Christmas Bonuses
In tougher economic times, employers are less likely to provide Christmas bonuses to their staff. Although there are strong economic reasons for this, it is not always in the best interest of the company overall to omit the Christmas Bonus and the Christmas Party.
There are traditions in our country that extend into the workplace. One of those traditions is the celebration of Christmas. Although it should be noted that as more and more religions gain in numbers, this is often renamed to the Holiday Season. Tracking back to the very beginnings of our country, people have come together at Christmas to celebrate and revel in the warmth and good cheer of their friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. No matter what we call it, or how it has blossomed, it is still that special time of year.
It is ingrained in the blood of the people and the work force.
Tough economic times can cause many employers to simply find themselves without the wherewithal to provide bonuses for their staff. Staff, on the other hand often depend upon the bonus to help make ends meet during the holiday season when work hours are cut back, and when more shopping is done.
How does the employer and the employee solve the dilemma?
The first action is with the employer. If the employer is not able to provide a Christmas Bonus, he needs to inform his staff of this as soon as he possibly can. He needs to do it with tact and grace. He needs to address with the employees all the excellent things that they have done for the company and their coworkers and he needs to make it perfectly clear that the bonuses are not being given because of only one reason, tough economic times have prevented the company from bring in the gross revenues required to operate and expend a higher than normal outgo.
However, it should be noted here, that a wise employer prepares for downturns in the economy and uses an old accounting procedure known as a set-aside to acquire and keep safe important monies for the company. This practice, when in use, can prevent an employer from finding himself in a position of having to deny his staff such an essential part of their holiday paycheck.
Another concern for the employer who has opted not to provide a Christmas Bonus is the message he is sending to his staff. The staff can hear loud and clear that it is the Christmas bonus being cut now, but what will the next cut be? Is the company that bad off? Is their future employment guaranteed? There is great concern and potential instability sent out to a staff when the employer does inform all that there will be no bonus. The ripple effect must be greatly considered.
The second action is with the employee. If your company has not announced whether or not there will be bonuses, and you know that the company coffers are not as full as they should be, then you should not assume that bonuses will be distributed. You need to be a little proactive and simply inquire. You may find that your inquiry saves you much financial hardship in January, or that you may go on about your Christmas planning as usual, without due concern for what January will bring. Just don’t assume that you are getting it when you know there are tough economic times.