10 Benefits Your Employer Will Cut Next Year

Buy American

This comment is in regard to George of MD asking that we buy only American-made products. There's only one problem with that: try to find something that is manufactured in the good old USA! Almost all of the manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to other countries. In fact, even our administrative and office jobs are being outsourced a growing rate.

Unless American companies bring the jobs back to the US, I fear that we will continue in the downward spiral that we are presently experiencing.

Deb of RI @ Dec 19, 2008 13:29:45 PM

Benefit Cuts

With companies cutting benefits, I am amazed at how many companies do not offer their employees voluntary benefits. These benefits are provided at no cost to the company and offer discounts on a number of insurance products and services. The most popular voluntary benefit is discounted auto and home insurance through the convenience of payroll deduction. Employees are already paying high enough costs for their auto and home insurance, so why not provide an opportunity to save employees money and a convenient payment method?

These programs literally take only a few hours to set up and get implemented, yet many companies refuse to offer them. If companies are cutting back on benefits as this article states, then providing voluntary benefits at no cost to a company seems like a win/win for the company and the employees.

Joe of MA @ Dec 10, 2008 10:26:31 AM

Buy American

Lets all do our part to get this country moving again. We sit back and listen to the news and about all the bad economic issues, the only way to fix this is to get out there and spend some money and put people back to work. We all complained when gas was over $4.00 a gallon,we all could not pay the money to fill the tank, but now it is under $2.00 a gallon, lets take some of that money that we are saving and save some American jobs. If all these companies keep cutting heads and cutting benefits we are never going to get the economy moving in the right direction. We have to spend money to make money and in this case we have to spend to get the ecomony back on track. Lets be the ones to jumpstart the economy and stop all this bad news. Remember the more we hold back on spending the worse it is going to get. Just a thought.

George of MD @ Dec 07, 2008 16:56:44 PM

Former HR Mgr-unemployed

Having been a negotiator with two union groups I have seen and felt the two parties pulling on the resources of a small business (less than 300). Difficult choices always have to be made and implemented. This is true for even the smallest of groups such as a family. Now is the time to revisit with sincerity the community philosophy, teamwork. Our heads as Americans have been buried in the sand far too long!! We have become complacent, not concerned until it impacts us or our family directly.

We all have to review our expectations and adjust to a climate of less. I acknowledge that some have already reached the less limit with only basic needs being met. There are few in America who have less than they NEED! Most of us live in excess - basing happiness on this excessiveness. Benefits are just that benefits. Guaranteed?? Entitled?? We need to get over the perception of entitlement at any cost. ALL (government, military, and private sector) need to evaluate and distinquish between wants and needs. Cut the fat! If we scale back even for a defined period of time with review. Times have changed - we simply must adjust to the current climate instead of miserably continuing on the same course out of stubbornness and nonacceptace of the present.

The JFK quote: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." What, if anything, have we done to move our country forward as individuals? We have justified that our elected officials are responsible, they are but only to a degree. Everyone in the USA has some God given talent or blessing to offer and share, become the community of United States of America. Proud American or disgruntled American; work to improve or grumble and destroy?

I believe we all need to tighten our belts and get in the dirt to renew and move forward the USA. United with purpose. Yes, everyone working together - can you imagine. We all need to scrutinize and try to optimize everything we are doing. Supporting America and american made product. Does our action or lack thereof serve a purpose greater than ourselves? Ivory towers and golden parachutes can not longer be tolerated at the expense or others.

Deb of OH @ Dec 05, 2008 14:11:13 PM

10 Benefits Your Employer Will Cut Next Year

Kay Harn - you say what would you like, lower benfits or no job. I am 56 years old and over the years, during tough economic times, it always drove me crazy to hear that said. That mentality always scared me and made me feel like I needed to kiss more butt than I already was. "Disgusted" knows what they are talking about. The 3% bone is thrown to us peon "employees" out there - SOMEone has to do the real work. By the way, I am considered very valuable and have been with the same company for 21 years. The problem is that the butt that I am kissing now is 29 years old and doesn't have a clue.

Krissy of VT @ Dec 05, 2008 13:42:12 PM

Over 70 = QFT

"When executive compensation/bonuses became entitlement rather than a consequence of decisions and action (downside as well as upside) we lost our way."

It would be one thing if businesses were becoming more competitive and had to stream-line their employee expenditures to do so. But there are FAR too many stories about ridiculous CEO pay, roll-over Boards that grant huge stock options and insane "golden parachutes", all while cutting bennies and cutting staff.

These clowns seem to be operating their business neither for the client nor the employee nor long-term success of the company. It is just "Gets me my millions!"

Look at the jerks at AIG. They operate in such a way they need a "bail-out", which is code for they've paid enough money to the greedy whores in Congress that these jerks are able to steal from the People. THEN they have a half-million dollar vacation AND give out 2 and 3 million dollar bonuses to their executive staff. There needs to be arrests happening. This is why employees that are getting their bennies reduced or watching their friends layed off just don't believe the lies from the companies nor the pathetic corporate-centered media.

Trodel Post of AZ @ Dec 05, 2008 13:27:54 PM

Actions, decisions, merit, consequences

It seems to me the problem under discussion is a case of decisions and consequences. Under the current way of doing business, the people who make the decisions are all too often disconnected from the consequences. The people who carry out the decisions are the ones who suffer when the decisions prove wrong. When executive compensation/bonuses became entitlement rather than a consequence of decisions and action (downside as well as upside) we lost our way. Where does merit fit into the equation?

Over 70 of TX @ Dec 04, 2008 17:54:21 PM

Oh my God!

You have got to be kidding me! "All businesses should be nationalized?" "Good thing I have a government job?" That is insane!!! Look, I've been a consultant for 20 years. I've been laid off, downsized, adjusted, wage cut, and everything else. But that's business! It's why people start companies, to succeed or fail on their own merits.

I've had to make hard choices in the past. I've had to let people go, folks I have come to love as brothers and sisters. But the same sacrifice they felt I felt. The goal of a company is to innovate, compete, and profit. You do this by being creative, agile, and resourceful. And sometimes, like now, you have to be hard.

For those of you looking at this article and saying "This is awful", please remember the decisions going on behind the scenes. Managers are trying hard to keep the talent they have developed over the past years with them. They know if they let too many people go, they lose knowledge and skills that will be hard to replace. So they cut benefits, downsize 401(k) contributions, and store cash to weather the storm while trying to keep themselves ready when the business surge comes (and it will come; it always does).

Look, I don't trust companies any more than anyone else. But once you understand how they work and why they make these decisions, you understand cuts like these.

And for those who wish for further nationalizing of businesses, take a hard look at other countries where this happened and tell me if it was for the better for that country and its people.

Paul of VA @ Dec 04, 2008 14:02:16 PM