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Company Christmas Gifts / Bonuses?
A wisely anonymous reader writes "Following my company's Christmas party on Friday, I found myself the proud recipient of... a bobble head doll of the company CEO! Needless to say I was PISSED. They didn't even comp. parking at the site of the party, let alone a bonus. yeah, yeah, times are tough. I should be happy just to have a job. but getting a damn doll of the guy who made 65 million last year just makes me angry. So... What did you get from your Company for Christmas?"
So what makes you think you shoudl have the automatic right to DEMAND a Christmas "bonus"?
What exactly have you done that is so special and above what you are paid to do that justifies your expectation of extra pay purely because it is december?
Genuine question.
People should not be afraid of their governments - Governments should be afraid of their people.
Gimme a freakin' break!!! I can't imagine what goes through someones head to think that someone else might possibly want a bobble head doll in their likeness!
You know you're a geek if you've ever replied to a tagline.
A fellow engineering student and I were laughing about this, and think we may have a way to derive some enjoyment from the bobble-head gift.
.22 caliber rifle is conservatively similar to a 25 mm anti-aircraft round. Any idea where I'm going with this?
Say that the bobble head doll is six inches tall, and your CEO is six feet tall. This is just an approximation, as I don't have the fortune of either owning any bobble head dolls, or knowing your CEO. This gives us a 1:12 scale.
At this scale, a
Sure, the idea of shooting the thing has occurred to many others already, but it would be more interesting to make an engineering report out of it. Figure out what scaled distance you're shooting from, discuss material differences, apply these to difficulties which may be encountered in a more "real-life" setting, and you've got the makings of a great arrest and restraining order story. Videos could be used to further explicate the point, and different ammunition sizes experimented with to really explore the problem fully.
As a fictitious company I was part of this semester said, "We don't look for problems, we look for solutions".
Erik
What did you give to your bosses and the company owner for allowing you to exchange your labor for money? Oh, nothing? The giving should only flow one way because the company should be thankful that you allow your labor to be purchased for money?
Let me give you a free clue: you will be MUCH more successful when you look at employment as an agreement among equals instead of a master to a purchased slave who pathetically looks for gifts of approval.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
It's hard for a leader to ask his followers to do anything that he isn't willing to do himself. How can a CEO credibily cut costs at the company when his own pay is $65 million and he's destributing bobbleheads of himself? Couldn't he live on the still-large pay of $45 million and reallocate the $20 million to softening (not eliminating, just softening) the blow to the rest of the company? Or have companies given up on trying to get employees to be loyal anymore?
- the company actually spends money on thousands of these promotional pieces of junk, money that could have instead been spent on the bottom line, or at least on something that isn't tossed, ignored, and useless.
- someone in the company gets paid to come up with the idea of the bobble-head doll, and other pieces of promotional junk that your typical employee ignores
I mean hey, a gift that shows that people in the company are thinking of you is nice, but these meaningless items reek of the "you are a number" philosophy. It seems like the bigger a company gets, the more likely that it is to generate this kind of landfill.What a complete load of horseshit.
Anyone that has to chant "grow up" at others doesn't really understand the concept of being an adult.
who thinks that this is a totally made up troll of a submittal? I mean, a bobble head doll of the ceo? I find that extremely unlikely. Not to mention the ceo makes '65 million' crap that is added to try to make it even moer sensational. And if it's posted anonymously, why not a company name associated with it? Troll troll troll...
Look at it this way Mike, you got a Bobble Head doll and he got ONLY 65 Million...
:-)
Just be thankful the guy doesn't end up biling you out of your retirement as well...
-Hack
PS: Take a pay cut and send it too the guy and plead with him NOT too...after all, he probably is working on his third home and that employee 401K/Retirement plan probably looks pretty juicy!
Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
Wow, nice job belittling the guy for having a little fun. I'm sure you put up with all kinds of crap where you work.
I'd like to think that some people (including some, shocker, adults!) would rather live with a little idealism and self-respect.
Old man, sometimes, adults can suck it up and quit at a place rather than putting up with obnoxious or rude working conditions.
Some day I hope you'll understand that there are things more important than paychecks.
Your work ethic is commendable, yet you still sound like the most unpleasant kind of asshole I hope I never have to endure a conversation with.
You've latched on the one thing you could get upset about. This was about respect, not finances. The author is also interested in other ridiculous gifts. You have lack respect in tone, manner, and values.
hey, all you folks complaining about getting laid off and mentioning that this guy should be glad to have received the fscking gift. get real. the poster was asking *employed* people for their comments.
:)
what you people are doing here is like saying "sure your wife is ugly but at least you have a wife. be grateful".
and yes, i expect an ipod as a company gift.
Just imagine how much liability a company would open themselves up to by getting everyone an iPod. Can you say piracty central? :P
"Uh yes Apple, we'd like to order 500 iPods and notify the DMCA that they can raid us in about a week. Thanks."
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
Yes, it occured to me as well.
If it's a company large enough to warrant a $65mil CEO then there must be a pile of these out there and surely someone could verify the story. Certainly at a company with that much money behind it, and the number of people that would be involved in such a company, and the friends who might hear of the doll, there would be more than one slashdot reader willing to come forward (non-anon at that).
Where's the link to an image? Where's the slashdotting of some innocent's poor server? Where's the jokes about a beowulf cluster of these? Oh wait, now it's that damned russian joke going on and on and on. Anyways where's the evidence.
or, it could be a troll.
right now I'm betting on the latter
Although I do realise that the main thrust of this story is the question 'what is your company doing for you this christmas?'
As for myself, a job would be nice. Anybody hiring graphic designers?
RTFM; please, I beg you.
when I can let my boss go due to "tough" financial times just like I can.
That's called "quitting" and finding another job. If you're unable to find another job, then make yourself more valuable.
when my boss invites me to his Christmas party.
Otherwise known as wanting pathetic gifts of approval. Don't invite him to your Christmas party, then.
when my boss will be reprimanded for missing a day of work.
That's called your boss having enough value to have negotiated the ability to miss days of work. If you can't, then become more valuable or negotiate that as part of your employment agreement.
when I get equal compensation for equal amounts of work and experience.
You are compensates exactly what you are worth. If you disagree, then find someone else who agrees with your self assessment.
when I can be in the same health plan as my boss and the company owner.
Nothing stops you from buying the same health plan as your boss. If you don't like the standard plan, ask if you can kick in money to get yourself to the higher level. If you can't, find another job or, again, make yourself valuable enough to where the company thinks you are worth giving the fancy health plan to.
when bosses and owners think of employment as an agreement among equals.
They think of you exactly the way you let them think of you. Congratulations, you have allowed yourself to be a tool.
agreement among equals when pigs fly or companies are worker owned.
Guess what? ALL COMPANIES ARE WORKER OWNED. The CEO is just as much of a worker as the ditch digger. And even the shareholders are workers. Everyone is a worker.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
Use it as a voodoo doll and stick pins in the wretched thing!
This kind of statement, "funny" though it may be, is a pretty good reflection of the current (IMHO stupid) feelings of a lot of people on Slashdot, judging from their comments.
A bonus is a special reward -- an employee did something really exceptional and their employer wanted to show their appreciation.
A bonus is *not* something that an employer is required or expected to give to an employee. If you wanted more *salary*, you should have negotiated it.
I'm not sure at what point workers started feeling that they were "entitled" to this gift. A Christmas bonus is a nice idea, but it certainly isn't something guaranteed. And, readers, if you're relying on it to support your finances around Christmas time, harsh as this may sound, you deserve whatever's coming. It's time for some actual financial management.
May we never see th
Quit. Seriously. If they don't appreciate you, find someone who does. Life is way too bloody short to work for someone who does not appreciate you. Believe me, I've done it.
My very first boss appreciated me, only paid me $6.00 per hour, but thanked me every day. I appreciated working for him. I think of him as my teacher. He passed away after about two years.
My second boss and third boss did not appreciate me. My fourth "boss" (a medium-large corporation) appreciated me about as much as a corporation could, so they were ok, thinking back on it.
My fifth boss(es) appreciated me, but the company was bought out by people who did not appreciate me. I left there too.
Believe me, it's not worth working for those who don't appreciate you, period. So find someone who does and quit. People are a corporation's number one asset. A company that treats its people poorly is a company that is not making half the money it could. Happy workers attitudes flow through to the customer who are then happy to do business with the company.
-- I am. Therefore, I think!
While it's true you shouldn't plan on bonuses, more and more high-tech companies are giving bonuses in lieu of raises. It seems really nice, when times are good, because you get these huge bonuses--you think you're something really special. And after a few years, it takes quite a bit of fiscal discipline for those bonuses to not make their way into your usual budget. Then, the market goes in the tank, and you're suddenly making half of what you used to since the company can't afford the bonuses due to market conditions.
And yes, I'm taking home half of what I did last year, even though my base salary didn't change. I'm not hurting, though -- most of my expenses are recreational and non-recurring. Both my cars are paid for too, which helps a lot.
On the plus side, bonuses provide compensation flexibility for the company such that it's easier for the company to adjust its personnel expenses without actually letting as many people go. I've been through a few Reductions In Force, and it seems that the primary targets are the bottom 10% performance-wise, and top 10% salary-wise (at least among the non-upper-management staff). Thus, if your base wage stays lower, it's easier for the company to not lay you off -- just pay you less. Moral of the story: Sock those bonuses away for a rainy day.
--JoeProgram Intellivision!
No one needs 65M a year, and taking that much for herself just shows he's not as loyal to the company as she should be to be the CEO.
"Loyalty to a company" in just about any company over fifty people or so is a sweet-sounding nonexistant Grail. It's lovely material to feed a worker to make him more productive, but it's silly. The company has no particular loyalty to you -- to HR, you're just another statistic that might potentially be sucking down money, and if you ever become a liability instead of an asset (after, of course, factoring in the cost of firing you and the effects on your coworkers of doing so, and considering your future potential value), the company will drop you like a hot potato. The company has no loyalty to you -- why should you to it?
Now, that doesn't mean that justifies things like stealing from the company or trying to shaft it (as some people seem to feel) -- things like this frequently come back and hurt you far worse than any possible benefit. However, whenever you get stuck in your head that the company you work at is a kind, loving father or something, instead of a cold, profit-seeking institution, you're running the risk of painful dillusionment.
I see people post here ever so frequently that "I gave 80 hours a week of work to my company and they didn't give me anything back" or "Times are tight, so my company is firing because it's best for all of us, but they really don't want to fire me". Bad mental state to be in. Don't come to rely on your company for more than they signed on for in your contract, and you won't have any nasty surprises.
This wasn't all aimed at you, more of a general feeling towards Slashdotters complaining that they didn't get what they expected...
May we never see th
So, mister whining bobblehead-doll recipient, kindly "eat a bag of dicks"
Hell, let's extrapolate that out: There are starving people in Africa who would take a cock up the ass while inhaling airborne TB mixed with a clusterfuck of anthrax and asbestoes. THEY would be super happy with a bobblehead, so fucking grin and start sucking your immediate bosses cock now, right?
That sort of pathetic subservient talk is pathetic. YOU are pathetic.
Maybe not every company can afford, and not every employee would deserve, extra on their paycheck every holiday season. But that doll was pretty stupid.
I suspect most of that company's employees would've been happier skipping the doll and not having had to pay for parking for the party.
I got a monetary bonus, a BioWare coffee mug, a NWN collector's edition, and personal thanks from Ray and Greg, the owners and CEOs (just like everyone else did.)
Besides that, however, I have the satisfaction of working at an incredible company with brilliant people. I'd do it all without any of the stuff I got this year.
Job satisfaction is the best bonus of all. If you get a bobble-head doll, and feel like you need more of a bonus, you don't have the job satisfaction that you deserve. Move on.
No one's entitled to a Christmas bonus. Its an extra, a nice optional that companies may or may not choose to give. Of course, the reason companies do so is to endear their employees to the company. Companies that don't do such may be susceptible to poorer relations with their employees, and may run higher risks of strikes and other problems. Etc.
But a Christmas gift is not something one is entitled to, nor gauranteed. However, I agree with the person who submitted the article: giving employees a doll of the CEO is insulting. What does he think, that they all should admire him that much that they should make a doll-house for a miniature of himself? What an ego-maniacal thing to give employees. Like anyone has any use for this thing.
It would be better not to give anything at all, than to give something that insulting.
Imagine if for Christmas, I gave my girlfriend a miniature doll of myself...I'm sure that'd fly over real well, right?
social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
I know it's hard out there. People have jobs to support thier kids, work 18-20 hours a day 7 days a week. They are just barely getting by. Their bosses suck, treat them like jerks, and never show appreciation. Then some guy tries to tell them it can all be fixed if theyed just take some initiative, and they feel like telling them to go fsck themselves. It all boils down to this though. We live in a capitalistic(mostly) society. You can make something with hard work and ingenuity. There DOES exist nepotism and the old boys club and countless other societal institutions people create to make for themselves and not for others, trying to monopolize human resources. The answer is, was, and always will be hard work, intelligence, and a desire for the greater good. There are so many ways in which the fight of good versus evil occurs every day, and all of you people out there depressed, lonely, and needing to feed your kids while working 18 hours a day, remember, there ARE others of us out here trying to make things better.
I saw a few small business owners trying to remind you that they are trying to be good bosses. And i saw a few people posting saying, "Hey those people do exist, and I work for one of them." Kudos to the bosses for being altruistic, and kudos to those employees recognizing that there is someone on their side and saying thank you out loud.
I don't want to be a preacher, but really, as the richest nation on the planet, let's try to remember that we can still grow in richness of spirit of helping our fellow man. And that doesn't mean just giving money. I think the most important gift any person can give to our society is initiative. Maybe you don't like your job. But you could start a business on the side. Work together with other people you know who are also pissed about their jobs. Figure out little small things that each of you could give 30 minutes a day to and do it. Heck 30 minutes a week! Build lawn chairs! Start a community nursery. Invest in yourself, your future, your community, and your investment will be returned to you. And you can gaurantee it just by looking at it and saying, I am having fun for free doing this.
Yeep - screw christmas bonuses, screw bonuses. I have never been a fan of company wide bonuses. It's stupid - I don't see why John Thicky should get a bonus when I did most of his work. Bonuses are for those that have done good work.
However, I have noticed a few things that make working life _pleasurable_ and _fun_. Bosses listen up!
1 - Staff will get VERY resentful if they get no pay rises or very small pay rises but the boss gets 25%. You are all in the same boat bosses and staff alike. Bosses need to realise this and act more like staff (instead of god!)
2 - Geeks like stuff - DON'T THROW OUT OLD COMPUTERS! Give them to schools if you want but always let your engineers rake of the bones of old hardware and take what they want. They love it and you don't even want it!
3 - Let your geeks experiment with their code. People like the chance to experiment a little.
4 - Listen to your geeks BUT GIVE THEM CREDIT. I quit one job after a few months when I discovered that the _entire_ place was based on "company politics". I would say something to my manager (hell I even typed him a report) only to discover that he had basically just changed the name on the report and no-one knew I had anything to do with it. AVOID THIS! If this happens - QUIT. You will be incredibly miserable otherwise!
5 - Don't pay out bonuses just to make your staff stay. Think before you spend! Perhaps spending all that bonus cash on new equipment or the office environment will cheer you staff up just as much as a coupla hundred quid.
The best bonus experience I ever had was at Pi Research in Cambridge. I was only 19 (2nd year there) and I had been working on some high resolution print routines. I got it finished and working (thanks to a little help) WELL ahead of time. The next day I went to work and was asked to see the MD. Well... I shit a brick! I reall thought I done or said something wrong! Anyhoo.... The MD asked me about my work, the quality of it, did I imagine there were still bugs etc.... then I got a very nice "thank you" and a "keep up the good work" type thing and a bonus cheque! I can't remember how much and it wasn't huge but the idea was there. They had been watching and decided it was time to place credit where credit was due. A very satisfying sensation I assure you.
"None of this shit works" -W.Shatner
Hey, it's nice that you can be so smug and superior towards others. It must give you a warm rosy glow inside that helps you cut down on your heating bills.
Perhaps you might want to consider a couple of salient points.
1. The tax burden for individuals is pretty much the same in most western countries.
However much you pay in tax in the US, it's not that much different to how much you'd pay if you lived in Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia or just about every other developed nation.
2. How your tax dollars (or pounds, or euros, or whatever) significantly impacts how much disposable income you have.
If your government spends $2 billion on a stealth bomber then that's $2 billion less that it can spend on other things. If it buys 144 of the things, that's $288 billion gone.
(And you wonder where your taxes go?)
That $288 billion could have been spent on other things. In just about every other country in the western world a chunk of it would have been spent on free healthcare, free further education, social welfare programmes, etc.
Now you may argue that welfare programmes do nothing for you (and we'll leave aside how short-sighted that is for now) but surely you'd like not to have to spend a chunk of your salary (or the chunk that your employer pays on your behalf) on health insurance? And surely you'd like to be able to spend, save or invest the several thousand dollars a year that you plough into your kids' college funds?
Before you start spouting rubbish about "Yuro-peens" taxation perhaps you could check the facts.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg