Sigh... why do I have to work again?

We are now entering the busiest time for a benefits professional. Open enrollment. The most customer service oriented time of my calendar year. It mostly reaffirms my hatred of people. People don't read. People don't pay attention. People call me for stupid reasons. Thus far... I had to have an inane discussion about the basic life insurance plan we offer. (Let me clarify as though you care, for a full time employee, we cover medical, dental, vision, basic life and basic AD&D at no cost to the employee). One of today's phone calls... "About the basic life plan. We have to take it? These don't seem like good rates." "Sir it is the group rates, they are what they are." "Well, I'm only getting max of 50,000 life insurance for 9.00 a month, I have several hundred thousand blahblahblah." "Well sir, these are the rates we have negotiated. You don't actually pay for any of this, it is part of the basic package that we cover." (Which is spelled out for him on his confirmation statement) "Oh, well, okay then." One other, just for fun. New employee: "I don't understand why do I have an enrollment form, I've already signed up for benefits?" "Yes, but we are in open enrollment." "But I've already signed up for benefits." "Yes but we are in open enrollment. You could make changes to your benefit plan at this time." "Oh, well why doesn't it say that." (Not said): It does dumbass if you would READ the pamphlet we've provided you. Oooh... one final call of today... another new employee about tuition remission. (We pay tuition at SU for 6 credits per quarter max 20 credits per year). New employee: "You know we get taxed on this benefit right? It really should say something in the paperwork. It isn't really a benefit if we're getting taxed on it. This is a big deal...." and on and on and on... All I could keep saying was, yes. I'll make a note to put that in the info packet. She doesn't want to be too much trouble, but we should really tell people. We had to go over this like 3 times. I called payroll to ask how this worked, and discovered it was only for graduate classes. It was only if the tuition we pay is over 5200/year and whatever is beyond that is added into your taxable income so it isn't a HUGE deal, maybe a couple thousand bucks (added as income not paid in taxes). Considering we're talking about an essentially free graduate degree... Give me a break! And it is just going to get worse.

I just saw the most horrifying commercial on MTV. Any vague notions I had about piercing my eyebrow have gone completely out the window. It showed all the giantass piercing needles going through the skin in the various places. It was HORRIFYING.