Author: Olivia

I was on a sales call about a new HR system that my company is looking at implementing. There is data reporting directly from our health insurance provider to show employees the best plan, based on historical data. That seems pretty great right? It would make finding a plan easier and potentially reduce the cost of an employees benefits. Then on the next slide they showed off a list of about 15 high-cost conditions. Think depressions, diabetes, asthma, etc. The HR team can track how many employees have those conditions and if they are in compliance. Compliance means, refilling prescriptions, going to follow up appointments etc. On the aggregate that makes sense. Then, for super users(admin) they can even see the specific employees with those conditions. WTF? This is a common big name system, and I had no idea that the HR team had access to that level of data…

They said many employees have been approached by or are considering joining a union and our stance as employees is that we need to agree that we don't need a union. I think it may be time to unionize…

I just got an email from my companies HR department. In response to concerns about cost of living and not getting raises to match inflation, instead of paying us more, they sent an email about the new HR dashboard you can log into to see how much the company spends on your health insurance. Thanks. Knowing that you pay x to offer me some mediocre health insurance sure helps pay the rent or cover increased food costs.

Sometimes I get recommended posts from the personal finance subreddit. I get it in some ways, you’re really in debt and need help, there’s some peculiar situation, but I just cannot fathom the dominant mindset there. Insane amounts of time and mental energy into ensuring that every dollar you make produces more. Anything you own is an asset either appreciating or depreciating, there’s no question of just having things because you like them. No driving a car because you like it. No home improvements that don’t add value in some objective way. No going out to eat. No art and minimal vacations or fun. I know it’s cliche to as but truly what is the point of living like that? Not least because you can’t “personal finance” your way into wealth, although I think some might be delusional about that. Anyway, just a small rant. What the hell is money…

My last few jobs took me off the schedule shortly after I gave them my notice. Is that normal? I have a new job now that pays better than both, but wanted to see if people had the same experience.

And the boss couldn’t care less. Shut up and get back to work. Really shows you what is important.

Yesterday, I was supposed to have my monthly check in with my boss. In the morning, they said “we’re going to go into the city (about 1 hour away) and do an activity for your checkin!” Ando was excited. When I met them at noon to get the details of the activity, they informed me we were actually going to see a mediator to discuss their issues with me. Essentially, their main problem is that I do not work fast enough and am hurting their margins. Am I crazy to think that this is a reason to quit? The session being sprung on me out of the blue feels incredibly uncalled for.