April 16, 2010 at 6:05 am
Considering a few factors:
1. I am not independently wealthy
2. I do not work for a corporation because I enjoy it
3. My top priority, bar none, is my families well being and contentment
4. Our household normally goes against the grain, when compared against the general population, in almost every facet.
I would rather receive a cash bonus and allow my family the opportunity to decide what 'bonus' to receive. Regardless of the intent, I can all but guarantee that any gift as a bonus would not be the choice that would have been made.
April 16, 2010 at 6:18 am
Money is nice but spent all too quickly - there is no lasting reminder of any effort you put forward.
Once I was asked to led a 3-week crash effort for EDS to salvage the GM Credit Card processing from buckling under load. It had the highest corporate visibility possible. We completed round the clock efforts late Thanksgiving evening to migrate to faster hardware and completely re-architect the CICS regions used for Credit Authorizations. The site was out of state so I missed Thanksgiving with my family. We waited and hoped. On "Black Friday", the account surpassed all prior numbers for authorizations processed and all within SLA's. An understatement - EVERYONE was happy.
As a reward I was offered a weekend at the beach with my family, or a gift. I wanted something tangible, so I choose a nice patio table and chairs set for our new house. Almost 20 years later, the set is still in use on the porch. Last weekend as we used it again, it recalls to me and the family the personal sacrifice, and to me the personal satisfaction of hard, skillful work well done, and the happy memories of the time, the events, and the team.
Money would be long gone and forgotten, or another beach trip would now be a far fading memory if recalled at all.
Every day though, I have and can use a lasting reward for effort and a tangible "thanks!" from my employer.
Wayne Starnes
Database Administrator
April 16, 2010 at 6:19 am
To be honest, I'd be happy with anything. When I worked at a for-profit, I got nothing, well, that's not true the first couple of years we got a turkey at thanksgiving (US), but the last few nothing. I would have been totally shocked by a bonus, cash or otherwise at that company.
Here's what I'd like to see in an employer:
1. Flexible work hours.
2. Comp time, so if I need to work extra hours one week/day to get a problem solved I can re-coup the family time lost.
3. Generous vacation time. 2 weeks just isn't enough.
4. A training/conference budget for me. Tell me what I get and let me spend it on what I want in regard to professional books, classes, or conferences.
5. Good health insurance w/ dental and vision. With kids this is a big deal.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
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April 16, 2010 at 6:27 am
I think cengland0 and I may work for the same employer :-). Knowing what you need to do to earn a bonus is as important, I think, as actually receiving a bonus. Otherwise at bonus time it can seem like cash falls randomly from the upper floors, landing on some people and not on others without any particular pattern -- not good for morale, in my experience.
As far as receiving bonuses in cash or in kind, for me it depends on the amount, and what gifts are being handed out. Generally speaking, I'd rather have a paid-for long weekend with my wife than, say, $500, but for anything over $1000 or so I'd rather have the cash.
April 16, 2010 at 6:45 am
jeff.mach (4/16/2010)
I think cengland0 and I may work for the same employer
I just looked you up in our corporate directory and if you live in Addison Tx, then we definitely work for the same company.
April 16, 2010 at 6:46 am
Attaboys! and refilling my candy jar
April 16, 2010 at 6:58 am
cengland0 (4/16/2010)
jeff.mach (4/16/2010)
I think cengland0 and I may work for the same employerI just looked you up in our corporate directory and if you live in Addison Tx, then we definitely work for the same company.
Yep, that's me. And your complaint about measuring performance struck a chord with me - I have people reporting to me who have started to complain, "What do I need to do to get a significant bonus or raise around here?" Like I said, not good for morale.
April 16, 2010 at 7:07 am
Like one of the other respondents, I, too, tend to extend the life of my home computers beyond the normal write-off period for companies. On the other hand, most companies have a rotational write-off of hardware (for not only accounting but also performance reasons).
I am reasonably sure that a company could negotiate a decent discount on the purchase of several laptops, even a really nice one, and getting a really nice laptop to replace my 5 year old one would certainly give me a warm fuzzy feeling about my manager.
However, I have to admit that, since I have been promoted to a DBA position and am reporting to a different manager, the fact that I am going to be going to the PASS conference this year is providing a pretty good "warm fuzzy".
Ralph D. Wilson II
Development DBA
"Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax."
A. Lincoln
April 16, 2010 at 7:13 am
I once worked for a company with a "forward thinking" executive who initiated a Halloween Costume Contest her first year with the company. The company was "supposed" to provide prizes for the winners but on 10/31, they backed out. Said "forward thinking" executive filled the gap by providing (substantial) cash prizes out of her own pocket.
April 16, 2010 at 7:13 am
jeff.mach (4/16/2010)
cengland0 (4/16/2010)
jeff.mach (4/16/2010)
I think cengland0 and I may work for the same employerI just looked you up in our corporate directory and if you live in Addison Tx, then we definitely work for the same company.
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This DB .... (in fact don't confuse with DataBase ... it means.. Discussion Board)
may be renamed as
1. Wish List ... or Lists
2. More Precisely .... a Match Maker :hehe:
Good Luck :kiss:[/font]
April 16, 2010 at 7:17 am
It's easy to get money, but it does go quickly. And I've often seen it go to bills or regular expenses. That's OK, but it doesn't bring a lasting memory.
However if the company buys something, even the same thing you might buy, there's a memory, and an emotional attachment that's there. Like the patio set offered earlier.
A nice alternative might be the offer to spend $xxxx in some catalog.
April 16, 2010 at 7:26 am
I knew one startup business owner who made it a point of standing at the door at quiting time on Friday afternoon and personally thanking each employee for the work they had done that week.
It cost nothing, but certainly meant a lot to everyone that worked for him. When he passed away a few years later virtually every person who had ever worked for him attended his funeral.
April 16, 2010 at 7:28 am
Some people tell me that I'm lucky to have a job. That's okay but doesn't really get me to go the extra mile. I guess as far as perks, I would like to be able to work from home occasionally as well as a little recognition. I believe that if a company/manager show appreciation it motivates a person to continue to work hard and step up when needed.
April 16, 2010 at 7:31 am
RalphWilson (4/16/2010)
Like one of the other respondents, I, too, tend to extend the life of my home computers beyond the normal write-off period for companies. On the other hand, most companies have a rotational write-off of hardware (for not only accounting but also performance reasons).I am reasonably sure that a company could negotiate a decent discount on the purchase of several laptops, even a really nice one, and getting a really nice laptop to replace my 5 year old one would certainly give me a warm fuzzy feeling about my manager.
However, I have to admit that, since I have been promoted to a DBA position and am reporting to a different manager, the fact that I am going to be going to the PASS conference this year is providing a pretty good "warm fuzzy".
If you belong to a large corporation, they do get discounts on laptop purchases. Both Dell and HP offer quantity discounts to big companies to encourage them to buy the computer from them.
April 16, 2010 at 7:36 am
that's easy. here is the on thing i would want:
a "listen to me" card.
similar to a "get out of jail free" card in the game Monopoly, this card is something you get to play only once a year. so, you have to choose wisely, but when you do decide to use it then everyone in the room has to listen to what you say.
imagine how much awesomesauce this would have. You are sitting in a meeting and someone goes off the deep end and you simply lay down the card, everyone gets quiet, you speak very carefully and softly, and everyone gets up and does exactly what you say.
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https://thomaslarock.com
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