Balancing Long-term Employee Benefits with Career Satisfaction: A Lesson from a Squirrel

A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion. He did whatever work was given to him, quickly and well. The lion became fond of him. "I promise you a cartload of almonds as a pension when you retire."

The squirrel envied the other squirrels in the forest because of their carefree life. He longed to run up and down trees and leap from branch to branch like them. Yet in pride, he loved to move with courtly dignity and boasted about his royal career. He often kept proclaiming, "I cannot leave the king's side even if I wish."

He consoled himself with the thought that at the end of his career, he would receive a cartload of almonds, a food that few squirrels got to taste in their lifetime. "They will envy me then," he would tell himself. The years passed. The squirrel became old, and then it was time for him to retire.

The king gave a grand banquet in his honor, and at the end of it, presented him with a cartload of almonds as he had promised. The squirrel had waited so long for this day, but when he saw the almonds, he was seized with sadness. He realized they were of no use to him now. He had lost all his teeth.

Good story, partly true. As we cannot keep enjoying today without thinking of tomorrow, but still, we should also not lose today for a better tomorrow.

Once again, a nice posting... but if we take this story in HR terms, then we should always provide long-term benefits to our employees to retain them with us. Therefore, in this, the employer must consider the benefits and ensure they are in line with the time and requirements.

Suggestions???

Regards,
Sunita

Very good indeed, I have circulated it to all my colleagues and also got a positive response which I want to attribute to you. Keep it up!!