When do you earn a bonus?
When do you earn a bonus?
(OP)
I'd like feedback on this situation:
I started working for a company late in the year. On the last day before the holiday shut-down, the boss circulated and presented people with their bonus checks. I didn't get one. I'd only been there for a couple of months so I figured that I'd not earned it. That's fine.
Toward the end of the following year, I was offered a position with another company. Since it was within 3 weeks of the holiday shut-down (& award of bonuses), I decided to hold-off giving notice until I got the bonus.
The boss was very angry. To me, though, it was appropriate. I view year-end bonuses as a reward for what you've done in the preceding year. Given that the prior year, he didn't give me a bonus, the boss must've thought the same thing - the bonus is for what you did, not what you're going to do.
So what do you think, was I unethical in holding off my notice for 3 weeks in order to collect my bonus or was I justified given the successes that I'd had over the prior 12 months?
I started working for a company late in the year. On the last day before the holiday shut-down, the boss circulated and presented people with their bonus checks. I didn't get one. I'd only been there for a couple of months so I figured that I'd not earned it. That's fine.
Toward the end of the following year, I was offered a position with another company. Since it was within 3 weeks of the holiday shut-down (& award of bonuses), I decided to hold-off giving notice until I got the bonus.
The boss was very angry. To me, though, it was appropriate. I view year-end bonuses as a reward for what you've done in the preceding year. Given that the prior year, he didn't give me a bonus, the boss must've thought the same thing - the bonus is for what you did, not what you're going to do.
So what do you think, was I unethical in holding off my notice for 3 weeks in order to collect my bonus or was I justified given the successes that I'd had over the prior 12 months?





RE: When do you earn a bonus?
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
It's a cruel world.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
Had you been laid off a week before bonus time, I doubt they would have given you the bonus.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
I would opine that your former manager isn't worth losing sleep over, particularly given his begrduging attitude about something that you deserved to get.
TTFN
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
--Chester Karras
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
3 jobs back, when I left my job the HR people who were usually very considerate and fair did not hesitate to scr*w me over on some issues of bonus when I left in late November. If got zero % of my annual bonus... ok company policy. But there was an incentive day off awarded to everyone in the company based completely on a goal/milestone which was achieved/completed in April... I did not get paid for that one measly day.. The pay for single day off ticked me off more than the bonus (which would have been lots more $), simply because there was no way any rational person could rationalize it.
Moral of the story, sc*ew them of they'll sc*ew you.
BTW, I am now working for the same company again.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
If the rules of the game are that you give two weeks notice, which you did, he's a whiner to lay a guilt trip on you. I've got horror stories that go the other way (employees getting nailed by intentionally obscure, ill-defined policies). You were within policy, and as long as you didn't lie about long-term intents, I see nothing at all questionable in your behavior (all the same, you may want to look somewhere other than this manager for references).
Brad
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
The bonus was give for work done. All you did was expose another reason for finding a new job.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
Regards
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
LOL, Be glad your company had one, enjoy spending it. Your old manager was only sorry he had to pay it. You correctly assume you earned it for performance throughout the year.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
Blacksmith
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
I think we can look out for our own best interests without sidestepping the rules or hurting another person.
Binary - I think you did that well.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
I know what I will be doing at the end of the year.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
Binary - your are right in questioning your motives and your ethics involved in your actions. It is a good thing to examine and check yourself on the decisions you made. I would say in this case, you did nothing unethical. The only question then would be - were your motives correct? Only you can answer that.
I just wish more people in the work environment would question their decisions, behavior, and motives more often. I have seen people waltz beyond ethical boundaries without a second thought or notion that they might have crossed a line, and I have seen people deliberately and knowingly do unethical things as a means of achieving what they wanted. In both of those situations, I doubt they'll ever loose a nights sleep because self-examination was not a part of their personalities.
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
My current company has the same policy. However, this was made very clear to me prior to my joining. Do I wish I'd gotten the full bonus/full raise in that first year? Yes. However, I knew the rules going in. This is an often-overlooked thing which SHOULD be discussed during the interview process.
Be careful not to equate poor communication on the part of HR (during your hiring) with an intent to "screw" the employee.
Brad
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
I knew that I wouldn't get the bonus and that doesn't bother me. Nothing was mentioned before I started about getting a proportional pay rise. I have never encountered this anywhere else in the past. It is something I will be asking about in future. Is this a common tactic? I also thought that giving me 11/12ths was a bit petty but rules is rules I suppose.....
RE: When do you earn a bonus?
Regards,