Paid Time Off and Other Alternatives to the Year End Bonues

End Of The Year “Bonuses”

Let’s face it, corporate Americans desperately want their bonuses. During this time of economic struggle where inflation and low wages crush the hopes and dreams of laborers nationwide, what else is there to look forward to during the fiscal year. What makes the situation even more strenuous is that it’s difficult for companies to grind out bonuses during this present recession. If there’s barely any money coming in, how can companies possibly give money out.

Create a Reward

Different strategies are used to create a “reward” of some sort so that the employees feel they’ve been thanked for their hard work. But can these rewards actually be considered as bonuses. Are they actually “rewards”, or are they just cheap thank-you cards, in which America writes back, “aw, you shouldn’t have… seriously”?

PTO

Paid time off can be considered a fair option for a bonus. From the company’s standpoint, it saves on taxes and it’s easy to do. And, who wouldn’t say no to a free vacation, especially on the companies? It seems like a pretty fair option, until someone realizes that there’s no instant gratification.

It may seem selfish to say, “I want my present now!”, but what’s paid time off other than spending money on Christmas presents and vacations, then having to pay it off with your future “bonus paycheck”. Some might do the math and say it’s the same as getting a bonus ahead of time, but others want the cash in hand and the ability to portion their money themselves.

Be Giving

Gifts can also be an option especially during the month of December. Understandably, giving a gift expresses generosity and that the giver actually cares about the one they’re giving it to. However it only goes to show that your company can’t give you a significant bonus, so they give you gift card with a limited amount to spend. It’s almost like disguising a selfish deed and hiding it under the spirit of Christmas.

Party Time

And everyone has seen the TV shows. Throwing a company party is, of course, a wonderful way to express a company’s gratitude to their fellow employees especially when there’s is alcohol involved. But once everyone’s sobered up, they realized that maybe a cash bonus would have been significantly better than this current hangover. Throwing a company party also seems easier and cheaper than rewarding pay time off.

All things considered, company officials have to go through a dreary process of figuring out how they are going to reward their employees. When it comes down to it, the company will give out only what it can afford to give out, and in some cases only what it wants to give out. And as long as that’s true there’s isn’t anything that can be done about it, at least until the economy gets better. America can only be thankful that they have a job in the first place.