to ask how you’d feel about these scenarios at work?

[Merryoldgoat]

I’m lucky. My job has largely been unaffected by Covid in a material way and this is the same for our entire workforce. No redundancies, no pay cuts or unmanageable workloads etc.

Our board want to give some bonuses in recognition of the extra work people have done plus a 1% bonus to everyone.

I think this is nice, will be well received and will give people a boost

They’re arguing about how it will be viewed if someone who was on furlough gets the same as someone who worked throughout.

I say I don’t think it matters - it’s a nice gesture, a small amount and everyone is getting something but am I being naive?

Obviously money matters but I’m frankly just glad I’ve got a safe job, decent salary and flexible employers.

How would you receive this news if your employer did this?

It’s more ‘it’s been a shitty time - we’d like to give you a little extra’.

It would make more sense for that to be a fixed amount than a % of salary, if it is to be in that spirit and given to all. Otherwise you might have the situation that well-paid but furloughed colleague gets five times more than low-paid colleague who has worked their arse off. So £150 each, for example.

I think it would be very wrong to exclude the furloughed.

You don't have to give a percentage in the letter, you can simply say a small bonus will be paid to all staff in recognition of the challenges they've faced over the last months.

I can't believe people are so mean minded that they would resent the furloughed sharing in the bonus. If you're been working, you're the lucky ones!

@Pelleas

Does that not reverse it? If it were, say, £200, for some that will be a really significant amount. For others it’s a drop in the ocean...

Hmmmm.

Maybe a flat amount is best. Not that it’s my choice!!

I would be irritated if it was supposed to reflect the last few months, but that's because I have been working extra, at a flat out pace, to cover someone who is furloughed. But that's my situation with my colleagues. If nobody has been doing any more then before then it's not really comparable.

If it was simply a company/team wide bonus because things are a bit shit, then it should include everyone.

I wouldn't mind. The way I view it it's a bonus for those who have been working and a sort of compensation for those who are furloughed. Yes those at work have, maybe, had to do more work, but those furloughed may be feeling that they are no longer part of the "team".
At some point those furloughed will (hopefully), be back at work and so those working will be able to take time off (on full pay no less!), would it really help to create divisions within the staff, by adopting an "us and them" culture?

I can see how someone who has worked extra during this time would be annoyed if a furloughed worker also got paid a bonus, however, I'm sure the furloughed worker never asked or wanted to lose a portion of their income for months. Either the company has enough cash to pay the extra to everyone or, if only given to those who remained in work, the bonus could be seen as effectively being paid with money that was taken from their collegues paypackets.

Does that not reverse it? If it were, say, £200, for some that will be a really significant amount. For others it’s a drop in the ocean...
..

I see that point of view, but if it is meant to be a token of recognition for having existed through a shitty time, rather than being directly related to work done, by that logic it shouldn't be related to salary. You mentioned there would be additional bonuses specifically for extra work which presumably would be salary related.

The other way of looking at the for some that will be a really significant amount. For others it’s a drop in the ocean argument is that, whatever your income, £200 still has the same buying power, so if the idea is that people can treat themselves, they'll all have the same level of treat open to them.

@pennylane83

All staff on furlough were topped up to 100%

@trappedsincesundaymorn

No one is on furlough anymore. As soon as we became aware financially we were sound we ended it.

Some are in, some are home working, some aren’t doing much. Nature of the organisation.

I'm sure the furloughed worker never asked or wanted to lose a portion of their income for months.

OP said the furloughed workers had salaries topped up to full pay.

@Pelleas

I think you’re right. I’m going to suggest a flat amount and then extra recognition just for Covid.

This from @Pelleas seems the fairest:

It would make more sense for that to be a fixed amount than a % of salary, if it is to be in that spirit and given to all. Otherwise you might have the situation that well-paid but furloughed colleague gets five times more than low-paid colleague who has worked their arse off. So £150 each, for example.

I think it's a strange one tbh.

While it's a nice gesture & crappy if those furloughed didn't get something, it would be very hard to be the non-furloughed employee on a human basis, seeing this.

But I am confused. I know only a small number were furloughed. But if there was any need to be furloughed it would indicate there was an impact on the business. And therefore I'm surprised there's the capacity for bonuses.

Doesn't it slightly depend on what staff are paid? 1% of even £2000 is £20. With all due respect if they wanted to pay me that for the extra work over the last three months I'm not sure how far that would get me after tax and NI....about £15 probably. Irrelevant of whether on furlong or working not sure how thankful people would feel...rightly or wrongly:) If you earn £4000 £40 not really needed you could argue.

What about rewarding in another format such as an extra days paid annual leave for everyone?

@EarringsandLipstick

There was significant impact, but the closure ended up making much larger savings than expected and we got some sizeable refunds that we thought we’d have to fight for.

We also have not seen the withdrawal of contracts that we thought was likely.

I’ve not gone into masses of detail @Purpleheadgirl but I said exactly that [what you did] and another model being suggested is 1% or 2% with min/max payments.

My work have not topped up our furlough pay. We had to volunteer but were told that the company would only have orders for half the work and that we desperately needed to make savings. Those of us who were furloughed had no idea that this could be going on until September and it has affected far more middle to bottom pay scale people because the people at the top refused to take the cap on top of the 80%. Should someone on 20k be expected to receive 80% for 6 months in order to help save the bacon of the company and then be sneered at for lazing about doing nothing while worrying about paying their rent? They tend not to have mortgages which allow for holidays.
And I agree that a bonus should be a flat fee, not a percentage, for the reasons given above.

Ask yourself if you were furloughed under those circumstances would you mind your colleagues getting a bonus that you yourself didn’t get? I’m not furloughed but have been WFH but while my job has become a lot quieter some of my colleagues are a lot busier. If they were given a bonus I would not begrudge them one bit. Do I deserve a bonus? Not really.

@Divebar

I know and agree and that’s how I feel but this thread shows how many different viewpoints there are and I think the board will have to accept they can’t please everyone.

In the current climate any slight bonus is a welcome surprise I would say
Some may be a little miffed but we are only talking a small token amount not thousands and people are already a little peeved that some were off on curb ouch on full pay whilst they worked I would guess as know people on similar position but there not peeves at employer just at situation in general

I'm sorry but this would piss me off!

I've never worked so many hours whilst many of my department are at home on full pay doing the decorating!

I work for Co Op. Every single one of us got £100 bonus. Including those who are self isolating or shielding and therefore not working. Because otherwise it could be seen as an encouragement to those people to come to work despite medical advice.

Nobody was furloughed though, so I don't know about that, but I would have thought that furloughing was the company's decision, so why should those furloughed miss out?

I'd be furious! I think as long as those who were furloughed weren't living in fear of redundancy, the bonus should go to those who've spent 3 months working from home, not those who spent 3 months lounging around at home.

It’s a minefield! Wouldn’t do it. As your OP said most people will be concerned about job security etc

I’d be bloody annoyed if my colleague (no health issues etc) got a bonus for refusing point blank to come to work since March and was reluctantly furloughed by the company.

Yes I think Bridget's suggestion of waiting a while is a good one. I've been working throughout, some haven't primarily for COVID risk reasons. I'd be happy for everyone to get a bonus as just getting through a pandemic is hard. But as Bridget says, waiting a while until those who were furloughed are back, have had time to catch up etc may be good idea.

I think everyone should get it.