Is your employer nickle and diming you these days?

[Clark Addison]

Over the past year or so, my employer has made several changes that take a little bit of money out of my pocket. For example:

1. Since I have been hired, I have received a 'Transportation Supplement" of $20 per paycheck. This is going away next month
2. The way we pay for insurance has been tweaked a couple of times
3. We have a traditional 401K, with a 5% match. We also have a Pension Plan in which (in my case) the company contributes an amount equal to 4% of my salary. Starting in July, the Pension Plan goes away and, instead, I will get an additional 3% added to my 401K, and only after the end of the year (so if you quit in November, no extra 3% for that whole year). So best case, it is costing me 1% of my income contributed to a retirement plan a year.

I'm not really complaining, since I'm pretty happy about having a job, and I know the 401K with an 8% match is still a pretty good deal, but I am curious if this is a new trend. None of the things that they have done is, in itself, big enough for me to get too upset about. When you put them all together; however, I am several thousand dollars worse off than last year. Is my employer the only one to figure out this nefarious scheme, or are others doing it as well?

[cowboy]

To answer your subject line, probably no more than employees are nickle and diming their employers.

[marsupial]

el not le

Oh, for crying out loud! It's spelled nickel.

[pellegrino]

no, in general I'm treated fairly well. I don't like how much I pay for insurance, but life sucks some times.

[Indy Coug]

Thankfully, my employer seems to be stepping up on multiple fronts in being more generous with its employees. I think that's in part due to lower retention rates they've experienced the last 2-3 years.

[Clark Addison]

Oh, for crying out loud! It's spelled nickel.

I would blame it on a typo, but I'm pretty sure I did it on purpose.

[cowboy]

Oh, for crying out loud! It's spelled nickel.

Shouldn't you be brushing your dog's teeth, or clipping its toenails, or walking around barefoot or something?

[Clark Addison]

To answer your subject line, probably no more than employees are nickle and diming their employers.

Sure, but there's nothing new about that.

[smokymountainrain]

Over the past year or so, my employer has made several changes that take a little bit of money out of my pocket. For example:

1. Since I have been hired, I have received a 'Transportation Supplement" of $20 per paycheck. This is going away next month
2. The way we pay for insurance has been tweaked a couple of times
3. We have a traditional 401K, with a 5% match. We also have a Pension Plan in which (in my case) the company contributes an amount equal to 4% of my salary. Starting in July, the Pension Plan goes away and, instead, I will get an additional 3% added to my 401K, and only after the end of the year (so if you quit in November, no extra 3% for that whole year). So best case, it is costing me 1% of my income contributed to a retirement plan a year.

I'm not really complaining, since I'm pretty happy about having a job, and I know the 401K with an 8% match is still a pretty good deal, but I am curious if this is a new trend. None of the things that they have done is, in itself, big enough for me to get too upset about. When you put them all together; however, I am several thousand dollars worse off than last year. Is my employer the only one to figure out this nefarious scheme, or are others doing it as well?

I think this is all pretty normal in the current economy. I've worked the last 5 years for two of the larger companies in Utah and they both - one more than the other - have done these sorts of things in order to save money.

[Surfah]

We used to have several options for health insurance during open season with a few different providers and a few plans in each. Last year I was with Cigna and had a $500 deductible with 90/10. This year they only offered one option and that is a $2500 deductible 80/20 policy with Cigna. The worst part is that my contributions didn't change at all from my paycheck so I am paying the same for this crappier coverage.

But I am happy to have coverage at all and grateful for my job. It just sucks that I will hit that deductible next month when Gidget gives birth.

My previous employer that I was laid off from was worse. After I joined the company they cut health insurance altogether. They gave us a $500 monthly stipend to go out and purchase private insurance which cost us a pretty penny. That eventually got stripped back to $300. After 6 months everyone in the company was forced to take 10% paycut. Also, instead of comping my mileage expenditure with current rate at the time they used the half year before which was lower. Finally, when I was laid off I received 2 weeks severance. I shouldn't bitch being grateful to get anything, but the previous PM who was let go received 3 months.

[TripletDaddy]

My previous employer that I was laid off from was worse. After I joined the company they cut health insurance altogether. They gave us a $500 monthly stipend to go out and purchase private insurance which cost us a pretty penny. That eventually got stripped back to $300.

how was that received? Obviously people were not thrilled but did you see a lot of attrition?

I like that idea

[Surfah]

how was that received? Obviously people were not thrilled but did you see a lot of attrition?

I like that idea

About as well as you can imagine. They let us know in a Friday afternoon meeting. You know one of those, "before everyone leaves for the weekend meet in the conference room" deals.

It was a small niche engineering firm with about 14 guys on the payroll. 5 of which were family members that included the owner. At the time jobs were so tough to come by that everyone was looking but not really in a position to leave. I was the 3rd person to be let go. But since my departure there are only a handful of people are still there from when I was there including the owner, his wife, and their eldest daughter. As far as I know benefits have not been restored. All the PEs there have left for other jobs.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

I get paid in nickels and dimes. Does that count?

BTY, do you happen to have any spare change?

[creekster]

I get paid in nickels and dimes. Does that count?

BTY, do you happen to have any spare change?

I would give you some buit it owuld only make you feel lousy. Trust me on this.

[Flystripper]

Speaking of nickel and dimes... I had a bum try and pull the old make change for a dollar bait and switch tactic the other day.. It didn't work with me. I took his change and said I needed it because my company is cutting back on the transportation allowance it provides.


So yes Clark, my company is nickel and diming me and I won't be nickel and dimed by bums...