If an employer cannot offer you more money, what is the next best benefit?

Shannon Arroyo — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:14:01 -0500

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Jan 23 at 2018 11:18 AM

LTC Stephen C. — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:18:03 -0500

I would suggest good health coverage, Shannon Arroyo. Health insurance costs are headed through the roof nowadays. A good health plan that has fairly low deductibles and premiums can be more valuable than a pay raise or paid time off.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Jan 23 at 2018 11:18 AM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:18:27 -0500

Shannon Arroyo: I wish I could help you, Hon'. Many Prayers and good luck!

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jan 23 at 2018 11:20 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:20:10 -0500

Paid time off. It's the gift that keeps on giving. You'll accrue extra hours of time off, such as leave, vacation, or PTO. Hopefully your job will allow you to use the time off to good advantage, but if not you'll get paid for it when you change jobs in most states. Of course, your employer may offer to buy back some of your accrued vacation at some point. All good things.

Next best is education and training benefits. Employer-paid education and training is also the gift that keeps on giving because the knowledge and skills are portable.

Finally, in todays world, paying off some or all of an employee's college loans would be a great benefit.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2018 11:20 AM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:20:50 -0500

Good question. But, I have a counter one. If the employer can not offer me more money how can the employer afford to offer me more benefits?

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2018 11:21 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:21:20 -0500

As long as there is good health coverage and the job can challenge me and not make it so I am dreading heading into work every morning, and as long as the pay that is offered is enough to feed/house my family.......

Response by LCDR Robert S. made Jan 23 at 2018 11:46 AM

LCDR Robert S. — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:46:42 -0500

The value of any benefit depends on the individuals needs and preferences. For some people, more money might not even be the best benefit. So rephrasing your question, I would say, "What's a list of benefits that someone might ask for if an employer can't offer more money?"
• Paid time off tops the list. For almost everybody, "more time" is a huge benefit. This can be paid time off in the form of vacation, or longer lunches, an extra 3-day weekend every month, getting off at noon every Thursday, every other Friday off... the possibilities are pretty much endless, and they're all great.
• Paid time off for volunteer activities - this is a subcategory of paid time off, but can be easier to get from an employer because the employer can get tax benefits and good publicity for it.
• Student loan reimbursement
• Education benefits - either during off hours, or bringing in people to teach classes in the workplace (like CPR, or a cooking class).
• Free product/services that the company provides - my cousin used to work at a bookstore, and employees could bring any book home to read if they brought it back in salable condition.
• Free food - catered lunch every day, once a week, or once a month, or some other timetable.
• Free coaching - life coaches, athletic trainers, etc.
I hit send before I finished, so I'm going to add some more
• Daycare - in house or otherwise
• Health insurance coverage
• Health care Flexible Spending Account (most FSAs are funded from the employee's pay)
• Other Flexible Spending Accounts - child care, for example
• Flexible work schedule - the ability to come in and leave a couple hours early, work on Saturday and take the following Monday off
• Company vehicle - even if the company makes you pay for gas, it saves you wear and tear on your car for your commute

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jan 23 at 2018 12:10 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 12:10:25 -0500

A solid lead to a better employer as well as a glowing recommendation

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 23 at 2018 12:35 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 12:35:38 -0500

Shannon Arroyo More paid time off. Company Car could be good. Some sort of educational benefit or a cost share in a degree or certification along with PTO to attend/study.

In larger companies, like publicly traded companies, there may Be stock option or equity sharing.

Perhaps a professional sabbatical.

Is there a particular context for the question?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2018 1:37 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 13:37:55 -0500

Time off, healthcare, retirement, proximity to your home, flexibility with "$#it happens" situations..

Response by GySgt Kenneth Pepper made Jan 23 at 2018 1:38 PM

GySgt Kenneth Pepper — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 13:38:50 -0500

There are tangible and intangibles.
Tangibles, both directly and indirectly. A company car means I spend less on upkeep on mine. Catered meals means I spend less buying food. Paid time off to explore my personal interests is huge.
Intangibles = how I feel about my job and my employer. Am I challenged to strive for improvement? Do I get to use more than 50-60% of my potential on a regular basis? Is my opinion valued? Do I get regular feedback on my performance? Does the product we produce contribute to society?
Education benefits can go both ways. If I can take classes for free I am much more likely to do so, which bolsters my value to the company.
Maybe deeper than what you were drilling for, but my 2 cents.

Response by SGT David T. made Jan 23 at 2018 2:03 PM

SGT David T. — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:03:59 -0500

The only thing that they could offer me instead of more money would be repayment of my student loans. Since this solution would cost them money, odds are they couldn't offer that. To be quite frank, if the employer couldn't offer me opportunities for a higher salary or repay my student loans, I am probably not going to stick around.

We say all the tag lines we want about wanting a challenging career doing X,Y, or Z, or contributing to the success of the organization by doing A, B, or C. However, the reality is that I have a mortgage and other debts to pay. If the job is unwilling or unable to offer advancement potential in order to improve my ability to do just that, then it is time for me to move on.

Response by SPC David Willis made Jan 23 at 2018 2:07 PM

SPC David Willis — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:07:56 -0500

Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare... Also PTO.

Response by Maj John Bell made Jan 23 at 2018 2:18 PM

Maj John Bell — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:18:07 -0500

Money is only a means to an end. Any employer that could explain to me how the company could improve my lifestyle has my attention, even if they paid less. These are some intriguing benefits I have seen or heard discussed.

_Concierge service: The company takes care of those errands that you don't mind somebody else doing for you (Dry cleaning, auto repairs and maintenance, grocery shopping for non-perishables with pick up on your way out the door, home lawn care, etc. etc. etc.) In other words when your day is done, there is very little you have to do other than leisure activities.
_In-house K-12 schools, daycare, and after school programs
_Corporate owned vacation properties, weekend sites, and recreational facilities
_Personal use of company vehicles
_Required and scheduled skills improvement training or job related college education
_Longevity bonuses paid out as college education for dependents

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Jan 23 at 2018 2:55 PM

MCPO Roger Collins — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:55:34 -0500

Most corporations have an approved pay structure and allowable benefits depending on your position. A quick visit to HR with your concerns would get you an explanation of these charts. Unless you are seriously valuable to the company, work your way up and your salary will improve. Most suggestions I see here would relate to senior positions. There are no shortcuts in business, if you do not feel that you are compensated properly, the big old outdoors is available. Seriously, if you have attributes that ring the cash register, there are many jobs that would be glad to have you.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2018 3:08 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 15:08:07 -0500

Shannon Arroyo I loved having a career where I was challenged and where I was doing something I believed in and felt was important. For most of my career, I had bosses that left me alone to do my job the way that I knew it needed to be done, without trying to micro manage my decisions. Money never was a primary factor, although I liked having company matching on part of my 401K, along with health Insurance.

Response by PVT Mark Zehner made Jan 23 at 2018 3:12 PM

PVT Mark Zehner — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 15:12:03 -0500

Benefits and vacation time

Response by Priya Sankar made Jan 23 at 2018 3:31 PM

Priya Sankar — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 15:31:16 -0500

Health, Vision Dental insurance
401K
Life insurance
Paid Time OFF (PTO)
Tuition Reimbursement
Nationally recognized training
Ability for remote work (work from home)

Response by SSG Brian Carpenter made Jan 23 at 2018 5:08 PM

SSG Brian Carpenter — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:08:21 -0500

Health insurance, as a civilian this is the best family benefit besides a 401k

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jan 23 at 2018 5:09 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:09:59 -0500

Employers often are between a crack and a hard spot. All the other options mentioned already cost money, either directly or indirectly. When things are evident that the good employees aren't satisfied with their complete compensation packages or lack thereof, they'll vote with their feet. It's just how the world works. It can be a fast downward spiral wherein the company is bought out and the new owners slash salary and benefits. You see that on display whenever the military base operations/support contracts are rebid. Whatever the salary creep was before, it gets wiped back to the Service Contract Act minimums and people are told they can compete for their old positions. These companies put their staffing at the level where it's better to get hit with some profit penalties as their bottom line does better hitting the sweet spot of marginal services vs. money outlays.

Response by PFC Jonathan Albano made Jan 24 at 2018 8:39 AM

PFC Jonathan Albano — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 08:39:35 -0500

My personal number one is healthcare benefits. I'd consider taking a pay-cut for a more favorable plan if the opportunity presented itself.

While not strictly a benefit, work environment/culture is another big ticket item for me. The reason being, if one doesn't like their work environment/culture, it will likely increase one's stress, which has a number of health and job performance related complications that accompany it. When all is said and done, I'd strongly consider turning a higher paying job down if I didn't feel the work environment/culture was a good fit as it has the potential to cost more than it's worth in the long run to grin and bear it.

Discounts for goods/services wouldn't be an obvious choice to most however, as the saying goes, money saved is money earned. My current place of business offer discounts to certain gyms, cellphone providers, ect. and, when you add it all up, ends up saving the employee hundreds of dollars. If given an opportunity to sign on to a company with a more comprehensive list of discounts and freebies, I'd seriously consider it (probably wouldn't be willing to take a pay-cut for it though).

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Jan 24 at 2018 9:10 AM

SGT Dave Tracy — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 09:10:37 -0500

I'd fall into the PTO camp.

Response by SSgt Boyd Welch made Jan 24 at 2018 9:26 AM

SSgt Boyd Welch — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 09:26:11 -0500

Competitive benefit package, such as great medical coverage with a low copay and low deductible. a good employer match on the 401k (such as a dollar for dollar match up to 6% of your income). Not many private employers offer a pension any more but if they do, that's money toward your retirement that you don't have to contribute to.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 24 at 2018 3:17 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 15:17:34 -0500

Shannon Arroyo benefits. Some companies give out stock in their company or other forms that can be used later for that individual.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Jan 24 at 2018 8:50 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 20:50:33 -0500

A car

Response by Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. made Feb 12 at 2018 12:35 AM

Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 00:35:45 -0500

Well, the military seemed to do this very well. Low pay but plenty of opportunities if you wished to both work hard and to take advantage of the benefits. For me it was access to education, free medical for my family, and a pension if I lived and reached at least 20 yrs. These military benefits also aided my family and eventually contributed to my future employment as a civilian.

Response by LTJG Edward Bangor Jr made Feb 15 at 2018 6:46 AM

LTJG Edward Bangor Jr — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 06:46:47 -0500

I'm surprised that no one mentioned compensatory (comp) time. It's extra time off (in addition to the PTO that you already earn). Considering how many vets go into jobs that are overtime exempt, comp time gets earned as you get hosed on unpaid overtime. That 70-hour week stings a bit less when you get a few long weekends in return.

Response by Lt Col Rick de Castro made Feb 18 at 2018 12:49 PM

Lt Col Rick de Castro — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 12:49:18 -0500

Bonus money :) Lots of employers will give bonus money instead of higher salaries.

After that, other monetary perks - cars, computers, travel, etc.

Then, time off.

Response by Cpl Geoff Smith made Apr 16 at 2018 1:43 PM

Cpl Geoff Smith — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 13:43:42 -0400

Healthcare

Response by Cpl Geoff Smith made Apr 16 at 2018 1:44 PM

Cpl Geoff Smith — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 13:44:09 -0400

Healthcare

Response by LT John Stevens made Apr 19 at 2018 5:16 PM

LT John Stevens — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 17:16:15 -0400

I agree with Col Coe that paid time off is a valuable benefit, but only if you are allowed the time and leisure to take it, or you are paid for it at the end of your employment. In one previous job I had with one of the top-five aerospace and defense contractors, paid time off could not be carried over from year to year, with the exception of a maximum of 30 days and only under tightly defined circumstances.

Other benefits to consider would be annual performance-based bonuses, 401(k) contributions, paid education and training, higher-tier insurance benefits for medical, dental, vision, braces, etc. Stocks and stock options also can be extremely valuable at little cost to the employer who sees them as bets on their future performance and profitability.