Who the heck started this trend, some corporation? Whatever it is, it’s spreading. Colleges are doing it too. And a local hospital just knocked out at least two handicapped parking spaces to make room for the employees of the month to park their cars. Apparently, employees of the month can’t walk very far on their own.
If I’m overreacting, just tell me.
What bugs me is, it’s not very exciting if you are a non-driving employee, or if you are already disabled and thus get a snazzy up-close space by default. Why give something that’s only spiff to SOME employees? Why not give them a lanyard for their badge or a pin or an extra hour lunch or something that everyone could enjoy?
It’s away to try and placate the disgruntled employees, with out giving them something like money. So and so is a bit restless, give her the employee of the month parking space.
It’s a nice, cheap perq, but not universally worth anything. Eons ago when I was still on active duty, I was Petty Officer of the Month, and I got a parking space. But it was only valid from 7AM-3PM. I worked the 11PM - 7AM shift, so I never got to park in “my” space. Oh well, I still have the attractive plaque, somewhere.
At my job now, they give you a space for a WHOLE WEEK if you do something nifty. But I get to work just about before anyone else, and I get one of the best spots anyway, closer in than the prize spots. Guess it’s a good thing I haven’t done anything too nifty lately. Although there was that nice big cash award I got for the project I led in March…
I’m one of the first to get in each morning, and could park as close as I wished. Instead, in order to add a little excercise to my life, I park rather far out. It isn’t much, but every little bit counts…
Screw the parking place, the plaque, the letter, the speeches, show me the money.
One bright spot: the college where I work had designated special parking spaces for both the classified staff member of the year and the faculty of the year. But when all the construction started, the construction crews quickly wiped out those spaces because they need the room for their trucks and materials. Now, nobody gets to park close to a bldg. without a handi-placard.
I got an EOTM space once when I didn’t have a car. A co-worker gave me a ride home a couple of nights a week. I didn’t care who parked in the spot on the days she didn’t work as long as it was open those two days a week. Of course, one particular bitch, knowing I didn’t have a car, decided without asking me that it would be perfectly fine for her to park there whenever she wanted. Unfortunately the bitch was a supervisor, so complaints to my boss and then to her boss went pretty much ignored. If she’d have just asked and then respected the two day a week situation I couldn’t have cared less.
As it happened, I got a car a couple of weeks into the month so I at that point wanted the space. I told the bitch that I expected the space to be open for me when I got to work. Our schedules overlapped by about a half-hour and sure enough she continued to park there. The first time I asked her to move she mouthed about how she was leaving in a half an hour so she’d move her car then. The next day I parked her in. When she came to find me I told her that I was leaving in five and a half hours so I’d move my car then. After she got done griping to my boss (who also thought she was a bitch) I moved my car and let her out.
Oddly, she found somewhere else to park for at least the rest of that month. Effin’ bitch.
Heh. When I worked for Sears a couple of years ago, they let designated employees park in that spot for a week at a time. I had gotten a 100% on a customer service survey, so I got a week of parking close.
We had a weasel of a Loss Prevention guy at that time. Liked to get employees into trouble, but somehow never busted a shoplifter. :rolleyes: Anyways, I was working my shift one afternoon when this punk (he was just 18) comes up to me and says, “I saw that your car was parked in the Associate of the Month space.”
Me: “Well, yes.”
AP Punk: “That spot is for a designated employee to park in.”
Me: “Yes, Rico. That would be me.”
AP Punk: 
:mad: ::Walks away::
Me: 
Hey, mine was at Sears too! But at a call center. Man, Sears people just suck at respecting the Employee of the Week/Month.
You’re overreacting. It’s a perk that costs the company virtually nothing but provides some benefit, at least to those employees who drive. Sure, everyone would prefer a cash bonus, but that’s not always possible.