Benefits, not just paychecks, have fallen on hard times

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http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/09/17/3381124/benefits-not-just-paychecks-have.html?sp=/99/261/

Benefits, not just paychecks, have fallen on hard times
By By Gail MarksJarvis
Chicago Tribune
September 17, 2014

Paychecks have been disappointing investors for years, but that’s not all that’s been putting pressure on household spending.

While companies have been stingy with raises since the 2008 recession, they’ve also been whittling away at benefits for the past five years. So in many cases, workers have had to get by on frozen paychecks while also forfeiting the extras that might have stretched paychecks in the past.

The greatest effect typically has come from employers requiring employees to pick up larger portions of their health care costs. But in addition, over the past five years employers have cut things such as automobile subsidies related to business use, moving and relocation expenses, and costs related to picking up more education or training, according to a national survey of human resources professionals done by the Society for Human Resource Management.

The only compensation benefit that has increased since 2010, according to the survey, has been spot bonuses — one-time awards that recognize an employee’s performance.