Major guilt over Christmas bonus
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| Tue, 11-10-2009 - 5:06pm |
Apparently I like feeling guilty. Angst must be a hobby of mine, although as it turns out DH is mad about this and feels pretty bad about it, too, and he does NOT do angst.
He's a service manager and has about 20 guys under him. They are the only shop in the area making any money right now, and they've actually kept their numbers up almost to where they were before the economy tanked. (I'm bragging - DH has been pulling in new accounts like crazy and, more impressively, some old ones that vowed never to come back from before he was manager).
Well, the owner of the company has decided not to do bonuses this year. We expected it. Two years ago, for the guys they were the equivalent of one paycheck. (It was about a month's pay for us - sigh). Last year he cut them in half and everyone was MAD. Well, now they won't get a thing. They don't get them until the 23rd (or last business day before the 24th), so it's not like there will be any notice, and DH is not allowed to tell them or HIS job/butt is on the line. I bet half of those guys, if not more, depend on those for Christmas for their kids or wives. The rest depend on them to catch up on bills. To me (and to DH), it's just not RIGHT not to tell them. The owner says everyone will get mad and productivity will go down, but some of these guys have been there for 5, 10, 30 years. Always a bonus. Always something. And they'll be plenty mad later, and I doubt they'll cool off after a couple of days off.
I'm not going to judge whether the man can afford bonuses or not, but two things bug me. One, he flat out lied to DH about WHY. He said the company didn't get a bonus that they DID get. Maybe they needed the money for something else or maybe he just plain doesn't want to do bonuses. But to LIE about it, I don't get. DH can't stand being lied to.
The other thing is that the owner spends extravagantly. Everyone who works there knows it, and most know that he does it on the company's dime. It's his company and his right (although I don't think you're supposed to deduct thousands of dollars of personal stuff as a business expense, but again, not my place to judge) but when these guys see how he wastes money and then says there's not enough to give them a bonus, they're going to be mad. You can't blame them. The employees don't have the details that DH does, but it's obvious that the man is spending money left and right and now he's going to blindside them at the last minute. =c(
I KNOW a bonus is a bonus and I know that he's not obligated to give it. I know it's not his fault that people depend on it. But the fact is that they do, and the least he could do is let them know ahead of time that it's not going to happen. I just feel so bad for everyone. I know there's nothing I can do, but I just had to vent a little. Thanks for listening.
In other news, I actually got out of bed today. Good thing it was cloudy - not sure I've seen the sun in a while, LOL.


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I agree.
Hi, Happily,
I never got bonuses anywhere I worked no matter how well the company did or how well I did.....so I've never depended on them or expected them.
FIVE KIDS.
Sarah -
Can't your husband take a stand with this guy.
Lurker here.
I agree with you that owner not telling employees about the lack of bonus this year is really low.
This world is so upside down right now, that the Scrooge is starting to look like a saint.
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus
I don't have a problem with the owner spending the money on himself. I have two problems. One, he looked DH in the eye and lied to him. Two, he won't tell anyone about the (lack of) bonus b/c of the backlash he knows is coming. This BS about letting them find out a couple of days before Christmas is just wrong. DH has worked his tail off, earned back millions of dollars worth of clients that the owner ran off before, and he's been as loyal to that man as anyone could ever ask. The fact that he just lied to his face has him stewing. (And it was no misunderstanding - it was a flat out lie and DH knows it for a fact).
As for DH, his hands are truly tied. He does everything he can up to the point where he's risking his own job, but without getting into a lot of detail all I can really say is that DH does his part and then some.
We're going to try to foot the bill for the Christmas party. It won't make up for the bonuses, but they usually are fed lunch that last day before the holiday and he at least wants to do that for them. And there's a decent chance that doing THAT will get him fired, but it's one we're willing to take.
DH had a decent group of guys there. There's a core group that works their tails off and those are the ones that DH is really upset for. They show up, do their jobs, are profitable for the company, and they have a right to know that they won't get that extra paycheck. You know, like before they actually don't get it.
We've run a business before and we're on the verge of doing it again. We were actually profitable all the way through, but he got a job offer he couldn't refuse with benefits, so he took it. I've been there. I know the owner doesn't owe these guys a thing, but I'd really like to think that character and honesty mean something. They always have for us. And an owner that can't give that much to his guys will never has the respect and dedication (and yes, profitability) from them that he thinks he has a right to. As far as I'm concerned, if he's going to be underhanded he doesn't have a right to it.
Sorry for the vent. I'm not directing it AT you. Just still fuming. Shoot, three weeks ago a guy came over here to help DH with a paint job. There was no way DH would have gotten it done without the help - he did all the taping and papering that DH hates to do. The guy was here about 4 hours and a week later when DH got paid for the job we really needed the money. DH could have put that guy off forever or given him next to nothing, but he gave him $200. The man actually tried to give $100 back, but DH wouldn't take it (the man earned it and he NEEDED it). Don't you think next time DH calls him that the man will be here in a heartbeat to do what he can? By comparison, the owner of the company DH works for would have given the guy $50 and said "not enough? what are you going to do about it?" That does NOT make anyone want to work their best for you. It's not about not giving enough. He makes promises that he does not keep, and he does it all the time. It's more than just the bonuses, I guess. More than I could ever get into here, but that bonus thing just set me over the edge. The man does NOTHING to inspire loyalty. He berates them and lies to them and DH runs interference as much as he can, but he can't fix this bonus thing and he'll probably lose the best guys over it, which will tank profitability.
Sigh. Anyway, again, not fuming "at" you. Just fuming. =c(
FIVE KIDS.
I do understand, so no worries.
Whew. I'm glad I didn't offend you! I'm glad you guys make good employers, too. I totally agree with what you're saying, though. Loyal employees really aren't so hard to make, but once you wreck that relationship it sure is hard to get it back. And when you have a history of screwing people over, that's exactly what happens: it comes back around. It already is, sort of. DH said a lot of would-be customers go 3 hrs out of their way to avoid the owner of this business - too bad he'll never know how much money he's losing, LOL. But I guess it's the employees that get the shaft anyway.
I shouldn't complain too much. DH has a great job. He doesn't love dealing with the owner, but the experience he's getting there makes him immensely employable. There are plenty of great benefits to working there, but when the Grinch is taking Christmas from some of his guys and not bothering to give them a heads up, my forgiving spirit goes right out the window. We may not be "there" now, but heaven knows we've depended on it in the past. It's just heartbreaking.
Thanks for the chance to get it all out there! (((Hugs)))!
FIVE KIDS.
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