Just thought I would mention that my company comes around with the “beer cart” - free beer and snacks at about 4:30 on Fridays.
It is a great idea. Relatively cheap, keeps morale high, and everyone enjoys it! (Especially if you can sneak in a second round somehow).
What are some of the fun employment perks you guys have?
I especially enjoy Masturbation Hour, but then, I work at home. No one to share the fun with.
We have something like that where I work. It’s called “not being at class” though, and we have to pay for it.
By the way, where do you work? I wanna work there too.
Fridays at 4:30!?!
I thought you Canadians did that all week long, around 8:00 in the morning.
No, no. You’ve got to wait until 2:30PM to start getting seriously hammered, unless you’re having lunch beers. 
Seriously, though. That’s the time my friend figured out to start drinking, get hammered, and be able to get up at 9AM the next day. I’ve never tried it, but he’s tested his hypothesis on several occasions.
One such time was when we were writing finals! He had a final, started drinking at 2:30PM, drank 22 beers and several shots, and then got up refreshed at 9 the next morning to start studying for the next test. My friend is smaller than me, but has an alcohol tolerance equivilent to my own, so he could do it. Very impressive, indeed. Not that I would suggest trying this, unless you’re not particularly fond of school. 
Every now and then my department throws us teaching fellows a party at a ritzy hotel or the Alumni Center. Thick carpets and chandeliers, wine in crystal glasses, gourmet hors d’oevres, uniformed waiters showing up at your elbow the minute you’re finished with a plate … Luxury.
We make 13,000 a year at most, as little as 8,000 in some cases. These parties generally end with a bunch of drunk grad students filling paper napkins with cheese so we’ll have lunch for the rest of the week. The waiters, who are very discreet, pretend not to notice.
One of the many, many ironies of life in academia.
Yeah, no one can pound down the free booze like underpaid academics. I used to work at a liberal arts college, and I bet the bartenders got repetitive stress injuries trying to keep the faculty in drinks when the President threw one of his garden parties.
My company actualy stops the floggings every third friday of the month, and each Christmas we are allowed to use the chairs right-side-up! Sheer joy.
There are only 2 people in my company, including me. We keep beer in the fridge, scotch in the cupboard, and a dog under my desk. Neither of us showed up at the office on Tuesday this week. On Wednesday we both started to apologize to each other. I love my job.
Last year our annual Lampoons (where we roast all things medical) were held the night after second year finals week. The good people at Pfizer (thanks, Viagra!) purchased two kegs for the event.
The small but spirited bunch of med students managed to kill both kegs.
In nineteen minutes.
Dr. J
I was at an interview with Nokia some months ago and was given the grand tour of the building , including the little staff room with a fridge packed full of beer for Friday afternoons. I was flabbergasted … absolutley flabergasted.
This would never happen in Ireland.
And one of the main reasons is because of insurance. What happens when John Minion falls down the staairs after 3 beers provided by the company?
This is actually my first job without free beer in the fridge.
We’ve got soft drinks, coffee & tea for free, fresh fruit (nice!) daily. Two christmas celebrations (company & department) and two other company outings per year.
My last job provided us three free meals per day (kept us there longer!), threw lots of parties etc. - unfortunately, they also believed in the old “Dilbert” principle that having a personal life was like stealing from the company.
There is no such thing as a free lunch…
My “perk” is that I get a free student lunch. Thanks, guys. :rolleyes: