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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect employee to say thank you for Christmas Bonus?

154 replies

Booper42 · 30/01/2017 17:21

I am self employed and at Christmas gave all my employees a generous Christmas Bonus - out of the 7 employees only 3 thanked me for their Bonus. I have waited for the others to at least say thankyou or acknowledge that they have recieved the money (sent via online banking). One of the employees has now asked for more money - if she didn't appreciate the £500 I gave her, why should I give her anymore especially when she doesn't appear to be putting in a great deal of effort into her work at the moment!

Is it me, or is this how employees are these days?

OP posts:
Peanutandphoenix · 30/01/2017 22:19

I don't get a bonus at Christmas I get a Christmas present instead with a thank you card off the big bosses it's their way of thanking us for all of our hard work through out the year we don't thank the big bosses though because I really don't think they expect thank you cards from all the staff in the 3 care homes they have.

Strongmummy · 30/01/2017 22:23

ClarkL, but by your own admission the jobs you have are unskilled. Therefore in what way is it a career? It's a pay check. Pure and simple. It sounds as though you own a company that values your staff and aims to treat them well. However, that's how it should be. You shouldn't be expecting extra thanks because other employers aren't as thorough as you. If an employee turns up on time, does their job, doesn't cause issues you can't penalise them for not being career focussed. of course it's human nature to appreciate thanks, but to expect it from low paid workers is rather cringe worthy

Feilin · 30/01/2017 22:30

No bonus in my job. Nursing home minimum wage... you know who you are .. disgrace company you should hang your heads in shame. However on a better note the best bonus is the work hugely rewarding . I sound like a grinch but sometimes (mostly) the difficulty outweighs the wage.

LucklessMonster · 30/01/2017 22:38

ClarkL you're embarrassing yourself.

Atenco · 30/01/2017 22:40

7SunshineSeven7 That video says everything I could say about this thread.

If people do a good job, look after and keep them and if they don't, that is another story, but to expect them to be grateful is not the way to run a decent business.

And ClarkL, you sound like good employers, but you still shouldn't expect gratitude because you aren't shit employers, it doesn't work like that.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 30/01/2017 22:40

“Capitalism: Teach a man to fish, but the fish he catches aren't his. They belong to the person paying him to fish, and if he's lucky, he might get paid enough to buy a few fish for himself.”

  • Karl Marx
Robstersgirl · 30/01/2017 22:42

Do they know it's a bonus? Perhaps they're too worried to tell you they had extra money in their accounts?

clumsyduck · 30/01/2017 22:46

I thought the same robsters

But no they should see the bonus as a Thankyou for their hard work and they should Thankyou for it and then you can thank them for saying Thankyou and so on forever and ever .

Craigie · 31/01/2017 17:35

Get used to it. My father ran his own business for many years, and this was his only real complaint - staff greed at night's out at the company's expense, and ingratitude for bonuses.

WillandNatesmum · 31/01/2017 17:37

Manners cost nothing. They should definately have said thank you. I wouldn't give them a bonus next time. We get very small bonuses as a small family business and I always say thank you.

strawberrisc · 31/01/2017 17:38

Fucking hell, a bonus? In this day and age? You my friend are a Princess.

Pollaidh · 31/01/2017 17:38

My bonuses are contractual - depends on me meeting my objectives, which are pretty stretch. So no, it's not a gift, it's expected in my contract. Actually a verbal or e-mail thank you or recognition from my line manager would be hugely valued by me.

And I certainly won't be saying thank you when, as this year, my director arbitrarily decided I would only get 70% of my bonus, even though I hit 100% of my targets. Principally, from what I could work out, because he was new and couldn't work out who I was (I wfh and am part-time).

falange · 31/01/2017 17:42

Yanbu. I work for public sector. No bonus ever in my life. I'd say thank you. It's a perk and a good one. Just good manners

alltouchedout · 31/01/2017 17:45

Get used to it. My father ran his own business for many years, and this was his only real complaint - staff greed at night's out at the company's expense, and ingratitude for bonuses

Ah, but I wonder what real complaints his staff had?

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 31/01/2017 18:03

Hubby gets bonus at work if they hit targets. I don't think anyone thanks them or they expect it as it is part of the yearly pay deal with the company

Megatherium · 31/01/2017 18:07

The bonus is your thank you for their work. It would be silly to start saying thank you for a thank you.

PlumsGalore · 31/01/2017 18:19

DH works for a reasonable sized company, it probably has a couple of thousand employees but is still privately owned. HE always calls the company owner to thank him for his bonus and he has done since he started 15 years ago, he is now a director. The owner loves those personal touches, he is a kind and generous man and deserves a thank you.

A bonus is not guaranteed in his company but earned. I don't think you are being unreasonable at all.

Katy07 · 31/01/2017 18:20

I think a non-performance bonus in a small company (i.e. where it's the business owner sorting it out and not an HR or payroll department) would merit a thank you.
I got an unexpected one-off bonus once when I was working for a large company because I'd helped out another department without being asked just because I worked closely with them and they were in the shit. The director of the department did me a lovely letter (still got it) & sorted out a bonus, but got my boss to give me the letter. I went and thanked him anyway even though it was thanking me, because I figured it was the right thing to do. Happy feelings all round & future goodwill on both sides. How can that be a bad thing? Still, the OP will know who to give bonuses to in future...

Loreleigh · 31/01/2017 18:35

I only ever had one little job where I was given a Christmas bonus - a cleaning job a few times a week for a married couple and their two adult children who were all doctors. I often did extras if I noticed something that needed doing, helped prepare for a few dinner parties - when they were late home and pushed for time I would offer help and run errands sometimes. I only earned about £50 per week and they gave me a £30 cash bonus and a gift basket of posh toiletries. I nearly cried that they had taken the time to get me a present and recognised the things I did throughout the year. Yes, I did say thank you and write a thank you letter - they were great to work for, and it felt nice to be appreciated :)

Serialweightwatcher · 31/01/2017 18:44

YANBU - I used to get a crap bottle of wine if I was lucky - I'd have bought you chocolates and a card and said thank you properly if you'd have been generous to me ... think it's the way of the world today that people just expect. If your a small business then it would be nice of them to acknowlege it - just good manners I think

Alidoll · 31/01/2017 18:45

Remember a "bonus" for working in a busy hospital many moons ago. Management made a bit show of saying everyone was getting a bonus for their hard work...turned out to be a mince pie. They couldn't understand why there was loads of them left at the end of the day Grin

Apart from that, not had a bonus from any organisation I've ever worked for and not likely as work in public sector - though have had a present bought by my immediate boss. Always said thank you for those as I know it's out their own pocket rather than organisations

LubiLooLoo · 31/01/2017 19:06

It's nice to get a thank you, but bonus are usually the way you say thank you to your employees - not the other way around. Also, I'm not sure £500 is THAT generous, the first bonus I got for a base level job was £800. And my salary was crap then.

Chloe84 · 31/01/2017 20:14

I think usual process is to have a catch-up/take employee aside, hand over a letter saying what the bonus is and thanking them for their hard work, and then re-iterating that verbally.

I wouldn't be giving low-performing employees bonuses.

Chloe84 · 31/01/2017 20:16

Aso, I'm not sure £500 is THAT generous, the first bonus I got for a base level job was £800. And my salary was crap then.

We don't know what OP's business is. £500 is a lot of money to many people.

You know that a lot of people don't get a bonus one, let alone an £800 bonus?

Oblomov17 · 31/01/2017 20:21

Interesting thread.
A boss may decide not to pay a Christmas bonus, based on many employees not saying thank you the previous year. gutted.