For fifteen years, I got a fifteen year pin. It looked metal and had a tiny “gem” in it. From the weight of the pin, I guessed it was metal-coated plastic. So I’m guessing the faceted bit was glass.
For twenty years, the pin was actually metal.
My company used to have something like that, years back. I got maybe 100-200 bucks in Amazon cards overall - for doing things like logging exercise, logging preventive medical care (e.g. flu shots, colonoscopy) and the like. They got rid of it, which is too bad - can’t have cost them that much, all in all.
They used to have a scheme where anyone could send up to 3 people a year a random small gift (well, an award voucher, where you could choose something from a catalog) - worth maybe 25 bucks. Though after 4-5 years of this, I had pretty much everything from the catalog that was even remotely interesting. I still wear the company-branded hoodie I got that way even though it’s tattered. They’ve replaced that with a points system where manager-level people can award points, which you can accrue for something more worthwhile - albeit “overpriced”. The points count as income to you when awarded (though they do gross it up, so you aren’t “out of pocket”). In theory I could order stuff base on my accrued points even after I leave the company. I think my balance is worth about a hundred bucks there - only manager-level people can award such things, not everyone like the old system.
For my 25 year anniversary, I got:
- a lunch where I could invite any colleagues
- A certificate - in a nice wooden box that I’m not sure quite what to do with, as it’s not useful for anything else
- A key ring (with a tag that might be silver; this was 11+ years ago and they are all in a closet somewhere)
- A voucher to choose something from a catalog - worth something between 500-800 bucks, I think. Interesting variety of options - I could, for example, have gotten a rather stereotypical wristwatch, but there were an interesting variety of choices. I got a large-screen TV that we still use.
My admin manager (whom I had never seen in person before or since) was really gung ho to host that lunch - I’m sure he figured he’d never again be able to do that since it’s so rare that someone stays at a job that long. I wouldn’t have bothered otherwise. The TV is nice though.
When I retire, I think I may also get to choose a gift from a similar catalog. Seems like I ought to go for the watch that time!
Companies never go “all out” for retirees the way they used to. When my father retired in 1992, they hosted a big dinner for him, and colleagues (and a few customers, I think) came in from all over.
They’ve cheapened it (see above, I had to hit 25) but the value is pretty similar.
I got a 35 year award picked from a catalogue - a nice mantle clock in a transparent case so the works are visible. My single point of dislike was that the award company name is prominently displayed from the front, but the reason for the award is only visible on the back.
I did, however, also get a genuine medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, which I treasure much more.
They got rid of pins, so my 10 years with the district will be awarded with nothing. No big loss.
That’s it! It may have been for twenty-five years, but I distinctly remember it being on the mantle while I was in High School.
The longest I’ve stayed with one employer was 11.5 years. I got a pin for each of 5 and 10 years of service. I’m not even at 2 years at my current place. I don’t know what they do, if anything.
My husband has been at his employer for many years and their rewards are better. We got a TV sound bar for 15 years. I don’t remember his 5 and 10 though.
Anniversary gifts! My company finally switched over to a giant catalog just in time for my 15th anniversary; I got a Le Creuset dutch oven. I’m hoping for more Le Creuset options if I manage to make it to 20 years. (One of my coworkers selected a paper shredder for his 5th anniversary.)
What denomination? If it’s over $25, it might be worth getting one to trade for something good on a gift card exchange.
My catalog story:
Back in the late 80s my Dad’s company decided to award points that could be spent in a catalog. I remember him thinking it was stupid, and mostly hoping that it wasn’t going to be a way to reduce commissions.
Turned out that was the year he was national salesman of the year. We had so many points. Everyone in the family got to pick stuff. I don’t remember what other people got, but I picked a CD player; a VCR; and boombox with dual tape decks, detachable speakers and a line-in. We also got an entire set of golf clubs, which was odd, because none of us played golf.
Hey, that’s pretty good for a 15th! You obviously have a much better catalog than my job 
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If I stuck it out another ~10 months I could make it to my 35th anniversary gift. But…I’m thinking it’s not gonna be worth it 
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I think any denomination. They ac tually have several gift cards, some with better exchange rates, but youre still getting 80% at best. My point was more that I don’t really associate Chipotles with wellness. With the e. Coli and norovirus and 1200 calorie meals and ask that.
A le Creuset dutch oven? Nice. I hit twenty years this June. I guess I’ll find out if I get anything more than an extra optional holiday.
Rant time: What the actual fuck is going on in the NC mountains? Two routers I am trying to install keep losing their configs. I can understand the first time. The hurricane knocked out power, and the CO’s generator ran out of diesel after a couple of days. It didn’t help matters that the power company, while restoring power wired the main backwards which killed several rack power supplies. But everything (but the small channel bank which rather excitedly lost its magic smoke due to the aforementioned fuck up) was restored and working. I had to reload the configs for the routers, but I made sure to save everything. There should be no conceivable way they should have lost their remote management in the middle of my TNOC guy’s build of the GE connection.
Tryon, NC is cursed.
… a wooden ball point pen with the company name on it
(no logo, I’ll bet that cost more).
Thanks, boss!
(I fantasize that they thought I quit because they cheaped out, but it was really because my financial planner said “You should retire … checks ledger … right now.”)
i work for a company that manufactures tools. At 1 year they gave us a nice leather and brass keychain. At 5 years i got a pewter platter. at 10 years there was nothing that i wanted but I selected an air fryer that sat under my desk for a year and in my living room for about a year before i gave it to my mom so she could make food for my dad who was being picky but still liked crispy french fries. I gave it away to a freind when I cleaned out her house after she passed. at 15 years i got a 3 burner propane camp stove.
There are a lot of watches, jewelry, tools (from a competitor lol) cheap kitchen gadgets. So when i hit 20 years if we still have the program I dont know what I will get.
Not really a rant, but whatever: my company actually did a wellness check on me because I live in a neighborhood under fire threat (in Los Angeles). Me and my family are fine, but it’s nice that someone in HR thought it might be good to call every employee who’s potentially in harm’s way.
And since I’m in the management chain, I can see their reports: so many people contacted, so many okay, so many unknown. There’s actually an overhead charge number of employees who can’t work because of the fires.
Lucky(?)!
My company does not offer coverage for snow days. Can’t get to the office? Eat vacation time. Even if it’s literally ILLEGAL to be on the roads. Fortunately my job is one that can be done remotely. I expect their plans for someone living in the fire area is roughly the same. Not sure what happens if the OFFICE is in the affected area.
I hit twenty years here last year. I was given the option of a one-time $1,000 bonus OR an extra week of vacation this year. They really went all out (fifty bucks a year, nice). Took the cash, naturally, as I won’t be able to travel this year and the days would go to waste.
I’ve typically averaged one, maybe two, sick days a year from virtually all of my tenure here (the only years I missed more than that were due to COVID). I’ll only take a day off if I’m vomiting up a lung. I’ve been assured that my diligence has been noted, but whoopie. The maintenance staff always urge me to use all to which I’m entitled, but I’m not wired to fake being sick, and we’re so understaffed I’d spend the day worrying about what wasn’t getting done properly in my absence, so it’s a moot point.
I want to rant about my job but overall, the company is good. It’s employee owned, and I become vested this year, so that might be part of it.
We get points that can be used in a catalog. Some of the items in the catalog are Sharper Image type stuff. They look cool but not practical long term. Maybe not short term. A lot of it doesn’t apply to my wife and me. Sports and kitchen stuff are out. We don’t travel a lot. She’s picky about clothes. They had Best Buy gift cards but dropped those. Having said that, either it changed since I started three years ago or I didn’t look too hard because some of the things I have bought from stores, I could have gotten through the catalog. A pet vacuum cleaner for wet messes. An air fryer, breaking our kitchen need item and we have used it a fair amount, even if only to warm up pizza. They have Paramount+ gift certificates and since we are sharing an account, we might use that to get our own sub to it. Then, every so often on an anniversary, we get points. (A point is a dollar.) 100 points at second year, 200 at seven years, 250 at twelve years, and so on until twenty five years is 1000 points and any other rewards after that are 1000. The better one is every five years we get a three week paid sabbatical and $1000 travel voucher to go with it.
The daily perks are good. I’m full time remote. We have PTO until year three and then it’s MTO. They worked with me when I had medical issues to keep me before I had FMLA protection. Indeed, they treated my incident as if I had FMLA even when I didn’t. We get volunteer time and I get to help the ARL.
It’s not all great, of course. Being in tech, most of the time I’m overhead, but we do billable work so I have to track my time, which I don’t like. We have reorganized three times in my three years such that I’m on my third manager. This last reorg has been happening for four months and isn’t done yet according to the org chart they sent out last October. I am not sure how well our executive leaders know what it takes to implement the business. They know the business but not the fine details to make it happen. Like most places, management is the ultimate career path, even if that’s not for me. I have no wish to be a manager. It would be nice if places would recognize a technical career path.
I mean that brings up things for me. I haven’t been at one place more than five years. I don’t like it but I don’t question why I left a place. My current place has been better in most ways, as I have said above, and I hope it keeps doing that. I’m 52 and don’t want to leave. I would like to stay here until retirement.
Thanks for the discussion!
My wife had been on my health insurance for many years, until she turned 65 four years ago and went on Medicare. During our benefits enrollments back in November, she decided to drop her Part C coverage (for multiple reasons) and I added her back on my vision and dental coverage.
Yesterday I got an email from HR telling me they are sending me a form I need to complete to verify that my spouse is actually my spouse, and I need to provide a copy of my marriage certificate, a tax return, and something else showing joint ownership.
I’m trying to come up with a reply that says “Are you fucking serious?” without coming right out and saying “Are you fucking serious?” I mean, seriously, they can’t look back four years at their own records to see that she was covered before?
Not to defend corporate bureaucracy, but you might have divorced in the interim. I remember back in maybe the 1990’s, my company decided everyone needed to document their dependents. Presumably they thought a lot of people were abusing the fairly generous health insurance of the time. Major PITA, and I doubt the total cost was worth it (but then, a lot of the cost was pushed to the employees, so the company likely came out ahead).