With recessionary times come recessionary cuts — from personnel to perks. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey, at the beginning of this year, 37% of employers said the economy would force them to make cuts to perks and benefits, including bonuses, medical coverage and 401(k) matches sometime during 2010. Other areas where companies planned to cut spending included office perks such as free coffee, tea and condiments, incentive trips, and academic reimbursement.
And that’s more than apparent in Texas, where state workers are now being required to take out their own garbage at the office in order to cut costs. The Wall Street Journal reports that some 20,000 employees have to empty their own desk wastebaskets–a task once performed by janitorial services–into common garbage bins. The state expects to save at least $825,000 annually on labor costs with this new program–a small piece of the two-year budget of $182 billion. And the trend has spread to Arizona and college campuses in Washington and New Hampshire, according to the report.
(Notably, Texas employers added 3,700 jobs in September according to data released by the Texas Workforce Commission, with the state having added 152,800 jobs in the past year. Statewide unemployment dropped slightly to 8.1%t from 8.3% percent in August. )
Some may balk at the thought of having to do something often taken for granted in offices and wonder: What’s next? Bringing my own toilet paper for the restroom? And what about those janitors losing hours and pay?
With companies cutting budgets in a plight to remain viable in recessionary times, how much is too much? Would you rather your employer cut custodial efforts than jobs? Take our poll and leave comments below.
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