Are My Bosses Out of Line?

The wording of this note may have a been a bit much, but many employees of companies of all sizes are getting these messages. The cost of health care goes up every year, and if the company is paying for it, they are informing their employees of this increasing benefit being provided to them, many times instead of an increase in pay.

i think it was completely unprofessional. maybe you all should get together and write them a note, outlining how much money you make THEM every year.

Their notes are completely inappropriate and rude. I would save every one of those and see if you can talk to someone above them. There is always someone above even the boss. Do not get bullied by these people. What they are doing is wrong and they know it! Document everything and start looking for a new position. I wouldn't stay with shady people liike this. Best wishes!

M

My job sends me a similar letter annually for tax purposes, although it's more formal than the one you received. These things came to mind as I read your post...

1. Many employees, myself included, forget how much our benefits cost our employer. I've worked both public and private sector and the costs of insurance is astronomical. When I listen to my colleagues BMW (b****, moan, whine) about how awful our insurance is, etc., I think of that letter and remember that I'm lucky to have an employer that pays that much extra for me. I also remember what the word BENEFIT really means.

2. Health insurance has been rising in the double digits for the last decade. It stinks to have benefit reductions but the choice for most employers is simple: cut benefits or cut employees.

3. Most small business owners I know and/or have worked for struggle annually with point #2. What would you choose? Keep your dental insurance or cut the person who works along side you? (And, for what it's worth, my family has been without dental for 10 years now and it's actually cheaper to pay cash than pay for the insurance. We brush twice a day, use a fluoride rinse and floss occasionally. That's been our experience.)

5. Most small business owners own their business to make a profit. Nothing wrong with that. You would, too, if you owned a business. How long could you lose 10% of your profit annually before you were no longer making a living with your business? Before you had to lay off employees? I know many small business that no longer offer insurance because the costs are too great. For them, the choice is simple, reduce/eliminate insurance or become unprofitable.

4. It's sad that you don't get more appreciation from your boss. But, as another poster said, there are lots of people right now who would love to be unappreciated in your job right now.

So, to your question: what should you think of this message? I look at my letter every year and say, "Wow! Good to know. I'm LUCKY to have an employer who pays an EXTRA $12,000 for me. I could be unemployed, paying COBRA or uninsured." Then, I go to school the next day and work even harder.

In the end, the only person who can make you feel bad about all of this is you. If this is such a raw deal for you, that this is intimidation or harassment, find another job.

Well, not well done by a long shot, but personally I don't think they meant any harm. If the staff is complaining about losing dental and not getting a raise and "the Bosses" have been trying to stay afloat during the economic crisis, they may have thought that knowing the cost of benefits would quell some unhappiness. I think the small business owner (having been one) worries much more about loyalty than corporations do. If you're inclined to look at that negatively then yes, they are looking to have their employees appreciate them...and then are usually too busy themselves to appreciate their employees. Having been bought out by a large corporation I can also tell you that the corporation doesn't care if you like them or appreciate them, you are under no obligation to them, and they generally have more formal ways to recognize employees. They also don't give a hoot if they have to cut your benefits or lay you off because there's no obligation on their end either, but that's a more comfortable, traditional employer-employee relationship for some people. If you want your bosses to look favorably on you (even if you have plans to move on), I would tell them (sincerely) Wow! I had no idea! I guess we do tend to take our benefits for granted and thank goodness we do have health insurance! They will beam with pride.

I would think that most companies let their employees know their total compensation package with all the detailed information. My DH works for a large company & I find it fascinating to look at all the numbers from salary, bonus potential, health ins, life ins, profit sharing, 401k, sick, vacation,etc. These numbers really add up fast so I try to remember the *total* compensation package when I think his pay is too low. I love that my DH gets 6 weeks paid vacation but gets to take about 2 weeks & then loses whatever he doesn't use at the end of the year.

So your bosses don't have good tact but they are a small business that is able to keep their doors open. I say try to look at them in a positive light & tell them that you know there is so much change going on & that you are so thankful that they are continuing to pay for health BENEFITS. It's easy to say 'look for another job', but seriously that's a joke in these times.

I worked for the county and every year we received a memo telling us how much our benefits cost. It was factual without the editorial comment yours included. Our overtime was carefully monitored and had to be approved in advance. Supervisors would tell us, no more overtime. This was just a part of being employed and a way of managing the department's budget. Very impersonal. But then, there were 150 employees in our department.

I suggest that because this is a small business all of this feels personal because it is personal. I suggest that just as employees don't feel appreciated the bosses also don't feel appreciated. I've found that the best way to receive compliments that allow me to feel appreciated is to give lots of compliments.

Lots of people are just not aware that positive attention is much more effective than negative or even no comments. Perhaps your bosses are in this group.

I interpret their letter as letting you know that they don't feel appreciated. I don't see it as they're telling you that they're doing you a favor in a negative way even tho it feels that way. I suggest that they want you to know that they are providing insurance even tho many businesses do not provide insurance. My response to the letter would be a written memo thanking them for the insurance.

I suggest that by providing you the insurance they are telling you that they appreciate that you're a loyal long term employee and are asking you to show them your appreciation. Yes, by being a long term loyal employee you are a good employee. I suggest that they lack people skills and don't know how to help you feel good about it.

You cannot change anyone but yourself. I suggest that you start using some positive self talk about how you are a good employee and not depend on your bosses to validate your worth. Try to not take what they say so personally. And try taking a positive approach in the way that you think about and communicate with them. If you give them more positive attention you might be surprised at how much they respond more positively.

I also suggest that if you and your fellow employees would only go the extra mile because you want to instead of because you feel that you have to you will feel less anger. You stay over because you want to. Stop depending on your co-workers to validate what you do. Build up your self-confidence, knowing that you're doing a good job. Then what others think, including your bosses, will be less important.

I also suggest that you get permission from your bosses before staying over. Say something like, I'd like to stay and finish this. Would that be OK? If they're aware and tacitly give permission for the over time they'll have less reason for the notes about overtime.

I am a business owner and I would NEVER say something like that to an employee.

Our business is one that covers all insurance at 100% no cost to the employee. I think letting that employee know up front about this benefit in the event they are hired, that is completely ok.

However, to specifically mention it the way you say it is mentioned, I think it is tacky and the bosses are pulling some sort of "power" over you.

Not cool in my book.

If they wanted to get that message across to you, they should have had an employee meeting. Yes, you are lucky to have health insurance, but they are DARN lucky to have such loyal employees--1/2 of you have been there over 15 years! How much would it cost them to have constant turnover?

I agree with Julie R. Obviously, your employers might have worded things a little differently, or done it in a more professional and less personal way, but I believe that the intent is probably to explain why you recently lost your dental insurance. Or why you haven't had a raise in 2 years. I can promise you that someone there has grumbled about the lost dental coverage and the lack of a raise. And that the bosses are aware of it.

They probably are trying to explain (without singling anyone out, and making sure pre-emptively that everyone is aware) WHY those things have happened. I worked for small business (for a lawyer) for ten years. My boss would have LOVED to have paid me TWICE my salary. But it would have been impossible to have done and still paid my co-workers and kept our insurance, and paid the overhead/expenses etc. There is a limit to how much a business can pay its employees (and "benefits" are just another term for pay, really) and STAY in business at a profit.
Say Mary from the next cubicle over is grumbling and complaining about losing dental coverage and not getting a raise. What would you have the company do? Fire her? Then maybe they could reinstate every ELSE's dental coverage with the $ that was previously going to Mary's wages. BUT, then you would all have to pick up the slack for what Mary would have been doing but is no longer there doing. So, you'd presumably be working some overtime--which probably costs more than just paying Mary her regular wages. So, that means that maybe you wouldn't have been able to keep your dental after all--maybe SOME dental, but a different plan but not as good. SO, you would work overtime for lesser dental benefits. And the company would just break even on it. Instead, the company opted to keep Mary employed but cut out the dental coverage. Rather than say to everyone, "Hey, MARY here gets to keep her job, but you guys lose your dental so she can keep working", your bosses put a note in the paychecks.
That's my take on it. Again, it could have been done in more professional manner, but I think that's WHY they did it.
Next time you see one of them, casually say "hey, thanks for that info. I didn't realize how much that cost. Glad nobody had to get laid off to keep that in place!" (And say it with a smile. Even the bosses want to feel like their fellow employees are aware of the sacrifices and choices they are having to make. They're not always easy.)

wow, I can't believe that!! Are they this pleasurable to work for otherwise? I suppose it must be somewhat OK otherwise you wouldn't be there for 23 plus years. I however would not like it. Wouldn't you love to write them a note, say, after you work overtime "Dear Bosses: This is a friendly reminder that I did you a great favor last night by working overtime for you, so you could make more money for yourselves while I sacrificed time with my family for you. I had to pick up the kids late, start dinner late, and had a late bedtime, but that is OK, I did it for you, and for the financial gain that you will no doubt receive." Guess there's not really anything you can do about it but chuckle amongst yourselves at how petty they are.

Good advice in all of the responses you got so far. Do try to ignore the 'tacky' way this was worded. Do take 'wellness' days if you are not sick during the year. When a co-worker needs help that will cause you to stay overtime, be sure you check it with one of the bosses first. If you have their approval ahead of time on the overtime, and they then complain, remind them that they had said it was OK. Perhaps, if you have employee meetings with the bosses, it would be a good idea to bring up a question asking them what their expectations are about overtime, and try to get something in writing from them that you can refer to in the future. That way, all employees will know the expectations and have no reason to feel resentful of another employee going home at the end of 8 hours. It might also make the bosses more aware of needs that perhaps they haven't noticed. Of course, if you are going to say that sometimes people need a little extra help that causes you to have to work overtime, it is important that all employees really are giving the "110 %" that you mentioned. I don't know if "overtime" in your work simply means extra hours worked, or if you are in the time and a half for overtime category. If they are paying you time and a half, I'm sure you can see how that affects their bottom line in profits and why they would want to try to curb as much of that as possible. If the bosses perceive (rightly or wrongly) that some employees are slacking and that's what is causing the overtime, they will naturally resent having to pay it.
I've been in jobs where I felt much as you express here. It helps to try to step back and see things from the perspective of the management, but when there is a legitimate gripe, it also helps to try to ask for a bit of time and calmly discuss your problems with the boss.
I also agree with the responder who mentioned that not getting dental insurance is not unusual, and that it is cheaper to pay for that on your own. I had dental insurance briefly, on one job, and found out that what it cost me out of pocket (my co-pay) was equal to what it would have cost me just to go into my dentist and pay out of pocket in the first place. This meant that the money my employer was putting out to the insurance company was basically wasted money. The only way dental insurance is beneficial is if you have some big emergency dental problem, not for regualar dental check-ups and work. It would be nice if we could get the insurance (at a reasonable rate) just for the emergencies, and pay out of pocket for our two regular check-ups a year. Unfortunately, I don't know of any insurance company that has come up with that kind of common sense approach to dental or medical insurance.

I'm coming off of being unemployed for 3 1/2 years so I'm VERY thankful to be getting into a job that still offers health benefits, and with a contribution I can afford; at this point I would care less about the kind of notes they send me to remind me how lucky I am! I'm reminding myself. If it makes them feel better to "rub it in", let them; let it go in one ear then out the other. Something must be good about working there, otherwise why have you stayed so long? Count your blessings and move on. Good luck to you.

I would just chuck it straight in the trash (after tearing out your name and the $$ amount) somewhere obvious. Maybe they will see it and get over themselves.

It's nice that you get insurance, but that's a part of your working there. They aren't GIVING it to you, you are working for it...

It sounds like they just want you to feel indebted to them, or grateful... maybe they want to be praised... who knows. But I do feel that this is very tacky...

Well big companies do this too, but they just have expensive consultants and marketing departments to word it more tactfully. It's called a "total wealth statement" and outlines what you cost the company above and beyond what you see in your paycheck. I think that it is eye-opening and helpful if done well. I work in benefits administration and consulting and even I get surprised with how much our employer pays in benefits (FYI my health plan alone would cost $20K out of pocket - I pay appx $5K and they pay $15K, plus I get a profit sharing contribution and company match in my 401(k)).

So I don't think there is anything wrong with the content of the message, but the delivery could use some polish.

I agree with Red, Chuck it, prepare yourself when you get your paychecks, make sure there isn't something relevent you need to know and toss those notes.

I think the message is, just BAD. If this is a small to medium business, I understand their frustration as the Bay Area CA is one of the hardest places to have a business, or live, or even find a job right now. That doesn't excuse their behavior though, they should be glad to have loyal employees and not be placing blame on you for something that is out of your control!

Ignore them. Bosses are by nature not looking at an employee as a valuable hard to replace member of the team that keeps their business going. As soon as you can start looking for a better paying job with good health benefits. You don't need to live hand to mouth when your boss isn't full of praise or thankfulness for having such a good group of workers.
There is a department store in Bern, Switzerland where the employer Mr. Loeb the owner for whom the store was named got on the loudspeaker every working day as the store was closing. He thanked each and every employee for being there and doing such a fine job. He always said the store would not have been as good or as profitable without them. He treated the employees well when he saw them at work.
To this day though he is gone the employees are extremely helpful. Whoever took over kept the tradition of being kind and praising the employees.
Take a wellness day for fun if you don't get sick. You deserve a few extra days of fun.
Many bosses whose firms are making good money in these hard times tell the employees they cannot afford to give raises due to the economy. The bookkeeper knows whether the company is doing well or not.

My boss is always telling us how much that or this cost if we lose the product or leave it behind, walkie talkies, towels(housekeeping). if everyone left a cleaning product it cost him ka-dillion dollars. i think its just a boss thing. at least you have insurance, we have no sick leave or insurance or over time, it would cost him tri-dillion dollars, lol...

.

I think I get their point. They want to be sure that you all are grateful for all they're doing for you financially and keeping you employed. They're covering a huge financial burden in medical coverage for you and it's also a financial burden for them... but it's rude to point that out to you ad nauseum.

However, in their awkward way they're trying to tell you that they care about you and they care enough to take care of you with health benefits even if they can't reflect it in your salary. Their wording is unprofessional and rude, as is the frequency with which they send you these messages, when instead they could politely make mention about it if an employee here and there complain to them or starts to try to take advantage of them. What makes it inappropriate is to repeatedly try to drive that message home as often as possible.

I guess at this point you have to decide if you're going to dust off your resume or not and look for another job that pays better or if it's worth putting up with for the job security and paycheck for now.

The scary thing is you could probably throw a rock and hit a dozen people who would be more than happy to have your job.

IMHO it's fine to make you aware of the cost of your benefits; however, they could do without the editorializing.

On the other hand, what can you do? Not much probably. I would just stay professional and view your job as a means to an end (not a source of happiness).

I pay that for myself alone. I think they know people are complaining and they want you all to know that they are sacrificing by paying your health insurance. I would love to have the extra $, but we would be in financial ruin without health insurance.

I know I'm a little late on this, but I was out of town and just saw your post. I had a boss that did that one time. In response, I put together a memo reminding him that you have to spend money to make money and telling him how much it cost me to come to work, i.e., transportation, day care, clothes (I worked in an office and we were required to wear dress attire) and anything else I could think of. Once the boss got it, he called me into his office and said 'point taken.' We never got another one of those memos!

I personally feel they are way out of line making a statement like that to any of their employees!!!

Check with the Better Business Bureau and see if if warrants anything or just take it as your bosses being (asses)! Bosses like that do not realize it is the employees who have gotten them where they are at. Without their employees let see them be successful!!

If times weren't as tough as they are right now in the job market I would say start looking for a job where the bosses appreciate their employees. If you are not afraid of what might happen to you (retaliation or something) I would have a conversation with them about that remark.....seriously t was uncalled for.

R.