What perks does your job provide for you?

[happyuk]

The usual perks:

Subsidized canteen providing reasonably OK food.
9% pension contribitions from employer
25 days annual leave
Gym
Discounted memberships (eg Costco, musical festivals, events etc)

But importantly for me: very pleasant spacious surroundings, an easy commute and easy-to-get-on-with colleagues - no egos.

The LAST point is a major selling point for me, and makes it far less persuasive for me to leave, given some of the dysfunctional work environments I have have been at in the past.

[jps]

But importantly for me: very pleasant spacious surroundings, an easy commute and easy-to-get-on-with colleagues - no egos.

The LAST point is a major selling point for me, and makes it far less persuasive for me to leave, given some of the dysfunctional work environments I have have been at in the past.

Great point. Without these things, all of the other benefits seem to lose their punch.

[exterous]

I do IT work for colleges and Universities

2:1 403b match up to 5% (They put in 10%)
Access to a 457
24 vacation days (and the freedom to use all of them)
15 sick days
11 holidays
Free 2x life insurance
Free long and short term disability
Free dental
Great health insurance, reasonably priced
$200 towards any gym membership
Free bus pass
$1500 towards any 'reasonable' technical training a year (with overages possible but needing approval)
$500-1500 towards non-technical professional development per year
Correspondingly supportive leadership
A couple of annual parties the company picks up the tab for
December is actually somewhat unhealthy from all the parties, free food and all the stuff people make to bring in.
No expectation to work after hours or weekends - which is rare in IT

[use2betrix]

Industrial Construction:
Perks -
$50,960/yr tax free per diem
$6,000/yr tax free “travel allowance”
Allowing me a 401k and a 5% match that’s fully vested from Day 1 (their match is about $11,000)
HSA where I can contribute the full $7000 pre tax
Full health benefits
Very high day rate pay

I am very fortunate for my position given I’m 30 with an associates degree. I’ve worked my way up from being a field trade work. Right now I’m honestly working 2-3 people’s job and I’m fine with that. They appreciate and reward me. They just gave me a huge raise I didn’t ask for.

[MrUpwardlyMobile]

Industrial Construction:
Perks -
$50,960/yr tax free per diem
$6,000/yr tax free “travel allowance”
Allowing me a 401k and a 5% match that’s fully vested from Day 1 (their match is about $11,000)
HSA where I can contribute the full $7000 pre tax
Full health benefits
Very high day rate pay

I am very fortunate for my position given I’m 30 with an associates degree. I’ve worked my way up from being a field trade work. Right now I’m honestly working 2-3 people’s job and I’m fine with that. They appreciate and reward me. They just gave me a huge raise I didn’t ask for.

Respect.  Hard work that is respected and rewarded is really what everyone wants.

[Freedomin5]

International Education:

Housing - 3-bedroom apartment a short distance from work
Private school tuition for your children
Pension plan
Full health benefits
Disability insurance
Roundtrip airfare to your home country
Professional development allowance
Approx. 3 months vacation
11 sick days/personal leave days

The benefits are basically worth more than the salary.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

Small, private employer here.

• 8% match in my 401k
• Free health insurance for me (which I don't use, because it actually works better for me to be on my wife's plan due to the high deductible/OOP max on my employer plan)
• Free snacks and drinks
• Very flexible work schedule

[fuzzy math]

Public hospital employee:

- Free t shirts
- Free jacket
- Gift cards at christmas that they tax you for
- Tone deaf administrators


Actually the real deal stuff:

- Access to a $55k 403b
- Access to a 457b
- 5% matching with a few yr vest
- Pension with 5 yr vest (I contribute 2%, not entirely sure what they contribute)
- 21 PTO days, 8 holidays and 12 sick days a year -- this is huge. Many places have gone to 25 PTO days which combines all of those (didn't work on a holiday? Use PTO!!)
- Reduced tuition
- Community events
- Overworked / poorly managed managers do not give a shit what I do

[PhrugalPhan]

Local Gov't IT worker in HCOL area:

• Salary: Under market, but not terrible.  No bonuses ever (though I never had a job that had them, so I'm used to this)
• Pension: ~ 2% X Years X Final salary (not exactly, but close enough).  Employees do have to contribute 5% of salary though.  Employer changes their contributions as needed to keep it well funded.  Also includes a Social Security supplement if I retire before 65.
• Vacation days: Starts at 13/year, increases over time and I just where I now get 26 days/year (8 hours every 2 weeks) (my vacation leave bank is growing so fast now its surprising)  Can carry bank of 6 weeks from year to year.
• Sick days: 13/year - Can use unused sick leave to retire earlier
• Holidays: 12/year

• Good low cost 457 plan options, though no matching (see Pension above)
• Multiple self funded health insurance plans available including HSA option (I currently am in the HSA - deducible is the federal minimum & employer contributes $650 yearly)
• Dental & Life insurance: Reasonable but not extraordinary.

• Overtime is rare and get compensation time off in those cases.
• Telework is available 1 day/week, though other departments are more liberal about that (grrrr)
• In-building gym (very low monthly fee), I use this daily.
• In-building credit union office.  I never have to go to a bank outside of the office - very nice.
• Promote special days yearly - about 5 (health, IT security, wellness, ...) Usually ends up consuming about 2/3 of the work day, so usually an easy day.

Damn, reading others here makes me appreciate my job more (I needed the mental boost as I have been stuck on a sh!tty project for 2 years now)

[jps]

• Vacation days: Starts at 13/year, increases over time and I just where I now get 26 days/year (8 hours every 2 weeks) (my vacation leave bank is growing so fast now its surprising)  Can carry bank of 6 weeks from year to year.
• Sick days: 13/year - Can use unused sick leave to retire earlier
• Holidays: 12/year

Wow that is a TON of time off.

[Seadog]

This thread went complete opposite direction I expected, when I think perks, I think anything that can't really be bought, so things like good salary, ot rate, and a gym membership don't really count since they're all essentially money equivalents. Especially for FIRE crowds, money is plentiful, and already more than enough to meet your needs.

Perks in my mind are things that money can't really buy, since you can get money or money equivalents from a hundred different sources. Things like access to private concerts (An old company I had relations to hired Van Halen + Tragically Hip), or getting to travel to super restricted countries like Turkmenistan, or super neat plces like Antarctica or space. 

[Imma]

This thread went complete opposite direction I expected, when I think perks, I think anything that can't really be bought, so things like good salary, ot rate, and a gym membership don't really count since they're all essentially money equivalents. Especially for FIRE crowds, money is plentiful, and already more than enough to meet your needs.

Perks in my mind are things that money can't really buy, since you can get money or money equivalents from a hundred different sources. Things like access to private concerts (An old company I had relations to hired Van Halen + Tragically Hip), or getting to travel to super restricted countries like Turkmenistan, or super neat plces like Antarctica or space.

I don't know about you but having to travel to a dictatorship would not be on my list of perks. Neither are Van Halen concerts, which is something you could also easily buy if that's something you're into.

For me, perks are the things my company offers that add to my work-life balance (like a lot of paid time off) or things that say that they care about my and my family's wellbeing (a good pension scheme, life insurance and disability insurance paid for by the company) and the budget they offer me to invest in education, even when it might not benefit my work directly, but will benefit my career in the long run. Even though I am in a commercial business, the wellbeing of staff is important and employees are generally treated well. That positive atmosphere is the most important reason why I work there.

[Blindsquirrel]

   Work at a megacorp. The best perk is entertainment. The three ring sh!t show that is our site never ceases to amaze and entertain. (pay is great, bonus can be huge, 22 days vacation, holidays off etc. but that is all extra compared to the never ending infinitely varied play that I get to see live every single day. :)

[Elle 8]

I kind of agree with Seadog.  What people are describing on this thread are 'benefits', not 'perks'.  Perks to me are the little extra things (but here I disagree with Seadog, they could have monetary equivalents).  Like the job being close to amenities, or discount programs on things like movie tickets, gym memberships, local restaurants or hair salons, or flexibility with hours, or free lunch once in a while, or the on-site credit union.  Things like that.  My job has all of these things plus very good benefits.