7. Benefits, Perq’s and Retirement
"Enjoy life. It’s ungrateful not to."
Ronald Reagan
i. Insurance and Other Benefits
- NL 1: Offer Letter or Company Plan – Which One Governs?
- NL 2: Unknown Job Benefits and Perks – Are You Missing Out on Any?
- QA 1: “Is there a deadline to file a Workers Compensation case?”
- QA 2: “Can I collect Unemployment Insurance benefits at the same time I am pursuing a claim for Workers Compensation benefits?”
- QA 3: Benefit Plan Complaint – “Sue or Tell?”
- QA 4: Is it illegal to have two health insurance policies at the same time?
- QA 5: No Right to Maternity Leave: How Do I Negotiate Time Off?
- QA 6: “Can my employer reduce benefits without any limit?”
ii. Vacation
- NL 1: “Vacation and Vacation Pay – 50 Frequently Asked Questions”
- QA 1: “If I am required to give ‘four weeks’ notice when I resign, can one of those weeks be a vacation?”
- QA 2: “To get to ‘bonus day,’ can I use vacation days?”
- QA 3: If I resign, can I collect for accrued but unpaid vacation?
- QA 4: Vacation Pay Accrued – Is It Paid to Me If I Resign?
- QA 5: Afraid to Take Vacation? Here’s Seven Ideas
iii. Pensions and Retirement
- NL 1: Recommended Resources . . . Social Security
- NL 2: Twelve Steps to Negotiating a “Bridge to Retirement”
- QA 1: “Can I retire and also continue working for my employer?”
- QA 2: “Can I use my severance to get a ‘bridge to retirement?'”
- QA 3: “Give 90 days resignation notice or repay bonuses – Is that legal?”
- QA 4: “How can I diplomatically ask why I did not receive a workplace Award?”
- QA 5: “I’m retiring; can I ask my boss to keep that confidential?”
- QA 6: “If I resign will I still get my retirement money I put in?”
- QA 7: “Prior notice is required; can I retire now anyway?”
- QA 8: “If I receive severance payments over time, will that count toward the time I need to vest in the company retirement plan?”
- QA 9: “My company avoids both severance and pensions by something called ‘re-badging’ employees. Is this legal?”
iv. Miscellaneous Perq's
- NL 1: New Expatriate Request: “Pollution Perq’s”
- NL 2: “New Job, First Week – Seven Questions You Should Always Ask”
- NL 3: “Telecommuting and Flex-Time – 15 Steps for Your Request and Success”
- NL 4: “Vacation and Vacation Pay – 50 Frequently Asked Questions”
- NL 5: 10 Tax-Free Fringe Benefits (i.e., “Perks”)
- NL 6: Continuing Indemnity – A Key Objective for Corporate Officers
- NL 7: Did You Know That . . . Employer-Paid Moving Expenses are Now Taxed as Employee Income?
- NL 8: Request a “Mental Health Day”? Do Not Use that Phrase
- NL 9: Unknown Job Benefits and Perks – Are You Missing Out on Any?
- NL 10: “Not Feeling Well Enough to Work? – 13 Workplace Options (Part 1 of 2)”
- NL 11: “Not Feeling Well Enough to Work? – 13 Workplace Options (Part 2 of 2)”
- QA 1: “I’d like to ‘telecommute’ my job. How do I approach my boss?”
- QA 2: “Others were paid for not using health insurance; not me. Any rights?”
- QA 3: “Vacation and Vacation Pay – 50 Frequently Asked Questions”
- QA 4: “If an employee returns from a personal leave, and turns down a comparable position offered to her, is she entitled to anything else?”
- QA 5: “Is it a violation of privacy if my supervisor told Human Resources that I am seeking counseling from Employee Assistance Program at work?”
- QA 6: “Are employers required to reimburse internet expenses for home-based employees?”
- QA 7: “I am working way too many hours!! Any ideas??”
- QA 8: “If I am required to give ‘four weeks’ notice when I resign, can one of those weeks be a vacation?”
- QA 9: “If my employer pays my attorney fees, am I taxed on the amount they pay?”
- QA 10: “Is Small Claims Court good for collecting monies owed by a former employer?”
“If you live your life the right way,
your later years will not be a winter,
but rather a harvest.”