Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253068 times)

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21000 on: November 01, 2018, 06:30:43 AM »
The only single guy in the office is talking about how he's started getting one of those meal delivery services and how awesome it is.  I did the quick math on it and it seems he's spending at least $50/week for three meals.  Supposedly, it's actually 6 servings total, but the way he eats I don't see there being much in the way of leftovers (I've seen him eat an entire large pizza by himself in one sitting).  That's insane.  I spend just a bit over that feeding three people for seven days a week.

mountain mustache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21001 on: November 01, 2018, 07:09:41 AM »
The only single guy in the office is talking about how he's started getting one of those meal delivery services and how awesome it is.  I did the quick math on it and it seems he's spending at least $50/week for three meals.  Supposedly, it's actually 6 servings total, but the way he eats I don't see there being much in the way of leftovers (I've seen him eat an entire large pizza by himself in one sitting).  That's insane.  I spend just a bit over that feeding three people for seven days a week.

several of my co workers do one of those meal delivery services, well it delivers a box of "ingredients" which you cook to their recipe. I think it's $50-$60 a week for 4 meals. I got a free box from one of them, and I literally ate all of the food in 2 meals, and I'm a pretty small lady! I can't imagine how my coworker and his wife make it last for all 4 meals. Also, there is so much waste, everything is individually packaged in plastic, and I thought the recipes were terrible....I tallied up how much $$ it would be to just have the ingredients to make the meals, and it was embarrassingly less than $20 to make all 4 meals, and still have ingredients left over since I wouldn't be just buying "1tbs of garlic, 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, etc"

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21002 on: November 01, 2018, 07:27:57 AM »
The only single guy in the office is talking about how he's started getting one of those meal delivery services and how awesome it is.  I did the quick math on it and it seems he's spending at least $50/week for three meals.  Supposedly, it's actually 6 servings total, but the way he eats I don't see there being much in the way of leftovers (I've seen him eat an entire large pizza by himself in one sitting).  That's insane.  I spend just a bit over that feeding three people for seven days a week.

several of my co workers do one of those meal delivery services, well it delivers a box of "ingredients" which you cook to their recipe. I think it's $50-$60 a week for 4 meals. I got a free box from one of them, and I literally ate all of the food in 2 meals, and I'm a pretty small lady! I can't imagine how my coworker and his wife make it last for all 4 meals. Also, there is so much waste, everything is individually packaged in plastic, and I thought the recipes were terrible....I tallied up how much $$ it would be to just have the ingredients to make the meals, and it was embarrassingly less than $20 to make all 4 meals, and still have ingredients left over since I wouldn't be just buying "1tbs of garlic, 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, etc"


And now with being able to order my groceries online and have them picked and delivered to my car, I don't even really have to grocery shop anymore.  About the only time I could possibly see this being something I was interested in would be if I were going on vacation.  I might like to have some meals delivered to my AirBnB.  It would be cheaper than eating out a lot and I wouldn't have to feel bad about throwing out a whole bunch of leftover ingredients when I went home.  But as an ongoing thing?  Never.

daveed

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21003 on: November 01, 2018, 09:54:59 AM »
Just re-upped our agreements for 2019 for benefits.

Had a coworker proudly tell me, "I just opt out of everything, including the 401(k), so that I can do what I want with my money"

Oh boy. Been here for 1.5 years and still haven't told a soul that I max out 401(k) and HSA as fast as I possibly can.
Did he also say what he wanted? Or is it basically the same consumerist dream getting fulfilled by whimsical purchases using borrowed money on his over-leveraged accounts as every other?

I think it's a terrible excuse to ignore your future for no other reason than to gratify your present self... Yes, there is some self loathing in there because I have some impuls control issues due to a concussion which have led to some, ah, unnecessary purchases. No debt though, thankfully.

Honestly not sure. I should have asked her what she's doing with that extra cash. If I had to guess she's 1) paying off her and her husbands student loans or 2) saving up to buy a new Jeep because she's a "Jeep" person or 3) saving $ to buy a house

But really no clue. I'll try and follow up because now I'm genuinely curious.

shackleford

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21004 on: November 01, 2018, 10:41:30 AM »
Checked Barclays, 0.75% with 100k+ savings. Still not 1.3%, but granted that interest varies more than I expected. The 0.3% I mentioned was the highest interest in Holland a few months back, it's likely to drop in the negatives of the banks keep going.

You can get up to 1.5% in easy access savings accounts in the UK right now.  Over 2% if you fix for a year or more. 
« Last Edit: November 01, 2018, 10:44:04 AM by shackleford »

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21005 on: November 01, 2018, 10:19:55 PM »
A colleague was seated next to a financial counsellor at a conference yesterday.

The counsellor said she had one client who ordered Uber Eats 92 times in a month.

ಠ_ಠ

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21006 on: November 01, 2018, 10:21:49 PM »
A colleague was seated next to a financial counsellor at a conference yesterday.

The counsellor said she had one client who ordered Uber Eats 92 times in a month.

ಠ_ಠ
what is this i don't even

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21007 on: November 01, 2018, 10:54:16 PM »
A colleague was seated next to a financial counsellor at a conference yesterday.

The counsellor said she had one client who ordered Uber Eats 92 times in a month.

ಠ_ಠ
what is this i don't even

are you twelve years old?

marty998

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21008 on: November 02, 2018, 12:52:51 AM »
A colleague was seated next to a financial counsellor at a conference yesterday.

The counsellor said she had one client who ordered Uber Eats 92 times in a month.

ಠ_ಠ
what is this i don't even

are you twelve years old?

Lol like whatever.

if there are 93 meals in a 31 day month, I would like to know what the Uber Eater does for the 1 meal they don't order.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21009 on: November 02, 2018, 12:56:38 AM »
A colleague was seated next to a financial counsellor at a conference yesterday.

The counsellor said she had one client who ordered Uber Eats 92 times in a month.

ಠ_ಠ
what is this i don't even

are you twelve years old?

Lol like whatever.

if there are 93 meals in a 31 day month, I would like to know what the Uber Eater does for the 1 meal they don't order.

... what if it was a 30-day month?

*Marty's head explodes*

marty998

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21010 on: November 02, 2018, 01:01:17 AM »
A colleague was seated next to a financial counsellor at a conference yesterday.

The counsellor said she had one client who ordered Uber Eats 92 times in a month.

ಠ_ಠ
what is this i don't even

are you twelve years old?

Lol like whatever.

if there are 93 meals in a 31 day month, I would like to know what the Uber Eater does for the 1 meal they don't order.

... what if it was a 30-day month?

*Marty's head explodes*

I would guess this person has a really really intense crush on the really really shy delivery boy but she is just really really shy too so she keeps ordering until he maybe one day gets the hint.

JLee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21011 on: November 02, 2018, 06:00:43 AM »
Checked Barclays, 0.75% with 100k+ savings. Still not 1.3%, but granted that interest varies more than I expected. The 0.3% I mentioned was the highest interest in Holland a few months back, it's likely to drop in the negatives of the banks keep going.

You can get up to 1.5% in easy access savings accounts in the UK right now.  Over 2% if you fix for a year or more.

1.9% at Ally Bank in the US now.

ducky19

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21012 on: November 02, 2018, 08:21:41 AM »
Checked Barclays, 0.75% with 100k+ savings. Still not 1.3%, but granted that interest varies more than I expected. The 0.3% I mentioned was the highest interest in Holland a few months back, it's likely to drop in the negatives of the banks keep going.

You can get up to 1.5% in easy access savings accounts in the UK right now.  Over 2% if you fix for a year or more.

1.9% at Ally Bank in the US now.

Getting 2.25% at Citizens Access now, $5k min deposit but no fees.

Aelias

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21013 on: November 02, 2018, 09:51:29 AM »
I was talking to my boss about an upcoming trip to Vietnam in two weeks (!!!) for a friend's wedding, and she asked if we were flying "freight" and I said, "Of course!  What, do you think I'm made of money?"

And she said, "Well, you never know.  People might have a secret stash.  No secret stash for you, I guess."

And the hilarious thing is we absolutely do have a secret stache. We have said stache because we don't spend money on shit like business class flights.

She's going to be really confused when I retire before she does.

DS

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21014 on: November 02, 2018, 11:24:04 AM »
I was talking to my boss about an upcoming trip to Vietnam in two weeks (!!!) for a friend's wedding, and she asked if we were flying "freight" and I said, "Of course!  What, do you think I'm made of money?"

And she said, "Well, you never know.  People might have a secret stash.  No secret stash for you, I guess."

And the hilarious thing is we absolutely do have a secret stache. We have said stache because we don't spend money on shit like business class flights.

She's going to be really confused when I retire before she does.

Could be a good actress with a secret stash!

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21015 on: November 02, 2018, 05:25:40 PM »
I was talking to my boss about an upcoming trip to Vietnam in two weeks (!!!) for a friend's wedding, and she asked if we were flying "freight" and I said, "Of course!  What, do you think I'm made of money?"


Are you talking about regular economy seats or something else?  I've never heard of this.

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21016 on: November 02, 2018, 06:01:05 PM »
Co-worker bought first place - a condo.  Everything about it seemed like a really bad deal, but I didn't want to say too much negative about it.  He feels very confident in his ability to make financial decisions, but turned out to be very inexperienced in negotiating ANYTHING. 
Bought it from a flipper and felt like this was a positive.  It started out that everything was exactly as wanted.  Had no knowledge or interest in learning about the incentives flippers have to cut corners, so there wasn't much investigation done there. 
In the past few months, windows have been replaced, plumbing has had to be repaired, wood trim is being replaced due to many layers of paint looking spongy and not neat.  Now he wants to redo the kitchen and the bath. 
What was the point of buying a "flipped" unit if you don't like the cosmetic parts?

Freedomin5

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21017 on: November 03, 2018, 07:39:21 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21018 on: November 03, 2018, 07:48:08 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?

That is a really bad deal. When we recently had abonding trip, we went to a hotel, 2 working days. Hotel and meals were covered by the company, although I don't know about the drinks just before and after dinner. My boss servered bubble wine in her room to the women before dinner.

DH recently had a conference which was on Friday and Saturday. The Saturday and the Thursday evening on the train did not count as working hours. Also a half bad deal. But that's the deal som companies have for conferences.

Inrecently travelled to Berlin for a conference. When I travel to abroad, my travel hours outside business hours only count for half an hour paid working time. I earlier made the big mistake of travelling on Sunday afternoon and getting 5 hours delay on the airport. Now I planned my travel so that I do my whole trip within normal working hours so that one hour travel is one paid working hour.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2018, 07:52:21 AM by Linda_Norway »

Roadrunner53

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21019 on: November 03, 2018, 07:48:41 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?


What a cheap ass company that would expect the employees to pay for this experience. These team building things are supposed to be company sponsored. I never liked company picnics or holiday parties. There is always someone who gets drunk and ends up being gossiped about for the rest of their employment. It never fails you will hear "haha, remember when Simon got drunk at one of our holiday parties?". I actually did go to a holiday party where some woman pushed another woman into the indoor swimming pool! Nothing good happens at off hour company gatherings! I would NOT go either. So, sorry, I am SOOOO busy on weekends.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21020 on: November 03, 2018, 08:46:02 PM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?
Yeah, that's a bad joke.  Do it during a workday or at LEAST have the company pay for that shit.  Who the hell is going to attend that?

Freedomin5

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21021 on: November 04, 2018, 02:16:11 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?
Yeah, that's a bad joke.  Do it during a workday or at LEAST have the company pay for that shit.  Who the hell is going to attend that?

There are five people signed up so far. I’m guessing those are the people vying for good end of year reviews and promotions.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21022 on: November 05, 2018, 08:44:28 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?
Yeah, that's a bad joke.  Do it during a workday or at LEAST have the company pay for that shit.  Who the hell is going to attend that?

There are five people signed up so far. I’m guessing those are the people vying for good end of year reviews and promotions.

Could be.

Over the weekend I attended a gala and silent auction for a friend's PTA. (Yeah-- most of my social activities revolve around charitable ventures. It's a family thing.) Historically this PTA has funded most of the supplies for students' science projects, bought a bunch of equipment for classes ranging from the library to Phys Ed, provided computer support for all the students, and generated an annual $200 "mini-grant" for each classroom so that no teacher has to pay so much as a cent out of pocket for classroom supplies. This charter school, a type of public school, is ranked highly at a national level and produces outstanding students with a high scholarship and college acceptance rate. Students consistently outperform those at even the most selective private schools.

In most respects the event was very well run. The organizers kept their operating costs low but still put on a good party. They got a deal on the venue, the wine, and the finger food. There were dozens of silent auction items that were well presented, and the auctioneer who auctioned off the major items was an excellent professional who saw to it that the reserve price was met. Sadly, although it was standing room only in previous years, the ticket sales were lean this year. Only two teachers and faculty members showed up. Although the event made enough money to cover the expenses of putting it on, the event didn't generate the revenue it did in previous years. The attendance was the only reason why. If you have bodies in the room, you get bids. No bodies? No bids.

At a silent auction or charity auction, you need bids because the point is not for the people bidding to get a bargain. The goal is to get people into an ego competition so that the value of each item gets bid up well past its usual sale price, resulting in a sizable benefit to the organizing charity. Sometimes it turns into a game in which people who try to run the bid up as high as they can without actually buying the item-- a grown-up version of "hot potato" that is actually quite fun. Other times, people bid on items they need, want, and can use (such as vehicle care vouchers for an oil change or a tire rotation) and get them for approximately market value. They bid up to the market value, and then stop. If they win the auction, they have an item they already budgeted for and needed to buy anyway. If they don't win the auction, so what? They showed up, they enjoyed the wine and the finger food, and they got to chat with people they know or ought to know.

When you don't get attendance, you don't get bids. Most items went for well below their market value. All the reserve prices were met for the major items, but nothing got bid up.

Given the extent to which the teachers benefit from this program, I truly expected more to attend. But then I got to thinking that this kind of event must be an awful bore and an extension of a classroom job that the teachers don't necessarily like. Interacting with parents and members of the community might not be a way they want to spend an evening. Of course, most of the parents didn't attend either.

I wonder how they'll deal with not having the funding the next year.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21023 on: November 05, 2018, 08:51:07 AM »

Given the extent to which the teachers benefit from this program, I truly expected more to attend. But then I got to thinking that this kind of event must be an awful bore and an extension of a classroom job that the teachers don't necessarily like. Interacting with parents and members of the community might not be a way they want to spend an evening. Of course, most of the parents didn't attend either.

I wonder how they'll deal with not having the funding the next year.

But why would teacher's attend? Like you said, auctions mean you pay way more than something is worth, so you can donate the money to a cause. (Um, I was just at an event where my table paid $3,000 for a homemade cake for our dessert...)   Teacher's are going to end up funding the classroom anyway. Why bother donating through this event?

It's parents who need to be attending these things.


(I used to work at a University who wanted 100% employee participation in the "philanthropy" event. Which was giving to the University.  Um, no thank you. The University should give to me- in form of a paycheck.  Thankfully, Children's Miracle Network for the hospital was included in University giving, so I didn't ruin it for my department by not donating. But I wasn't going to donate to the college that employeed me!)

ixtap

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21024 on: November 05, 2018, 09:00:29 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?
Yeah, that's a bad joke.  Do it during a workday or at LEAST have the company pay for that shit.  Who the hell is going to attend that?

There are five people signed up so far. I’m guessing those are the people vying for good end of year reviews and promotions.

Could be.

Over the weekend I attended a gala and silent auction for a friend's PTA. (Yeah-- most of my social activities revolve around charitable ventures. It's a family thing.) Historically this PTA has funded most of the supplies for students' science projects, bought a bunch of equipment for classes ranging from the library to Phys Ed, provided computer support for all the students, and generated an annual $200 "mini-grant" for each classroom so that no teacher has to pay so much as a cent out of pocket for classroom supplies. This charter school, a type of public school, is ranked highly at a national level and produces outstanding students with a high scholarship and college acceptance rate. Students consistently outperform those at even the most selective private schools.

In most respects the event was very well run. The organizers kept their operating costs low but still put on a good party. They got a deal on the venue, the wine, and the finger food. There were dozens of silent auction items that were well presented, and the auctioneer who auctioned off the major items was an excellent professional who saw to it that the reserve price was met. Sadly, although it was standing room only in previous years, the ticket sales were lean this year. Only two teachers and faculty members showed up. Although the event made enough money to cover the expenses of putting it on, the event didn't generate the revenue it did in previous years. The attendance was the only reason why. If you have bodies in the room, you get bids. No bodies? No bids.

At a silent auction or charity auction, you need bids because the point is not for the people bidding to get a bargain. The goal is to get people into an ego competition so that the value of each item gets bid up well past its usual sale price, resulting in a sizable benefit to the organizing charity. Sometimes it turns into a game in which people who try to run the bid up as high as they can without actually buying the item-- a grown-up version of "hot potato" that is actually quite fun. Other times, people bid on items they need, want, and can use (such as vehicle care vouchers for an oil change or a tire rotation) and get them for approximately market value. They bid up to the market value, and then stop. If they win the auction, they have an item they already budgeted for and needed to buy anyway. If they don't win the auction, so what? They showed up, they enjoyed the wine and the finger food, and they got to chat with people they know or ought to know.

When you don't get attendance, you don't get bids. Most items went for well below their market value. All the reserve prices were met for the major items, but nothing got bid up.

Given the extent to which the teachers benefit from this program, I truly expected more to attend. But then I got to thinking that this kind of event must be an awful bore and an extension of a classroom job that the teachers don't necessarily like. Interacting with parents and members of the community might not be a way they want to spend an evening. Of course, most of the parents didn't attend either.

I wonder how they'll deal with not having the funding the next year.

Teachers already pay for so much, why would you expect them to want to pay more to do their jobs??

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21025 on: November 05, 2018, 09:10:10 AM »
My work has an “employee bonding event” coming up. It’s a full day trip to a neighboring tourist city and on the itinerary is a scenic bus tour and all-you-can-eat seafood buffet including all-you-can-eat local seafood delicacy. Everyone is encouraged to participate. But...it’s SELF-PAY.

Oh, and it’s on a weekend so we are using our (uncompensated) personal time. They’re not even telling us how much we might expect to pay for the privilege of doing this work-related activity on our personal time.  Well, guess who just happens to not be available on that date?
Yeah, that's a bad joke.  Do it during a workday or at LEAST have the company pay for that shit.  Who the hell is going to attend that?

There are five people signed up so far. I’m guessing those are the people vying for good end of year reviews and promotions.

Could be.

Over the weekend I attended a gala and silent auction for a friend's PTA. (Yeah-- most of my social activities revolve around charitable ventures. It's a family thing.) Historically this PTA has funded most of the supplies for students' science projects, bought a bunch of equipment for classes ranging from the library to Phys Ed, provided computer support for all the students, and generated an annual $200 "mini-grant" for each classroom so that no teacher has to pay so much as a cent out of pocket for classroom supplies. This charter school, a type of public school, is ranked highly at a national level and produces outstanding students with a high scholarship and college acceptance rate. Students consistently outperform those at even the most selective private schools.

In most respects the event was very well run. The organizers kept their operating costs low but still put on a good party. They got a deal on the venue, the wine, and the finger food. There were dozens of silent auction items that were well presented, and the auctioneer who auctioned off the major items was an excellent professional who saw to it that the reserve price was met. Sadly, although it was standing room only in previous years, the ticket sales were lean this year. Only two teachers and faculty members showed up. Although the event made enough money to cover the expenses of putting it on, the event didn't generate the revenue it did in previous years. The attendance was the only reason why. If you have bodies in the room, you get bids. No bodies? No bids.

At a silent auction or charity auction, you need bids because the point is not for the people bidding to get a bargain. The goal is to get people into an ego competition so that the value of each item gets bid up well past its usual sale price, resulting in a sizable benefit to the organizing charity. Sometimes it turns into a game in which people who try to run the bid up as high as they can without actually buying the item-- a grown-up version of "hot potato" that is actually quite fun. Other times, people bid on items they need, want, and can use (such as vehicle care vouchers for an oil change or a tire rotation) and get them for approximately market value. They bid up to the market value, and then stop. If they win the auction, they have an item they already budgeted for and needed to buy anyway. If they don't win the auction, so what? They showed up, they enjoyed the wine and the finger food, and they got to chat with people they know or ought to know.

When you don't get attendance, you don't get bids. Most items went for well below their market value. All the reserve prices were met for the major items, but nothing got bid up.

Given the extent to which the teachers benefit from this program, I truly expected more to attend. But then I got to thinking that this kind of event must be an awful bore and an extension of a classroom job that the teachers don't necessarily like. Interacting with parents and members of the community might not be a way they want to spend an evening. Of course, most of the parents didn't attend either.

I wonder how they'll deal with not having the funding the next year.

Teachers already pay for so much, why would you expect them to want to pay more to do their jobs??

See sentence 3, paragraph 2. At this particular school, teachers pay for nothing. The PTA fundraising events are the reason why.

Extra information not in my original post: for staff and teachers, the tickets were free.

PloddingInsight

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21026 on: November 05, 2018, 10:46:21 AM »
Background: I make at least 3x the median income for my area.  Guy in the next cubicle has the same job description and has been at it at least ten years longer than I have. He's on the phone about replacing a broken faucet in his house

Quote
"I get paid Thursday, so....


magnet18

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21027 on: November 05, 2018, 11:21:50 AM »
Background: I make at least 3x the median income for my area.  Guy in the next cubicle has the same job description and has been at it at least ten years longer than I have. He's on the phone about replacing a broken faucet in his house

Quote
"I get paid Thursday, so....

My thoughts were
"Why was he on the phone about a broken.... Oh.. yea... Normal people"

FIREbird

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21028 on: November 05, 2018, 12:16:52 PM »
I've been lurking on the MMM forum for a few months, but then this gem occurred so I had to create an account just to share it.

It's open enrollment season, so my company has been announcing new benefits options. Most of it's been pretty standard stuff until they decided to announce a "Purchasing Power" benefit to "promote financial wellness". It turns out that this is a new program that allows employees to buy items and then pay for them over time via payroll deduction. It's essentially a zero-interest loan from the company to finance irresponsible spending. When one goes to the website to see what you can buy with this new "benefit", there are lists of vacation packages, jewelry, and other luxury items.

I guess it's better than going into credit card debt, but encouraging people to buy consumer crap they can't afford isn't exactly the best way to "promote financial wellness".

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21029 on: November 05, 2018, 12:27:16 PM »
I've been lurking on the MMM forum for a few months, but then this gem occurred so I had to create an account just to share it.

It's open enrollment season, so my company has been announcing new benefits options. Most of it's been pretty standard stuff until they decided to announce a "Purchasing Power" benefit to "promote financial wellness". It turns out that this is a new program that allows employees to buy items and then pay for them over time via payroll deduction. It's essentially a zero-interest loan from the company to finance irresponsible spending. When one goes to the website to see what you can buy with this new "benefit", there are lists of vacation packages, jewelry, and other luxury items.

I guess it's better than going into credit card debt, but encouraging people to buy consumer crap they can't afford isn't exactly the best way to "promote financial wellness".

I see that The Company Store is alive and well.

DS

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21030 on: November 05, 2018, 12:29:48 PM »
I've been lurking on the MMM forum for a few months, but then this gem occurred so I had to create an account just to share it.

It's open enrollment season, so my company has been announcing new benefits options. Most of it's been pretty standard stuff until they decided to announce a "Purchasing Power" benefit to "promote financial wellness". It turns out that this is a new program that allows employees to buy items and then pay for them over time via payroll deduction. It's essentially a zero-interest loan from the company to finance irresponsible spending. When one goes to the website to see what you can buy with this new "benefit", there are lists of vacation packages, jewelry, and other luxury items.

I guess it's better than going into credit card debt, but encouraging people to buy consumer crap they can't afford isn't exactly the best way to "promote financial wellness".

I see that The Company Store is alive and well.

Hard to believe this is legal!!

PloddingInsight

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21031 on: November 05, 2018, 12:37:00 PM »
My thoughts were
"Why was he on the phone about a broken.... Oh.. yea... Normal people"

I believe he was talking to a family member, not a repair person.  But still! Ha ha

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21032 on: November 05, 2018, 01:17:06 PM »
My thoughts were
"Why was he on the phone about a broken.... Oh.. yea... Normal people"

I believe he was talking to a family member, not a repair person.  But still! Ha ha

If I were talking to DH I might say the same thing about waiting until payday if it were only a few days away.  If at all possible, I like to try to juggle spending to accommodate something like that rather than automatically dip into the emergency fund every time something comes up.  Hell, I had trouble dipping into the emergency fund after an actual emergency. 

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21033 on: November 05, 2018, 01:56:29 PM »

Given the extent to which the teachers benefit from this program, I truly expected more to attend. But then I got to thinking that this kind of event must be an awful bore and an extension of a classroom job that the teachers don't necessarily like. Interacting with parents and members of the community might not be a way they want to spend an evening. Of course, most of the parents didn't attend either.

I wonder how they'll deal with not having the funding the next year.

But why would teacher's attend? Like you said, auctions mean you pay way more than something is worth, so you can donate the money to a cause. (Um, I was just at an event where my table paid $3,000 for a homemade cake for our dessert...)   Teacher's are going to end up funding the classroom anyway. Why bother donating through this event?

It's parents who need to be attending these things.


(I used to work at a University who wanted 100% employee participation in the "philanthropy" event. Which was giving to the University.  Um, no thank you. The University should give to me- in form of a paycheck.  Thankfully, Children's Miracle Network for the hospital was included in University giving, so I didn't ruin it for my department by not donating. But I wasn't going to donate to the college that employeed me!)
Good will, they can be fun, invite your friends.

I've thrown one or two of these and attended others.  We probably end up with about 25-30% of the teachers attending.  It's not everyone's thing.  Many teachers live far away and commute.  But mingling with parents is a way to get more donations, more help in the classroom, etc.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21034 on: November 05, 2018, 03:56:35 PM »

Given the extent to which the teachers benefit from this program, I truly expected more to attend. But then I got to thinking that this kind of event must be an awful bore and an extension of a classroom job that the teachers don't necessarily like. Interacting with parents and members of the community might not be a way they want to spend an evening. Of course, most of the parents didn't attend either.

I wonder how they'll deal with not having the funding the next year.

But why would teacher's attend? Like you said, auctions mean you pay way more than something is worth, so you can donate the money to a cause. (Um, I was just at an event where my table paid $3,000 for a homemade cake for our dessert...)   Teacher's are going to end up funding the classroom anyway. Why bother donating through this event?

It's parents who need to be attending these things.


(I used to work at a University who wanted 100% employee participation in the "philanthropy" event. Which was giving to the University.  Um, no thank you. The University should give to me- in form of a paycheck.  Thankfully, Children's Miracle Network for the hospital was included in University giving, so I didn't ruin it for my department by not donating. But I wasn't going to donate to the college that employeed me!)
Good will, they can be fun, invite your friends.

I've thrown one or two of these and attended others.  We probably end up with about 25-30% of the teachers attending.  It's not everyone's thing.  Many teachers live far away and commute.  But mingling with parents is a way to get more donations, more help in the classroom, etc.

@i'm a red panda: I responded to someone else's post first. These particular teachers, in this particular school, aren't "funding the classroom" and they never have been. The PTA has reimbursed them for all their classroom related expenses and also purchases extra supplies (based on teacher wish lists) that range from science lab chemicals to robot parts.

Also (and I acknowledge that I didn't put this information in the original post) the event was free to staff and faculty. (Tickets were sold to parents and outsiders like me). Tickets included two glasses of wine and a light buffet meal.

The only thing these school employees would have been contributing would have been an hour or two of time. It wasn't just the teachers who chose not to attend. The principal and administrators didn't show either. The parents likewise mostly gave the event a pass. I'm not sure why. It's possible that after the success of previous years it's possible the event was under-advertised. Either that or enough people thought "nah... enough other people will go and I'll still get the benefit from a successful fundraiser having occurred." I've seen that happen a couple of times when a community gets too confident and people start slacking off because they think someone else will carry the weight.

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21035 on: November 05, 2018, 05:12:25 PM »
Honestly....We pass on fundraisers too.  But our PTA has the option of opting out.  AKA pay them for the privilege of not hocking wrapping paper and cookie dough to friends and family.

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21036 on: November 05, 2018, 11:34:45 PM »
Coworker proudly told me they sold off all their investments right before the correction last month "great timing isn't it?" Ik asked if they made a nice profit but no, they didn't. They didn't lose any money though, and this money is their retirement pot so they can't afford to lose it to the market. It's safe in a 0,3% interest savings account now.

PloddingInsight

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21037 on: November 06, 2018, 08:35:42 AM »
If I were talking to DH I might say the same thing about waiting until payday if it were only a few days away.  If at all possible, I like to try to juggle spending to accommodate something like that rather than automatically dip into the emergency fund every time something comes up.  Hell, I had trouble dipping into the emergency fund after an actual emergency.
If you don't have enough money for a new faucet in your everyday bank account, you run a very tight ship.

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21038 on: November 06, 2018, 08:54:04 AM »
If I were talking to DH I might say the same thing about waiting until payday if it were only a few days away.  If at all possible, I like to try to juggle spending to accommodate something like that rather than automatically dip into the emergency fund every time something comes up.  Hell, I had trouble dipping into the emergency fund after an actual emergency.
If you don't have enough money for a new faucet in your everyday bank account, you run a very tight ship.

Meh.  I don't actually keep much more than I need in checking.  I get paid, bills get paid, anything extra goes into one kind of savings or another.  So a day or two after payday there might be very little in my checking account.  If it were only a couple of days I'd rather wait, research the best option, and make a decision.  I find that it stops impulse decisions.  In this case, I might want to order something rather than just have to pick from whatever the box stores have in stock. 

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21039 on: November 06, 2018, 01:57:54 PM »
If I were talking to DH I might say the same thing about waiting until payday if it were only a few days away.  If at all possible, I like to try to juggle spending to accommodate something like that rather than automatically dip into the emergency fund every time something comes up.  Hell, I had trouble dipping into the emergency fund after an actual emergency.
If you don't have enough money for a new faucet in your everyday bank account, you run a very tight ship.

Meh.  I don't actually keep much more than I need in checking.  I get paid, bills get paid, anything extra goes into one kind of savings or another.  So a day or two after payday there might be very little in my checking account.  If it were only a couple of days I'd rather wait, research the best option, and make a decision.  I find that it stops impulse decisions.  In this case, I might want to order something rather than just have to pick from whatever the box stores have in stock.

I put like 200 in checking at the beginning of the month. That's more than enough for me. In case of emergency I van transfer the money back from savings in real time through my online banking app, or use a credit card.

DutchGirl

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21040 on: November 06, 2018, 03:40:40 PM »
At my employer's headquarters, they're experimenting with having a barista at a mobile "coffee bar" during some hours of the day. Coffee is going to cost between 1.50 and 2 euros, depending on how fancy you want it to be. So that's okay-ish.

I do plan on trying it once when I visit the headquarters (normally I don't work there). But I think there will be plenty of folks who will go there every day or multiple times per day.

All the while there are also coffee machines that produce reasonable quality coffee, espresso, hot water and some other options, a rich choice of 12 different types of tea - all of these drinks are for free. Plus the break rooms have multiple fridges for any other drinks or food you might want to bring in with you. Two nice supermarkets within walking distance...

Update: yup, it's popular. I bought coffee there three times now over the last couple of months. It's okay-ish coffee, slightly better than the one you get from the coffee machine. There's a line most of the time. So the barista is probably going to stay.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21041 on: November 07, 2018, 01:36:09 AM »
At my employer's headquarters, they're experimenting with having a barista at a mobile "coffee bar" during some hours of the day. Coffee is going to cost between 1.50 and 2 euros, depending on how fancy you want it to be. So that's okay-ish.

I do plan on trying it once when I visit the headquarters (normally I don't work there). But I think there will be plenty of folks who will go there every day or multiple times per day.

All the while there are also coffee machines that produce reasonable quality coffee, espresso, hot water and some other options, a rich choice of 12 different types of tea - all of these drinks are for free. Plus the break rooms have multiple fridges for any other drinks or food you might want to bring in with you. Two nice supermarkets within walking distance...

Update: yup, it's popular. I bought coffee there three times now over the last couple of months. It's okay-ish coffee, slightly better than the one you get from the coffee machine. There's a line most of the time. So the barista is probably going to stay.

If even you (as a mustachian) buy there regularly, it has done the trick. Isn't it bad of a company to allow such a coffee bar to be established in their building? It is a much bigger challenge to withstand something that you pass every done then something you would actively have to go to. Why tempting all employees with this extra cost?

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21042 on: November 07, 2018, 04:03:20 AM »
At my employer's headquarters, they're experimenting with having a barista at a mobile "coffee bar" during some hours of the day. Coffee is going to cost between 1.50 and 2 euros, depending on how fancy you want it to be. So that's okay-ish.

I do plan on trying it once when I visit the headquarters (normally I don't work there). But I think there will be plenty of folks who will go there every day or multiple times per day.

All the while there are also coffee machines that produce reasonable quality coffee, espresso, hot water and some other options, a rich choice of 12 different types of tea - all of these drinks are for free. Plus the break rooms have multiple fridges for any other drinks or food you might want to bring in with you. Two nice supermarkets within walking distance...

Update: yup, it's popular. I bought coffee there three times now over the last couple of months. It's okay-ish coffee, slightly better than the one you get from the coffee machine. There's a line most of the time. So the barista is probably going to stay.

If even you (as a mustachian) buy there regularly, it has done the trick. Isn't it bad of a company to allow such a coffee bar to be established in their building? It is a much bigger challenge to withstand something that you pass every done then something you would actively have to go to. Why tempting all employees with this extra cost?

They probably think they're good employers for offering nice coffee for a low-ish price so people don't have to go to Starbucks.

My old employer used to have a ground floor with only a large hall, reception area and bathrooms and they have turned that floor into a coffeeshop accessible to both employees and the public. Brilliant way of turning a wasted space into something that makes money for them.

My current employer offers terrible coffee so several coworkers have their own coffee machines on their desk.

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21043 on: November 07, 2018, 06:15:02 AM »
At my employer's headquarters, they're experimenting with having a barista at a mobile "coffee bar" during some hours of the day. Coffee is going to cost between 1.50 and 2 euros, depending on how fancy you want it to be. So that's okay-ish.

I do plan on trying it once when I visit the headquarters (normally I don't work there). But I think there will be plenty of folks who will go there every day or multiple times per day.

All the while there are also coffee machines that produce reasonable quality coffee, espresso, hot water and some other options, a rich choice of 12 different types of tea - all of these drinks are for free. Plus the break rooms have multiple fridges for any other drinks or food you might want to bring in with you. Two nice supermarkets within walking distance...

Update: yup, it's popular. I bought coffee there three times now over the last couple of months. It's okay-ish coffee, slightly better than the one you get from the coffee machine. There's a line most of the time. So the barista is probably going to stay.

If even you (as a mustachian) buy there regularly, it has done the trick. Isn't it bad of a company to allow such a coffee bar to be established in their building? It is a much bigger challenge to withstand something that you pass every done then something you would actively have to go to. Why tempting all employees with this extra cost?

They probably think they're good employers for offering nice coffee for a low-ish price so people don't have to go to Starbucks.

My old employer used to have a ground floor with only a large hall, reception area and bathrooms and they have turned that floor into a coffeeshop accessible to both employees and the public. Brilliant way of turning a wasted space into something that makes money for them.

My current employer offers terrible coffee so several coworkers have their own coffee machines on their desk.

If people appreciate the fancy coffee, then the employer is making their employees content and likely improving morale and retention - good move. It's not their job to help people save money!

That said, my office offers for-money keurig coffee (50 cents per cup, which is JUST low enough that I'll occasionally get some), but the machine dispenses free hot water. I've switched to tea, for the most part.

jinga nation

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21044 on: November 07, 2018, 06:52:21 AM »
Our snack bar at work used to have a ton of items, you put your cash in a steel box, honor system, no IOUs.
Now notices are up that there is a lot of theft and items will not be replenished, item variety will be reduced.
This is at a DOD site with civilians, military, and contractors.

Second time I've seen this. First time I was when I ran my team's snack fund in a different building.

fatcow240

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21045 on: November 07, 2018, 08:30:33 AM »
Our snack bar at work used to have a ton of items, you put your cash in a steel box, honor system, no IOUs.
Now notices are up that there is a lot of theft and items will not be replenished, item variety will be reduced.
This is at a DOD site with civilians, military, and contractors.

Second time I've seen this. First time I was when I ran my team's snack fund in a different building.
I have never seen an honor system snack bar work.  My current office has a self service area.  It has several cameras.  That is the only way I see it working.

ysette9

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21046 on: November 07, 2018, 10:30:23 AM »
My former employer was a DoD contractor and our honor system snack bars worked just fine. It is odd to think that people with security clearances who are entrusted with supposedly secrets of national security importance can’t be trusted not to steal a cup-o-noodle. Then again, we also got janitors and contractors and who knows who else going through the building.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21047 on: November 07, 2018, 11:20:31 AM »
My former employer was a DoD contractor and our honor system snack bars worked just fine. It is odd to think that people with security clearances who are entrusted with supposedly secrets of national security importance can’t be trusted not to steal a cup-o-noodle. Then again, we also got janitors and contractors and who knows who else going through the building.

There was a study (it was a person who sold bagels with an honesty box system, it was in a book called something like the truth about dishonesty), that suggested that the higher the status of people the more likely it was that they stole from the honesty system.

My friend runs the tuck shelf at a Police station and had to double the prices to break even, it was highly amusing.

It's pretty scary that people are willing to steal from an employer or from their colleagues. If you are too skint to pay for a snack you probably need to be keeping that job.

letsdoit

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21048 on: November 07, 2018, 11:38:20 AM »
I was talking to my boss about an upcoming trip to Vietnam in two weeks (!!!) for a friend's wedding, and she asked if we were flying "freight" and I said, "Of course!  What, do you think I'm made of money?"

And she said, "Well, you never know.  People might have a secret stash.  No secret stash for you, I guess."

And the hilarious thing is we absolutely do have a secret stache. We have said stache because we don't spend money on shit like business class flights.

She's going to be really confused when I retire before she does.

i has a friend who asked if i wanted to fly to vietnam for the WEEKEND!
i live in the eastern USA, it takes a day and a half to fly to Vietnam ! ha ha
i would barely make it thru customs before we had to go back home

letsdoit

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21049 on: November 07, 2018, 11:41:38 AM »
i had a co-worker who screamed (she was very nice, not a screamer)
FUcKKK!! all of a sudden
i almost came running , thinking there was emergency

she says, did you hear our (professional) license costs 275$ to renew now?!!

i was like , no ,  what difference does $50 make (it used to be like $215)?

she was like. i'm not gonna be able to pay my mortgage now. 


 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!