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AIBU?

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Original poster

Average Christmas bonus?

324 replies

Legalhelp · 12/12/2020 21:13

My dp started a new job 6 months ago and colleagues have said they generally get a bonus at Christmas.
Times have been very hard recently, but we’ve managed to set money back to get all DD’s Christmas presents, decorations etc.
The Christmas bonus received will be the difference between a tight Christmas meal etc with a few nice bits or a relaxed couple of weeks for us at home.
Is there an average Christmas bonus for staff generally, percentage wise? Is it generally £50 in an envelope or a few hundred or is it completely different according to each company?
Dp doesn’t want to enquire about it and go just wait and see.

OP posts:
Lemonsyellow · 12/12/2020 22:17

I’ve never worked anywhere where there was a Christmas bonus. I’ve always thought they were semi-mythical things from past generations.

QueenietheCutie · 12/12/2020 22:17

I've worked in places where they promise a bonus and then when the time comes they do everything they can to avoid paying it.

Current job they've paid out £1k Christmas bonus to all staff in good years or £250 in leaner times. Didn't really expect it this year but we are in a sector that has been hardly affected by Covid (defence) and have actually had a very profitable year so we all got £1k again in our November pay.

I find its best to just not expect anything and then be pleased with anything!

mooloop · 12/12/2020 22:19

5% of annual gross salary for me, it's performance based though. Very lucky I know, although it's only been this for the past 2 years of the 8 I've worked for the company (no bonus scheme for the first 6 years!)

PigletJohn · 12/12/2020 22:20

It's rash to pin your hopes on it. The point of a bonus is that it's disretionary, depending not only on how profitable the business has been, but also how generous the boss is feeling, which can depend on all sorts of unrelated matters.

It may be completely unconnected with how hard you've worked or how successful you've been. It might vary with how long you've worked there, or it might not.

TrainspottingWelsh · 12/12/2020 22:21

It's £20 where I work, and even then it's only for the lowest paid, afaik the cut off where you are deemed to earn enough not to need it is around £18/£20k full time.

However we have a generous bonus scheme throughout the year, and there's probably very few, if any that haven't had at least £1k pre tax in the last few months.

Having said that I have a friend that works in an industry that's done record breaking sales since covid and their minimum wage employees are getting a £10 gift card

m0therofdragons · 12/12/2020 22:22

Honestly, until the money is in your bank account do not count on it or budget for it.

DiscombobulatedAf · 12/12/2020 22:22

I get 10% of my salary as a bonus in March so will be just over £3k after tax. It’s varies tbh. I’d just wait and see but don’t bank on him receiving anything

Feckmesideways · 12/12/2020 22:23

I’ve never had a bonus, if I’m lucky I get a £15 voucher. My DH on the other hand got 9k last year! I think I’m getting a voucher again this year, not sure what DH will get, won’t find out until the new year.

crappyyear · 12/12/2020 22:24

we're having a free coffee and cake next week. Closest we get to a bonus.

CaveMum · 12/12/2020 22:25

Don’t know yet about this year but in previous years my current company gave a week’s wages as a Christmas bonus.

A previous company paid a Christmas bonus dependent on company performance and linked as a % of a wage. The year I was there I got about £1,200.

I know one lady who was a PA to a high flyer in our industry. He was notoriously difficult to work for but when she told me the bonus he gave her one year I understood why she stick it out for so long - £14,000 😱😱😱

Someonesayroadtrip · 12/12/2020 22:25

Hmmm fire and rehired courtesy of British Gas and then for a New Years bonus, less pay and worse conditions, including significant increase in hours. Plus management insist on employees coming in on days off if they they spend too long on jobs ...work for free or get out apparently. So yeah, lovely little Christmas bonus especially having worked through Covid and done extra volunteering for food banks as per company's request to make them look better, no need to thank us though, just make them work an extra 12 hours a week for less money than currently. Lovely.

SunshineCake · 12/12/2020 22:26

A few hundred? Blinking heck.

happinessischocolate · 12/12/2020 22:26

I wouldn't bank on anything this year, many companies who usual do bonuses won't even have made a profit this year, so bonuses will be very unlikely.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 12/12/2020 22:28

Nothing. My manager usually brings in a tin of chocolates or box of biscuits, but this year we are all WFH so won’t even get that.

DP usually gets 5% of his salary, but has been made redundant.

PigletJohn · 12/12/2020 22:30

p.s.

I once worked for a company that was going down the pan, and they offered me a "retention bonus" if I didn't resign for 6 months.

Funnily enough they made me redundant before that, and tried (unsuccessfully) to weasel out of it.

WeAllHaveWings · 12/12/2020 22:31

Last employer it was a contracted 4%. But in realistically it was all just part of your full package and 4% of your salary they kept for you and paid in December.

Currently company there is no Christmas bonus. We get a company bonus usually in September based on company then personal performance which we use for Xmas. This year it was £0 as, due to covid, company didn't meet any of its performance targets.

EscapedfromGN · 12/12/2020 22:32

DH is retired now and all he ever got at Christmas was a diary from his company, a selection of calendars from customers and very occasionally a bottle of wine. I gave more to the DC teachers.

Most people get nowt.

Tohaveandtohold · 12/12/2020 22:33

We used to get a bonus at Christmas but this year, no one has said anything about it and they’ve been hinting that we should be grateful we all still have a job.
For the bonus, your manager ranks you based on your performance the whole year and the bonus is based on your ranking. Range from £50 to £750 (that £750 is unattainable most times).

Dashel · 12/12/2020 22:33

Neither DH nor myself get a specific Christmas bonus, although DH can earn a monthly bonus depending on targets.

He did used to get a £1k bonus in another job though which was nice and an awful lot of alcohol and gifts

CabinClose · 12/12/2020 22:34

Can you say which country you’re in? In some countries there are specific methods for calculating the Christmas bonus.

mrsanflowerpot · 12/12/2020 22:36

Teacher here and DH is NHS, so we don't get here. I generally spend Christmas looking longingly at hampers to pretend I'm buying one instead!

slashlover · 12/12/2020 22:36

Usually nothing but getting £25 this year.

Blibbyblobby · 12/12/2020 22:37

It varies massively by industry and by role within the industry. Unless he is in finance or an in demand area of tech that competes with finance for talent, I'd advise make your plans assuming nothing and if something does come through you can treat yourself in January.

Also, even if he's told what he'll get ahead of time, don't commit the money until you see it hit the bank account because it's still at the company's discretion to pay or not. Unlikely they won't pay after informing people but if there is a sudden shock coughBrexitcough or if he somehow ends up in a disciplinary situation they could withdraw it.

Finally, be aware that Christmas bonuses may not be paid in time for Christmas. One company I worked for told you your bonus in December but didn't actually pay it until March (last pay packet of the financial year).

19lottie82 · 12/12/2020 22:37

I’ve never worked anywhere where I’ve received a Christmas bonus!

I’m self employed now and have 4 staff. We are only in our second year of business so not really in a position to be giving out bonuses, but I’ll take the staff out for a meal and drinks and pick up the tab.

Boymumzy · 12/12/2020 22:40

DH's Christmas bonuses have ranged from a £40 cinema and food voucher, to no bonus but a pub crawl for their 'Christmas Do', to a bacon roll, to nothing. He's in a new job this year, not expecting anything.