insurance I am paying 4,5% and employer 9% from my salary which is covering everything except some dental work (like better dental filling) and part of medicaments. I am getting summer and winter bonus – 18 % of my salary. I have free tea, coffee and mineral waters, we are getting meal vouchers – about 10 % of my salary.
Software Engineer* August 11, 2017 at 9:23 am Job: software engineer Experience: 25 years Location: Dublin, Ireland Vacation: 21 days (legal minimum) plus all public holidays (9 per year). Sick leave: no upper limit; medical certificate required for absences beyond 3 days. Pension: access to pension plan (as required by law) with salary sacrifice, but not matched by employer. Health insurance: 100% paid by employer, 90% paid for all dependants. Other benefits: Flexible working hours, working from home, unspecified but generous bonuses, generous stock grants, free drinks and snacks in office, nice office with games room, beer/wine and food in office one Friday after work each month.
Supply Chain Analyst* August 11, 2017 at 9:54 am Job entails tracking and preforming admin tasks for all supply chain roles at healthcare facilities we own. Also creation of ad hoc and standardized reports, database management, misc other tasks. Salary: 60k plus overtime monthly Location: Philadelphia, PA 3 Yrs. Exp 18 Days a year PTO, 5200 tuition reimbursement a year, NO work from home, 100% match up to 5% 401k, stock purchase plan, 3 shares as holiday bonus (usually around 300 $)
Technology Analyst (HR)* August 11, 2017 at 10:00 am I am a Technology Analyst for my company’s HR department. My primary job responsibilities include release and outage planning for our enterprise HCM platform (which includes Learning Management, Succession and Development, Compensation. I’m also responsible for some of the day-to-day support functions, including incident response, and user access requests. My company is a global organization, in the Entertainment industry, but most of the benefits are standardized based on geographic location and company seniority, not by role. I’ve been with the company for 13 years, but only in this role since February, and I’m based in Florida. – 4 weeks vacation on an accrual basis – Vacation time can be carried over year-to-year, but once I have 5 weeks in my bank, I stop accruing until I use some – 10 days sick time (do not carry over) – 7 company holidays (New Years, MLK, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, Christmas) – 4 floating holidays (do not carry over) – 401K (Company matches 50 cents for every dollar contributed, up to 4% of base pay) – Medical (choice of High deductible health plan or HMO – I have the high deductible, and I pay $11/week.) – Dental – I pay $2.30/week – Vision insurance – 2 options – “Basic” or “High”. Basic is free, and includes 1 eye doctor visit per year, plus an allowance towards either glasses or contacts. Don’t know what high includes, as I’ve got 20/20 vision, and don’t feel the need to pay more for it – Educational Reimbursement – For approved classes in a degree granting program, the company will reimburse up to $700 per credit hour. Includes a minimum GPA requirement, and also a repayment clause if you leave the company within a year. – Theme park admission – my company operates several theme parks. As employees, we can get free admission for ourselves, and friends/family (subject to blockout dates). – Merchandise/Food/Hotel discounts – Free access to the company’s streaming TV services
Procurement Professional* August 11, 2017 at 10:11 am Manage $60m/year spend on manufacturing supplies for Fortune 500 company. Includes troubleshooting orders, checking invoices, compiling reports, especially for finance team. Work with SAP, database queries, MS Office. Excellent phone and email skills, multi-tasking a must. MBA Supply Chain; probably looking for an Industrial Engineer BA or BS to replace me once we complete a couple of current development projects. – US, Southeast – 15 years with this company, 10 in this position – 15 days vacation, + 7 for major US holidays (New Years, Memorial, etc); I think this goes to 20 days in 5 more years – Retirement: 2% automatic and 6% match paid at EOY – if you get fired in Nov, 0%. – Four health care plan options – Very good dental plan – Vision = $100 off a new pair of glasses / year; 1 free exam – Inexpensive disability insurance – Some discounts on vacations, life insurance, etc, but they’re at some very expensive places that are not compatible with my budget. – Multiple flex-time options, including Summer Time, working 4 days / week for 80% pay. They did that for a couple of years, but I don’t remember it this year. – WFH one day a week *if* it makes sense with your position and your manager agrees. – Formal service projects that may include trips to another country. For actual work only, not for a vacation, though if you want to extend the trip, they will work with you on plane tickets. *Very* hard to get into this, you need technical skills that match the service project requirements. We used to get company swag if people gave us recognition, and it included some good quality stuff. I still have the backpack I got twelve years ago, in regular use. That got converted to lower quality / lower rewards stuff about five years ago.
Assistant Director (Public Library)* August 11, 2017 at 10:32 am I’m the Assistant Director at a public library (rural city). I do most of the collection development, manage the volunteers and shelves (we call them pages), I am the second-in-charge of any personnel matters, sit on the library board committee for our building expansion project, and attend all board meetings and other committee meetings. I do a lot of library administration work and draft nearly all of our policies. My library is located in a rural city in southwest Michigan. I was hired for this role in Fall 2o16, I’ve had 7 years previous experience in libraries. – Vacation and sick leave: This is all one pool we call PTO. There is a graduated system based on years with the library. Librarians with a Master’s degree are given credit for 2 years of employment. Currently, at 4 years of time (real time plus credited time) I get 184 hours of PTO per year. We’re on a use it or lose it system. Our PTO is given in full on January 1 each year, it is up to each employee to spend it how they wish. – Retirement: We get 10% each year credited on December 31, the library does not require matching, we get that 10% regardless. It’s a 457b plan. We can of course put in our own money if we wish. – Health insurance: My employer pays 90%, about $19.20 is taken out of my paycheck. The plan is fantastic and it is a major job perk that makes up somewhat for being paid less than I would get in a larger library. The plan covers vision but not dental. – Health Reimbursement Account: My employer puts $50/month in an HRA which we can use to be reimbursed for dental or vision costs. We are thinking of changing over to an FSA with a debit card so we wouldn’t have to put up our own money first before being reimbursed. – Short- and long-term disability. I’m really not clear on the exact details, to be honest. – Life insurance: $25,000 to my beneficiary. – Fun stuff: A professional development budget to attend workshops and conferences
Billing Specialist* August 11, 2017 at 10:35 am Billing at law firm Washington, DC Approx. 1 year at current job Medical, Dental, Vision insurance: High deductible health plan + dental, approx. half of deductible covered by firm contribution to HSA, firm covers most of premiums for health and dental, optional vision insurance Long-Term Disability, Short-Term Disability Employee Assistance Program 22 days sick/vacation combined + 8 holidays Family/Child Care options Wellness Program – earn cash rewards Retirement: 401k, firm contribution after 1 year Pre-tax commuting deduction
Billing Specialist* August 11, 2017 at 10:44 am Forgot to mention that spouse/family coverage is also offered, although you have to pay a slightly higher premium and it is a higher deductible, but the firm puts more money in the HSA than under the individual coverage. This also covers domestic partner (same sex or opposite sex), which is great for my boyfriend of five years because it’s way better (and cheaper) than him going through the individual exchange. There’s probably also other benefits I’m forgetting. In general it’s pretty generous.
HR Administrator* August 11, 2017 at 11:01 am HR Admin for a small company (less than 40 people): I approve time sheets, oversee leave requests, interview for open positions, process payroll, enter 401K contributions, oversee Open Enrollment, make sure company policies are enforced, and support the COO of the company as needed. Maryland A little over 1 year here, but 2 years in total from a previous position. I get 11 days of PTO (it increases by a day for each year you’ve been here, so I started out with 10 days. It caps at 15 days.), 2 days of sick leave/personal days, one week of unpaid leave, and 6 paid holidays. PTO does rollover at the end of the year but employee’s can also elect to receive a payout if they prefer. We can contribute to a 401K account after working for a year and the company matches 4%. Employer pays 30% of premium on health insurance, vision and dental are 100% employee paid but the costs are pretty reasonable. Family leave- 4 weeks of leave at full pay & 2 weeks at 60% pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks paid leave for paternity leave.
Technical Support Engineer* August 11, 2017 at 11:23 am Tech support for startup in Chicago 1 month experience Medical/Dental/Vision benefits. 401k, soon with employer matching. Unlimited PTO. Company swag. Kitchen with beer, wine, kombucha, and cold brew on tap. All kinds of drinks in fridges. Avocados, fruit, all kinds of snacks and breakfast foods freely available. Lunch 1-2 x per week. Access to discounts on various products and services. Life insurance. New parents policy. Transportation benefits. Low stress environment, great coworkers.
RN Case Manager* August 11, 2017 at 11:38 am Nurse (RN) Case Manager Midwest US 30 years Medical management of catastrophic work injuries O sick days 23 days paid time off plus holidays 10 paid holidays 6% salary match to retirement fund annually plus 1:1 dollar match of 401K to 5% Profit sharing annually, historically 8-16% Health insurance costs covered 75% for comprehensive care, dental and vision. Must go to a health risk assessment annually to get further discount. Covers spouse as well. Pay 75% for Weight Watchers % to retirement and 401K bumps at 5 year intervals No interest loan for 2 years for home computer On site gym, showers
IT project manager* August 11, 2017 at 12:16 pm Manage IT projects for new clients Pacific NW area but a nation wide company, benefits consistent across board. Company has about 15k employees I’ve been with the company 28 years PTO: I’m at maximum at 35 days annual. New hires start at 20 days and add a day a year. New hires mid year earn days in prorated basis the first year depending on month started. No carryover, take it all (except of course CA) 8 paid holidays plus offices close early day before holidays Part time also get benefits, PTO is prorated rest is the same for part time (20 hours a week or more – I was part time for 15 years) Medical: I choose the HSA option, company pays 86% of premium and contributes 600 annually to the HSA plus can get additional if complete incentives Dental: company pays 50% Basic life and ad&d 2xs pay up to 100,000, company pays 100% premium Short term disability company pays 100% premium. Benefit for 180 days depends on length of service. 7 months to 5 years 70% of base pay. 5-10 years 80% for 35 days then 70% remaining days. 10+ years 100% for 35 days, 70% remaining days Long term disability basic company pays premium. Supplemental employee pays, a formula based on wage. Basic pays 40% salary after 26 weeks (short term) to age 65 I also choose Supplemental LTD which pays an additional 20% Limited FSA pretax dolllars for vision and dental expenses Vision. Employee pays all premium, pretty minimal, $200 total premium for whole year for family Business travel accident company pays 100% premium, benefit is 4Xs salary 401k. Company matches 2/3 of first 6% There are other that I don’t participate in such as commuter costs pretax, supplemental life,
Lawyer (government - Canada)* August 11, 2017 at 12:52 pm – junior in-house counsel at a federal government entity – Canada – big city – Experience: 2.5 years with current employer, 6 years as a lawyer – vacation: 3 weeks, plus for some reason, in your third year you get a one-time extra week (so 4 weeks this year, and back to 3 next year) – way too much sick leave (but you can only take 10 days/year without needing a doctor’s note), something like 12 days/year. It accumulates to subsequent years if you don’t take it in the current year. – extended health, dental, glasses – pretty standard, maybe on the lower-end of standard – there is a pension plan – they deduct (a good chunk) from salary payments. Not sure how it works (or if it’s even to my benefit, as I won’t be able to retire for a few decades) as our public pay system has been massively screwed up for the past couple of years, and no statements are being provided.
Project Officer* August 11, 2017 at 1:06 pm Job Description: Project Officer (AS-03) in the Government of Canada. Tasked with organization and coordination of large recurring committee meetings for senior management, as well as the tracking of action items for discussion. Geographic area: National Capital Region, Canada Years of experience: 6 Description of benefits: – vacation days: 15 yearly (carry over as much as you earned each year) – sick days: 15 yearly (carry over with no maximum) – family-related leave: 5 days yearly (no carry over) – personal leave: 1 day yearly (no carry over) – volunteer leave: 1 day yearly (no carry over) – bereavement leave: 3 days yearly (no carry over) – pension plan – benefits cover 80% of medical, 90% of dental – benefits pay 80% up to $500 for physio/massage therapy, and then 80% over $1,000 (the employee is responsible for 100% coverage between $500-$1,000) The salary range for an AS-03 position is $54,374 to $58,586 CAD – bump up to next pay bracket on the anniversary of signing date Note: the government of Canada is currently involved in a SNAFU called “Phoenix”. This was a consolidated pay system that was implemented in early 2016; it was supposed to streamline the pay systems and save billions of dollars. In fact, it has resulted in most government employees across Canada being underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all. The system seems to work just fine if an employee have nothing special on their file; as soon as someone incurs acting pay, parental leave, isolation post pay, danger pay, etc… the system can’t handle the new input, and someone has to go in to your file and manually make calculations and changes. This was supposed to be fixed by October 31, 2016 – they’re now projecting that this may take an additional 2-3 years to fix completely (if at all).
Admin Assistant* August 11, 2017 at 1:26 pm I’m an admin assistant who doubles as the office mom for a small tech company on the east coast of Canada. I’m one of the only none techies in the company, I take care of all office needs, plus company hr, benefits management, hiring, and any odd tasks that arise. I’ve been at this job for about a year, and working in similar but different positions for 5 years. Time off: I get 11 paid vacation days each year plus a week off at Christmas (This is the starting level, for a total of 3 weeks vacation). After 2 years I’ll have 16 vacation days and a week off at Christmas (total of 4 weeks). Paid sick and personal time are unlimited. The idea is don’t abuse it, and as long as you’re getting your work done and you’re reliable they trust you to take time as needed for personal time, sick, etc. 10 paid holidays each year Health benefits: Comprehensive health and dental plan. Split 80/20 with the company paying 80%. I pay about $60 a year for myself and my partner to have 100% coverage at extended health practitioners (think massage, chiro, therapy, etc) to a max of $1000, drugs are 100% covered, dental is 80% for basic and 50% for major dental to a combined max of $3000, includes critical health, life, ltd and travel insurance. Other benefits: Can use the company insurance for rental cars, annual raises, annual bonuses, a fully stocked kitchen at all times, can work from home, flexible hours, travel, and they’re working on creating a pension plan.
Claudia M.* August 11, 2017 at 1:32 pm Licensing Policy Analyst/Manager (non-supervisory) with State of CA DMV. I work primarily with driver license legislation and project implementation. North-central California 11 years Monthly leave: 8 hours sick, 13 hours vacation, up to 16 hours voluntary personal leave Annual leave: 2 personal development days, 1 personal holiday Med benefits matched by employer, vision and dental as well. Multiple plans available, and what treatments you receive are dependent upon what plans you choose. Retirement is still matched by employer. All benefits matched by employer is dependent upon hire date. Most new hires will never see this level of match, as they changed the hiring laws due to lack of money to continue supporting the number of retirees. There are no other benefits. From the asbestos filled buildings to having to wait in line at the field offices just like everyone else. Reading these other benefits has me rethinking where else I can go…
Accounts Payable Specialist* August 11, 2017 at 1:38 pm Position: AP duties, plus billing, administration, benefits tracking, recruitment…I wear many hats: Location: Mid-Atlantic, mid-size city Experience: 4 years in this job, about 7 total performing similar office duties -Health insurance: High deductible plan, but excellent coverage once said deductible is met. Employer pays 80% of premiums d 60% of annual deductible (through HSA funding). Vision and dental are offered, but 100% employee-paid. -Flex Spending for dependent and medical care -Employer-paid long-term disability and life insurance (up to 2x annual salary or $150k) -Employer-funded short-term disability (meaning full pay for up to 12 weeks) -3 months paid maternity leave -Unlimited sick leave -3-5 weeks annual vacation, depending on tenure -401k with discretionary annual employer contribution (usually 6-8% of our annual salary, regardless of how much we contribute) -Annual bonuses and salary increases
ETL Developer (Oracle)* August 11, 2017 at 1:44 pm I do ETL development, mainly in Oracle data warehouse with Oracle tools, at a large public university. I am part of the database administration group, so we manage and develop our data warehouse and applications, along with all the other databases used by various IT groups and faculty/staff. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 4 years experience in database reporting, about 2 years experience in ETL development specifically, and over 10 years in higher ed IT – employer paid insurance on a gigantic Blue Cross plan that’s hella sweet; my portion is completely covered, and for myself + family my out of pocket premiums are around $500/month, very comprehensive coverage – I accrue 8 hours of sick time per month, never expires and can be donated to a sick leave pool – I accrue 10 hours of vacation time per month, and this increases with my state service milestones, so some people who have been here 30+ years get like 25-30 hours of vacation time per month; this does expire at a certain point but the cap increases along with your state service milestones; so right now I have about 30 days vacation time and 21 days sick time – life insurance, AD&D, short term disability, dental, vision included – we have a good EAP program – Texas Teacher Retirement System pension plan for retirement, but also some 403(b) and other investment options in addition to the pension – full health insurance coverage for retirees – I will pay the same as I do now and receive the same benefits (so if I didn’t have any dependents, then free!) – this is really what’s keeping me here long term, because I’ve seen my parents and older loved ones hassle with Medicare and it does not look fun – some offices do telecommuting and flex hours; mine does telecommuting every now and then and my hours are “flexible” in that my boss cares more about the job getting done than whether or not I’m here at 7:30 on the dot every morning, or leave a few minutes early My university, and my department in particular, are really great about work/life balance. I’ve certainly put in some late nights/weekends since I’m in IT, but my boss is very accommodating and doesn’t expect me to work 80 hour weeks. The salaries here tend to be lower than market but the great benefits make up for it in my mind; however right now I’m making above market because I have some awesome bosses. :)
Human Resources Specialist* August 11, 2017 at 1:59 pm Your job: Human Resources Specialist-Senior (government agency) – I focus on recruitment and retention for assigned areas of a large public agency. Involves classification and compensation analysis, labor relations, and performance/ discipline issues. Your geographic area: Midwest Years of experience: 5 years experience Benefits: Leave – 160 hours vacation (roll over 40 hours to be used by June 30 of next year) + 36 hours personal holiday (use it or lose it) + 5 hours sick leave per pay period (accumulates indefinitely without limit); 9 legal holidays; can bank hours into sabbatical leave. Retirement – everyone is required to contribute 7% (employer matched) to pension. Vesting after 5 years. Employees may also choose to make (unmatched) contributions to deferred compensation program. Health Insurance – 2 plans: High Deductible – $1500/ $3000 deductible, premiums are $30/ $80 per month with dental coverage ($29/$73 without dental); both include prescription plan and $750/ $1500 employer contribution to HSA. There is optional vision, additional dental, AD&D, FSA, ICI, and Life Insurance.
Assistant Department Director at a Non-Profit* August 11, 2017 at 2:17 pm Job: I manage a staff of about 20 people, providing direct supervision to 12 and 2nd level supervision to the rest in the disability services field. Responsible for hiring/firing, budgeting, managing daily program outcomes, and regular interaction with the executive team for decision making. Our department is about 35 people in an agency that has about 650 employees. My portion of the department management accounts for about 70% of the department in terms of budget. Geography: St. Louis, MO Experience: In the field for a bit over 6 years but about 8 years of prior related experience. In this particular job for about a year but in a very similar job at a different organization for 5 years. Benefits: – PTO- 3 weeks / year (can carry up to 2 weeks at a time, both increase with years of service) – Long Term Sick leave- 2 weeks / year (can carry up to 8 weeks, I think) – only used for leave of 4+ days – 8 paid holidays – Health Insurance- employer pays 75% of employee premium but does not contribute toward spouse or child plans, although you can opt to pay for those out of pocket. (SUPER expensive, over $1,500 a month out of pocket for the family plan). The coverage is meh… individual deductible is $5,000 and max out of pocket is $7,000. – Other benefits- dental (cheap, like $10/month, decent coverage), vision ($2/month, very solid), life insurance, optional short term disability but it’s super pricey and 100% self pay. We do have a pretty flexible work environment- do your job and then go home for exempt folks like me. No clock watching or butt in seat requirements. We’re pretty food focused so there’s almost always something floating around to eat or formal food-related events. We do a lot with employee engagement and do prizes (pretty good ones!) for various things regularly. For example, if we hit a month without any worker’s comp claims, we do a drawing for prizes and 20 or so people win a prize worth $25+.
Assistant Department Director at a Non-Profit* August 11, 2017 at 2:18 pm Oh! And we also have a retirement plan but it’s all employee contribution until you’ve been here a few years… and it maxes out at 5%, I think.
Communications Director* August 11, 2017 at 2:20 pm External-facing comms. & virtual learning platform management at major hospital. Program management, grants management involved, too! Boston, MA 10 years experience *30 days “bank time” that applies to all time off (Vacation, sick, personal) per year, all rolls over *Retirement plan with 2% matching *Great health insurance, and after 1 year’s employment it’s FREE (nothing out of paycheck) *Separate, Company-contributed Retirement Pension after 3 years *Flexible schedule (10-6 if I want) *Discounts on cell phone plan and subway passes
Broadcast Negotiator* August 11, 2017 at 2:24 pm – I am more commonly known as a Media Buyer at an advertising agency. I am responsible for purchasing air time on Television and Radio for my clients both on the regional and national level. – Los Angeles, CA – 5 years of experience – The company I work for recently implemented an Unlimited PTO/Vacation policy which I and a lot of my coworkers love. This means there is no accrual and not sick days. It’s all rolled into the unlimited PTO. Since there is no accrual, there is no vacation payout when you leave. Those of us who have been here prior to the unlimited PTO were paid out for the vacation accrued at that point. The retirement program also recently changed. We are now all immediately 100% vested and there is a match of up to 6% of your salary. Nothing fancy with health insurance. I pay around $205 a month for medical/dental/vision insurance.
Marketing Coordinator* August 11, 2017 at 2:43 pm Job: Entry-level marketing and proposal coordinator for a small civil engineering company. Develop responses to Sources Sought, RFIs, and RFPs. Create marketing collateral including newsletters, brochures, and exhibit materials. Although entry-level, I’m the only full-time marketing staff member; I often act as the main point of contact for the company when it comes to teaming with other companies. Geographic area: Orlando, Florida Years of experience: 2.25 years if you include full-time internship; 1.75 if you do not include full-time internship Description of your benefits: 100% covered premiums for medical, dental, and vision, as well as $1,500 a year in an HSA account to cover deductible expenses. 12 official paid holidays, although we usually get an “unofficial” additional week for Christmas as well. 15 PTO days a year. 401(k) matched 50% up to 6% contribution, as well as 3% regardless of contribution through Safe Harbor. I received a holiday bonus of $1,200 last year, and I’ve been told that those usually occur annually. I also received a raise last year at a 6 month review, but reviews and raises rarely happen.
Lead Technical Writer* August 11, 2017 at 2:50 pm Job Description (in order of priority): Write and maintain configuration and installation documentation for customers; Write and maintain corporate policies and procedures; Create and maintain allocated and derived requirement matrices; Contribute to review and acceptance of RFI/RFP/SOW; Write end-user documentation in single-source format output as both PDF and HTML5; Edit Systems Engineering and Training documentation Geographic area: Boston, MA, USA Years of XP: 7 Vacation/Sick Leave: PTO combined, 30 days up until 5 years employment, then 35 days until 10 years of employment, then 40 days. NOTE: We do not automatically get the 11 federal holidays. You have to take those days as PTO if you don’t want to work. Retirement matching: Employer automatically contributes 5% of salary to 401k. If you contribute up to 6.25% of your salary, guaranteed contribution of additional 2% of your salary. Depending on yearly profit, company may choose to contribute up to an additional 2% of your salary. Health insurance premium: 3 options: 1) HSA in which employer gives you $1100 incentive and you pay nothing; 2) Employer pays 85% and you pay 15%; 3) Employer pays 75% and you pay 25% Other: Free snacks (chips, almonds, granola bars), soda, coffee, tea, and seltzer; Waffle Wednesdays (office manager makes the waffles); Commuter Pass/Parking pre-tax option; WFH at manager’s discretion
Digital Communications Manager* August 11, 2017 at 3:40 pm -I manage the digital properties for a global company in a regulated industry and have been in this role for 4 years. This includes websites, social media, email marketing and e-commerce, CRM management. I also work on more traditional communications strategies for PR and overall branding. I have one direct report, so mid-level management. -Mid-Atlantic USA -5+ years in a digital communications role, 15+ in related roles -Benefits Vacation: 18 days + 2 personal choice days (only 5 days can rollover to next year) Sick: 5 days (use or lose) Holidays: 10 paid holidays 401K: with up to 6% matching Bonus: Target 6% but this can vary from 1% to 3% typically as it’s factored with company performance. Pension: Used to have, but it’s been eliminated. Stock: We have received stock options in lieu of old pension plan. Health Insurance: I pay about $120/month for the low-deductible. We were told this would go away next year to a high-deductible plan. Dental: I pay about $10/month Additionally: There is an employee recognition play anyone can use. You get points that can be redeemed for items. The company provides and pays for a mobile phone and company credit card (at most but not all grade levels).
Quality Manager* August 11, 2017 at 4:43 pm Quality Manager – Manufacturing Company Northeast USA 7 years experience 15 days (3 weeks) PTO, 11 paid holidays – no PTO rollover, Non-exempt employees can have unused PTO paid out at the end of the year, exempt employees cannot Full 401k match up to 6% of salary Company pays ~80% of Health and Dental Insurance Premiums (high deductible PPO) $150 Vision allowance (glasses/contacts) FSA/HSA Company-paid minimal Life/AD&D Insurance, with option to pay for a bigger policy Company-sponsored wellness program – up to $1500 bonus every year for participating in wellness events and programs Tuition reimbursement up to $5000 a year Profit-sharing bonus up to 15% of salary – based on company performance – a portion goes straight into 401k, the rest is cash. Our specific industry has pretty strict personnel security regulations (background checks, etc.) that make it hard to hire people, so pay and benefits (especially profit sharing and 401k match) are much better than other manufacturing companies in our area.
Lead Trainer* August 11, 2017 at 4:59 pm – Lead Trainer and Support Services: My main job is to train new clients on our software, as well as create technical documentation, videos, and our newsletter. I am also responsible for supporting our clients when I am not doing other training activities. – City in the Upper Midwest – 6 years at the current job, with 4 more years of teaching experience – Benefits – 15 days PTO, 7 days of paid holiday, $100 a month towards personal health insurance (but only if your spouse’s job doesn’t provide benefits, if you are married), 3% 401k matching, annual bonus, paid lunches when something good happens for the company, free downtown parking, continual training in our field and a great management team that understands the work we do and does whatever they can to help us succeed.
data analyst* August 11, 2017 at 6:17 pm Data analyst + software support – sort of a half analyst/half sys admin job. duties are mostly sql, python, data viz – at a publishing company. just under 3 years in data, worked in research before that. london. 25 days holiday a year + more days after some years at the company. salary sacrifice for pension – don’t really know because I don’t do it. 75% books we publish! lots of training courses, online training hub, author lunches, and a really supportive environment if you want to write, too. normal statutory sick leave (long term sick leave); if you’re only taking a day or two then no one really cares. work from home options and somewhat flexi-time.
Social Media Manager* August 11, 2017 at 6:30 pm – I manage the social media department at a large healthcare organization. – Southern California – 12 years in digital marketing/communications, 8 in social media specifically – Health insurance: Employer pays 75% of premiums for me + partner. Percentage is based on both salary (lower pay = lower employee contribution) and plan (HMO has a lower employee contribution percentage than PPO). 25% is the most an employee will pay. We have 3 coverage options and copays are waived if we go to our own doctors or hospitals. Incentivized wellness program and FSA available. – Other insurance: Some basic life, LTD, and AD&D coverage is employer-paid. – Leave per year: 20 days PTO to start w/ 2-3 days added every 5 years. 10 paid holidays. 5 days sick leave. – Retirement: 403b matching, 50% match up to 3%, immediate vesting. In addition, 2 options for employer-paid pension plans, both fully vested after 5 years. – Based on my job function: cell phone and laptop provided; ability to work from home; fairly flexible hours
Deputy Circuit Court Clerk* August 11, 2017 at 7:10 pm Process all case files for a state circuit court – criminal and civil. Help the public with everything. Fix drivers’ records and criminal histories. Assist judges as needed and sub in for courtroom staff and bailiffs. Midwestern university city. 5+ years experience in my field. The pay is shit. I make $19 an hour but my benefits are great. 25 days PTO, 12 holidays, plus paid bereavement. No work from home options (obviously) and little to no flex time. Employer covers all insurance premiums except for $100 monthly premium for a family, they also cover my deductible leaving me with only $10 copays for office visits. No childcare reimbursement or anything fancy like that. Parking is free (I guess that’s a thing in other areas) and my commute is negligible. They match 3% for a 401k.
Associate Attorney* August 11, 2017 at 7:12 pm 1. Job: Transactional real estate attorney (5th year associate) in a small firm 2. Southern California 3. Almost 5 years as an attorney 4. Benefits – Unlimited paid vacation and sick days (which means that I’ve taken about ~20-25 days vacation/year, including federal holidays, and ~0-1 sick days/year). I have worked during vacation, but not much. – ~10-12% match in my 401(k) each year (part match, part profit sharing that will be fully vested next year) – Health insurance is paid for an HMO plan; I pay extra ~$100/month for the PPO plan ($500 deductible), which includes dental and vision – State and local bar fees, state and local section fees, continuing legal education fees, event fees (~1,000/year) – Parking spot ($2,800/year) – Not sure if this counts as a benefit or compensation — a guaranteed bonus if I bill a certain amount/year (which is attainable and not unreasonable) – Access to office snacks and Nespresso
Engineering Manager* August 11, 2017 at 7:45 pm Job: Lead a team of software engineers producing mobile and backend software. Geo: Western PA Yrs Exp: 25 Benefits: – “Unlimited” PTO (actually I take quite a bit) – Best-in-class health care (IIUC, they cover about 80%) – No 401K match :( – Lunch & Dinner Provided (“Continental” Breakfast too) – Free Employee Assistance/Mental Health Care (i.e. therapy) – Gym Reimbursement ($50/mo IIRC) – (Small) Gym on premises (If you’re willing to have your co-workers watch you work out) – Free Parking
Hairstylist* August 11, 2017 at 8:18 pm Job: Balayage specialist, color, men’s and women’s cuts as well as facial waxing. Cleaning, laundry, making appointments and checking out clients. Geo- Colorado Years experience-10 years Benefits- 2 weeks of vacation after 3 years, must take a week at a time, average of commissions from previous 3 months. -Free services except for cost of product. -Sometimes recieve a lunch break. -Classified correctly as employee. – A Saturday off every two months without pay. -No sick days, insurance, 401k or paid continuing education. -Have two days off together. -Receive 50% of services performed,no client no money regardless of time hours worked doing other duties.
Hélène* August 11, 2017 at 9:24 pm Strategic Planning and Performance Manager – 4 direct reports Toronto, Ontario, Canada 10 yrs experience 4 weeks vacation, 2 personal leave ‘float’ days, 6 sick days 60 days Short-term Disability covered to 75% salary, Maternity/Parental leave top-up to 93% salary for 12 months (government run Employment Insurance program covers a portion of the cost, employer tops up), job is guaranteed while on mat leave (this is the law, and not a benefit provided by my employer, though) healthcare benefits covering dental, drug, vision, etc. government paid healthcare in Canada so no need for other health coverage). defined benefit (75% of best 5 yrs salary until death), inflation protected pension.
Hélène* August 11, 2017 at 9:55 pm forgot 12 stat holidays, which is two more than the required number in our province – xmas, boxing day, new years day, family day (feb), good friday, easter monday, Victoria day (may) canada day, civic holiday (aug), labour day (sept), thanksgiving day, rememberance day (nov) – if anyone is interested. I think it’s a fair few more than in the U.S. – all except easter monday and remembrance day are required by the government.
Scientist* August 11, 2017 at 10:09 pm Technical lead on life science products, PhD req, 2-4 direct reports DC metro (USA) 4 years from graduation Benefits: 2 weeks vacation + 2 weeks sick leave ( increased to 3 weeks at 5 years) + national holidays Flex time as needed 2% 401k match, but no vesting until 5 years Discounted life insurance for self and spouse Free parking (no transport stipend) Health insurance with low premium for self and spouse (~$200/month) + HSA + short/long term disability
State Tax Examiner* August 11, 2017 at 10:14 pm Job: Examine and reconcile tax returns, perform desk audits, educate taxpayers. Geo: PNW Years experience: 2 Benefits: Actually more than I could reasonably list in this little box. I’m unionized. – 40 hour weeks. Unauthorized overtime is not permitted and authorized overtime is a) optional, and b) paid at 1.5x in pay or comp time. – Between PTO, sick leave, state holidays and a couple of bonus days, almost 8 (40 hour) weeks off per year. Some carries over year-to-year and some scales with length of service. No paid family leave (yet), but a few other “niche” types of paid leave. – Hybrid retirement plans (defined benefit and defined contribution), plus option to join deferred comp plan. – Employer covers 85% health insurance premiums (includes vision) and 100% of dental insurance, life, LTD, and AD&D premiums. There are several health insurance and dental insurance plans from which to choose and options for FSA and HSA. Also incentivized wellness programs. – Tuition waiver or reimbursement. – Commuter incentives (carpooling, biking). – EAP. – Qualifies for federal student loan forgiveness. And a bunch more that I’m forgetting…
VP, Technical design team, CIO, CISO* August 11, 2017 at 11:20 pm hiring manager / HR functions, management and day to day direction of an 85-100 person team, administration of a $3M / yr operating budget, responsible for performance, QC, staffing, and strategic planning, and overall department integration and support of corporate needs and other teams. Vacation: as required by local law. (4 weeks) RRSP contribution matching: 100% up to 5% of salary. Overtime: not elegible by local law Flex health days: 3/yr Phsp: contribution matched up to $200/mo Location: somewhere in Canada
atgo* August 12, 2017 at 2:37 am Program Manager – non-profit with technical background San Francisco, CA 8 years total, 3.5 at this organization. 15 days vacation + 9 days sick + 17(!) annual holidays, 401k matching 4%, insurance premiums covered completely, “wellness” benefit $150/month, some other smaller perks. Vacation goes to 20 days at 4 years. a description of your benefits — how much vacation and sick leave you get, retirement matching, what portion of your health insurance premium your employer pays for you, and any other interesting benefits you might get
Consulting Associate* August 12, 2017 at 8:05 am Our clients are mainly nonprofits and colleges/universities, so salaries are lower than at consulting firms that work with corporate clients. geographic area: large east coast city, USA years of experience: 2 years at this job, 11 years total vacation: Starts at 3 weeks/year, then one additional vacation day for each year of service until you’re earning 4 weeks/year. Plus the office is closed for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, so really everyone gets 4-5 weeks off. sick leave: “Unlimited” sick days for minor illnesses and doctor’s appointments. I assume if you have a major illness you need to speak to HR about accommodations. We also offer pretty generous parental leave (maternity or paternity!) – people routinely take off 5-6 months through a mix of saved vacation time, paid parental leave, and unpaid FMLA time. retirement matching: They deposit 5% of my salary into my 401(k) and an additional 5% into an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, regardless of what I contribute. The ESOP fully vests after 5 years. health insurance: They pay 100% of medical and dental premiums. We also have access to FSAs. other: Transit pass deducted from my pre-tax pay. Various other small perks, my favorite of which is the office plant reimbursement! (Up to $25/person.)
Digital optimisation executive* August 12, 2017 at 12:08 pm UK Medical insurance- not really something required in UK but still a massive bonus. Pension scheme of 5% Childcare vouchers Subizied gym membership Discounts nearly every brand you can think of (no I don’t work for army or government) Flex time Laptop Payment toward your phone bill or a new phone of whatever you want Life insurance Car Endless the list is endless
Director of Production* August 12, 2017 at 12:10 pm – I oversee the administrative details of video production. I manage the division budget, am the main liaison with our legal team, and am the ppint of contact for the other non-production divisions in my company. – LA (although I was based in NYC until yesterday) -12 years experience – Benefits: unlimited vacation and sick days but capped at 10 days a month, 10 company holidays, 2 volunteer days, company matches 401k up to a certain amount (4-6%), free snacks, free coffee including cold brew, free beer on tap, regularly scheduled events (like company breakfasts, happy hours, trivia nights, etc.), pre-tax commuter benefits (parking, public transportation), medical, vision, and dental care (not sure what percentage the company covers). They also give you stock options when you are hired.
Content marketer* August 12, 2017 at 1:36 pm What I do: I basically do marketing writing & content strategy for clients (and internally for our own company). Location: Southeast US Past experience: 7 years in journalism, a little over 1 year in my current position. Made the switch to the tech/marketing industry a year ago for better pay/benefits. Salary: $50k Benefits: 3% 401k match, paid health/dental/vision insurance, open time-off with manager approval, a generous telecommuting policy, fully paid public transportation passes (valued at $1200/yr), a stipend for professional development (classes, certifications, networking events, conferences, etc), and, of course, a kitchen stocked with snackies and drinks.
Information System Security Manager (Defense Contractor)* August 12, 2017 at 7:01 pm Manage a team of information security analysts and security engineers. Responsible for the security state of a government computer and communications network. Report directly to CISO. Washington DC metro area 25+ years experience in IT, 12 in security, 14+ in management 20 days PTO, all federal holidays. No telework and very little remote work (though we can sometimes do research from home, and some management is done on the corporate network rather than the government network, so that can usually be done from home.) Not exactly overtime, but all billable hours, even the ones over the standard 8 hour day, are paid at a fixed hourly rate (so, effectively, salary plus). 401K, with 100% match for the first 4% of salary, and 50% for the next 2%. I end up paying 6% and they pay an additional 5% of my base salary. I don’t use the medical benefit (retired military), but they offer vision and dental at what I see as a reasonable rate (comparable to what we are charged in the military). Covers dependents up to age 26. Life insurance at a reduced rate (I assume the company pays some portion of the premium.) Short term and long term disability. I’ve gotten a better-than-inflation pay rise every year I’ve worked for the company (normally in the range of 3-5%), plus large merit pay raises each year (my boss values me enough, I guess :) Tuition reimbursement up to the federal max (or what I’m told the company can do without getting into some different type of benefit). I encourage my team to do professional certifications, some of which we can do on the clock, and with group study sessions on the clock Corporate has a whole bunch of random benefits, like reduced price tickets to shows and theme parks, memberships to AAA and such, and car buying services. And the company works worldwide (for the US government, mostly), so when people are ready to move on, we can often find them positions elsewhere in the company.
Junior Application Developer* August 13, 2017 at 3:46 am Upper Midwest < 2 years experience 15 days vacation (more after 5 years) 10 holidays (1-3 float) 10 sick days (probably rarely enforced) Flexible schedule. Remote work from home on a regular basis. On site day-care (limited availability). Access to in-home emergency daycare for sick children (since regular day care usually won't take sick kids). Medical, vision, dental. Medical, employer pays 33% of premium. FSA available. 401k matching, with annual 401k contributions based on salary. Nets out to be 100% match up to 8%. Tuition reimbursement. Easy access to professional development resources, such as books or web training. Various discounts, such as cell phone bills, new computers, local events and shops.
Junior Application Developer* August 13, 2017 at 3:48 am Also, title pretty much is the description. Application development, but very junior in my career. Work with a variety of technologies and languages. Have so far done a fairly even split of new development to bugfix/feature request development.
Solicitor (Lawyer)* August 13, 2017 at 5:16 am Late to the party but I’m going to answer anyway. Geographic area: UK. Solicitor: One type of lawyer in the UK, the one that doesn’t go to Court and wear all the wigs (the one that does that is a Barrister). I’m more likely to handle the Lease of your business premises, your merger & acquisition, your joint business venture, your minor legal disputes (and sometimes major ones that also involve Barristers, but as a solicitor I’ll be doing the paperwork, not the advocacy (usually!)). I’m actually a Commercial Property lawyer, so I deal mostly with land, leases, land disputes, purchase and selling of premises, etc. I have 1 and a half years post qualification experience, and prior to that 2 years of on the job training (so, I’m not that experienced!). I have moved jobs within the last month. Benefits: 22 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising by 1 day a year to a max of 25 per year of service, starting at the 2 year mark. Private medical insurance (again, I’m in the UK, so this is not a necessary piece of insurance! I also don’t have it until I pass probation). I will also get a decent pension after I pass probation (or possibly after a year of service, I can’t quite recall) with the option to increase payments (matched by my employer) after 2 years of service. Sick days are statutory, however, if I’m off for extended periods of time, the company will pay my full pay for two weeks, increasing by a week per year of service, and beyond that will pay statutory sick pay (which is at a rate set by the government). Short absences of a day or two don’t require doctor notes, absences of a week or more do.
pinky* August 13, 2017 at 7:08 am Job: Special Education Preschool Teacher in a public school and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst Geographic area: Metro area in Northeast USA Experience: 15 years; Graduate degree and post graduate certificate Vacation: 13 weeks a year, the regular school vacations and federal holidays Sick leave: 1.25 days per month we earn, sick days do not expire and we can do a buy back when we retire (but I’m not sure what that means really) Retirement: after 30 years of service I will get 80% of an average of my 3 highest paying years of teaching, currently I make $82,000, but I have 15 years to go and we get a minimum of $2000 raise each year, so I anticipate I’ll make around $89,000 a year in retirement. Also the more graduate credit I accrue, the more the district pays in salary, so I am working on increasing that. Health insurance premium: We pay $400 a month for a family plan, school district pays the other 80% of the premium
Research Analyst* August 13, 2017 at 1:41 pm (unofficially I’m a Data analyst/ BI Developer) work with SQL, ETL processes to make reports in Excel and Webfocus. 10 years in the same position Benefits: 30 Sick Days per year 22 Vacation Days per Year I pay 1/3 into the Municipal Pension Plan, 2/3 employer pay into the MPP 100% Dental & Orthodontia 5% copay for drugs $300 (each) per year for physio, chiro, massage Variety of other health insurance coverage (diabetic machines, sleep machines etc)
Administrative Assistant* August 13, 2017 at 4:48 pm Note: Turns out it’s actually “CSR 1,” not “administrative assistant.” Which is not how it was listed in the job description I applied for. And running the words together “oh you’re CSR1Admin!” does not make that any better. Experience: 5+ years in customer service Small company in the landscaping field. I answer phone calls, am the receptionist for walk-ins, but also interview and hire on occasion, as well as QC other employees, create/manage the calendar, do the filing, organize all the things, so on and so forth. 4-5 flex days a year After 2 years, you may now begin accruing very minimal PTO (I’ve only been told once, so my memory is fuzzy, but I believe it’s 10 days or less for the year. And they don’t roll over to the next year.) No medical/dental/vision of any sort. Lawn-care free for your own lawn (no mowing/trimming). If you don’t have a lawn, you can give it to a family member, but they’re changing that policy to 50% off for family instead. Minimal bright side…since we hired another CSR (CSR2!), it’s a little easier for me to run an errand or come in late if I need to. This is a fascinating thread. Thanks Allison!
IT Support Officer* August 13, 2017 at 6:48 pm Job: IT support officer for a local (city) government in Australia. Exp: 20-ish years Bennies: * mandatory 3% pay rise every year * 25 days personal leave, 15 days sick leave, both roll over, rostered day off once every 19 eorking days, leave-without pay if pre-approved, for as long as required, all public holidays plus 3 ‘local government days’ for when we’re closed around Christmas and Easter. * 3 months full paid long service leave every seven years * 9% mandatory superannuation (equiv to 401k) contribution, plus up to 5% match for employee contribution, (super contains a life insurance component) * tuition reimbursement * free employee health benefit program–annual bloodwork, physical, cancer check, flu vax, partial health club reimbursement, 15 sessions annual w psychologist through EAP, etc * free fruit in staff room. (Gotta pay for our own coffee, but that’s only because we’re Australian, and we’re coffee snobs) * service discounts with partnered service providers. Insurance? Nope, because Australia had a decent medical system that provides affordable health care to all its citizens regardless of employment status.
Executive Personal Assistant* August 13, 2017 at 7:22 pm Job: Executive Personal Assistant Location: New Zealand Experience: 12+ Benefits: * mandatory 1.5% pay rise every year * $1000 for personal development per year * 25 days personal leave, 10 days sick leave, 5 days for personal development * an extra 5 days personal leave after 5 years of service * 3% superannuation from employer plus up to 8% employee contribution * Flexible Working Arrangements and the option to work 2 years take 6 months off, or work 5 years and take 1 year off * VDU Operator reimbursement of $200 * Free Microsoft Office package * Subsidised bus service * Free course fees if approved by manager * free employee health benefit program–annual flu injection and 3 sessions annual w psychologist through EAP, etc * free coffee and tea * service discounts with partnered service providers.
Senior Software Engineer* August 13, 2017 at 8:41 pm I’ve worked as a software engineer at one of the top companies. I make my employer $10M in a bad year when focused on revenue-making-things, so they have more money and incentive to keeping folks in my position fairly happy. I’m in Seattle, but pay and benefits are roughly the same as California, NYC, etc. I have 20ish years of experience. 20 days paid vacation, unlimited sick leave, 1.5% salary 401k match, full paid health insurance for single/no kids. Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with wide, wide variety. Free snacks. $20k espresso machine in the lounge. They pay my mobile phone bill, and give me a free phone to use. A few K towards childcare for kids not yet in elementary school. Four months of maternity or paternity leave. Work from home if you need to, when you need to. $50ish a month to dry cleaning. $50ish a month to health club membership or ski lift tickets or whatever. $50ish a week to dinner/food with other coworkers. *Solid* travel per diem ($80ish/day on top of hotel/flight/car/etc) Not sure if everyone counts it as a benefit, but I do; my current job’s manager used to do the job I did, which holds all the way to CEO; everyone made it there by *doing*, not by an MBA, which is honestly wonderful. Also not sure if everyone would count it, but one day a week with No Meetings. Which is also wonderful.
Enrollment/Credentialing Manager (Healthcare Administration)* August 13, 2017 at 9:51 pm I work at a large medical center in a northeastern US city. I manage a team that enrolls our providers into managed care plans (commercial and government). Our database of provider information is the main source of info on our providers for the entire medical center. Years of Experience: 9 No flexible schedule, no work from home (except during inclement weather). Having to work late is rare. We are encouraged to attend conferences and seek out certification/learning opportunities. Annual cost of living increase + eligible for small bonus 23 days paid vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays Unlimited sick leave (must be justified, of course) 5% contribution to my 401(3)b, two years after hire (it goes up when you get older and/or more senior) Tuition exemption for employees at the school, two years after hire (I got a post-bac and a masters) Tuition program for dependent children, available 4 years after hire date- children can attend the college for free or they’ll pay half (!!!) of what the college costs toward any other school Choice of several health plans- high deductible, 80, 90, and 100% copay. Employer pays about 80% of premium; my husband and children are covered under my plan. Option for dental FSAs- Dependent care (they kick in first $2k if you have child under 5), Parking, Transit, Healthcare Optional insurances you can buy in to- disability, term life, dependent life, long-term care Maternity leave- Short-term disability will cover your “recovery period” (6weeks for vaginal and 8 weeks for c-section); you can apply your vacation days to the rest of your FMLA time off.
Editor (book publishing)* August 13, 2017 at 10:31 pm I acquire and edit books for a major (Big 5) publishing house New York City Five years at this company, seven in industry Publishing salaries are notoriously low, but we do tend to get good benefits: 20 days vacation (three of which can roll over to the following year), 4 personal days (designed as unscheduled days for things like plumbing emergencies, but can be taken as regular vacation with approval), week between Christmas and New Years off, all but 2 federal holidays off, summer Fridays from Memorial Day through Labor Day (half-days, though you’re theoretically supposed to make up the hours during the rest of the week), 10 sick days, 6% 401k match, employer pays 85% of health insurance premiums, $100/month student loan repayment assistance, fitness reimbursement up to $500/year (pretty broadly defined–includes gym membership, race fees, yoga classes, running shoes, etc.), FSAs for healthcare, childcare, and transit/parking. Only one month paid parental leave, though.
Senior Consultant - Business Analyst (IT)* August 14, 2017 at 3:14 am Business analyst doing Federal IT consulting for a custom software development contract (requirements gathering, documentation, testing). I’m currently managing an engagement and handling all client interactions, but have no direct reports. Experience: 10 years Location: Washington DC area Base salary: $92k Benefits: • Unlimited sick leave (more than 10 days consecutive requires you to take short term disability though) • 120 hours vacation time • 13 paid holidays • Flexible scheduling within normal business hours (I work ~10a-6p) • Some telework and remote workplace options (I WFH 3 days/week) • 3% matching share purchase plan • 401k matching of 3% up to $5,000 • FSAs; $5k for childcare, $2500 for medical, $2k for commute • LTD/STD paid by company • HSA insurance for Medical, Dental, Vision – I don’t know what % the company pays since that isn’t published • $5,500/annual in tuition reimbursement • Profit sharing when business makes their target numbers (ranging between $350-1,250 in the past) • Back-up childcare up to 60hrs/yr • Gym in building; subsidized group exercise classes • Free unlimited coffee/tea
Research Scientist* August 14, 2017 at 5:22 am Job: Research Scientist Geographic area: Sweden Years of experience: 2 Benefits: 32 paid vacation + 7 additional paid days off at christmas. Unlimited paid sick time (after first day) Flexi-time Work from home (when doing non-lab work) Up to 20% bonus (1/2 cash 1/2 shares) Gym + discount card for various shops/activities General healthcare insurance (not including dental unfortunately) I have some pension benefit but don’t know enough of the details on it. Tea,Coffee,Hot Chocolate and fruit free
Project Manager (Pharmaceutical Industry)* August 14, 2017 at 1:08 pm Job: Project Manager (Pharmaceutical Industry) Geographical area: Midwest-US Years of experience: 10 Benefits: 24 paid vacation days /year + federal holidays 18 paid sick days/year 401k employer match 200% for the first 5% of salary, e.g I put down 5% and employer put down 10% toward my retirement Health insurance: no monthly premium if single. Family (spouse and up to 2 kids) you paid about $300/month, which is supposed to be about 25% of what the plan costs. Dental: again, no monthly premium if single. Family plan is roughly $20/month I paid the premiums for last 6 years I’m with the company, now my wife just started last month for the same company so now we don’t pay anything *** Every month, each employee gets $130 from employer as a “credit”. This is deposited into a flexible spending account, which can be used to pay either health care costs, or dependent care cost. You can of course put more money in there as needed, if you have to pay for day care like I do. Others people may not have expenses and are single can accrue this for the whole year and get something really nice. I’ve seen people get a like a $1000 watch that qualify for the FSA because it can read your pulse…. Gym discount: really nice one, a regular gym membership is about $70, with the employee discount it 1/2 off. On top of that, as an incentive, if I use the gym 4 times/month than I get an additional 25% off. Discount/Corporate rate/contract for rental car/cellular phone that can be for personal use Quarterly company paid lunch for each group. The usual free coffee, tea, hot chocolate, …
Education Specialist* August 14, 2017 at 1:24 pm Title: Education Specialist II (state government education agency) Geographic area: New England – US Years of experience: 8 Benefits: Vacation – 1 day accrued per month (12 days per year) plus state and federal holidays Sick – 1 day accrued per month (12 days per year) Personal – 2 days per calendar year (available on January 1 each year) Retirement – contribute to a pension with five-year vesting period Health insurance – I pay 5% toward monthly premiums Dental insurance – They pay 100% of monthly premiums Basic life insurance – They cover 100% of premiums for 1x annual salary, with affordable premiums for supplemental amounts) Short-term/long-term disability – Available through union ( I was able to find cheaper on my own through State Farm) Use of gym or reimbursement of membership fees (up to $40 monthly) And, I can’t forget the prestige that comes with being a government employee! /sarcasm
Principal Policy Adviser* August 14, 2017 at 6:26 pm Team-leader role in a government agency, providing policy advice. Significant responsibility for managing stakeholder relationships including senior government officials and Ministers. New Zealand 18 years’ experience Benefits: Vacation: 4 weeks per year Sick: 2 weeks per year, can be taken to care for others Retirement: 2% of salary contribution from employer, matched by me Al health needs except dental and optical covered by public health system Flexible working hours, Work From Home all as negotiated with manager Parental leave 52 weeks, with 18 weeks paid by government at roughly a third of my salary No bonuses or fancy team events Unlimited free tea, coffee and milk is provided by law to whole of NZ public service (hilariously!).
Metallurgical Engineer* August 14, 2017 at 8:12 pm Job: Engineering consultant at a midsize firm that provides engineering services to the power industry. Location: Northern California Years experience: 10 years industry experience, 5 at this company Benefits: – Vacation: 15 days for 5-9 yrs experience (my case), 10 days for <4 yrs, 18 days for 10-15 yrs, tops out at 20 days – Sick leave: 80 hrs per year – Holidays: 6 federal holidays + 4 floating holidays – 401K: Company offers a 401K account, but no match because… – ESOP: Company offers employee stock ownership program that fully vests after 6 years of service. I am told the company goal is to contribute ~8% of employee's salary per year. Effectively a retirement account, can't withdraw funds before leaving company or reaching retirement age. – Medical: Company offers several plans: HMO, PPO, and HDHP w/ HSA (where deductible is $1300 individual/$2600 family and company contributes the full amount of deductible to your HSA). Company pays 80% of premiums, plans have ballpark $20 copays for doctor's visit, except the HDHP/HSA plans are moving toward the 10% coinsurance model. I use my husband's insurance instead of my company's, but the total costs and coverage appear similar. – Dental and vision: I use my husband's plan for those too, but I have dual coverage for dental since I anticipate needing another dental implant in the next few years. – Health care and dependent care FSA (optional) – Life insurance: Company pays premium for 1x salary, option to buy additional coverage – Paid Family Leave and short-term disability: This year my company introduced 1 week of paid family leave (too late for my maternity leave!). California payroll deductions cover birth mom disability leave for 6-8 wks at 55% salary and all parents 6 wks baby bonding leave at 55% salary. My company's private disability policy tops up the state disability to 67%, after a 10-day waiting period. – Reimbursement for professional society membership dues and professional engineering license fees – Small bonus for obtaining a professional engineering license
Database/Business Intelligence Developer* August 14, 2017 at 11:19 pm I work on a SQL data warehouse and provide BI tools to my institution (reporting, data analytics). Seattle, WA. 3 or so years of direct experience, 6 mo at this job. 2 weeks PTO. 2 days/mo sick leave. Employer funded retirement at 10% of pay, regardless of my contribution. Heavily subsidized transit. 90% of health care premiums. Dental, vision. I work at a University and we also get free classes, although I haven’t taken advantage (too busy w/ work!).
Database/Business Intelligence Developer* August 14, 2017 at 11:22 pm Oh–also if I had kids they could go to my U for free, big discounts for other family members. Free gym (on campus), pool, etc. Friday afternoons off in summer.
Credit Manager* August 15, 2017 at 3:17 am Role: Manage a team of 12 credit controllers/debt collectors for a retail electricity company, managing $16M in live debt, and another $5M in aged debt. Electricity is a tightly regulated industry in Autralia, so compliance is a major aspect of my role, as well as managing both inbound and outbound debt collection activities. Location: Australia Experience: 16 years in debt collection generally, but 5 years at this company. All my previous debt collection experience was in personal finance. Benefits: 20 days paid vacation leave every year 10 days paid sick leave per year 9% of my salary paid into my superannuation (on top of the cash amount, not deducted from the cash salary) No health insurance as healthcare is free/low cost in Australia Paid mobile phone Subsidised gym memberships Ability to restructure my work hours to 4 x 10hr days instead of 5 x 8hr days Employee discount on electricity
Assistant Professor (Social Sciences)* August 15, 2017 at 9:03 am – I’m at a mid-sized undergraduate university in a mid-sized city on the Canadian prairies. I’m expected to teach 3-5 classes annually and have an active research program that includes obtaining external funding. At any given time I have 2-4 students working in my lab. – 5 years post-PhD (2 years postdoc, 3 years employed tenure-track). – On paper I have five weeks vacation but my work, except for teaching, is all self-directed. In practice, this means I work shorter hours in the summer and take two weeks completely off somewhere it doesn’t interfere with teaching. Health plan (in Canada, this just means drugs/vision/dental/extended health, e.g., RMT) is 100% covered by the employer and includes 80% of most services with a small health spending account. (An alternative is a plan where 100% of services are funded is an added cost of about $50/month.) Pension is defined contribution–my mandatory 6.5% is matched 100%. Other benefits include free tuition for dependents/spouses and a discretionary personal budget (about $2000) that can be used for any work expense independently accrued.
Assistant Professor (Social Sciences)* August 15, 2017 at 9:05 am Forgot to add – standard parental leave in Canada is 55% salary for 52 weeks from the government. My employer tops that up t0 100% salary for the first 18 weeks.
Salesforce Admin* August 16, 2017 at 10:13 am I’m a Salesforce Admin in the northeast. I have my Salesforce Admin certification and I’ve spoken at Dreamforce. I’ve been a Salesforce admin for 5 years and I’ve launched Salesforce at 3 different companies, each one bigger than the last. I’ve been at my current position 2 years. My current company benefits are: 10 sick days 17 PTO days (includes 5 floating holidays), increases with length of employment Summer Fridays (one day off every 2 weeks from Memorial Day – Labor Day) Retirement match up to 7% based on length of service Bonus structure where you can get up to 10% of your salary based on personal & company performance goals Health insurance is mostly covered – the basic plan is free, but I pay for the better one. We have access to a telehealth service for free. We also have dental. Generous work from home policy Expense reimbursement for activities in our field Gym membership reimbursed Tuition reimbursement Expenses paid for Dreamforce & other SF conferences Active employee activity committee – so lots of snacks, lunches, events, etc.
Compensation (Payroll) & Benefits Advisor* August 16, 2017 at 1:34 pm Compensation & Benefits Advisor with the Government of Canada Ottawa and Toronto 12 years Public servants (long-term contract or permanent employees – casual workers don’t have benefits) start their career with 15 days of paid vacation leave per year. This goes up 5 more days at 8 years of service, then again at 16 and 32. Your bank of paid vacation leave is advanced to you at the beginning of the fiscal year (April 1st). Paid sick leave is different: it is accrued, at the rate of 0.975 day/month. Managers can advance employees sick leave at their discretion. Both paid vacation leave and accumulated paid sick leave can be carried over to the next fiscal year (though there is a maximum). We also get 5 days of paid family leave, 1 day of paid volunteer leave, and 1 day of paid personal leave per year (these cannot be carried over). We are given 17 weeks of paid maternity leave and 35 weeks of paid parental leave, which add up to 52 weeks. The 17 weeks can only be taken by the birthing person, but the parental leave can be taken by either parent, or split between the two, even concurrently (most of the time, the birthing person takes all 52 weeks). In the case of an adoption, parents get the parental leave only, split however they’d like. During this leave, federal Employment Insurance pays you 70% of your most recent salary, and the government tops it up to total 93%. You have to have been employed with the government for at least 6 months to get mat leave, and to work at least 6 months when you return. Our medical insurance covers 80% of most prescription, and if both persons in a married or common law couple are covered via the same insurer (Sun Life Assurance in this case), their coverage can be coordinated to get 100% coverage. This coverage also covers certain dollar amounts of para-medical costs such as psychologists, physical therapists, vision care, dental care, hospital rooming, etc. Things that are not covered are things like ambulance cost (but that’s very low in Canada, like $50), eye exams, doctors notes, etc. You can select different kinds of coverage, (Individual level 1, 2, or 3, or Family 1, 2, 3) which cost as low as $8/month (Individual 1) up to about $110/month (Family 3). All your dependants are covered under any level of the Family plan. There is a small deductible to be paid every year but it’s relatively low, about $100. You get a $800/year bonus if you’re French/English bilingual AND in a position that is deemed bilingual imperative. There are also foreign service pay, isolated post pay, night shift premiums. And overtime can be taken either in compensatory time or in money.
Sr Business Systems Analyst* August 17, 2017 at 1:54 pm Central California State University System Current position 15 years Work in the employment/HR department union environment – have both represented and non-represented employees Benefits (similar for majority of employee groups) -medical, dental, vision -most get some type of life insurance, a few get long-term disability insurance -vacation and sick leave – accruals based on union and time in position (I personally get 1 sick day per month, 2 vacation days per month) plus one personal holiday a year -holidays – 13 – partial fee waiver for employee or their dependent -pension – we pay a percentage of our salary each paycheck and will receive a pension if/when retire Voluntary Benefits -life insurance -long-term disability -legal plan -403(b)/457 investment options -flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care
Controller for Non-Profit* August 18, 2017 at 12:17 pm Job – Controller: Manage accounting dept for foundation w/ >$250M assets, oversee three people Geographic Area – Upstate NY Years of Experience – About 3 at this org, about 9 since grad school Description of your benefits — PTO: 4 weeks vacation, and can roll up to 4 weeks to future years; 7 sick days; 2 flex days; 11 holidays Retirement: They match 1:1 up to 5%, there is an additional 3% profit sharing Health: Employer pays 85% of the single premium. If you don’t take that benefit, they will contribute 75% of what they would have spent into your retirement. Summer Hours: From Memorial Day to Labor Day, everyone only works 4 hours on Fridays
Manager, Data Science* August 19, 2017 at 1:03 am 5 weeks vacation 3 personal leave days 10 paid sick days Paid parking (300/month) Health Benefits: Health and Dental – $300/month (50% of premium costs for me + family) $950 Health Spending Account / year Pension – $1300/month Life Insurance (250k) $10/month Disability Insurance (70% salary replacement) $100/month Private employee gym – $100/month Flex schedule – can work from home if needed. Salary $100k Take home is $2200/biweekly
Junior Copywriter* August 22, 2017 at 4:47 pm Junior Copywriter Write, revise, and edit copy, as directed by staff in creative and account service departments. Provide copy and concept support for projects lead by senior staff. Match brand standards and brand voices for client accounts on which you work. Measure work against Creative Strategy Statement to ensure the proposed copy is an appropriate solution for the stated goals. Essentially, I’m a writer for many local, regional, and international companies. My work primarily focuses on the digital realm (webpages, social media marketing, blogs, etc) with a healthy mix of video and print advertisements. After working here for 1.5 years, I often work without direction/oversight from any of the senior copywriters, collaborating directly with my Art Director and Account Service teams. Southern United States 2.5 years in Marketing/Public Relations (1 year as a Public Relations Intern and 1.5 years as Junior Copywriter) Original Salary: $29,500 After First-Year Review: $36,000 Vacation – 10 days (75 hours) Personal – 5 days (37.5 hours) Holiday – 8 days (60 hours to be taken on official holidays when the office is closed for business) Civic – 5 days (37.5 hours to be used for whatever philanthropic project I want, whether it’s volunteering my time or talent, e.g. walking dogs vs. writing emails for a local nonprofit) Maternity Leave – 12 weeks unpaid, with two weeks salary paid out if/when the employee returns to work Bereavement Leave – Unpaid and at the discretion of your supervisor Retirement Plan – 401k matching: dollar for dollar up to 3% of salary, and 50% of the next 2% contributed (maximum matching of $18,000 annually) Health Insurance – Company pays 50% of participation in the health plan. If I enroll my spouse/family in the plan, company pays 100% of my premium and I’m responsible for my spouse/family’s premium. Bonus – Company provides semi-annual bonus distribution based on profitability. The past three bonuses (mid-year, end of year, and mid-year again) have been roughly $500. Flex time – In the event of a family emergency or other inconveniences (e.g. plumber can only come to your house during a 4 hour window on a Tuesday, small children are routinely home sick from school, or your dog just had puppies and hasn’t been quite right since), employees may work from home as long as it does not interfere with productivity or a client meeting. Plus, we can easily adjust our normal working hours to accommodate things like taking kids to work in the morning or a standing afternoon appointment. Subsidized lunch program – When employees need to work through lunch to meet a deadline, they can order lunch and the company pays for up to $5 of the bill. We order in lunch everyday, so this is always an option. Late Start – We start 30 minutes later than most companies, which makes a significant difference in traffic flow. Parking – Garage parking is included with employment. Professional Development – Our partners routinely look for opportunities to cultivate talent, through conferences, workshops, and membership to/participation in several professional organizations. On-site Gym – There’s a terrace with a small gym, sauna, lap pool, and lounge chairs that employees can access. Beer cart – It’s not quite Mad Men over here, but we recently added a Friday beer cart tradition. Employees can drink wine or beer during he last hour or so of work thanks to the partner’s generosity! Active Event Committee – Every month we have some sort of event, including but not limited to: pot lucks, app-off and other cooking competitions, employee showers, holiday themed events (Spring Break party, St. Patrick’s Day, Olympics (minimal active events, think giant Jenga), Halloween Desk Decor competition), and employer sanctioned volunteer events during the workday. Some weeks it’s as simple as an un-official board game event over the lunch hour where people can come and go as their workload allows. So much food! When people love their work as much as we do (and our employees really love it here) they tend to bring in yummy treats for their friends/co-workers. We routinely have cookies, cakes, and other sweets show up around the office. Recently, one of our coworkers has taken to bringing in all the weird flavors of Oreos for everyone to try. Plus, the partners feed us. Fresh fruit delivery at the beginning of the week, cheese on Wednesday afternoons, and Fast Food Fridays (usually pizza and cheesy bread).
Associate Attorney* August 28, 2017 at 8:27 pm Associate attorney at a small criminal defense and civil litigation law firm. Metro Atlanta area 3.5 years of experience Benefits: 10 days personal/vacation time 10 days of sick leave National holidays Comp days after trials or heavy motions deadlines. Flexible late start No retirement matching 100% of health insurance premium Occasional work from home days Bar License fees Continuing Legal Education classes Coffee and water Free parking Occasional free lunch/dinner
Cafe Manager* September 3, 2017 at 7:17 pm I work at a midsized, locally owned cafe in the midwest. I’m hourly, but responsible for all the daily cafe operations, hiring, firing, supplies… about the only things I don’t do are process payroll (though I do ready timesheets) and the finances for the cafe. I earn “sick leave” that’s essentially paid time off at the rate of about 1.25 hours for every 25 hours worked. I get free coffee and a free meal, and… That’s about it. No retirement, no insurance anything, no reimbursements for optional additional training. I can cash in the sick leave as vacation time, but I’m still responsible for getting my shifts covered while I’m gone. Is this pretty normal for the food service industry?
Cafe Manager* September 3, 2017 at 7:23 pm Almost forgot! I’ve been with this company about 6 years, as a manager for 2 of them. I do get a small holiday bonus.
Executive Director* September 20, 2017 at 1:07 pm I’m the executive director at a small non-profit. My job ranges from meeting with high-level donors to reordering items for the gift shop. Memberships and development, board relations, committee work, representing the organization in the community, planning events, helping with services, research, management, etc. etc. etc. I manage two full-time staff members, who in turn manage interns and dozens of volunteers. Midwest. 5 years of experience. No insurance is offered, no retirement benefits. Normal holidays. We do have a generous pool of PTO – six weeks since I’ve been here for 5 years, plus I negotiated an additional week because we don’t get paid well. We also have six weeks of paid parental leave. However, with such a small staff, it’s difficult to actually take time off. So no one will ever use their 6 weeks of PTO, but 50% of our unused PTO gets paid out when we leave.
Donna* September 20, 2017 at 9:58 pm 911 dispatcher 35 year police fire and medical dispatching .. 4 weeks vacation 12 sick days 2 personal days mandatory overtime out the wazoo.. Pension but no medical can’t start pension at 55 .. Doing it and running like crazy..
Software Team Lead (non-profit, NYC)* October 2, 2017 at 5:36 pm I work for an education-oriented non-profit. I’ve been here for 10 years, starting as a software developer, then progressing to a project lead, then to a team lead. I now lead a team of 9 people, split between developers, operations, and QA. Job Title: Senior Managing Director, Application Development Location: New York City Tenure: 10 years PTO: 22 days (combined pool of vacation and personal days) (New staff get 17 days, and after three years of service, you get an additional 5 days.) Holidays: 13-15 days (New Year’s Day, MLK Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday), and the week from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. The variability comes from what day of the week July 4th and Christmas are on, sometimes we get an extra day from those.) Sick days: 10 Medical/Dental/Vision plan: Employer pays most of it, I pay only a small percentage of the cost (I pay 5% of cost of medical, 20% of cost of dental plan) 403(b) matching up to 5% Pre-tax transit benefits: I pay the full cost of my Metrocard, but with pre-tax dollars. Additional benefits at no cost to me: Life insurance and disability insurance Employee Assistance Program for counseling and assistance with major life events Financial Advisory Services
Middle School Teacher* October 9, 2017 at 9:58 pm Super late to the party here but hello! I’m a middle school teacher in Alberta, Canada. I’m with an independent school rather than a big board, but my pay is on par with the biggest board in my city. I’m at the top of my pay scale (unless I get a masters, which would move me up a step). I’ve been teaching for almost 15 years. At my current school for 12. Benefits are similar to those the teachers at big boards get, but not quite. Teachers at public schools here are with the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan, which is awesome. My school is not because we are independent and ASEBP won’t work with us. My employer covers half my benefits, I cover the other half (I can’t remember which ones but I know I pay for the expensive ones). I also have a Health Spending Account which takes over if I max out my benefits. Because this is Canada most of my health care is covered but I get extended health which covers dental and vision (most of it, anyway). For retirement, I will get CPP (Canada pension plan) as well as my teachers pension. I also have a small RRSP. For holidays, I get all stat holidays and all school holidays. My yearly salary is distributed across the year so even though I’m technically unemployed in the summer, I still get paid. Teachers here get paid once a month, which makes budgeting a bit challenging. I get two guaranteed personal days a year but I have to cover the cost of my own sub, which is just over $200. I get money for professional development but I don’t have to pay my sub for that. The school pays in that case.
Middle School Teacher* October 9, 2017 at 10:18 pm I Forgot to add that I get 20 paid sick days a year, which is the legal minimum. Most big boards give their teachers 90 sick days. Teachers at my school also get a couple of paid days to stay home if their kids are sick, but I don’t have kids so I can’t remember how many.