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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning. This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to get to know your benefits, yours and your spouse's if you happen to be married.
Many larger organizations and some professional organizations offer a wide range of perks.
Some of these are significant, some are less so.
But using your benefits allows you to take advantage of your full compensation.
Even if you're not sure a raise is in the cards right now, using more of your benefits can be the equivalent.
And you probably don't have to negotiate for that.
so where shall we start with our tour of benefits many of my american listeners have employer provided health insurance which is probably the biggest part of any benefit package make sure you know what is covered and what is not but beyond the obvious doctor visits and hospital stays look at any other
perks does your insurance reimburse for a gym membership or for weight loss or smoking cessation programs?
What about glasses, dental work?
If you are pondering switching jobs and your current one has good orthodontic benefits, maybe you should get your kids in to see someone sooner rather than later.
If you get a steep discount at a particular gym chain, it might be worth going there rather than somewhere else if the price is right.
You also want to maximize any retirement benefits Many people make elections when they get hired and then they don't think about this for years Now is a good time to think about it If your employer provides a retirement match or your spouse's does make sure you contribute enough to get that full match
If you are not doing that turn off this podcast and call human resources right now if you are driving send that note as soon as you get where you are going a one -to -one match means anything you contribute gets an immediate 100 return on investment best not to leave that on the table you also want to
make sure you understand policies about time off.
Paid time off is definitely part of your compensation, so make sure you know how many days you are eligible for and if you can carry those forward into new years.
If you have a tendency not to take all of your vacation days, go ahead and schedule a few random long weekends for later in the year.
Working fewer hours but getting paid the same amount is a very straightforward way to have each working hour be better compensated.
Some organizations have a distinction between sick days and vacation days, so you want to be sure that you are using the right amount of both.
If your company has any longer -leave policies, you might want to think about whether you would use those this year or maybe at some point in the future.
Once you have a handle on those policies for yourself and for your spouse, start reading a little deeper into the employee handbook.
Some companies have employee assistance programs, which can help with things like finding a therapist for a child to see on an ongoing basis.
Or maybe they can help you find a mover if you are relocating, or help you choose a retirement home for older relatives.
Some places offer commuting benefits.
Buying a subway card with pre -tax money definitely beats buying one with post -tax money.
A number of places offer some sort of backup child care benefit.
When we had some child care issues this past summer, we learned that my husband's employer offered the equivalent of a few weeks of backup care at a daycare center near his office.
To take advantage of that, though, we needed to be registered with the center.
Now we are. And if you might ever face a similar situation, you should likewise see what benefits your employer offers to keep you productive even when life doesn't go as planned.
Some large employers and even some professional or civic organizations negotiate discounts for things like cell phone contracts or computers or car rentals for personal use.
A great many years ago when I was an intern at a major corporation in New York City, I learned we got free entry to a number of museums.
Who knew? Well, I did, because I am cheap, and I asked.
But if you don't ask, you won't know.
You won't know that because you work for a particular employer, you can go to the local history museum for free.
Since you don't know that, you either buy the tickets or you go somewhere else, when you could have had a free weekend family activity.
Now, in the grand scheme of things, that is not so big a deal.
You shouldn't join a gym you hate just for the corporate discount, and you shouldn't skip the art museum because your employer doesn't have a corporate membership there.
But in situations where you don't have a strong preference, Why not take advantage of the equivalent of a raise you don't have to ask for?
It's there for the taking, but many people don't take it.
To be sure you do, you might even ask your HR rep what benefits they think are great but are underutilized.
You might be surprised to learn about something that you or your family members could definitely use.
And if you are an HR leader or lead an organization that offers any sort of benefits, I think it's smart to let people know what is available.
If you do any regular communications with your employees, maybe highlight a different benefit in each newsletter and showcase an employee who used the benefit in situations where that is appropriate.
it. Presumably, you offer such benefits for a reason.
Namely, they make people think your organization is a good place to work.
When people know about the benefits and use them, they feel more tied to the organization.
Let's put it this way.
If someone sticks around for an extra year that is totally worth their gym discount.
If you get to know your benefits, I would love to hear what you learn.
You can reach me at laura at lauravandercam .com In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Hey, everybody. I'd love to hear from you.
You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at BeforeBreakfastPod.
That's B -E, the number four, then breakfast, P -O -D.
You can also shoot me an email at BeforeBreakfastPodcasts at IHeartMedia .com.
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much. I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Radio.
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