Having worked places that gave bonuses, which in some years were pritty good and others not so good, I know how someone can become dependant on them. I have employees and have always felt that if I hired someone, that person and his or her family is depending on me. I give bonuses at the end of the year, and I consider it a gift. When figuring the bonus, I usually start out with a set figure for each and add to that based on profits and how valuable that employee is to me and my survival.
I know what it takes to raise a family, and its pritty tough on a meager income. This has been a really tough year, profit wise, and I can't do what I've done in years past. Even though it probably shouldn't, it really bothers me more than they will ever know.
Having alot of friends that also have employees, I have ask them how they handle bonuses. Most are in farming and some don't give anything. The best solution I have heard is one guy said that he has a field that he plants every year and divides the acres up between the employees. They all know that is the bonus field. When the crop is harvested he gets an average yield per acre and gives that to his employees. He told me the other day, that since there was a drought this year, it didn't do good at all, but every employee had to drive by that field everyday, all year long, so they pritty much knew they weren't going to get much of a bonus. I just wish it were that easy for me, and next year I'm going to find some way to do something similar.
