For our Unit 9 Assignment, we will reflect on the Benefits options we learned about in our readings and lecture, and draw upon our own experiences to determine what is most important to each of us benefits-wise at this point in our lives and careers. Especially as some of our classmates begin applying for new jobs as we approach graduation, this topic — what to look for from an employer — is applicable to our lives, and will vary based on who we are.

For this assignment, students can choose their medium to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the content of this unit and a meaningful application of the key concepts into their own lives.

Students can choose to:

• Write a 1-2 page reflection that addresses how employment benefits often go way beyond pay and vacation days. Students should research either a single company or a variety of organizations in a similar industry and describe the benefits offered to employees. Submissions should address the following questions:
  • How are organizations changing their operations to incorporate new benefits for employees? Describe some of these “nontraditional” benefits.
  • Which, if any, of these benefits are appealing to you personally? Why? Would you consider taking a lower rate of pay to gain the benefits you prefer?
  • What does research say about whether these benefits are paying off in the long run for companies? Do you think these “perks” are sustainable?

Here is an example of a student’s submission from a prior semester.
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• Interview a friend or family member (or multiple people) who work for different companies and ask them to describe the benefits they are afforded, and which benefits mean the most to them and why. This can be recorded on video, or transcribed with questions and answers. Then, reflect on these benefits and determine whether you agree or disagree with your interviewees’ opinions.

For any of the options above, students should follow this guide to create a post and select “Benefits” as the Category. All submissions will populate under the Student Work menu item (Student Work > Benefits). Students should review others’ submissions and comment meaningfully (refer to this guide from MMSU for reference) to at least two other students. For reference, here is the difference between a comment and a post — you will be using both for this assignment.

[When selecting a category, be sure to select a regular Category, NOT a Category Sticky. If you do this incorrectly, you will not see your post in the Student Work > Benefits section. See the image below for more information.]

As always, if you need more information, you can ask me a question. For information on due dates, check our Course Schedule.