Did My Boss Just Give Away $5,000 at Work?

[Evo]

My boss just asked me to meet him in the conference room. He wouldn't tell me what was going on, he said two more people were coming. Turns out he had $5,000 to give to one person, and since there were only three of us still at work on a Friday afternoon, he was going to draw a name and the winner got the money.

Obviously I didn't win.

I'm bummed.

 

[rewebster]

maybe you'll win next Friday

 

[chroot]

Uh, are you kidding me? Your boss hands out random $5k bonuses to people just for being there on a Friday afternoon?

No wonder our economy is so f'ed up right now.

- Warren

 

[EnumaElish]

I would have split it into 3.

You win PF'ers fondness, respect and awe (a discriminating and hard to please crowd); so I say you're a winner.

 

[Evo]

Uh, are you kidding me? Your boss hands out random $5k bonuses to people just for being there on a Friday afternoon?

No wonder our economy is so f'ed up right now.

- Warren

Yup, he gave someone $5k during the holidays, since he was the only one there.

He says he has two more to give out but it will be raffled off between those that are here when he decides to do it.

 

[Evo]

I would have split it into 3.

You win PF'ers fondness, respect and awe (a discriminating and hard to please crowd); so I say you're a winner.

Yes, that is better than $5,000.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

My boss just asked me to meet him in the conference room. He wouldn't tell me what was going on, he said two more people were coming. Turns out he had $5,000 to give to one person, and since there were only three of us still at work on a Friday afternoon, he was going to draw a name and the winner got the money.

Obviously I didn't win.

I'm bummed.

Just think, if you hadn't known about it you would have no reason to be depressed.

I'll officially award you one box of Twinkies just for being you. Just send me the bill.

 

[Evo]

 

[EnumaElish]

Yes, that is better than $5,000.

Get online NOW and treat yourself to a box of Godiva's best.

Send the bill to Ivan.

 

[Huckleberry]

I get the feeling your boss is either very indecisive or doesn't like his employees very much. It seems odd to me to mandate $5K to one person in an office full of people. That would encourage competition, but not teamwork. It would encourage sabotage and distrust in employees. Then the whole 'only one of you three can win, but I want you to be here to see the look on your faces when you lose' thing. It resembles the occassional reinforcement pattern found in gambling, and could be a way to increase productivity and general ass-kissing from employees at a minimum cost. I'm not impressed.

 

[Evo]

He had asked for permission to split it but was denied.

The drawing was the only fair thing to do. And by drawing in front of us there could be no question that it was rigged.

 

[Huckleberry]

Well then I take back what I said about him.

 

[Werg22]

Now you know to bring a revolver next time you're called to the conference room.

 

[Evo]

He should have just given it to me, I can keep a secret. The girl that won certainly doesn't need the money.

 

[Evo]

Now you know to bring a revolver next time you're called to the conference room.

:rofl:

Can't do that, last month they put a sticker on the front door of a gun with that red circle and line through it.

 

[rewebster]

He had asked for permission to split it but was denied.

The drawing was the only fair thing to do. And by drawing in front of us there could be no question that it was rigged.

Denied by who?

 

[Huckleberry]

IT's ok. It's worth more when you earn it.

Did you buy that?

 

[Evo]

Denied by who?

Our director.

IT's ok. It's worth more when you earn it.

Did you buy that?

No.

 

[Evo]

I'm going to cry. I really could have used that.

 

[Werg22]

Who couldn't?

 

[rewebster]

Ok--just one PF'er that's logged on at 5:40 CST will win ...

 

[Huckleberry]

Who couldn't?

I wouldn't have much use for it. I just came from the bank about half an hour ago, where I deposited $6k in checks that I picked up off the living room floor.

 

[EnumaElish]

I'm going to cry. I really could have used that.

I am sorry; that must have hurt.

 

[rewebster]

Our director.

your director has a 'funny' attitude toward bonuses----what kind of reception has this got with the non-winners?

(besides depression)

 

[Werg22]

I wouldn't have much use for it. I just came from the bank about half an hour ago, where I deposited $6k in checks that I picked up off the living room floor.

Err, I guess it doesn't apply to those people who have $6k worth of money lurking on the living room floor.

 

[Evo]

It was a bit mean, he goes "I have $5,000 to give away, (YAY) but only one of you can have it (cry).

 

[Evo]

your director has a 'funny' attitude toward bonuses----what kind of reception has this got with the non-winners?

(besides depression)

It wasn't a bonus. My boss was recently promoted and an old customer of his placed an order that paid out $5,000, since he can't take it, he wanted to split the money among us, but the director said that the compensation plan won't allow for splits (it doesn't). So one person got a nice freebie.

 

[waht]

If I remember correctly I read somewhere you check PF at work? If so, maybe your boss installed a spyware software and monitors your posts daily?

In either case, that's no way to get back at someone. Karma will reward you!

 

[Evo]

The thread was about being put in a room with two other people and being told "only one of you will get this". I think anyone can relate to how that makes a person feel.

 

[Huckleberry]

I would be insulted if my boss decided to hand out bonuses randomly and publicly to individuals where I work. I guess I wouldn't complain, but I wouldn't want to win either. I would generally resent the entire interruption. I guess considering that 5K is about 2 months of salary for me, we might have different interpretations on it's value.

I'm familiar with homelessness, so I live well below my means.

 

[lisab]

What a horrible management decision by the director!

If I were in your shoes I would want to cry, too. I have a low tolerence for unfairness - it breaks my heart. Too sensitive, I guess.

If I were in the winner's shoes, I would split it with the other people in the room. I wouldn't feel as if I had earned it.

 

[rewebster]

--now that the dust has settled-----


staying around til 5pm at least has some 'potential' benefit

 

[turbo]

Your compensation plan might forbid the split, but if you employees had adopted a win-win side agreement that required the winner to split with the other two, that might have worked ok. Taxation issues would have to be addressed, so the winner would have to figure the withholding on the gross, and split the net, but that's not too hard, unless you get unpredictable bonuses each year.

 

[turbo]

BTW, Evo, I am supremely unlucky too. When I was working in a pulp mill, people were always circulating raffle tickets, and I would often buy them (often 50:50 raffles to benefit nice local non-profits) and never won a thing. A friend of mine who worked in the control room of the pulp mill was gold. He won an ice-auger and ice-fishing traps one time, a wood-stove another time, a snowmobile another time, and who knows how many little or larger cash prizes. Yeah, he DID buy into about every pool and raffle that was going on, but I firmly believe this guy came out way ahead in the time I worked with him. You could almost guarantee that somehow he would come out good on at least one quarterly score of the Super Bowl of a 10x10 $10 grid. It was a hot run. If he was out with his buddies somewhere, and he bought a raffle ticket, a lot of his pals would pass, saying "Charlie's got this one."

 

[Evo]

Yeah, that's why I don't gamble, I know better.

Even when I win I lose. :rofl: The people from Blackberry (cell phones) came to our office to show us their newest models and they had us answer questions and I won top prize, the girl reached into the box and handed me a blanklet, then for second prize she reached in and grabbed a new $200 Blackberry and handed to the second prize winner. Everyone immediately asked why first prize was a cheap blanket and she said, oh, sorry. I just let it slide.