I was reading the "When was the last time you got a raise?" thread
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=659361 and was struck by a number of the responses.
I realize good work demands good pay, and that with difficult times come compromise. However what struck me was the number of times people mentioned profit sharing, health plan contributions, bonus pay, vacation pay, and other very attractive benefits.
I've been self employed for nearly 20 years now. In that time I've paid 100% of my health insurance or gone without, paid the full 15% of Social Security/Medicare taxes, paid all of my vehicle expenses, at times gone months without pay at all, worked 100 hours in a week for only a couple days worth of pay, paid my own liability insurance, and every local, state & federal tax and/or fee those entities could conceive.
In that time I have also gone
without the security of workman's comp, disability insurance, and unemployment insurance. I have received no vacation or holiday pay, no sick days, no annual bonuses, no cost of living adjustments, no 401k matching contributions and no Thanksgiving turkey. I have worked sick and with broken bones - because I had to.
As for employees, I have dealt with every possible reason for not showing up from sick kids, car won't start, overslept, still cocked from last night (it was a Tuesday), DUI arrests (multiple of these), to "I just didn't feel like coming in"! I was also asked by one of my employees for a raise once after he had just ruined about $800 worth of materials the day before!
I'm not looking to start any arguments out there, but I don't think the majority of people actually realize that for every dollar they earn in employment, there are probably 2 more it costs to the employer to have them there....that is to say, if you earn $50k a year, the total dollars spent for your employment is between $100 & $150k. The office or vehicle you sit in, tools & equipment, computers, phones, utilities, taxes, insurance and benefits all exceed your earnings.
Who else here knows what I'm talking about.