Change of mind re bonus

[Clairewithfairhair]

On my last working day before Christmas my boss called me in and said I was getting an inflationary payrise and a bonus which would materialise in February once the year end results were known (no amount mentioned) for my excellent work in the year.

Nothing materialised in February and then on 1st March we happened to be having a meeting about HR issues so I asked for an update on the bonus. He said the managers were having a meeting that day, that it was discretionary but that he was going to recommend that I should get a bonus. The word discretionary had not been used in the pre Christmas discussion!

Nothing further has been said so I suspect I am not getting a bonus after all. If this is the case, I do not want to make a huge fuss as it is a great place to work, but will feel demotivated and would like to mention that it seems unfair to tell someone they're getting a bonus and then change your mind. I also don't want to do the typically female thing of being bashful about pay which is why women often end up paid less!

Any ideas on how best to approach this? Many thanks.

I also don't want to do the typically female thing of being bashful about pay

It's good you are aware that to get anywhere in the business world you need to speak up. However your previous comment about not "making a fuss" is the wrong mindset. A bloke wouldn't talk about "fuss", they would be thinking about how their boss is untrustworthy and needs to stick up for their staff rather than raising their hopes about a bonus that doesn't materialise.

I would say you want an explanation about why your bonus didn't happen and why you've been put in the awkward position of having to remind them about the conversation. Also you need to know if other people in the team got a bonus. Don't be fobbed off.

Thank you daisychain01. You are of course right- I need to be bolder. It is very hard when the boss is such a nice guy but I need to remember that he is not a friend and challenging him on this is the right way forward.

Unless it's part of your terms and conditions, it is discretionary, whether he used the word before Christmas or not.

However he's said you'll be getting a bonus, so absolutely you should follow up. I wouldn't let him off the hook by asking for an explanation why it didn't happen - if it's not happening make him tell you that.