I am a general engineering contractor.
The emplyees are a truck driver (the winer) and heavy equipment operators.

Hope someone gives some karma back to the guy if he screws you.

Dusty-

What do you feel comfortable with? I'm so surprised at some of the stuff I see here. What we have done for the past 5 years is 2 weeks pay (taxed) as a bonus for everyone employed over 1 year, and proportional to that if less than a year with $100 minimum (even to temp employees). I'm glad to do that if we can, and glad that we can! We're profitable, and any profit gets taxed and goes to the tax guys anyway (IRS)!

I'm on Troutly's program exactly...O.T. until I'm ready to go postal. :hothead: At least @ doubletime on the two holidays they will at last be paying me what I'm worth! I am looking at color plotters and some other worthwhile ways to spend it on the boat though! :D

I guess you could say I've gotten a Christmas bonus. I've had the last 6 weeks off due to surgery and have gotten full pay from my employer.

I don't know yet but the company i work for (40-50 employees) usually looks at their profits and puts something in our 401k if they are profitable. (this was not a good year:( ) It's never a lot of money but they do a few things throughout the year for us like turkeys at thanksgiving and a company picnic and golf tournament in the summer. for the most part it's a pretty good place to work for.

well after thinking about what i posted, i am commissioned based 100% , i show up to work between 8:30 - 9 everyday , leave when i want to run errands and leave at 4:30 or so. do get 2 weeks paid vacation, good benifits and i pull in 50% labor which is just about unheard of in the collision biz. i feel bad for the hourly person because they don't get the "fringe " like i do . they have to be in at 8 and leave at 5:30. but then again , i have paid my dues in this biz 16 yrs and counting, i still think a 1% bonus would be nice since i do produce about 60k a year in profit for them. but the 6.50 an hour general employee should get a bonus. without them you don't have a company. eric....

I got a bonus ! I'm still employed.
Actually I'm off from tommmorow and I return on the 5th all with no pay.
:rolleyes:

Dusty,
I think a bonus should definitely have to do with how long someone has worked there. In your case with such new employees you should set a policy, such as
$10.00 a week for each week worked, minimum of $50.00 or $25.00 Thats how my current employer does it, and everyone thinks that is fair. Also the second thing employees value most is time off, so when money is tight a paid vacation day is alway welcome. I always though if I owned a company I would give a Thanksgiving bonus to each employee to have an extra day off between Thanksgiving and New Year, Christmas is a busy time and an extra day off would be appreciated. You would have to stagger all the days off on a first come basis so not to effect business. I worked for a company where they always spent a lot of money on a party, but if you the employees, they would preferred a paid vacation day to a party with the boss. Just my 2 cents

Then the numbers that I said are fair. What Pam did say is that a person entering a job in the middle of the year like that should assum no bonus so it is their responsibility to get a SIGN ON bonus. This is because they are going to forgo the bonus that they have worked and earned at their old job. See this is why I keep her around :D:D

In my bus. I did what I could for my guys. From getting them a gift certificate at a nice rest., or money. As Phantom said the Bonus is taxed at I believe 50%!!!!!! OUCH so keep that in mind. Gifts like my dinners counted as bonus's, and were taxed accordingly.

Profesional people can work bonus's so that they make around 5-20% of their yearly sallary. Some like the CEO of Disney make more then their sallary based on performance (I believe his bonus last year was some place in the 20 million range!!!) Give them something it goes a LONG way to making them happy but as some one said even a day off or acknowlegment of a job well donw.

I am amazed at how many of you guys have employers that do not recognize the importance of a pat on the back. It is very sad to see but I guess a sign of the times :(

Jon

I take my employees out for a nice dinner every year as well as a bonus depending upon how long they have been with me. It ranges from 250-4000. I have only 10 year round employees though. We also close our office between Christmas and New Years in which everyone is paid.