Re: Bonus Structures -- MIDRANGE-L

AMEN Ken,

Too bad a LOT of companies to do these things !!!

The company I left almost 3 years ago (after 13 years) was turning into a real
live Dilbert cartoon.

We got a WHOLE packet of McDonald's coupons for a successful BPCS
implementation...

At one point, in a staff meeting attended by the Controller, basically the 
entire
staff said they were disgruntled enough to quit - no joke...

So the Controller starts these one on one meetings to see what our concerns are,
etc. It all turned out to be smoke from what we could tell.

In mine we got around to the fact that I didn't think salaries were keeping up
(an opinion shared by my co-workers). His comment was "Oh, we do extensive
checking of this and we feel that we are very competitive". I said "So, do you
have ANY idea what you would have to pay me if I quit today and you rehired me 
at
the "going rate" tomorrow ? To which he said "Oh, I don't think there would be
much difference". I already had a pretty good idea I was going to be leaving in
the next month or so, so I smiled and said "Well, thanks for your time, doesn't
look like we have anything else to discuss" and left his office. I was the calm
one among my co-workers and this Controller and I had always gotten along. I was
one of the last ones "interviewed" and had been warned by others that had 
already
gone through the deal that it was pointless and a joke. I kept an open mind as I
went in but BOY were they correct...

Chuck


"Graap, Ken" wrote:

> >You should'a seen the faces around the room when the
> >branch manager announced that the team was sharing in the $500 bonus pool.
>
> Our HR department gave my manager $1.00 McDonald gift certificates to hand
> out when someone was doing "above and beyond" work.
>
> Needless to say, my manager didn't insult us by doing that! Instead he
> sprung for several weekend packages at a resort hotel in the Columbia
> Gorge... out of his own pocket, no less....
>
> The McDonald certificates were a silly attempt at trying to provide an
> incentive for working hard but all in all the company has been very fair
> when it comes to adequate compensation packages.
>
> We have a couple of bonus opportunities each year. One is based on overall
> company performance and the other is based on individual performance. We
> worked hard and the company had a very good year. My cumulative bonuses were
> over 10%...
>
> However, in order to keep and attract qualified technical staff our company
> also makes sure that our base salary is very competitive. The ranges have a
> lot of leeway built in... One recent change that was made in order to
> attract mid-career technicians, was to start someone who has 10 years or
> more in the field they are being hired for, at three weeks vacation a year
> instead of the standard two weeks. Another example of being "fair" ...
>
> I've been here for 2 years now and have been very happy with my compensation
> package.
>
> The key is to treat staff fairly and honestly. Keep up with the industry
> when it comes to salaries and provide meaningful bonuses when performance is
> above what is expected.
>
> Kenneth
>
> ****************************************
> Kenneth E. Graap
> IBM Certified Specialist
> AS/400 Professional
> Network Administrator
> NW Natural (Gas Services)
> keg@nwnatural.com
> Phone: 503-226-4211 x5537
> FAX:    603-849-0591
> ****************************************
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bale, Dan [mailto:DBale@lear.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2000 9:13 AM
> To: 'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
> Subject: RE: Bonus Structures
>
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