Question for the few bosses who post here. I'm new at this whole boss thing having just made full 50/50 partner last year. We have 3 employees, an assistant and two receptionists. we give them nice holiday bonuses. Should I also give them a small gift like a gift card or is the bonus enough from a boss? I think they are going to get me something, like a bottle of booze or something like that. My dad says the bonus is enough, but he's old school. Is that common or should I also give a small gift. The bonuses are good, 3 weeks of salary. Or at least I think that's good, don't really have a frame of reference to compare it to.

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Gotta get a small gift too

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Get them a small gift. It's much more personal.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

In this day and age, any gift given to you by the company is great. Three weeks pay is a great bonus. A little something that comes directly from you, with a card and a little "thank you for all you do" note , would be very nice. It doesn't have to be much, a $15 or $20 gift card goes a long way.

Like gd, I don't want my subordinates to get me anything.

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Bonus plus.

I have 8 subordinates and I'll send them a bottle of their favorite alcohol or a fruit basket for the teetotalers.

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The bonus is probably enough, but I like the old school view on it. I would get them some booze or something small they would like. Always take care of your employees.

I will treat myself to a bottle of Elijah Craig.

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Our company is ~25 employees, and the partners take us out, give us bonuses and a small gift. We also have prizes we can win at the party, and some of them are decent. Last year was 4 suite tickets to a Bulls game, which I enjoyed with some lucky CFMB members.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

We were lucky to beat traffic in the 4th quarter when the Bulls were down by 60

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I think your situation is a little different than most of us in that the bonuses come out of your pocket. I get my team gifts, but I'm not paying their bonus.

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We (usually) get a nice bonus from the company and I also give my staff $25 gift cards and whichever type of candy I know they like (my staff are all women).

I also get them little things during the course of the year which helps neutralize the negative feelings that inevitably arise from our quarterly meetings in which I go over a list of all the ways in which they disappointed me the previous quarter.

Throw in the gifts unless you have family working for you. Boosting employee morale is priceless.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Especially if they work for shakes.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Tad with the quarterly Airing of Grievances!

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We give all our staff a cash bonus and we have a "Secret Santa" gift exchange. I then usually get my assistant $25 in lottery scratch tickets or something like that. Not sure if my partners do the same for their assistants or if the associates do. I assume so though.

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Thanks for the replies. Decided to not get gifts. As others have said, the bonus we give out seems very generous + we are closing the office at noon and taking everyone to Wildfire + we are giving our assistant a nice raise today. As Leash said, the bonus comes directly out of my pocket so already spending a good chunk of change, a $25 gift card to Panera isn't going to make much of a difference.


We're small, but we have a good track record with our employees. Our assistant started working for us 4 years ago and she's amazing. The assistant she replaced was with us for 42 years. She knew me since I was 2 years old. She was fantastic obviously. Those are tough shoes to fill, but our new assistant has been just as great. she's young too, hoping to hold onto her several decades as well.

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If you're paying them for a full day today, and taking them out for a nice meal, that is a great way to top off their bonuses.

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shakes: "Should I do something?"
Pretty much everyone: "Yes".
...44 minutes later.
shakes: "I decided not to".

Glad we could help shakes!

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Yep!

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

An extra 4 hours of pay.

Thanks Mr. Scrooge.

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Given the choice, I'd rather the 4 hours of pay and a nice meal than a giftcard.

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When I was young, I never understood the concept of gift cards. I would always wonder why the person didn't just give me the cash and let me spend it anywhere. Hell, some gift cards even have a fee!

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Scrap the bonus, just get them membership in the Jelly of the Month Club

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

yea but I was asking for opinion from bosses and Dr. Ken never showed up.

You guys gave me good data and from that I was able to determine the correct course of action. Just because I reached a different conclusion than most of you doesn't mean I didn't use and appreciate your help.

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This guy knows how to be a boss. Ask for input but mostly ignore it.

You will go far.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

They'll be pissed when the third month's jelly is petroleum.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Depends what the bonus is? a weeks pay ...then fuck them

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

If you get them gifts, it has to be pretty much the same gift. They talk and compare

We give bonuses. I'm not the one who hands them out so I have always thrown down a gift card in a hallmark card with a nice note. This year I added a dozen whoopie pies. Nobody has been overly effusive ever for the extra I give and it hasn't increased with the increased size of the gift.

I think the best way is to get some nominal corporate type gift and add the bonus check with a card. That is more than a lot of people get. It still doesn't stop them from bitching. You have to understand going in that no one will ever be satisfied and you will never be able to make a person unhappy in their nature, happy.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

She just won $43 on those scratchers. The gift that keeps on giving!

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you have a skeleton crew and you're worried about buying extra gifts on top of bonuses for them?

tell 'em to put their head down and work and not expect anything.

Who are you to act like Santa Claus. They are just employees. They should do what they're told and not complain.

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