Souvy

My stepson (26) has excellent discipline when it comes to money. He knows, to the dollar, how much he's got, how much he can spend and on what.

This was imposed on him by his mother. She's a finance/budget etc planner, so the boy's life is controlled by a military-style spreadsheet.

I wish she'd control her own spending a bit better. Aftr she'd gone to work this morning, I noticed a tape measure on the kitchen counter. That is never a good sign

scrubbedexpat091

August job report.

The number of public sector employees seems to have jumped, self employment appears down. Overall unemployment slightly up at 7%.


Canada’s unemployment rate rises to 7% despite strong August job growth - National | Globalnews.ca

viajero

But Jerseygirl, you can simply buy a small thermos and keep refilling it with filtered water for when you go out. Perhaps keep a few water bottles in the car for emergencies.

beckiwoo

New kitchen upgrade?

magnumpi

I buy bottled water by the case. I drink 3-4 bottles a day sat in my car in this heat. It cost about $1:95 for a case of 24 bottles. A case will last me week.

Yes I could refill 2 or 3 large bottles, which I do some times, but I am mostly lazy about it and keep the cases in my trunk for ease of use.

All my empty bottles go into the recycling bin and are taken away for recycling every week. Hopefully they re use the plastic somewhere some how ?

Jerseygirl

Gee I had never thought of doing something like that. See pic.

dbd33

John Lewis did have a reasonable reputation when I left the UK. I concede the point that some employers are less bad than others.

JamesM

Actually that's a great example.

John Lewis is a co-operative. All employees are stakeholders. A model that the world needs more of.

You'd be pushed though to find a decent PLC in the UK. Take Jon Lewis' competitor BHS for example. Lovely chap Sir Phillip Green.....

Former Lancastrian

Oh come on who doesn't love Mike Ashley of Sports Direct? You can't complain about working all hours God sends or a 60 hour week when he gives you a zero hour contract

Now I have allegedly heard that Google, Unisys, GE Capital, DynCorp and AECOM are excellent employers.
AECOM Technology - pg.11 Forbes

or this list of companies which has Canadian ones listed
Honorees – Ethisphere® Institute | Good. Smart. Business. Profit.®

dbd33

I can say that one of the named firms is not, imo, a very good employer. They outsourced their computing to an Indian firm, knowing that the firm didn't have the expertise to do the work and would onshore it. The easiest way to find qualified people to do the work is, of course, to hire those made redundant by the offshoring and so the end result was the same people doing the same work but as "independent contractors" with two layers of pimp. Contractors don't get benefits and so the firm was rid of the cost of the former employees' healthcare.

Google, indeed most software companies, doesn't offer a job but a lifestyle. If you want to be a Software Company Employee, living for the firm, bringing your children to the firm, escaping from work in the company gym or other sponsored and approved facility, then fair enough, but it's not reasonable to compare a position that consumes your life to an ordinary job.

JamesM

Have you asked the employees?

All these good employer surveys are completed by HR teams trying to promote the company or paid for by the company to be included.

Much like the auditors of Enron, MCI and Tesco were in the pockets of the client.

Former Lancastrian

No I haven't and my views of a good company would probably be different to your views based on a number of factors. You use John Lewis as a good example so would Westjet be similar to them as Westjet has employees who are shareholders yet we see them getting both good and bad reviews.

JamesM

I don't know.

I'm just suspect of these "Best Places to Work" surveys largely because I know they are all done with an agenda which is primarily to attract applicants rather than to actually retain the people who are working there.

Former Lancastrian

Well I hardly think a company is going to have an ad saying

"Come work for us. Our premises are a shithole and you have to boil hot water in a pan (no kettle)."

Im sure many BE posters can say both good and bad things against their employers. I understand that some companies could be construed as parasites as in the recent Wells Fargo fiasco or how much consumers hate Bell and Rogers.
its all a PR exercise to some degree as companies want to be known as responsible caring corporations as opposed to being hated.

not2old

its all a lie, I don't believe it, for the reason no matter how low a wage folks earn, they will always live beyond their means. Surely there must be something, no matter how small, that a person can save or do without to create a slush fund over time for 'emergencies'

Same as folks that earn a six figure take home pay, moan & moan that wages are not keeping up with their expenses.