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Why Employees Should Not Get Benefits
Employee benefits are a sham and its time we all admit it
I’m going to make a simple thesis statement right at the outset: employee “benefits” are nothing more than tools that help the employer retain an employee without actually providing that employee with the proper incentives to remain with the company.
I realized this when I dropped my full-time status at my current company so that I could pursue freelance work. Since I made that decision, I have experienced a significant increase in compensation and in job satisfaction. But it was a tough decision to make — so tough, that I almost chickened out. I had my health insurance with my company, sick time, vacation, and a 401K. I didn’t want to give those things up, especially the insurance.
But I ran the numbers. I realized that I could provide all of those benefits to myself at the cost of two to three months of pay (at my rate as a full-timer). So if I could earn over and above that amount as a part-timer/freelancer (which is exactly what happened), then I would still be making out better than I would if I would have retained my full-time status regardless of benefits. But I would have the added benefit of freedom. I could leave my job at any time without worry about being uninsured, having to roll over a 401k, or having to relinquish…
