One of the big benefits of my residency program is that we never have to pay for lunch. They promise that. 2-3 days a week, a drug company brings it in from somewhere; the other days we get a little card that we can use at the cafeteria. At the beginning of the month, we get a little wad of those card that cover all our meals when we’re on overnight or weekend call.
The drug reps, of course, also always have pens, note pads, and other assorted swag aplenty. A couple of nights a month, they’ll have a really nice dinner we can go to if we listen to their 20-minute Our Drug Is Better Than Their Drug talk.
Our program provides us $1000 in “book money” every year. Since I have most of the medical textbooks I could ever use, and they include as “book” anything you can buy for your computer, mine has thus far bought me a Radeon 9500 Pro video card and heavily subsidized the purchase of a 17" flat-panel. (Unfortunately, I have to use next year’s funds to pay for the USMLE Step 3.)
I have unlimited access to the sample closet for any medications that I need; this keeps me in Synthroid and Allegra. My health insurance, and CrazyCatLady’s, now that we’re married, is free.
We have a free weekend at the beach every year.
We have a drawer in the office that is kept stocked with M&Ms (plain AND peanut), pretzels, trail mix, etc.
All in all, it’s pretty sweet. There are limits to how much residents can be paid, so programs try to make it up with benefits. It makes us feel better about being able to add up our hours and divide by our salary only to find we’re doing about the same as an assistant manager at Taco Bell.
Free tea and coffee from the vending machines, but not the nicer coffee from the pseudo-Starbuck’s in the foyer. Unlimited internet access for work purposes in the office, but the restrictions and the monitoring isn’t particularly strenuous.
What the hell is that about?! Coffee costs next to nothing, and probably increases worker productivity. Talk about not increasing loyalty, sheesh. They need a new HR manager.
No, no, must clarify: the permits are free for part time instructors, at least at these two campuses. They differ widely, as you can see, in many other respects.
I’m not sure I’m following you: do both campuses let you park for free? If so, that was the gist of my complaint: I have to pay for parking at both of the campuses that I teach at.
Normal freebies for us salaried employees include free coffee and occasionally donuts or lunch.
But the biggest advantage of working in a heavy manufacturing plant is the use of equipment. People constantly use machines and equipment for projects. All sorts of industrial washers, grinders, sanders, shot-blasts, glassbeading, even acid-etching.
People routinely help themselves (within reason) to bar-stock, round-stock, tubing, sheet metal and the like. All types of welders, lathes, mills, presses, hones, saws, power tools, hand tools, safety equipment, and so on can be used for any type of personal or home project. Every November the amount of tree-stands made is amazing.
Nobody really cares what you use, and you can really save a lot of money by taking advantage of this. If something isn’t bolted down, you can take it home with you as long as you bring it back.
Freebies? Coffee and water, that’s it. I did get them to pay for a pair of hand-made safety boots, though. None of the places I’ve worked have been particularly freebie friendly.
Yes, they do let us park for free. This is not the case at all colleges, in regard to adjunct faculty. We even made sure to put this in our very first contract for Pt’s at Campus One because we didn’t want to risk losing one of our only perks.
You have to pay?? That stinks!
Where on earth are you teaching? (You can email me if you feel like answering. )
You got that right. One famous microprocessor company I worked for had no free coffee. For me to get coffee I had to ride an elevator six floors down to the cafeteria, then go six floors back up to me office. An immense time waster compared to the place I am now with free coffee in two places on each floor.
I used to be able to get free tickets (first come first served) to non-sold out concerts. The place they gave them out was just across the parking lot from my building, so it was easy for me. Got to see BB King and the Stones (not great seats, but they were free) that way, but that has gone too.
We currently have free coffee, assorted teas both caffeinated & herbal, bottled water, & a soda fountain with various Coca Cola products in it.
Before the cutbacks we had season tickets at Fenway Park (4 seats in a really good location - no poles in the way!) which were available to us peons several times a year (they were intended for the sales people to take prospects to games, but the sales people didn’t always need them). Also before the cutbacks we had a super duper first aid kit with just about every over the counter medicine you could ever need in it. Now all we have is Tylenol, aspirin & Bandaids and you have to grab some near the beginning of the month right after they stock it, because everything runs out within a week and then you have to wait for the restock.
I work at a hospital, and get pretty much nothing in the freebies line. Occasionally, we get free post-it pads and pens advertizing some drug or other.
Free coffee, hot cocoa, tea, and on occassion, lunch.
I also get a free cell phone. I think they’re going to take it away - i.e. try to make me pay for it. They can have it. If it’s not free, I don’t want it. I’ll miss it, though.
I never stay at a job long enough to get anything free (legally)
Of course in my mind anything that is not nailed down, not money and can fit nicely in my pocket or backpack is free to me, maybe just b/c I work for crappy low paying jobs. My favorite things to get “free” are office supplies and garbage bags, ( I have a severe office supply addiction)
Most recently I acquired a nice set of 5 forks complete with logo…wish I woulda stuck around long enough to get the sixth, maybe I’ll go back and get one…
That stinks!
)