Crazy Christmas Bonus

[SS MAYFLOAT]

I've been working for the company for 10 years now. They even gave me a Fuji Finepix S1000 camera that is nice. That was solely for my 10 years of service.

For the first five years of my employment, my Christmas bonus climbed each year to a nice amount of $3,000. Then it started going down each year by leaps and bounds. 6th year $1500, 7th year $1000, 8th year $500, 9th year $400, This year $85................Guess next year they will have to take some out of my check! Merry Christmas ......I can't believe I'm not PO'd about it. Just glad I have a great job ...Things could be worse...........SS

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

Just glad I have a great job ...Things could be worse...........SS

Amen Brother!!!

 

[QC]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

Great attitude . . . I've seen this all over the map too. At one time my wife and I worked for the same company, so we would get two vouchers free turkeys . . . At least we used to get those at xMas time. Any financial bonuses I have ever seen are delayed until March when the books have finally closed. Why can't they estimate? Does anybody get a large cash bonus actually at Christmas?

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

it's the sign of the times. i once worked for a trucking company that gave nice bonuses every year, depending on your years of service. they then stopping it without warning and gave everyone a box of mixed cheeses. talk about a slap in the face. lol. does great for moral.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I'm job hunting as we speak.....Merry Christmas to me....lol!!
The end of the month i am officially without a job....great way to start the new year....no insurance or income....

Best thing i can find is 11 bucks an hour...passed on that but things are going to get worse.Never thought i would be this age and looking for a whole new career..

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

After the work I had done last year on recovering/repairing 90% of the equipment lost in the flood, I thought just maybe a nice bonus would be waiting for me. That $400 check was a slap in my face. I look back now and think "Why did I go that extra effort to save $50,000+ worth of equipment?" They do give me lots of praise about how valuable I am to them and they don't want to lose me.

I don't know where the tipping point is to this job. Started off at a 40 hour work week, health care paid, 401K, and personal use of the company van. (I'm Salary BTW) Now I have to clock in/out, wanted me to pay $600 month for health care(which I declined), no more 401K, and now I have to put in 9 hours a day for a 45 hour workweek. Then if I put in over that,,,,,no comp time as before. Plus now I have to pay for the miles that I use the van for personal use. I even have to pay for the miles from my house to the shop which is $50 every to weeks.

I do my best to keep my attitude up. Our debts are getting paid down to the point that a smaller paycheck will support us. Plus if all goes well, my wife will start her nursing clinicals next fall. After that and she gets her license, she can support me ............SS

 

[mphy98]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

having been in the auto business for 30 years i have seen it all. small town finance guy for the last 13 years, decent income but my wife and i also own our own finance company as well.. christmas bonus? what's that? i made one dealer that i was a salesman for and he lost money for years in the early 80's, he gave me the gm job and we turned it around and made him 250k the first year i was gm, 2nd year made him 1.2 mill. my thanks? he sold the place to a putz and i was out of a job. guess i made3 his balance sheet palatable to the new guy. funny thing though, after i left and all my key people along with me he never made more than 100k after that. he finally sold the place after 15 years. last laugh on him. a little off track though, sorry. next place got a turkey. whoo hoo. made the gut 500k every year for 10 years and i get a turkey. thanks alot. small dealership now and get about 500.00. thankful for that. good thing my wife can run the finance company without me, that is our retirement.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

You get a bonus ????????
What's that?

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I'm job hunting as we speak.....Merry Christmas to me....lol!!
The end of the month i am officially without a job....great way to start the new year....no insurance or income....

Best thing i can find is 11 bucks an hour...passed on that but things are going to get worse.Never thought i would be this age and looking for a whole new career..

what line of work are you in? you have my sympathies. i've been there. no fun.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

what line of work are you in? you have my sympathies. i've been there. no fun.

One of the race teams thats doing huge cut backs.Lost the main sponsor and the whole outfit is up for sale..
Even one of the big teams (Bill Davis Racing) was sold today.
Many of the big corporate sponsors are getting out of Nascar.


Its not terrible though, I can afford to take my time and look as long as i find something by late 09...may end up driving big trucks again but don't really want to be gone all the time.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

he gave me the gm job and we turned it around and made him 250k the first year i was gm, 2nd year made him 1.2 mill. my thanks? he sold the place to a putz and i was out of a job. guess i made3 his balance sheet palatable to the new guy. funny thing though, after i left and all my key people along with me he never made more than 100k after that. he finally sold the place after 15 years.

That's reminiscent of a portion of Lee Iaccoca's book when he left Ford Motor Company. He reputedly said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Henry, you made 250 million dollars last year(not sure of the amount), but you'll never do it again. You know why? Cause you don't know how the f$%# you did it in the first place."

 

[UnregisteredUser]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I remember many years ago, actually the year my wife and I married, I got a $1,500 bonus for Christmas. Timing was great since my wife and I got married Jan 13th, it helped pay for the honeymoon. The following year I was told straight up, "you can expect the same this year too." When the bonus came out it was only $400.00 or so. A far cry from what I was told I would get. When the owner of the company brought me and my manager into his office to give it to me, he handed me the check and ask, "How do you feel?" I'm not kidding, my first reactions was I could not believe he was asking how I felt. My disappointment was pretty high as I was banking on what I had been told to expect for Christmas money.

Then I thought about it for a second or two and this was my answer. "A bonus is just that, a bonus. Unearned income given as a gift. While I am only disappointed that I was told by my manager I could expect three times as much, I am greatful for what I got. You all know my father-in-law's body shop just burned down. He will be even more greatful when I forward this to him."

I only worked there a few more months and never looked back.

Being the owner of a portrait studio the last few years, and having only five employees, I know these bonuses are important to them. Last year they all got $1,000 each, to which I paid the 39% tax. This year I sold the studio for a nice profit and I shared that with them too.

 

[arks]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

Does anybody get a large cash bonus actually at Christmas?

Yeah, until THIS year....

We always got a check (I know QC- it's not cash) at the company Christmas party. It's a small company, only about 20 employees, and the owner and I go back a loooong way - more than 40 years. As a matter of fact, I was employee #1 at the beginning. We have a great group of VERY talented people. Over the past 16 years my profit sharing bonus has averaged about $9,000, with the highest in 2006 at $18,000 gross. Yes I know I'm fortunate, but it was considered part of the 'package' when we negotiated the employment terms. It's easy to get used to that big check every year, but I always told my wife not to plan for it.

As everyone knows, 2008 been tough- especially the second half. Our company has precious few confirmed projects coming up in 2009 so it was decided a few months ago to 'bank' all profit sharing until further notice. The owner doesn't want to lay any of us off until absolutely necessary so, if needed, the money (principal + interest) will go to maintaining payroll and benefits for the employees until we can get busier. That money probably won't last more than 6 or 8 weeks, so I hope we can drum up some decent jobs REAL soon.

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I am self-employed so my bonus is to find more work,so everyday except Christmas I keep my eyes and ears open to see who we can help. Merry Christmas

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I was about 18 or 19 working at my first entry level "office job". After being there a couple of years, I put my 2 weeks notice in just before Christmas because I had found a better job elsewhere that was no longer entry level.

The owner of the company was making her rounds handing out envelops with cash bonuses to all the employees. Most people were getting $1000 or $1500. I got a crisp $10 and a "thanks for your hard work, enjoy dinner on us!".

I learned a lot from that job.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I guess like most people here I also don't get a bonus. Never had never will. Last year apparently i was suppose to get a turkey but instead it went to the homeless shelter as the guy handing out the turkeys thought it was better served there. Not that i missed it but it would have been nice to say yes or no that i wanted it.

 

[ToothDocNick]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

Just had the most odd thing happen today in my office. With the economy being tight this year and business still recovering from last year, my wife and I decided to give out a bonus to the girls who work for us. We could not really afford it, but we hired all new employees this year and without them we would be in much worse shape than we are (they probably saved the business after having some terrible employees). So we sucked it up, took some out of our personal savings, and handed out what was equivilent to an extra weeks check to each of them. We are very open about finances in the office and the girls all know that the office is going through the tough times and are waiting for the good times. So at lunch each of them came into my office and handed me back the checks.....told me merry christmas, and said we can wait until the office is turning a profit. My jaw hit the floor and I am still at a loss.

 

[UnregisteredUser]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

So at lunch each of them came into my office and handed me back the checks.....told me merry christmas, and said we can wait until the office is turning a profit. My jaw hit the floor and I am still at a loss.

Wow that kind of dedication is very few and far between. You and your wife must be excellent to work for.

 

[ToothDocNick]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

I would like to think so, we have been through heck and back in the last 4 years after buying the office. We inherited bad employees with a very poor work ethic, and tried to give them as much as possible. We have since changed staff and WOW.....complete difference, even our patients have noticed. I am really proud to know we have selected the right people.

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Crazy Christmas Bonus

TDN that is what Christmas is about (nice to here that little story)