[Closed] Christmas bonus...

Accept it and move on unless you want to single yourself out as a troublemaker

Tricky one... Depends on your manager really, do you feel you can discuss it without creating problems? It's very unlikely to achieve much but personally I'd want to get it in the open and clear the air- as long as I could trust my boss.

I'd be kicking off bad style. I assume your input is counted the same as employees who started before 2011. They're taking the piss in a big way.

If it's not just you, then I'd keep shtum.

Discretionary means exactly that - no entitlement at all.

I think liftman has it...

I'd suck it up and get on with it, I think saying anyone who started in 2011 is reason enough.

It seems a bit odd that you get nowt. We get our bonus in April 2012. I started in August this year, so I get 66% of the full bonus.

I'd have a word if you could be sure you won't get your name on "the list".

The clue is in "Given entirely at the companies discretion". you have no grounds to challenge that. ( Unless you don't want a bonus next year as well!) Merry Xmas.

Suck it up, no bonus, no pay rise for two years and lucky not to have a brown envelope with a P60 in it

merry bloody christmas

When I contracted at the evil AT&T our manager & the girl who kissed his ass & did no work were the only perms in our "team" of 10. Come bonus time he gathered us into an office to tell us about the profit share the perms would be getting whilst the contractors got nothing.

He claimed he was told he had to!
Which could be true, but he was a **** and I wouldn't have been too surprised if he'd just done it to piss us off. Either way someone made the decision...

Also, after many months of much hard work (some of the most productive being on 2/3rds of what some of the less able were getting paid) we were told a perm position had opened on our "team" and and that existing team members couldn't apply!

What a ****y way to run a company! Nearly everyone I knew there hated the place and got shat on daily, but there were financial rewards that kept them taking the shit they were given.

[/rant]

Edit: On topic - suck it up; you won't do any good being a moaning myrtle (how's that for a cultural reference then, eh?)

Depends when in 2011 you joined

February, then I would say its fair to expect a little - if you joined in September, you're having a laugh.

What's a Christmas bonus.?

Thats a nice way for a company to make one of their employies feel unwelcome and unappreciated. A christmas bonus should be given with the spirit its intended, no discression means theres nothing to stop them. I would raise my feelings with my manager, its little things like this that annoy good workers who get on with things and dont normaly say anything. Sometimes you have to say how you feel

What grounds do you think you have to complain about not getting a discretionary bonus, when the grounds for getting one or not appears to be perfectly even handed and non-discriminatory? Should the person who joined last week get a bonus? The person who joined last month?

Best thing is to ask them But I would approach your manager.

Hard one to be left out. But I give out such bonuses has a thank you
and people whom have say been with me for a short time have been
given something but not nothing.

This yr I'll be getting a stately home!
**** hall!

been srewed both ways for them (leaving & starting) and just had to get on with it, worth having a quick word with your boss to suss out the situation/liklehood - not worth the hassle of being labeled the "I know what I'm entitled to" guy in the office

never mind. if you're still there next year you can look down on the 2012 joiners & be entitled to feel smug about the christmas bonus that you're getting and they are not

+1 Wrightyson, although **** Hall was far too much I'm in the gate house 🙁

Sounds a bit unfair of the company to exclude everyone who joined even at the start of the year, but there has to be a line somewhere I guess.
What it boils down to though is that it's discretionary, so personally I'd swallow it and move on.

When did you join? Less than 6 months ago and you'd be taking the proverbial.

Otherwise if you can justify why you reasonably should get a bonus talk to your manager in a reasonable way ideally with facts and figures and maybe suggest a prorata bonus to reflect your reduced input compared to the longer serving staff. Nothing wrong with asking. Just don't sulk if as is likely you don't get your way.

my firm dont give a xmas bonus and we had to pay for our own xmas dinner (once we all said we would go they then informed us it will be £25 per head can we have a deposit)

great!! they only employ 8 people.

If you dont like tyhe rules theyve applied, move or resign, and set up your own comapny and then make equally good rules.

In my previous role at work my quarterly bonus was held back even though I had met my financial target. The ops director stated some other reason for not paying me (as he was trying manage me out at the time).

I went to HR and stated the company could not go changing the bonus criteria as and when they felt like it, and as I was on a final written, if I was poorly performing why not adresses this 'issue' and also have the decency to tell me the reasons I wasn't going to be paid that quarters bonus.

I was then given a typical middle of the road response from HR and bonus paid the next month.

Up the workers!

We got given a bottle of Blue Nun one year and have received nothing since.

*makes mental note on who to work for and who to avoid*

I wouldn't say anything, there could be alot of reasons why staff that joined in the last year dont qualify - bonus use to encorage staff to stay longer with the company, last year was particularly tough and no one got a bonus this is to make it up to thoes that stuck it out, payroll can do basic maths of adding up hours and multiplying by figure x but fractions of a bounus are beyond them.

Suck it up and hope one of your work mates feels sorry for you and buys you a pint.

Pretty common policy. Write to your HR Director to share your concerns and become instantly popular.

I am more aggrieved about not being given a 'proper' reason

Define proper? Seems proper and reasonable to me.

Now the bonus is given entirely at the company's discretion and it does state this in my contract

I guess your contribution so far has slipped under the radar of the Directors who are responsible for awarding it.

Our fiscal year is end of October. If your not employed from the start of the fiscal year you don't get a bonus at some place.

Where I work you get it pro-rata.

If it's any concilation I got 4.5% instead of 15% because of a clerical area in Decembers pay check 🙁 January's payrises better be good lol

Sounds a bit unfair of the company to exclude everyone who joined even at the start of the year, but there has to be a line somewhere I guess.
What it boils down to though is that it's discretionary, so personally I'd swallow it and move on.

+1

A bonus seems to be of more benefit to the bloody taxman than it does to normal folk. Absolutely f-in ridiculous how much of the bonus amount is paid as tax.

Luckily in this present economic climate everyone in my company gets the same amount (post tax - a decent amount too) of Xmas bonus whether they are the CEO or the part time folks who work in the shipping department. You get the bonus if you have just started or worked there since we started. It's a bit of a hidden secret - no-one tells the newbie's until it's paid - always a great moment. A few years ago we had one lady from shipping come in to tell the CEO that the company had made a mistake payment to her bank account. She'd only had a £20 gift voucher in 15yrs at her previous company.

DezB - Member
A bonus seems to be of more benefit to the bloody taxman than it does to normal folk. Absolutely f-in ridiculous how much of the bonus amount is paid as tax.

I've been in a similar situation. Basically, the rules were that you had to be there the whole year or you got nowt. If the same rules apply to all employees, it's hardly unfair.

A bonus seems to be of more benefit to the bloody taxman than it does to normal folk. Absolutely f-in ridiculous how much of the bonus amount is paid as tax.

20% - yeah that's completely out of order. Or are you one of those unfortunate people who gets made to pay 40%? Struggling to buy that new Porsche after the taxman's had his bite?

Maybe you'd like to explain why they shouldn't tax your bonus in the same way as any of your other earnings?

private sector - always whining 🙄

I with aracer those bastards that have bettered themselves and got good jobs smash them with 40% tax and teach the nation its not worth making anything of yourself

My Christmas bonus is still having a job in 2012....

Cheers for the replies having thought about it some more it's not going to get me anywhere raising it and will more than likely not do me any favours in the long run.

As Rusty Mac says maybe one of the lads will buy me a pint or a scone from the canteen instead 🙂 Love the tag BTW

If you've been there a while a %age bonus would have been a nice gesture, but if you have only joined then mayby not.

I work in the public sector so have to even pay for my works xmas lunch. 😀

dyls - Member

I work in the public sector so have to even pay for my works xmas lunch.

Been there 6 months...

Don't even get a works Xmas lunch, well my unless you count my own sandwich that I'm making for tomorrow.

but there were financial rewards that kept them taking the shit they were given

that'll be a fair description of employment then... meanwhile quite happy with no xmas jollys & my average pre tax bonus of £35pa for the past 14 years

I'll not be taking myself for a Christmas jolly, or paying myself a bonus, or having paid leave.

Most of the time they just forget you won't get one.

I tend to view employment as a financial transaction. I assume they'll pay me badly for a while, and then I'll go elsewhere for more money.

So, wear it and make sure you get properly paid before you move on to the next job..!

I have worked for a US corporate for years and our yearly bonus is dictated by business results, our bonus this year which is paid in Decemebr was 4.2% of our annual salary, so judging by all the replies above I feel extremely lucky, and we still get a 2% pay rise each year too.... However our final salary scheme is now capped at 1% increase, so in effect not in line for annual pay rises, but overall we are very well looked after.

I didn't get one from one company as I had only been there a few months. Think you need to prove your worth and loyalty to the company and providing you can then fight for a bonus. I'm hoping for one and it best be pretty decent but I've put the hours in this year... Even cut down on STW time at work!

Some people's employers pay for their Christmas meal? 😯 And what's a bonus? Certainly not speaking the language of the NHS there...

Bloody hell all these folk on here getting bonuses.Where were they when the public sector pension furore was on topic....keeping quiet I imagine 😉

Bloody hell all these folk on here getting bonuses.Where were they when the public sector pension furore was on topic....keeping quiet I imagine

Why does that matter? The public sector pensions are still better than a lot of people's in the private sector!

The company I work for has several small units in a converted mill complex, with other businesses occupying the rest. Two other one-man companies work together in tandem, but aren't often on site so we regularly receive their post and/or goods deliveries for them. We don't mind really and they, in return, look after the gaffers' office equipment.
Last year, as a gesture to us in the warehouse who actually do the goods receiving, one of the blokes brought us in a gift in appreciation. We were completely overwhelmed by the generosity of the multi-pack of crisps we were given to share. I was lucky - I got the salt and vinegar bag... 😕

Public sector bonuses you say???
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8635859/Civil-servants-awarded-20000-bonuses-as-public-sector-faces-cuts.html
http://www.****/news/article-2035717/So-public-sector-pay-freeze--127m-handed-civil-servants-bonus-spree.html
http://www.sustainablegov.co.uk/central-government/procurement-finance/public-sector-bonus-payments-continue-to-rise

See the thread above and stop moaning!

xmas bonus, plus 4% pay rise for me. And a free turkey.

The company went through hard times in 2010 trading year, but ALL staff put their heads down during 2011 - and now we reap the benefits...

So it's not all doom and gloom on this thread!

As a DWP empolyee I am guilty of having no pay rise for three years and an imposed £250 bonus(before tax and NI) instead(the money to fund these bonus payments came out of the previous 3 year pay deal and equates to 1% of salary).Not that anyone cares.My pension conts.go up £23 a month from April too.
Still got my gold plated pension though ....oh no I haven't....oh yes you have....oh no I haven't( Xmas panto humour there 🙂
BTW those manadrins who got £20k bonuses also get 25% employer contributions to their genuinely gold plated pension while us lowly paid minions "only" get a %16 employer contribution.....
I got better remuneration and an Xmas bonus when I worked shelf stacking at M& S when still at school!

the place where i work time the promotions of people to manager positions for just after the start of the new financial year, that way they dont get a bonus (which is part of their salary) til the end of the second year (providing targets met etc.)

I got a bottle of Lanson black label champagne. Disadvantage is that I still have to fly to Egypt and back on Christmas Eve but at least the trip will go quickly! 🙂

neilsonwheels - Member

What's a Christmas bonus.?

+1

ou're working in the wrong areas then. A council close to me does an all-day buffet/drink type of thing!

Yeah, right. Go on then...who? I suspect it's bullshit, and a quick FOI will confirm or deny.

[i]Struggling to buy that new Porsche after the taxman's had his bite?[/i]

I can dream mate, I can dream.

Have you entertained the possibility that maybe they don't think your performance merits it ? Seems strange that they can't give you a proper reason.

Have you entertained the possibility that maybe they don't think your performance merits it ? Seems strange that they can't give you a proper reason.

Why isn't the reason they've given 'proper'? Seems fair enough that people who might only have been there a short while shouldn't expect to get the bonus people who've been there longer do. So a reasonable approach seems to be to choose some cutoff and apply it, which they have. Whatever that cutoff is there'll be people who'll feel hard done by, but there it is.

If the rule isn't applied equally and fairly that'd be different but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

They don't have to give you it and that's that, it's employer agreement not a employment law.

Xmas meal paid for, why should they?

That said I paid for my staff's drinks at our Xmas do on Saturday night, not everyone went to it so do I then give those that didn't go something for a drink? No.

as its discretionary your manager might not be getting it either

Certainly not speaking the language of the NHS there...

And tell me, how are the annual "spine point" pay increases treating you all..?

Mrs North works with lots of NHS types. Generally (in her experience) for the same job as someone performs in a university, they're paid 50-100% more.

My sympathy has been dissolving rapidly....

I still have to fly to Egypt and back on Christmas Eve but at least the trip will go quickly!

Those in-flight meals and five quid pots of Pringles won't serve themselves..!

Mrs North works with lots of NHS types. Generally (in her experience) for the same job as someone performs in a university, they're paid 50-100% more.

Yeah that's right of course it is your Mrs says so. Right so care to give an example?

while us lowly paid minions "only" get a 16% employer contribution.....

Private Sector (Engineering) and 3% Employers contribution to pension here :o/

BAck to the OP, It may be that the longer term employees have not had any bonus / pay rise for a while and the Bonus is in recognition of them getting the company through a difficult patch

Oh yeah, forgot about the company pension contribution and private healthcare for me + mrs xiphon 🙂

This thread has reminded me of my years working in McDonald's where your annual pay rise came around every September, just shortly before the national minimum wage was due to rise. You'd be "awarded" a nice rise and then surprise surprise 2 weeks later you're back at minimum wage +7pence!