I changed jobs in December 2008
My old company was run more like a family (there was only six of us) and I now work with 100 people.
My old job:
treated me like a family member
Set me up with a PRSA with a lump sum contribution of 10% of salary after five years service
Always gave everybody €50 on a bank holiday weekend to have a drink (C/O Betty Stash - Petty Cash)
Lunches out for everybody's Birthday
Christmas : Trip away for staff only to Paris/Amsterdam for our christmas party along with personal Christmas Gift from Directors along with substantial bonus
When I bought my new house and needed 10% deposit straight away (because I had not yet closed on my old house) MD asked me personally was I ok and was prepared to give me over €40K from his own money
Christmas bonus and also substantial bonus all around if a large project closed.
No problem coming/going when I wanted as they knew it would be returned
Asked for 8 weeks holidays together (even though they struggled due to there only being six of us) - no probs and a good few bob spending money
Days out the races
Was made redundant last July as my boss was semi retiring and selling the practice. New regime would not suit me, so even though he needed me to go, gave me the option of taking redundancy with a nice few bob.
The best bit about it all was not the money or perks, believe it not, but the fact that they became close friends. We have gone through everything as a group, bereavements, cancer, alcahol addiction, relationship breakdown. It was a really rocky ride. Feast or famine. If we were working on a big project with nothing coming in, we might often have to wait a week or two for our wages and nobody minded. It will always be my favourite job ever.
After leaving there I worked for a horrible company for 4 months. Money was fine, but everything else was rubbish. So I decided to take my chances and moved again.
I now work for a bigger company.
My favourite things about my new job are:
Very HR/people oriented
Subsidised Lunch
Flexi Time
Good Staff Discounts
Good Pay
Good Social Life
Friendly people