Jamel Purnell

Professor Buckler

Assignment 9 Benefits

Hello, I decided to interview two family members for this assignment and transcribe the interaction.

1.WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO YOUR JOB?

ARIANA – (New York City Courts Licensed Vocational Counselor/Supervisor) Working at a less desired company that offered half the pay and required you to travel on public transportation (which they provide free monthly metro cards) to service the NYC special needs community. After being attacked physically by several clients it was time to switch as I obtained the necessary experience to move on to a more rewarding job with great benefits and a higher annual salary.

SOLOMON LITTLE BROTHER – (RETAIL STOCK ASSOCIATE) After getting laid off work at a coffee shop as a professional barista due to COVID-19 shutdowns. I was in desperate need to find anything and although the salary is very entry-level orientated. The potential for growth in the organization is great so I took the position thinking about the picture.

2.WHAT BENEFITS ARE OFFERED TO YOU AS AN EMPLOYEE AT YOUR JOB?

ARIANA – 401k savings, Individual or family medical and dental insurance, vacation club savings, life insurance for single and family, paid holidays off, floating holiday pay, 3 floating summers Friday’s off, 23 paid vacation days per calendar year, 2.5 days per month paid time off. You can carry over up to 12 days of paid time off to the next year, Plum benefits that offer discounts to theme parks nationwide, movie theaters, restaurants, hotel stay, car rental, and much more. Tuition reimbursement, and free consoling services.

SOLOMON LITTLE BROTHER – One-week vacation after one-year probation, two weeks’ vacation for full-time employees, 10 paid sick days pure year earned every pay period. 401 k enrollment for full-time employees with a 3 percent match annually, family medical coverage enrollment, Individual Dental coverage enrollment. Two 15-minute smoke breaks per full-time shift + 45-minute paid lunch break.

3.WHAT BENEFITS OFFERED BY YOUR JOB MEANS THE MOST TO YOU AND WHY?

ARIANA – My PTO (Paid time off) means the most to me because I use those days for anything, I need to use the off-time without having to use my vacation days or get dock pay. Plum benefits are also amazing because it allows me to do things with the family at drastically discounted prices like when the movie theaters were opened I’d get 18 dollar movie tickets for 6 dollars at any time I wish to go. I also appreciate the

SOLOMON LITTLE BROTHER – The 401K 3 percent contribution is the most appreciated benefit for me because I barely feel the deductions from my paycheck because it is pre-taxed and adds money to my account annually that I can borrow from at any time for life-changing reasons. I also enjoy the two 15-minute smoke breaks because the worth load is a lot on most days and it’s much needed.

4.IS THERE ANYTHING YOUR WOULD CHANGE WITHIN THE BENEFITS OFFERED BY YOUR JOB TO MAKE IT A BETTER WORK ENVIRONMENT?

ARIANA – I would definitely add more Paid Time Off, one major benefit I would change is the fact that everyone in this company is salaried and do not receive annual raises. Although I am happy with my salary its would be great to earn more based on my performance on the job. But that’s just wishful thinking to make a great job even better.

SOLOMON LITTLE BROTHER – The entry-level pay isn’t so great when comparing it NYC living expenses. Nor are the annual raises. Not enough vacation time, and if you haven’t accumulated enough sick hours to take off you got a write-up and could be subject to losing your job. The employee’s medical benefits aren’t too affordable for the pay rate most regular employees received.

FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES I ALWAYS FOUND THAT IN THE RETAIL INDUSTRY YOU RARELY GOT MORE THEN 14 DAYS IN PAID VACATIONS, THE 401K BENEFITS HAD TO BE EARNED BY EITHER EARNING FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT OR WORKING BEYOND ONE YEAR AT THE COMPANY & WAS RARE MATCHED MORE THEN 5 PERCENT, MEDICAL AND DENTAL COVERAGE WERE OFTEN WAY OVERPRICED AND NOT WORTH HAVING, SICK DAYS/ PAID TIME OFF WERE NONE EXISTENT, HOURLY PAY WERE SLIGHTLY MORE THEN MINIMUM WAGE AND RARELY OFFERED AND FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PROGRAMS. OFTEN STATE AND FEDERAL JOBS OFFER THE BEST EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WHETHER ITS SICK DAYS AND MEDICAL COVERAGE, TO RETIREMENT PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS AND FAIR SALARY WAGES. I AGREE WITH WHY SOLOMON TOOK THE RETAIL POSITION AND I UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE WOULDN’T BE HAPPY IN THAT POSITION. MAKING AN EMPLOYEE WAIT TO BUILD UP SICK TIME OFF DURING A PANDEMIC IS STRESSFUL, NOT TO MENTION ITS FLU SEASON. I BELIEVE COMPANY SHOULD JUST GIVE EMPLOYEES SICK DAYS AND REST DAYS. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN A PERSON JUST WANTS TO RELAX FOR A DAY OR TWO WITHOUT LOSING VACATION DAYS. I WOULDN’T BE TRILLED TO BE IN SOLOMONS POSITION AS A LOT OF THE BENEFITS HIS JOB OFFERED AREN’T TOO REWARDING AND WOULDN’T MAKE ME HAPPY TO WORK FOR THE COMPANY.  WHICH IS WHY I LOVE ARIANA’S JOB. ARIANA’S JOB IS THE LEAST BIT EASY AS SHE DEALS WITH NEW YORK STATES CRIMINAL POPULATION AS A WOMAN, SHE DEALS WITH A LOT FOR MANIPULATIVE INMATES THAT MAKE SEXUAL ADVANCES FREQUENTLY, DISGRUNTLE INMATES THAT FEEL LIKE THE SYSTEM CHEATED THEM SO THEY ARE DISRESPECTFUL AND ANGRY TOWARDS ALL WITHIN THE SYSTEM, AND THAT’S JUST A FEW AMONGST MANY OTHERS THINGS. HOW THE COMPANY THAT RUNS THIS PROGRAM IS WELL AWARE OF THE HARDSHIP WITHIN THE JOB AND HAVE IMPLEMENTED GREAT TOOLS THAT ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO DISCONNECT WHEN NEEDED AND REPLENISH WITH SOME VERY REWARDING BENEFITS THAT SHOW THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR STAFF AND ARE EMPATHIC TO THE JOB DETAILS. IF I WAS A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST THIS IS A JOB I COULD ABSOLUTELY WORK FOR AND POSSIBLE RETIRE DOING.