Career By Design

Hey all,

My friend was at an interview recently and they told me that someone on the other side of the interview process asked them why they wanted the job. His first somewhat sarcastic answer was "because money can be exchanged for goods and services". 

Money (and humor) aside, I've been curious as to what employer-offered benefits other people consider to be most beneficial to their lives. 

I'll go first - aside from big ticket items like access to health insurance - I've really enjoyed the ability to work flexible hours ever since I began working remote. I've found that much of life happens during 9 to 5, and its also possible for work to be done from 5 to 9. 

What are some benefits that you make use of and which you feel improve your day-to-day life?

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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
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Flexibility to work at various times that better fit schedules from week to week are a nice benefit. We are finding that being in the office 3+ days per week is better for mentorship, especially for younger employees that are still learning their way in the business. 

The opportunity for team building through office activities is one of the benefits that I really enjoy. For the Halff San Antonio office today that was a lunchtime Earth Day event that included a meal and discussion by a broad cross-section of our office. Many people learned ways to reduce plastic waste and at the same time find out about the benefits of more sustainable living. I really appreciate that my company provides support for these types of activities. 

Having worked for a few companies over the years, I think a company's culture is an extremely important benefit that is established by the leadership and carried out each day by all employees. Building and maintaining an excellent culture takes time and effort that good leaders understand must be invested in. 

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Troy Dorman P.E., M.ASCE
Director of Water Resources
San Antonio TX
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Thanks for your input Troy!

I have grown fond of remote work but am much more open to the idea of a return to office in the cases where it helps junior members. 

As chair of my company's sustainability committee, I am also always excited to hear about what other companies do for Earth Day. I work for a small firm with limited ability to make changes to our office's infrastructure, so other ideas like reducing plastic waste are much more achievable for us to consider. I would share your appreciation of company support in those endeavors.

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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2024 12:47 AM
From: Troy Dorman
Subject: More Than The Money - Your Favorite Employer Benefit

Flexibility to work at various times that better fit schedules from week to week are a nice benefit. We are finding that being in the office 3+ days per week is better for mentorship, especially for younger employees that are still learning their way in the business. 

The opportunity for team building through office activities is one of the benefits that I really enjoy. For the Halff San Antonio office today that was a lunchtime Earth Day event that included a meal and discussion by a broad cross-section of our office. Many people learned ways to reduce plastic waste and at the same time find out about the benefits of more sustainable living. I really appreciate that my company provides support for these types of activities. 

Having worked for a few companies over the years, I think a company's culture is an extremely important benefit that is established by the leadership and carried out each day by all employees. Building and maintaining an excellent culture takes time and effort that good leaders understand must be invested in. 

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Troy Dorman P.E., M.ASCE
Director of Water Resources
San Antonio TX
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Hi Christopher,

My company provides a benefit where if you have a non-emergency/elective procedure, you can submit the procedure information to the benefit company, and they will do a price comparison of that service at different providers. They provide 3 cost estimates (a high, medium, and low option). If you choose either the low or medium option, you will be rewarded (more money!) with 20% of the savings from the highest cost option (or the difference between the highest cost option and the one you chose). The benefit provides more transparency around the cost of certain procedures. I utilized the benefit when I needed an MRI of my knee. The low cost option was at the location my doctor recommended. By going through the benefit company, I was able to have my deductible go farther (by not paying a higher price for the MRI at another provider), but I also got enough of an award from the savings that it covered the initial cost of the MRI. There was just about a 1-1.5 week delay in getting things schedules, but well worth it given the savings/reward money/etc.!

Thanks for posting this question! There's definitely more to a compensation package than just salary and it'll be interesting to see what benefits different companies offer!   

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Madison Anderson A.M.ASCE
Kenosha WI
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Thats really interesting Madison. This is the first time I've ever heard of that, thank you for sharing. (Also best wishes with your knee, coming from someone who's own knee sometimes acts up on long runs.)

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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2024 09:46 AM
From: Madison Anderson
Subject: More Than The Money - Your Favorite Employer Benefit

Hi Christopher,

My company provides a benefit where if you have a non-emergency/elective procedure, you can submit the procedure information to the benefit company, and they will do a price comparison of that service at different providers. They provide 3 cost estimates (a high, medium, and low option). If you choose either the low or medium option, you will be rewarded (more money!) with 20% of the savings from the highest cost option (or the difference between the highest cost option and the one you chose). The benefit provides more transparency around the cost of certain procedures. I utilized the benefit when I needed an MRI of my knee. The low cost option was at the location my doctor recommended. By going through the benefit company, I was able to have my deductible go farther (by not paying a higher price for the MRI at another provider), but I also got enough of an award from the savings that it covered the initial cost of the MRI. There was just about a 1-1.5 week delay in getting things schedules, but well worth it given the savings/reward money/etc.!

Thanks for posting this question! There's definitely more to a compensation package than just salary and it'll be interesting to see what benefits different companies offer!   

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Madison Anderson A.M.ASCE
Kenosha WI
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