Just like checking the star rateing of the hotel you want to stay at, would'nt it be great to have a optical web site listing the star rateing of employers? So many times the employer can be so conserned about the care of the paying patient that thay forget about how to care for their associates. If I feel that my employer is fair and good to me then it is reflected in the quality and care given to the paying patient by me, thus building business for my employer. Many years ago when first starting in the business I worked with two Optholomigest and we were given what I call, "Useable Benifit's". It was insisted on that we take one extra day a month as a, "mental health day." a day for yourself to do what you needed to keep your attitude good at work, [this day was with pay, god knows with the stress of working with the public and some of their demands, it is needed.] Tack it on to your two days off and take a three day weekend to, go to the beach, fish, hunt, work in the garden anything you need to get your mind straight. We received a birthday bonus of 1/2 our weekly pay check, made us feel appreciated, thus wanting to do our best for our employer. One of them had a beach condo, during the summer each associate was able to use it at no charge to them. I invited my parents to come down from Tennessee. [made brownie points with them.] When it was Easter, we were given easter lilly's. Again we felt appreciated. Valatines, we were given a box or good choclets. Again we felt appreciated and wanted to do our best for our employer. There was even a time when I needed some wisdom teeth worked on and had no insurance, [I was 23 at the time, had a wife and baby, lived away from any family that could help, the wife was at home and not working because we wanted the child to at lest be walking before puting him in daycare] One of the Dr's gave me a blank check and told me to go see his denist and do what ever needed to be done, and he did not expect me to repay him. What an angle, I appreciate him to this day. When I first started with them I accepted to take out the medical insurance because by baby was not born yet and in about 6 months the wife had a C-section, when the claim was filed we come to find out that the accountant had not been takeing the money for the insurance out of my check. The Dr's told me that if I still wanted the insurance then it would start comeing out of my check. I could'nt afford it. But they did not ask for repayment of what thay had payed out for me. Again, I really appreciated my employer's. Therefore I give them a 5 star rateing. I left them after 5 years and went to the space coast of florida and found out over the last 20 years that employers like them was the exception, not the rule. My son is now 23 years old, two years ago went to work with Stanley Steamer and is doing very well as assisant manager to the local store here and is soon to be promoted to manager. He told me today that when he started with them he did not even know what they did. He had been trying to sell cars and not being very sucessful at that and saw and ad for Stanley and applied. Now if there had been a web site he could of accessed before going in he could of made a wise and informed choice as to weather or not he wanted to go that direction. If it had not of worked out well for him he could of wasted 6 months to a year of his life before deciding cleaning carpets was not for him at that time. Some of the things that could be listed on the web site of your potential employer could be things like, personality rateings of the supervisors, the quality of the equiptment you have to work with, the age and condition of the store, the quality of the neighborhood surrounding the store. The type of people comeing in, the potential growth of the business of the location. Is there any medical benifits and the cost of it, what kind of vacation time do you get, any 401-k, how much does the employer put if any, any personal time, [paid or not paid], any sick time? Is it a corporate store, franchise store, Optician owned store, Dr. owned store, what is the ability of the owner or supervisor to understand the optical business, what experience do they have if any. Does the location have a full surface lab or finish lab or any lab at all. Is there a very professional attitude in the store or just a casule relaxed beach attitude. Now I am sure that others can add more the the list. But just like the employer can send you for a drug test and do a background check on you, then would it not be valuable to both parties for us to check on our potential employer? Would it not give employees more control over their destination in life and make them more responsable for their own action. If there is such a web site out there then someone please let me know. And also if someone knows how to use the spell check on this site[god know's I need it!] please respond and let me know. My e-mail address is, ccgforeyes@yahoo.com
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Originally Posted by Happylady
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