Thank you for your service
Year-end bonuses don’t always come in the form of money, but they all boost morale
By VICKI SALEMI W HEN Jessica Silverstein, a stylist and merchandiser at jewelry and lifestyle brand Chloe + Isabel, earned a bonus in December 2015 for selling more than $6,000 of jewelry in two months, she was not merely given a check. Instead, she was whisked off for a wine-tasting tour of the Chianti region in Italy with her husband.
“As soon as we arrived on the semi private tour, people asked, ‘How’d you hear about the tour?’ I replied, ‘Oh, I earned it!’ I thought how proud I was of myself,” says Silverstein.
Silverstein selected and redeemed her bonus via employee-recognition platform Blueboard, which offers a wide range of experiential rewards in varying pricing levels. Silverstein, a former attorney from Scotch Plains, NJ, had never had this kind of recognition before. “There were no rewards like this ever [as a lawyer]. . . I wouldn’t have known the tour existed without having earned the bonus. It was amazing!”
According to the annual survey of consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, which was released in November, 39 percent of human resources executives said their companies will award a performance-based cash bonus this year, compared with 41 percent last year, with 80 percent of employers planning to give the same amount that they did last year. Another 16 percent are willing to give nonmonetary gifts, such as an extra vacation day or gift basket.
Cornelia Gamlem, co-author of “The Big Book of HR” (Career Press), says that the ideal yearend bonus expresses gratitude.
“They can boost morale and strengthen employee engagement,” she says. Gifts should be meaningful — and while it’s unrealistic to please every employee, she advises employers to “know your workforce.”
Ross Sapir, the CEO of Bronx-based Roadway Moving Company, is currently selecting an employee of the year to send on a cruise or vacation valued at around $7,000. His decision on the recipient will be based on “office employee surveys, metrics like customer service satisfaction, production, booking ratio and my opinion.”
At Roadway’s holiday party, Sapir will bestow additional awards to top performers in addition to monetary bonuses for every employee, a total of 160 in all. “Everyone receives a bonus at the holidays, even the newest employees,” says Sapir. “It brings me a huge sense of fulfillment to demonstrate how much I appreciate my employees’ hard work.”
Gamlem says that the key to year-end rewards, while not always strictly monetary, is creativity. She suggests gift cards, movie tickets, gas cards or non-monetary perks such as extra paid time off. “Vary the nature to keep an element of surprise,” she says.
Last year Stacie Flight, an employee at L’Armoire boutique in New Canaan, Conn., mentioned to the store owner, Diane Lloyd Roth, that she wished that a cashmere poncho they stocked came in cotton-candy pink.
“Well, last Christmas, when I opened the gift, there it was in pink!” says Flight. “It was a wonderful surprise.”
In addition to gifts valued between $250 and $2,500 (depending on employment tenure and hours), Roth also gives employees cash bonuses and handwritten thank-you notes.
Andrew Machado’s employer put a spring into his step as a result of his hard work. The servicedesk team leader at IT consulting and services firm Lloyd Group in the Garment District earned an all-star award in 2016 during its yearend ceremony. The honor is bestowed upon an A-plus employee who has gone the extra mile and exemplified thinking outside the box.
“When the end of year approaches, people start talking about the upcoming awards, and you definitely feel that motivation around the office,” he says. “People try to stand out.”
The Lynbrook, LI, native deposited a $100 bonus into his bank and proudly displays the trophy on his desk. “Wow, I’m floored! You spend time at work trying to focus on how you’re helping clients — I was honored to be recognized by my peers.”