Quote :

"As a small business owner I see no reason to give a bonus. I give my employees a bonus every week when they open their pay check. I will never understand a bonus that is based on a holiday and not performance. I do how ever let my guys work all the overtime in December they want. Does this make me an ass hole? Or just fair?"

I'm all for the success of small businesses, but you sound like a real asshole and i hate to work for anyone with that attitude, bonus or not. Contrary to what you may believe, you are not doing your employees a favor by offering them a job.* Unless you are a one man operation, the very success of your small business depends on your employees. You don't have to call it Holiday Bonus, but some sort of recognition of their hard work will go a long ways in their willingness to put in the extra effort for you.

*I'm pretty sure this will fall on deaf ears, but I've been on the employee side of a shitty small business owner boss and swore never again. You may think you are doing them a small favor by giving them a bonus paycheck of which you are contractually bound during ring this period of high unemployment, but I guaran-damn-tee as soon as opportunities begin to open up your attrition rate will sky rocket.

[Edited on December 4, 2010 at 8:32 PM. Reason : new page]

12/4/2010 8:30:51 PM

^this

12/4/2010 9:14:05 PM

i got a $3k "year end" bonus that my boss gave me early in October which I'm so thankful for because I actually left my job in November for a 15% raise elsewhere. For once I was on the right end of timing haha...

12/4/2010 9:22:25 PM

Quote :

"As a future former small business owner I see no reason to give a bonus."

Fixed it.

I should also state that being an employee in a huge, multi-national firm, the chances of receiving a bonus are slim-to-none.

Though this is my first year here, so I have no idea. If I had to guess, nope.

[Edited on December 6, 2010 at 11:39 AM. Reason : ]

12/6/2010 11:37:37 AM

I see most of you are getting raises (private industry anyway). Personally i think i'm due for one, I've completed all my projects, taken on more work than usual, taken no sick days, and picking up the slack for other people. I have no particular % in mind, i just want one. Any amount would show i'm appreciated.

I have a gut feeling i'll be called into my bosses' office and they'll feed me some BS about no raises this year. BUT we've had record sales this year, in this shitty economy. (i've seen the orders coming in). If the performance was terrible, i would understand not being given one because the sake of keeping the doors open.

I sound rather selfish when i talked to teachers who have never got a raise in 2+ years but if I don't get one this year i'll probably launch the job search full scale in jan.




[Edited on December 6, 2010 at 11:55 AM. Reason : s]

12/6/2010 11:52:40 AM

4.5% raise along with a $750 Christmas Bonus not my biggest bonus but any bonus is a good bonus in my eyes

12/9/2010 4:29:16 PM

Quote :

"taken no sick days"

this is only of value if you happen to not actually get sick the entire year as well.

if you're sick, do yourself and your coworkers a favor and stay home. that's why the sick days are there. trying to tough it out to show your employer how dependable you are is gonna do more harm than good

[Edited on December 9, 2010 at 4:35 PM. Reason : imo]

12/9/2010 4:34:30 PM

My firm requires you to take PTO first, and will only extend you sick days if you're actually hospitalized or run out of PTO. Taking paid time off to stay home with the sniffles isn't much of an incentive.

12/9/2010 4:39:17 PM

we get two weeks "PTO". If you do not use it, they cut you a check at the end of the year for what you didn't use.

So its sort of incentive to tough it out....

12/9/2010 4:54:30 PM

hahhaha bonus. . . hahahhaha

12/9/2010 4:57:05 PM

I got a 4+% raise. Wasn't expecting shit. So, that's really good news.

12/9/2010 10:06:36 PM

Quote :

"Bonuses for the third quarter of 2010 should be direct deposited into your account on Monday, December 20th. Thank you for all that you do to help ensure the continued success of ______. "

well this is a nice surprise

12/17/2010 8:33:07 AM

Got my bonus check today which is good because I spent it all on Christmas shopping last night

12/17/2010 8:35:57 AM

Got a decent bonus and a big raise so I'm feelin' pretty good.

12/17/2010 8:46:25 AM

gg

12/17/2010 8:50:02 AM

still nothing

12/21/2010 12:40:55 PM

i got a $50 visa charge card....whoot!!

12/21/2010 12:46:11 PM

got a christmas bonus!

totally unexpected!

something is better than nothing

12/21/2010 1:41:58 PM

^^LOL I got one of those today too

12/21/2010 2:52:20 PM

No Xmas bonus, but I will get a 4th quarter bonus in Jan. or Feb., and my annual bonus around the same time, not sure how that one will look. There's a lot riding on this week in terms of how all the determining metrics shape up. It could be nice and juicy or it could be small. Hopefully sales hold strong and we beat our forecast. If that happens I'll be a happy camper.

It would be nice if I got a Xmas bonus too, but it's ok. What will be interesting is my annual review, hoping for a nice pop from that in March.

12/21/2010 4:07:54 PM

Got a 25% raise at the beginning of the year.....

Did get a small bonus $350 and a freaking kick ass L.L. Bean lined winter coat. It is my new favorite thing!

12/21/2010 9:58:56 PM

i got $200 cash money

12/21/2010 10:06:12 PM

didn't get shit for xmas while at Duke....

they did offer 1k bonus payments each of the last 2 julys though which was quite welcome.

12/21/2010 10:40:29 PM

Quote :

"I see most of you are getting raises (private industry anyway). Personally i think i'm due for one, I've completed all my projects, taken on more work than usual, taken no sick days, and picking up the slack for other people. I have no particular % in mind, i just want one. Any amount would show i'm appreciated."

Pretty much my same situation. I would like to receive some sort of bonus or raise to show that someone other than my supervisor appreciates the time I put in and the work I do. Our corporate structure is kinda retarded, so my sector of the company doesn't exactly see the profits that we bring in. If we did, I and my coworkers would get paid A LOT more.

Quote :

"this is only of value if you happen to not actually get sick the entire year as well. if you're sick, do yourself and your coworkers a favor and stay home. that's why the sick days are there. trying to tough it out to show your employer how dependable you are is gonna do more harm than good"

I, too, have taken no sick days (nor have I attended work sick). I find that particularly important because my job awards us with a whole 5 days vacation after 1 year of service and none before that (Which is ridiculous for a ME in an office setting). Quite a few of my coworkers have taken plenty of "sick" days within their first year, yet they will probably receive the same raise (if there is one) as I do, as I believe the raise structure is a % across the board.


On the upside, I DID get a $50 visa card today, haha

12/21/2010 11:53:54 PM

The mom of one of the families I babysit for slipped me an extra twenty today.


Oh yeah

12/22/2010 12:22:02 AM

Don't find out til much later and don't get paid out til March.

12/22/2010 12:33:59 AM

Quote :

"my job awards us with a whole 5 days vacation"

damn dude that is shitty

12/23/2010 8:39:12 PM

1k christmas bonus + 100 kroger gift card

Don't hear about yearly raises until April.

12/23/2010 8:49:08 PM

nine days paid vacation to cabo! spending money, car, restort. whoop whoop!

12/23/2010 9:00:28 PM

Quote :

"Quote : "As a small business owner I see no reason to give a bonus. I give my employees a bonus every week when they open their pay check. I will never understand a bonus that is based on a holiday and not performance. I do how ever let my guys work all the overtime in December they want. Does this make me an ass hole? Or just fair?" I'm all for the success of small businesses, but you sound like a real asshole and i hate to work for anyone with that attitude, bonus or not. Contrary to what you may believe, you are not doing your employees a favor by offering them a job.* Unless you are a one man operation, the very success of your small business depends on your employees. You don't have to call it Holiday Bonus, but some sort of recognition of their hard work will go a long ways in their willingness to put in the extra effort for you. *I'm pretty sure this will fall on deaf ears, but I've been on the employee side of a shitty small business owner boss and swore never again. You may think you are doing them a small favor by giving them a bonus paycheck of which you are contractually bound during ring this period of high unemployment, but I guaran-damn-tee as soon as opportunities begin to open up your attrition rate will sky rocket."

all 5 of my guys work right beside me every day. they in fact may not like me but they do like free lunch every day and getting paid for the hour when we go eat. they may not like the fact that they do not get a "bonus" but they are appreciative that i do not ask them to do anything they dont see me do every day. i have had no one quit to date so i guess i am not to much of an asshole. i will say this, and until you own a small business you may not fully understand it but try. you have to make a decision when you own a business, either you are in business for your self or you are in business just to be in business.

i didnt give a bonus to anyone but we did not work today and will not tomorrow but everyone got paid for 40 hours on wednesday.

12/23/2010 9:10:28 PM

I'd rather be treated well all year and not get a bonus than work for a shitty company that tries to appease you with a bonus once a year. Companies budget for christmas bonuses as part of employee compensation, so whatever they pay you in bonus is money they could have added to your yearly salary or given to you throughout the year in other forms of bonus and incentives. Christmas bonuses are an easy way to modify employee salary, because you can adjust the size of the bonus based on how well the company is performing against budgeted predictions.

With that being said, my company treats me well year round and then gave me what I would consider a substantial bonus considering the current state of the economy. I was thoroughly pleased with it.

12/23/2010 10:08:39 PM

I got a scholarship, and at work a raise via a new jarb.


other jarb..I got a new client.

The first of the year means lots mo clients, too...

12/24/2010 11:23:53 AM

$20 Lowes Foods card

12/24/2010 11:28:52 AM

I got 5 unpaid days off!!

12/24/2010 11:29:01 AM

christmas party and $100 cash

12/24/2010 11:44:53 AM

i had money left in my divisions discretionary fund so i got approval to give everyone $100 cash. it's not much, but no one else in the company is getting bonuses and there is something fun about a crisp $100 bill.

12/24/2010 12:49:06 PM

i work for a non profit funded by the tax payers

i got a card in the mail and a potluck xmas party for an hour

12/24/2010 12:53:03 PM

correction, each year we got a duke themed 'stained glass' window ornament...

yeah, that's it.

12/24/2010 12:54:31 PM

My company only gives yearly bonuses in the Spring.

For Thanksgiving they give out Turkeys and for Christmas they give out Honey Glazed Hams as a sign of their appreciation.

12/24/2010 5:34:57 PM

well nothing this year. just got my paycheck.

1/12/2011 9:08:30 AM

The closest thing I get to a "bonus" is my vacation payback (assuming I don't use all of my vacation). It usually ends up being about a weeks pay.

1/12/2011 9:21:56 AM

we somehow hit our 4th quarter goal so I have another 3% quarterly commission (bonus) coming my way.

hopefully they'll actually do real raises this year.

1/12/2011 9:58:59 AM

Our 1k Christmas bonus is scheduled to go out on the last day I work for the company. Here's hoping bureaucracy prevents the payroll department from noticing!

1/14/2011 4:19:26 PM

$$$$$ + $$$ raise

1/15/2011 3:42:32 AM

well fuck me, i got a raise today.

4/21/2011 1:37:09 PM

Awesome; congrats. Raises are few and far between these days; you must be great at what you do!

4/21/2011 1:48:31 PM

thanks, haha i wouldn't say that but I have been very patient these past few years so this was a pleasant surprise.

4/21/2011 2:09:06 PM

Quote :

"well fuck me, i got a raise today."

Completely unexpected, yet well deserved

14% wootwoot

5/3/2011 11:57:46 PM

some months i get raises and some i get pay decreases.

small business ftw and ftl

5/4/2011 9:35:49 AM

Wow, I just read this thread and I'm pretty shocked at how juvenile some folks are.

Here's a couple of lessons:
Working hard everyday doesn't merit a raise or a bonus. That is the base expectation of employment.
Getting a raise, bonus or promotion should (and usually does) come as a result of one of two occurrences Either you have gone above and beyond your role to provide some new value to the business, or you have taken on extra responsibilities in preparation for a move into a new position.

If you take on extra work just because its there, that makes you the sucker who will do the shit work without questions, not the guy who gets promoted. Bonuses happen as reward for extraordinary circumstances, not because its Christmas time.

Raises happen to keep the position competitive with the rest of the industry, not because you want more money or because you worked hard and deserve it.

I've worked my ass off in places knowing there was no chance in hell of getting a raise or bonus, because I liked the people and the work. And I have slacked in jobs where I've gotten rewarded continuously because I was bringing a unique skillset that had a huge impact on their bottom line and they wanted to do everything they could to retain me.

It sucks to realize that's how the world really works, but it makes job opportunity decisions a loy easier when you do.

5/4/2011 12:00:04 PM