Bonus Humbug

I guess Ebenezer Scrooge is alive and well in Corporate America. According to a recent survey, 59 percent of companies say they won’t be giving out holiday bonuses of any form this year, and of those who are giving them out, only 13 percent will give cash.

There are two things that jumped out at me when I read these survey results. One was that it’s a great thing that companies who are giving bonuses are getting more creative and giving out diverse gifts such as food, gift certificates or the popular gift cards. But the more glaring issue to me is eliminating the holiday bonus altogether.

I’m going to give these managers the benefit of the doubt and assume they worried that if the gift wasn't going to be substantial, then it wasn't worth giving, period. Well that’s wrong!

Case in point; My staff and I have been working really hard lately and we know we aren’t getting a holiday bonus, but our manager treated us to a long, well-deserved lunch out. We didn’t talk about business either—we just had time to catch up, which we rarely have time to do anymore. It wasn’t a Tiffany pen, but it made our day—and that goes a long way.

Motivating your staff is always important but around the holidays it takes on another level. It keeps people smiling and builds loyalty to your company. So instead of pooh-poohing gifts altogether because you can’t afford large cash gifts, why not be a rebel and get creative? Send their families fruit baskets. Get a new parent a gift card to Babies "R" Us. Give a golf enthusiast a free game. In the end, if a manager is truly great, he or she will know the little things that will keep a smile on the team’s faces come holiday time.

Comments

[Bill]

The idea of Christmas Bonus went to the wayside about the time the movie Christmas Vacation came into video.

Corporations have a misnomer of anytime they think they are saving money, that savings goes straight to the bottom line. If this premise is correct, then why are there so many companies in bankruptcy or contemplating bankruptcy. I have been in sales and sales management for the better parts of 2 decades and received a Christmas bonus, once.

Signed

Clark W. Griswold