# Holiday Bonus: How BIG or small? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2001, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719 "2001-11-28T15:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/21 "2001-11-29T01:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LiquidLobotomy \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > > \*\*With the US Government, it depends on how the employee performed during the past year. At least for those of us who are still on production. I can’t say for the others. I could have improved a bit, I was rated at “fully successful” instead of “outstanding” and received about a third of my usual paycheck (or just over 1% of my gross annual pay) as my bonus. \*\* > > Yep, I’m another quasi-governmental worker, and I had similar ratings and as such I should receive about a third of my usual paycheck as well. Ho-ho-hopelessly caught in the golden handcuffs… \*\* My “bonus” from the Gov. is that I’m graciously permitted to be chained to the bench for another interminable year. And I get to work on Christmas Day. Yay. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/22 "2001-11-29T04:27:32Z")
Our company gives us a bonus that can be anywhere from 2-8 weeks of salary. This year, we got about 3-1/2. I’m happy with it, as I never count on it. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/23 "2001-11-29T04:28:36Z")
Don’t get a bonus for the holidays here, either, but one of the hourly guys told me last year that they all get a $600 bonus for the Holidays. We _do_ get profit sharing in March, though. But that’s not a fixed percentage – that’s based on company performance, salary level, time-in-service, and so on. Last year my salary grade got about $12,000 (less 44% taxes!). Hourly people also get this bonus, too. Although we probably will get charged a bill for profit sharing this year, thank you very much Mr. Fuegopiedra. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/24 "2001-11-29T04:48:45Z")
I guess this is like a comparative research thing. My company hired me with a verbal offer of annual bonus (_if_ you get one) of 10-50% of annual salary. My boss recommended a 28% bonus for me last year, and the Cheese cut that in half, because I’d only become an employee in the 2nd Quarter and hadn’t been “on board” all year. Never mind that I consulted for them for five years before they hired me. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year, as both I and the industry have not done as well, and macroeconomic woes loom, but I’ve been here all year. My employer awards bonuses, but pays them out in thirds, over three years. They’re quite up front about the mission of this policy being to keep you around. In today’s employment world, that’s not really a bad policy, from either side of the aisle. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/25 "2001-11-29T07:33:43Z")
I’ll just move this along to IMHO. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/26 "2001-11-29T15:42:01Z")
Well, my bonus lasted just two days; all of it plus about $50 of my paycheck went to Goodyear. That’s also where my advance refund went. At least our car has new brakes now. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/27 "2001-11-29T15:52:12Z")
I don’t know about this year yet but last year I got a real pretty bright red tshirt. It had a pocket and the company logo on it and everything! And guess what? It didn’t fade the first time I washed it. It was a really high class tshirt! Dare I hope for as much this year? ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/28 "2001-11-29T15:55:55Z")
I work at a non-profit, so the bonuses tend to be small and very complementary to the salaries, which also tend to be small. Last year my full-time staff all got $200; part-time staff–$100. Occasional–$50. I got zippo/nada/zilch because my Board didn’t remember to do anything for me. This year, things are looking similar all around. sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/29 "2001-11-29T18:23:08Z")
FINALLY FOUND MY THREAD! Was NOT looking for opinions. Thanks to those that actually answered my GENERAL QUESTION. Thanks for the funny replies too! I knew that there is not a true proper answer, but there are realities - actual examples. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/30 "2001-11-29T18:47:39Z")
This job is the first one I’ve ever had which did not give a Christmas bonus. It is also the best job I’ve ever had and the one I’ve worked at the longest. I don’t miss the bonus at all. The bonuses I did get never seemed to be either a fixed amount or a percentage. They seemed rather random and it kind of depended on the way business had gone during the year. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/31 "2001-11-29T20:19:30Z")
That reminds me of a bonus my dad once received in the mid 1960s. The company he worked for was a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company at the time and they gave him a hundred shares of Ford stock. I’m sure they’ve split a few times in the past three decades. ---
**Author:** ![GeorgeBushTheSecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ccd318/32.png) [@GeorgeBushTheSecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GeorgeBushTheSecond)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/32 "2001-11-29T20:28:01Z")
It has been my experience that most Christmas bonuses fall into the `laughable’ category. Once I received a turkey. Naturally, I asked if the boss had killed it himself. He wondered that summer why it was so hard to get good help. But the best Christmas bonus I ever saw was when my wife’s boss appeared with a handful of Halloween candy and said that was it. I was terrified at the party for fear I’d go into the wrong room and eat someone’s bonus. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/33 "2001-11-29T20:30:46Z")
When I worked for the newspaper, I got one week’s salary as my Christmas bonus. Which sounds good on the surface, but since I didn’t make much, the bonus wasn’t much either :). When I worked for the Catholic school, we got $20 in cash as our bonus and all the food the nuns could feed us. It was much more meaningful than having a profit-making company cut us an extra check. When I worked for the federal government, I got nothing, but liked it because the salary and benefits were so much better. And there was the performance bonus every fall, which wasn’t bad. Now I work for the state government, and once again I will get nothing. We’re running a deficit this year, so just keeping my job will be enough. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/34 "2001-11-29T20:58:17Z")
I’m grateful to have a job at all. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719/35 "2001-11-29T21:04:34Z")
No bonus here. However, I do get almost two weeks paid time off during December (Dec 20 - Jan 2). So, I’m not complaining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holiday-bonus-how-big-or-small/95719.md?page=1)