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The problem with the added benefits is that you don't get their true value until after you have started working. To say that the employer covers your cost for h

The problem with the added benefits is that you don't get their true value until after you have started working. To say that the employer covers your cost for health care might sound great until you see the level of HC they offer, or we cover PPO but not HSA. We offer 401K but no matching, or 1% matching, or ...you get the idea. So these perks can be misleading and you may turn down a higher base thinking you are getting a better overall package when in fact the opposite is true.

jghn 3y ago
100% of job offers I've had over the last few decades have come with access to information like "we cover PPO but not HSA" and "but no matching, or 1% matching".
- cableshaft 3y ago
  I would never even consider a job offer until I received information on benefits, so I knew pretty much all of this ahead of my job acceptance. I don't think I've ever had an employer push back on sending this once they got to the point of putting in an offer.
ghaff 3y ago
Typically information about things like matching are available up-front and pretty easy to value. Medical, including things like disability is the major benefit that's hard to value. Even if you get all the information, it's hard to know how good or bad a given plan is and the value of various options for your specific situation. How do you even value disability plans. (There are market actuarial rates I guess but still doesn't say what the plan is worth to you personally.)
vidarh 3y ago
Not in the US, so the specifics are different, but 1) my offers have always included the details important to me either from the start or after I've pointed out what I want confirmed, 2) what really matters is the contract, and my assumption is that anything not in the contract doesn't exist. It's fine if they don't want to put something in the contract or the offer, but if so I tell them straight up that I will pretend it doesn't exist when evaluating how their offer stacks up. I do that because I agree perks can often be misleading, and the solution is to make clear you'll err on the side of caution. If their perks are actually really good, odds are they're prepared to promise them in writing.

jghn 3y ago

100% of job offers I've had over the last few decades have come with access to information like "we cover PPO but not HSA" and "but no matching, or 1% matching".

cableshaft 3y ago
I would never even consider a job offer until I received information on benefits, so I knew pretty much all of this ahead of my job acceptance. I don't think I've ever had an employer push back on sending this once they got to the point of putting in an offer.

ghaff 3y ago

Typically information about things like matching are available up-front and pretty easy to value. Medical, including things like disability is the major benefit that's hard to value. Even if you get all the information, it's hard to know how good or bad a given plan is and the value of various options for your specific situation. How do you even value disability plans. (There are market actuarial rates I guess but still doesn't say what the plan is worth to you personally.)

vidarh 3y ago

Not in the US, so the specifics are different, but 1) my offers have always included the details important to me either from the start or after I've pointed out what I want confirmed, 2) what really matters is the contract, and my assumption is that anything not in the contract doesn't exist. It's fine if they don't want to put something in the contract or the offer, but if so I tell them straight up that I will pretend it doesn't exist when evaluating how their offer stacks up. I do that because I agree perks can often be misleading, and the solution is to make clear you'll err on the side of caution. If their perks are actually really good, odds are they're prepared to promise them in writing.