Didn’t get a bonus

[Jellicalcats]

Hi All.

i’ve worked my arse off for the last 12 plus months which has been acknowledged by management.
I work in a team which helps lots of other teams but one team in particular takes up more than 90% of my time. I go above and beyond because they need a lot of help and, although not all of them, some on that team are really worryingly incompetent.
Bonuses announced and I was told no bonuses this year due to issues with the business- all out of our hands and no reflection on us.
Gutted but I accepted it only to learn this other team have been awarded theirs because of their cost savings this year.
The work my team does has saved them a lot of that money. We’ve had to pick up all the work they’ve not contracted out.
Am I wrong to feel quite resentful of this?

Wow, that’s awful! Do management know you help?

A bonus is just that, it’s not guaranteed for anyone.

This is a lesson that 90% of success at work is not what you do but how well you sell what you do. There is obviously a manager on the other team that has managed to pitch their ability to have your team absorb this work as a win for them.

I would be speaking to someone & outline the points you have presented here

I don’t want to give too many details in case it identifies me, but we’re a high profile team and the CEO is closely linked to us so they know what we do for this other team.
We have a call with our manager next week and I know the rest of my team are pissed off so it’ll likely be brought up. If the allocation is as we think it is, our high achieving manager also didn’t get a bonus.
I got more requests for help from this team today and couldn’t help feeling resentful towards them.

I'd still talk to someone and point out these points.

I would raise the issue - as calmly as you can - that this other team’s bonus has been awarded for them achieving cost savings which have been in big part down to your team. At minimum I would ask how bonus criteria can be set for next year so that your team’s contribution to cost savings (and other metrics) elsewhere are reflected in your bonuses. If you’re an enabling team this is really important.

For this year you could speak to your manager and see if they would be willing to raise this at higher level. If so you could work with them to compile the evidence that your team is responsible for the cost savings the other team has achieved

@Daffidale thanks, we actually keep a time record for each project and projects are split by team so we have month by month record of how much of our time has been spent on them.

Your manager needs to talk to the decision makers outlining the points you have made here and demand that your team gets equal bonuses this year to the other team, whether that is matching the amount currently allocated to the other team, sharing the allocated bonus pot or everyone receiving nothing.

The current decision to only award the bonus to the other team while failing to recognise the contribution from your team is unacceptable, demotivating and likely to affect staff retention. It cannot be allowed.

Your manager needs to tell them that your team will not be contributing to the other team's output until the situation is rectified in writing as they need to prioritise your team so performance can meet bonus criteria.