Cat Meow

Is Your Job the “Cat’s Meow?”

Cat’s Meow: someone or something wonderful or remarkable—Dictionary.com

What makes a job the “cat’s meow” may vary from person to person, since we all have our own goals and priorities. But it’s a question worth pursuing because the answer could give you the push you need to elevate your career. Ultimately, it comes down to this: Are you happy with your job?

To reach a definitive conclusion, you’ll need to examine where you’re at professionally and your goals for the future. To help you with this assessment, we’ve prepared a list of items that are commonly regarded as essential to job fulfillment. This includes compensation, health benefits, retirement plan, paid time off, work culture, and performance evaluations.

Compensation

Salary is the top piece of information that U.S. job seekers and employees zero in on when researching job ads, according to a 2018 survey from Glassdoor. In addition, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) says that compensation/pay is the main reason employees stay with or leave their employer.

In short, you should expect fair compensation for your work.

Health Benefits

As healthcare costs continue to escalate, health insurance remains the most prized employee benefit year after year. (The Employee Benefit Research Institute says that health insurance was the most offered benefit between 2013 and 2017.)

Whether you’re single or married with children, employer-sponsored health insurance can drastically reduce your healthcare expenses—making this benefit an absolute must-have.

Paid Time Off

According to research by Project: Time Off, employees rank paid vacation as the second most important benefit, right after healthcare.

It’s been well documented that employees don’t take enough time off from work. But, things are changing. In 2017, employees took an average of 17.2 vacation days, the highest number of vacation usage since 2013.

This suggests that employees are putting more value on paid time off, which plays a pivotal role in work-life balance.

Retirement Plan

According to MetLife, younger workers are besieged by student debt while older workers fret about saving for retirement and paying for their children’s education, thereby making retirement plans a highly sought-after benefit.

If you’re making student loan repayments, you’ll be glad to know that the Internal Revenue Service has issued a private letter ruling that could make it easier for employers to make 401(k) contributions on behalf of employees who are repaying student loan debts.

Work Culture

Per SHRM, workplace culture is “the proper way to behave within the organization.” Leaders of the organization are responsible for developing this culture, and for communicating it to employees through various channels.

Culture can be negative or positive; and obviously, you should aim for the latter. Characteristics of a positive culture include an inspiring mission statement, honest and open communication, and an environment where people feel appreciated and supported.

Performance Reviews

There has been some chatter in the corporate world that performance reviews are outdated and ineffective. But if that’s the case, why are the vast majority of companies still doing them? Simple: they are vital to employee learning and development.

Imagine not being kept up to speed on how you’re performing at work. You don’t know when your next feedback is coming, and you have no clear strategy for improving your competencies. You’re stuck in a dead-end job—which is very distressing.

To be able to maximize your potential, you need regularly scheduled performance reviews that promote professional growth.

Whether your job is the cat’s meow may depend on a myriad of other factors. But, if you’re happy with your compensation, benefits, work culture, and the opportunities available for development, then you’re well on your way to achieving job fulfillment.

 

Sources

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/salary-and-benefits-are-most-important-for-us-workers-and-job-seekers-looking-at-job-ads-according-to-glassdoor-survey-300686484.html

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/2017-job-satisfaction-and-engagement-doors-of-opportunity-are-open.aspx

https://www.ebri.org/ 

https://benefittrends.metlife.com/media/1382/2017-ebts-report_0320_exp0518_v2.pdf

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/workers-taking-more-vacation-.aspx

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