JOB BENEFITS

BENEFITS ARE PART OF YOUR COMPENSATION...
Benefits play a critical role in the lives of employees and their families by assisting in health needs, future financial security, needed absences from work, and more.

Benefits are not what you get paid...

Some companies may contribute towards your health benefits (health insurance.) If a company doesn’t provide medical or dental insurance, you may have to pay for these health benefits out of your own pocket. This cost could increase if you have additional family members to support.

If a company doesn’t pay you for sick days when you are unable to work, you simply give up your salary for those days. If you have paid sick leave, you would receive the same salary whether you worked or not (within company limits).

When thinking of accepting any job, take some time to find out about the benefits. A specific job may offer benefits that are important to you; these benefits could make things easier, less expensive, or just give you peace of mind.

Some questions to keep in mind when considering a job offer include:

• What benefit programs does the employer offer and are they helpful/important to me?
• What percent of benefit costs does the employer pay and what am I responsible to pay?
• Is the workplace family-friendly?
• Is there room for flexibility in working hours?
• Are you able to sign up for benefit programs when you first start working, is there a waiting period, or can you only sign up for benefits at certain times during the year?

Employee benefits are based on full vs. part time employment. Part-time employees are rarely offered benefits, but that trend is changing and better benefit packages are beginning to be offered by employers.

The number of employees in a firm plays an important role as to which benefit programs are offered. Smaller companies usually offer fewer while larger companies can afford to offer a wide range of benefits.

TYPES OF BENEFITS

• Paid time off
• Health/disability/life/accidental death insurance
• Retirement benefits
• Maternity/Paternity leave
• Education and training opportunities
• Bonuses
• Unique benefits like phone, car, laptop, product discounts, child car, etc.
• Stock options

Don't forget to consider hidden costs associated with your job choice. These may include...
-Cost to get to/from work
-Required clothing/uniform
-Professional /union dues
-Child care
-License/education required for the job