4 ms·

read your contract when you get hired, people. You shouldn't expect anything more than what's guaranteed right there in front of you.

reasonablemann 8y ago
The funny thing is a lot of people think the company they work for cares about their wellbeing. When you realize they don't care about you, they will feel it. And your pay will go up. I guarantee.
- catacombs 8y ago
  You mind elaborating on this? Are you saying the mentality is to just show up, do the job within the allotted day then head home, knowing the company doesn't owe you thing, no matter how many extra hours you put in?
  - sundaeofshock 8y ago
    Seems like a good idea to me. Why go above and beyond when the company won’t do the same for you?
el_dev_hell 8y ago
This x1000. If a benefit isn't spelled out in black and white, it should be considered non-existent. Example: I used to get a ham at Christmas time. This was a gift from the company (i.e not in my contact). We had a bad year in 2017 and there was no ham - that's fine.
- jobigoud 8y ago
  How is paying what's due a "benefit"?
  - moftz 8y ago
    PTO is a benefit since there is no law that it has to be given out. Paying out PTO after you leave is another thing that isn't mandated so therefore it's a benefit. PTO and the payout of the balance shouldn't be a benefit, it should be the law.
andrew_ 8y ago
This. Right on the money. Got absolutely clobbered for saying the same thing in a different way - this situation is a hard, abject lesson in read-what-you-sign.
astura 8y ago
I've never actually had what can be described as an "employment contract," the only thing is I've ever signed is a paper saying my starting salary, full time status, and that I'm "at will" so employment can be terminated for any reason by either party. Policies like this (PTO accruals, buybacks, etc.) are determined by HR policies that are unilaterally published by the company, but they aren't "guaranteed" by any means; HR policies can (and do) change at any time with no notice. So how does "reading my employment contract" protect me? They can just change the policy from "we'll buyback your unused PTO" to "you forfeit unused PTO" a week before the layoffs. I've actually seen this exact thing happen before. (end PTO buybacks then immediately enact mass layoffs) Once I worked for a company for about 3 or 4 years during that time they dropped the 401(k) match completely (no advanced notice), dropped long term disability (maybe a week advanced notice), dropped max PTO accruals, and changed the health insurance significantly every single year, including changing the company managing the plan. Then there's always the classic "we're changing the PTO accrual schedule." Do you people who apparently have "employment contracts" sign a new one every time your pay changes? Or benefits change? What if someone refused to sign the new one? Then they'd just get fired on the spot, so it's basically the same thing as a unilateral company directive, just with a lot of handwavings.
jorgec 8y ago
However Buzzfeed is acting in good faith, it paid a minimum of 10 weeks plus other benefices until April. It is some shocking, usually, companies are crueler (the average is to give nothing) and how their former employees are retributing it? Bitting it back.

reasonablemann 8y ago

The funny thing is a lot of people think the company they work for cares about their wellbeing. When you realize they don't care about you, they will feel it. And your pay will go up. I guarantee.

catacombs 8y ago
You mind elaborating on this? Are you saying the mentality is to just show up, do the job within the allotted day then head home, knowing the company doesn't owe you thing, no matter how many extra hours you put in?
- sundaeofshock 8y ago
  Seems like a good idea to me. Why go above and beyond when the company won’t do the same for you?

el_dev_hell 8y ago

This x1000. If a benefit isn't spelled out in black and white, it should be considered non-existent. Example: I used to get a ham at Christmas time. This was a gift from the company (i.e not in my contact). We had a bad year in 2017 and there was no ham - that's fine.

jobigoud 8y ago
How is paying what's due a "benefit"?
- moftz 8y ago
  PTO is a benefit since there is no law that it has to be given out. Paying out PTO after you leave is another thing that isn't mandated so therefore it's a benefit. PTO and the payout of the balance shouldn't be a benefit, it should be the law.

andrew_ 8y ago

This. Right on the money. Got absolutely clobbered for saying the same thing in a different way - this situation is a hard, abject lesson in read-what-you-sign.

astura 8y ago

I've never actually had what can be described as an "employment contract," the only thing is I've ever signed is a paper saying my starting salary, full time status, and that I'm "at will" so employment can be terminated for any reason by either party. Policies like this (PTO accruals, buybacks, etc.) are determined by HR policies that are unilaterally published by the company, but they aren't "guaranteed" by any means; HR policies can (and do) change at any time with no notice. So how does "reading my employment contract" protect me? They can just change the policy from "we'll buyback your unused PTO" to "you forfeit unused PTO" a week before the layoffs. I've actually seen this exact thing happen before. (end PTO buybacks then immediately enact mass layoffs) Once I worked for a company for about 3 or 4 years during that time they dropped the 401(k) match completely (no advanced notice), dropped long term disability (maybe a week advanced notice), dropped max PTO accruals, and changed the health insurance significantly every single year, including changing the company managing the plan. Then there's always the classic "we're changing the PTO accrual schedule." Do you people who apparently have "employment contracts" sign a new one every time your pay changes? Or benefits change? What if someone refused to sign the new one? Then they'd just get fired on the spot, so it's basically the same thing as a unilateral company directive, just with a lot of handwavings.

jorgec 8y ago

However Buzzfeed is acting in good faith, it paid a minimum of 10 weeks plus other benefices until April. It is some shocking, usually, companies are crueler (the average is to give nothing) and how their former employees are retributing it? Bitting it back.