Office/apprecation etiquette...would this bother you?

[Anonymous]

Own a small business. Have 7 employees. Business was tough this year for a host of reasons but we hung on.I looked up what the normal small business holiday bonuses are and many sites said $100-$500 or some said they just give a bottle of wine, box of candy,etc...

I gave $2000 to my main person and $500 to everyone else. NOT ONE text call or email to say thanks. I handed them out on Tuesday.I feel 100% sure they were opened. When I used to work for someone I always gave my boss a card with a box of candy or a bottle of champagne..something just because it felt right. I am good to these people in an industry that is hurting, they are all lucky to have the job they do. I am an easy boss, easy going and understanding, but this to me, really hurt me. Am I expecting too much?

[Anonymous]

Im a middle manager with 20 direct reports. I did Starbucks gift cards and handwritten notes and pushed hard for max corporate bonus. Everyone gushed about both.

[Anonymous]

You sound like you have a good heart and I’m sorry to hear that they responded that way. I would take that reaction into consideration in determining next year’s holiday bonuses and to be honest, I wouldn’t blame you for not giving one if you didn’t. That may be harsh but when I was working (retired now), we always told the boss thank you for whatever we received.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Im a middle manager with 20 direct reports. I did Starbucks gift cards and handwritten notes and pushed hard for max corporate bonus. Everyone gushed about both.

what does max corporate bonus mean? how much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a middle manager with 20 direct reports. I did Starbucks gift cards and handwritten notes and pushed hard for max corporate bonus. Everyone gushed about both.

what does max corporate bonus mean? how much?

every role has a target. Let's call it 10%. Each person they can get up to 150% of their target, so 15%. I pushed for people who earned it to get the amount that shows they went "above and beyond". I have learned that people care more about that than the actual dollar amount. They would rather get 150% of a 5% target than a 10% bonus with no "bump". It's wild.

[Anonymous]

How do you treat the team during the year?

[Anonymous]

Personally I think that saying thank you to cash or a bonus check would feel like saying thank you for a paycheck. It’s just awkward. So that might be the disconnect. You see it as a gift and expect thanks, and they see it as additional compensation and perceive that it would be inappropriate or unprofessional to acknowledge it in a personal way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally I think that saying thank you to cash or a bonus check would feel like saying thank you for a paycheck. It’s just awkward. So that might be the disconnect. You see it as a gift and expect thanks, and they see it as additional compensation and perceive that it would be inappropriate or unprofessional to acknowledge it in a personal way?

To add: I don’t say thank you every other week for my paycheck. If this is a bonus that they know of in advance, they work towards earning it. They do the work, they get the reward of the bonus. There’s no gift, so no thank you is required. This is payment for labor.

[Anonymous]

I work at a big law firm and bonuses are direct deposited, they're "given" by all the partners of which there are over 100 and I probably have laid eyes on 40, so I don't send a thank you.

But at a small business? Yes, I thanked my boss who gave me a bonus, every time. "Thank you so much for the bonus, and happy holidays to you and your family, Dan!" Something like that.

[Anonymous]

Did you give more last year? If so, this might feel like a slight.

I hope you also included a personal note thanking them for their diligence through a hard year and expressing your appreciation for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Own a small business. Have 7 employees. Business was tough this year for a host of reasons but we hung on.I looked up what the normal small business holiday bonuses are and many sites said $100-$500 or some said they just give a bottle of wine, box of candy,etc...

I gave $2000 to my main person and $500 to everyone else. NOT ONE text call or email to say thanks. I handed them out on Tuesday.I feel 100% sure they were opened. When I used to work for someone I always gave my boss a card with a box of candy or a bottle of champagne..something just because it felt right. I am good to these people in an industry that is hurting, they are all lucky to have the job they do. I am an easy boss, easy going and understanding, but this to me, really hurt me. Am I expecting too much?

If you really think this way, you have every hallmark of being a sh boss.

[Anonymous]

Xmas bonuses are just that, a bonus. No one is entitled to it. OP, you absolutely deserve a thank you for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Own a small business. Have 7 employees. Business was tough this year for a host of reasons but we hung on.I looked up what the normal small business holiday bonuses are and many sites said $100-$500 or some said they just give a bottle of wine, box of candy,etc...

I gave $2000 to my main person and $500 to everyone else. NOT ONE text call or email to say thanks. I handed them out on Tuesday.I feel 100% sure they were opened. When I used to work for someone I always gave my boss a card with a box of candy or a bottle of champagne..something just because it felt right. I am good to these people in an industry that is hurting, they are all lucky to have the job they do. I am an easy boss, easy going and understanding, but this to me, really hurt me. Am I expecting too much?

If you really think this way, you have every hallmark of being a sh boss.

DP, but you have every hallmark of being an ungrateful sh!theel of an employee.

[Anonymous]

It's staggering that not one of 7 said thank you.

[Anonymous]

I am absolutely shocked that no one had the kindness or common sense to say thank you. I work for a small business of about 20 employees and there were no bonuses given at all. However, the owner passed out boxes of chocolates and everyone was thankful and fairly understanding that this year, there would be no bonus. A bonus is a gift not part of the paycheck. It says a lot, unfortunately about the employees that they have not had the common courtesy to thank you. I hope that on Christmas you will hear from them. Please follow up with us. I am very curious. I’m actually shocked. on top of that your bonuses were extremely generous. My sister owns a very small advertising agency and she gave everyone $150 so I can tell you that your bonuses were quite generous.