[widgeon13]

The problem is that companies have done away with defined benefit retirement programs because they decided to redirect some of those retirement funds to the 401k and let the employee do the management instead of having the liability on the company. Now they are doing away with the match. So in some cases they are no longer funding retirement at all.

That is not good for the company or for the individual. If the company has no loyalty to the individual the same is true when the shoe is on the other foot. Employees will leave to find better benefits and that costs the company because they now have to hire and educate. The cost of hiring is much greater than the cost of retention.

It all boils down to short sighted thinking.

RickLee is correct in that companies don't get founded as job programs but a company w/o good employees treated fairly is not a good company.