I’ve been pondering this, and thought I’d put it to the board. I work for UberMegaCorp and have been noticing a steady rise in the amount of economic activity which I conduct through my company, rather than in the real “external” economy.
The lyrics to the old blues song “Sixteen Tons” have an interesting refrain:
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me 'cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store
…and I’m having trouble getting this of my head recently.
Over the past few years I’ve begun to notice a steady increase in the number of things I purchase thru my company (and its representatives). So far, it’s been a benevolent relationship, as they are able to negotiate better terms, on average, than I can myself. But the sheer amount of stuff being purchased *through *my company, rather than outside it, is starting to sound a few alarm bells in my cynical noggin. Maybe I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I’m wondering if this is a trend, and whether we’re slowly entering a realm of fragmented small economies headed by corporations. For some reason this worries me.
As an example; Over the past decade, my company has gradually subsumed the outside economy by providing the following:
- College tuition. I fill out a few forms online, check arrives, and the monthly payment is deducted from my paycheck.
- New cars. They negotiate <something>-plan pricing thru the manufacturer, and I can get cars priced, found, bought, and payment plans all thru the corporate website. Again, it comes out of a payroll deduction.
- Entertainment. If I want to see a movie, play, or go to an entertainment venue (Disney, etc.) I simply select the discount from the corp. website, and again, it’s deducted from my check.
- Travel. Via the corporate website; I can get anything from airline tickets and hotels to cruises. All conveniently pulled from my paycheck.
They’ve finally started providing medical care onsite, which is wonderful so far. I’m told this is due to the (corporate) realization that employees spend 4-5 hours away from work to travel, check in, wait, get assigned a room, wait again, and finally see a doctor for 4 minutes. They decided to build a doctor’s office in the main building, with a lab and everything. Now, going to the doctor costs me literally 20 minutes of my time, and it’s free. The company was growing weary of paying sick time for employees to sit in waiting rooms, and now have provided us with doctors who can actually read a clock. Most of the visit and lab work is free, but if there’s a charge it’s [wait for it] deducted from my paycheck.
Forgive me, but I have to wonder where this trend will lead; And at what point people’s pay will cease to cover their purchase obligations.
Has anyone else noticed this trend? Or is it just confined to my company, and I’m getting worked up over what is essentially corporate generosity? Don’t get me wrong, I’m careful and make sure the purchases don’t put us in a bind… but not everyone is good at that.
Thanks in advance for your opinions.