... the sort of desperation you might see from kids in the checkout line when Mom makes the mistake of taking small needy children to shop. As they spot all those tempting items placed at eye level for the under-four-feet crowd, and proceed to insist they are frantically in need of sugar to fuel their already hyper energy level. While Mom, already frazzled, is trying to do four things at once: loading items on conveyor belt, keep a watchful eye, converse with the cashier, find her plastic payment and hopefully maintain sanity long enough to get food and family safely home.
The guy who makes out the weekly schedule has been hearing too much whining from me. Urgently imploring, week after week, for more work: and not really for the paycheck! I have been working about twenty hours a week at my little jobette, while hoping for twenty five. My goal has been to accumulate enough time from week to week to have worked a thousand hours by the middle of October. As the months pass, and those pages on the calendar flip, it has been a struggle to get the time needed in order to receive employee benefits. There was a time, before the economy tanked and employers were more generous with workers the perks were easier to accrue. But in recent years, corporations have made guidelines more stringent and benefits harder to accumulate: tightening belts has become a necessity.
In order to be granted the benefit: 1) work a thousand hours prior to your hire date, 2) be vested, 3) be employed on Dec. 31. I'm nearly there with # 1, and cannot do anything about # 3 until the end of the year, though I do plan to continue my employment. The target is to receive more stock in the privately owned company, granted to associates who met the requirements. I am finished with my work schedule for this week, and will have over the minimum when this week is included in the total.
Oddly enough: I don't know precisely what it amounts to! The complicated formula that is used for evaluating, deciding who gets what is far beyond my comprehension - I just know that I am nearly certain of qualifying. How the company decides the amount of stock apportioned to each employee is something I have never questioned, just thankful to be included as the recipient of the gift. The most recent evaluation of shares was over $42, not insignificant when you consider: entirely owned by the employees. It will be interesting if I can remember to pay attention from last year's benefits in order to make a comparison and see how much has accumulated. People who have been with the company for years claim to be millionaires, (that won't be me!) having accumulated stock and used the dividends to purchase even more. Pretty nice retirement, huh?
No comments:
Post a Comment