Who is the judge on bonuses? Who decides who is worthy of a surprise gift and who is not?

All people work, and one person has to evaluate whether their work is worthy of praise and encouragement. Who is that person who ultimately chooses? Is it the supervisor? And what if he does not have a great personal connection to the one deemed not to receive a bonus?

Does that mean that the non-recipient did not do a good job? And does this unfortunate non-recipient watch while the others, deemed to be worthy, receive their gift? Or is it kept hush-hush?

Now, I don’t know, but it just doesn’t sit well with me. Here I am, visualizing the scene at the office: several people smiling and others just walking around  wondering why some are gleeful that day. They, oblivious, are just thinking about Christmas dinner with their kids, grateful for the job, not knowing that there is some big hypocrisy circulating.

“Hey, how much did you get?” whispers one to another. “I don’t know. I got nothing

yet,” he responds and stares at the glowing face in front of him.But the gut-wrenching pain, the one of rejection, festers long after the Christmas vacation is over. And productivity is decreased, and that person (the one not on the bonus list) keeps longing for another job where he is appreciated, not humiliated by exclusion.

I, myself, prefer to pay in advance. Performance always follows because you have essentially told your employee or contract worker that you believe in them, that they are worthy, that you value them. This causes them to want to please you, to go above and beyond the job, to make it happen for you. And suddenly, you find your business blooming.

Why? Because of a measly bonus to all. The way I see it, it’s about perception. Perhaps what is a good job for one is not a good job for others. Your supervisor might have preferences or “favourites.” It does not mean it is right. It is a hard call. But I would tell my supervisor, “Divide it equally. Make them happy. Give before you receive.”

I don’t know...maybe I’m a socialist, maybe I’m a Christian, maybe I’m just human.