Lifestyle

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I’ve received two job offers: The job I prefer has only average benefits while the other job has great perks and benefits like unlimited vacation time. How much value should one place on company benefits when considering a job?

Well, if unlimited vacation time is important to you, then how about just not working at all? Between paid company holidays, vacation time, personal days, sick days, leaves of absence, etc., the average workweek for many people is already only four days. If that’s not enough time off for you, then move to Canada or Europe. If you take the job you want, presumably you’ll want to work because you enjoy your job. And presumably the harder you work and more valuable you become, the more you’ll get rewarded with more opportunity, more “work” and more money, etc. .. That’s usually how it “works” if you want a career. If you want a life of leisure with minimal work, but don’t want to leave the country, then become a lifeguard.

I work for a large employer that just instituted a policy against company-sponsored birthday celebrations for employees; if colleagues want to get a cake, they have to pay for it themselves. I think that’s cheap, but pooling together a measly 10 bucks isn’t a big deal. The question is when it comes to the boss’ birthday, should everyone chip in to get him a cake?

You’re only spending 10 bucks on a birthday cake? What, are you buying out-of-date cakes from Costco in bulk? Why do people think that their employer should pay for birthday cakes for everyone anyway? Maybe every engaged employee should announce where they are registered on the company intranet and the company should make a matching donation. You get a job, you get pay, you get benefits, you get reprimanded when something goes wrong and hardly a pat on the back when things go right, what more do you want?! Have your little celebrations for co-workers by each digging deep for a $1.25 and skip the candle-blowing ceremony for the boss.