Do you receive a Christmas (or Holiday, or End of Year) Bonus from your Employer?

[minkydog]

I'm an RN. In 35 years I have never gotten any kind of bonus. But my current employer does spring for dinner at a nice restaurant during the Christmas season.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

We get nothing.

 

[fitgirl36]

We get a bonus twice a year in April and October, it can range anywhere between 10 and 20% of our salary. The October bonus is always the higher of the two. The office hourly girls get an actual Christmas bonus which is two percent of their gross for the year. I work for a medium manufacturing company.

 

[kaligal]

No bonuses. They used to do parties, but it ended some years back.

The nicer managers will buy deli trays and/or pizza for the staff. About half the staff then complains that they haven't been given enough, so about half the managers stopped doing it.

 

[njmom47]

Our bonus is a gift card for our store (which helps alot around the holidays), and a big office party (the food is good!). I work in corporate for a supermarket company.

 

[Andtototoo]

I've worked in several different fields, including education, archives/library, retail, a large and wealthy church, event planning. In my 30 years of paid full-time employment, the only time I've ever gotten a holiday bonus was when I worked retail.

The rule for that bonus was that you got $25 for every year you'd worked there, up to $100. The owners of that store really felt like they were sooooo generous with that bonus. LOL One year I couldn't make it to their holiday party and I got a lecture about how I owed them an appearance at their party to "pay them back" for my bonus of $50 (which didn't amount to much after taxes).

Oops... the church did give me a Christmas bonus. I don't know how I almost forgot their extraordinary munificence -- they gave me a paid HALF day off for Christmas if it landed on a weekday.

My dh has never gotten a holiday bonus. He's worked in education and museums his entire career.

My mother was a nurse. No bonuses for her entire career. My father used to get bonuses back in the day (1960s-70s) when he was a mechanic and plumber working for someone else. We pretty much lived paycheck to paycheck and I can remember my parents expecting and relying on the bonus to "pay for" Christmas. It was always a source of anxiety for me because the bonus was never given until Christmas Eve and I was always worried our Christmas presents would have to be returned to the store.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I work in entertainment and never have received a bonus.

My first ever entertainment job for a bigger corporate company (having moved on from the mom and pop where I got my start) was SUCH a tease. I started there Dec. 13th, they handed out bonus checks to EVERYONE the following week; I didn't expect to get one, nor did I receive one.

I did, however, get assigned the task to hand out the bonus checks. My new boss thought it would be a great way to allow me to introduce myself and everyone would have good thoughts about me since I was handing them loads of money in a cute little white envelope. All the time I was handing them out, I was thinking, "Do a good job and next year YOU might get one of these!"

Yeah, they stopped them the following year.

 

[StephMK]

I think the biggest bonus I ever received was $500, which was about 1/2 that after the taxes were taken out. Dh does not get cash bonuses from his bank but they do give an annual contribution to the retirement account.

I'm jealous though because neither of us has ever seen anything close to approaching 28, much less 10% of our salaries!

 

[Dax]

I work for the airport...I get a $150 bonus....DH works for Publix, gets 2 weeks salary...Next year its 3...

 

[Pakey]

I'm in management in a manufacturing company. My holiday bonus this year will be 44% of my annual base salary. Some years it's a higher percentage; some years its zero. It is based on many factors. I also receive a bonus mid-way through the year but it's much smaller and is based on production volume. Salaried employees here work an amazing amount of hours and our bonuses are a way to say thank you for the hard work.

All hourly paid employees within the company get generous cash bonuses and several goodies worth hundreds of dollars (all handed out at the holiday party). Theirs are not based on profit, volume, anything like that. Even on the years the company loses money, all hourly employees get their bonuses and gifts. I'm sure it's one of the reasons that most employees work their entire career for this company. Certainly, no one every resigns in December.

 

[castmemberb4]

If so, what sector do you work in?

I do not, and I work in education. My wife does, and she works in the medical field. Her bonus is about $2,000.

Dental.
Mine is about the same as your DW, it's not based on performance and is considered a Christmas present by my boss.

 

[SaraJayne]

Our bonus is a gift card for our store (which helps alot around the holidays), and a big office party (the food is good!). I work in corporate for a supermarket company.

DH's company has a very fancy Christmas party with cocktails, a full dinner and dancing (gowns are optional) and they also give a Thanksgiving gift (this year was a Harry and David's basket). At Christmas we usually get a 5 lb Nueske ham.

 

[sonnyjane]

Not only do I not get a Christmas bonus, but I have to work on Christmas as well, and we don't get holiday pay!

 

[dsneprincess]

Not only do I not get a Christmas bonus, but I have to work on Christmas as well, and we don't get holiday pay!

This would be our situation as well.

Also, no holiday party, cookie tray , etc.

We also don't get a bonus any other time of year.

I am turning green reading this thread! LOL

 

[dakcp2001]

I am a nurse, I will be working on Christmas (so I can have Christmas Eve off) and I also worked on Thanksgiving. Our hospital does a free cafeteria dinner party thing, but it is in the afternoon and I work night shift. No one cares about the night shift. BUt the patients do, I can assure you they care about us! That is what really matters.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We sometimes get bonuses in June, sometimes at year end. It's pretty random though. We've gotten big bonuses in bad years, and nothing at all in record years. We're coming off the 3 best months in company history and looking like a HUGE amount of growth in 2013. So, it's pretty much assumed there'll be a nice bonus this year & pretty much assumed the attitude around the office will be VERY sour come January if it doesn't happen

 

[marcyinPA]

I did last year for the first time. We were all shocked and pleasantly surprised! I work for a church, as a preschool teacher. My director handed us all a check, explaining the bonus, and of course, asked us to open it confidentially (as some received more than others based on seniority/job title). I was floored when I opened it. FLOORED. (I expected $25 or something when I opened it- it was quite a bit more than that!)

My DH does not get a bonus. His company throws a holiday party, but this year and last year, it was over an hour away to get to it, so we skipped it. Previous years, they had a lunch during a work day, but since my DH is on the technical end, he is always out in the field so has never been able to participate in the lunch. Basically, I think his company has these parties for the "front office staff"- you know, the folks who make the big bucks...

 

[rockawaybeachgirl]

Our annual bonus (usually around 15-25% of our salary) is paid in October, so nothing monetary at Christmas. However, the company closes down the week between Christmas and New Years ( everyone is fully paid). We also have very nice holiday parties with food and open bar.

I work for a Big 4 public accounting firm.

 

[Kellydelly]

I am an RN and I will be getting a turkey for my holiday bonus/gift . I guess it is better than nothing . My husband started a new job earlier in the year and we don't know if he gets a bonus of any kind yet (he is an engineer). I hope so .

 

[LBIJim]

My company pays us our bonuses in March. It's based on profits, our performance evaluations, and other factors from the prior year. Usually about 10 to 12% of annual salary. It's considered taxable income so of course the take home amount is less.

I work in the retail business, but at the administrative level, not store operations.

My wife co-owns a house cleaning business. No official bonus, but some clients give her a Christmas gift or tip.

Jim