AIBU to be upset that my end of year bonus is significantly less than last year?

[laylababe5]

I've worked for my company for 7 years. My bonus last year was 4% of my salary. This year I got 3%, even though we've had a particularly hectic year and I feel like I've worked just as hard, if not much harder, than last year. I'm behind on my workload and my requests for help have fallen on deaf ears. I'm being asked why xyz is not done, but when I say I don't have enough hours in the day, I'm told I just have to get on with it like everyone else. I've loved working for this company and have been happy, albeit a bit overwhelmed of late. I'm wondering if I should say something about the reduction in my bonus.

YABU - say nothing and work harder
YANBU - ask why my bonus was so much less this year

I just got my payslip and the bonus amount was on that. Its an Irish company. No one-on-one conversation about it. I haven't had a performance review conversation since my last raise at the beginning of the year. They said I was doing great then.

Although on reflection I'd add that it seems a bit odd that your employer communicated it to you without any context anyway. DH and I both work in industries where discretionary bonuses are not unusual, and we've always had any bonuses confirmed/explained to us in a brief meeting (even if two mins). The only time we've just received money is for something that was completely independent of performance - e.g. one company used to give a Christmas bonus that increased with years of service, but that was well documented so you knew what you would get each year.

No micro pigs or trips abroad in our office 🤣🤣🤣 my company doesn't throw money around, but they pay a good wage, we have private health insurance, and are treated like humans rather than slaves. I love working for my company and I love my job. I'm very lucky. My main worry about the bonus is that it means they are unhappy with my work. I don't depend on the bonus, it's not the money itself. I work hard, I'm good at my job, and I want to be recognised for that.

Bonus aside, stop working all this overtime. You're communicating you need support but then doing it all so they're not seeing the reality of needing it. I bet you'd be less resentful of a small bonus if you had a manageable workload.

My last employer provided £20 bonus at Christmas

Better than nothing 🎅

I can't find the original post to quote, sorry! My bonus is not tax free. Revenue took half of it!

You need to arm yourself with a bit more knowledge. Anyone working in a commercial enterprise should have some idea how well or badly it is performing.

Yes. She should be grateful. Some of us have worked for 40+ years and had no bonus. It's not a given that one gets a bonus, it's an added extra, and yet here is OP moaning because hers is less than last year's - for a reason no-one on here can explain.

Honestly, the entitlement of some people

Because you chose to work in an industry that that doesn’t have bonuses as part of its pay structure.
Yes I agree that we can’t tell the OP why it’s less than last year, and they can go down as well as up, but it’s not ‘entitled’ to expect a bonus that is detailed in your contract just because other people don’t get them.

For those saying "I don't get a bonus".

Well neither do I.

But different jobs have different perks. I work in education. Yes it's hard. But it's job security (kids will always need to go to school!) and great pension scheme.

Some jobs offer private healthcare.

Some a bonus scheme.

So company car.

You choose the sector you go into and make an informed choice.

OP I agree you need to work your hours only. Your contract should state on what basis you're paid your bonus.

If you had a pay rise at the beginning of the year is your bonus a smaller figure itself or a smaller percentage of your salary? (I accept you'd have to have had a huge pay rise for 3% to still be greater in real terms than 4!)

Been there. Glad I don't work for that company anymore!

🤣🤣🤣🤦‍♀️

It's both a smaller amount and a smaller percentage of my salary. The amount is 20% less than last year.

We aren't getting cash bonuses this year as it's been a very difficult year for our industry and while we have managed to make a profit it's tiny and not at all in line with expectations. We are getting other incentives, additional annual leave etc. But last year it was cash at almost 15% of my salary!

I'm part of our senior leadership team and when we're looking at the team and how to allocate it, we start at a set percentage across the board (based on the size of the pot we were allocated) then tweak some of them up a bit and some down a bit depending on performance. If the original pot meant we could only afford 2% across the board, then 3% would be in recognition of good performance. Another year we might allocate 6% across the board, then 5% would be for lower performing people.

I have worked in a few corporate type places and the approach has been similar, so it is likely the size of the overall pot that is just smaller this year. We can't always communicate what the pot is because it's not very helpful when people start comparing percentages without the context of other people's performance areas. We have this year proactively communicated from around mid year that it's a very challenging year and we're unlikely to show any growth or meet target, so no bonuses, whilst bad news, isn't a surprise to anyone.

I wouldn't ask why your bonus is low, but it's never a bad idea to have a performance check in if you're concerned there might be a reason for it.

Our bonuses are based on 1) company performance, 2) business area performance, 3) team performance and 4) individual performance. All of this is communicated to us in advance so when we’re told our bonus amount we know exactly how they’ve reached the figure they have. The issue here appears to be poor communication from the company around how the bonus amount was calculated. It is unusual though that you have no idea how your company has performed this year OP!

Ok then. The next time someone who works in education starts a thread asking about holidays I'll pipe up with "I've been working for 30 years and never had 13 weeks holiday, you should be grateful". Let's see if that's helpful to the discussion.

People absolutely do this but they are also dicks!

It’s irrelevant what the profit was (although I’m surprised you don’t know as that’s part of your argument ) when it’s discretionary. Not fair but sadly true. You need to hit them with facts and evidence about your workload not feelings, so I’m spending x time on this project, y on this and that adds up to 60 hours a week. Shall I stop doing this, or that. And articulate the risk to them. They don’t care how many hours you work.

This is so true.

From an employer's perspective - it is tough at the moment.

We're trying to balance keeping staff happy while faced with increased costs already this year, before the increases in NI next year have an even bigger impact on the business.

I haven't had a payrise myself in 5 years, but my staff have had above inflationary payrises and will get their usual Christmas bonus this year. That squeeze, however, can only be funded so far. Ultimately we are going to have to seriously consider next year's pay rises to share the pain of the increased NI.

Yes they did, thank you. It was all to do with a parent company milking the bank account but it all came good in the end.

You know, some of us pick our employers BECAUSE of the benefits? Our bonus schemes are contractual, i wouldn't work somewhere that didn't have that as part of the package.

So no, its not an added extra, its part of my package.

It's not entitlement, it's business.

Maybe you should be grateful that you were paid a bonus, and look for another job if you are unhappy. If you are paid your bonus on the basis of your performance, the payment may reflect the fact that you are behind with your work. If it really bothers you, ask your line manager how the decision was made.

Takes one to know one!

Ahhh but I am rubber you are glue. No returns X infinity.