Cheapskate employers??

skeg16 · 07-10-2014 12:12PM #1

As its coming up to that time of year again (i know, i know, Halloween is not even over yet...) I've been starting to look at presents and trying to work out a budget because I can see myself being stuck come January if I'm not careful.

Any-who I was thinking that I only have roughly 3 wages until xmas and thats it, and then I was thinking it would be nice to get a bonus or something small for the holidays. Currently my employer does not give and bonuses or extra bumps for the holidays which is really starting to get to me as I know lots pf people getting a little bit extra on the side. Granted the tax man may take a nice chunk of it but it's still always nice to have an extra few bob in the wallet over xmas.

What do you think is the norm for xmas bumps and are you happy with yours?? Do you despise your friends for what they are getting??

Chucken · 07-10-2014 12:18PM

Most people realise Christmas comes every year and plan accordingly.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 07-10-2014 12:19PM

I worked in a hotel a while ago who could patent cheap.
They would expect you to come in for 2 hours work (I lived an hour away), they'd pay you for two hours, then they would complain that the place wouldn't be clean (they got rid of the cleaner) and we were getting in trouble for it even though they wouldn't give us enough hours to clean.
We had to be in 30 mins before our first appointment unpaid to put on the heating and light the candles, and then unpaid while we locked up, did end of day and cashed up.

My manager suggested to me that I might stay on for an extra hour (unpaid) once a week to "catch up" on the cleaning to keep the general manager off our backs.

That's cheap!

Rory28 · 07-10-2014 12:22PM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I worked in a hotel a while ago who could patent cheap.
They would expect you to come in for 2 hours work (I lived an hour away), they'd pay you for two hours, then they would complain that the place wouldn't be clean (they got rid of the cleaner) and we were getting in trouble for it even though they wouldn't give us enough hours to clean.
We had to be in 30 mins before our first appointment unpaid to put on the heating and light the candles, and then unpaid while we locked up, did end of day and cashed up.

My manager suggested to me that I might stay on for an extra hour (unpaid) once a week to "catch up" on the cleaning to keep the general manager off our backs.

That's cheap!

Jaysus. I have had bad employers but this.. I'm lost for words.

omb0wyn5ehpij9 · 07-10-2014 12:24PM

I worked for a large multinational company that actually gave some employees a 10 Euro Christmas bonus one year!

preston johnny · 07-10-2014 12:27PM

What my boss wouldn't give to be a tight cnut

columf · 07-10-2014 12:28PM

Allot of people do get a bump even more don't. Yeah some employers are dicks making money hand over fist and not giving the people who make that money from them a touch during Christmas. I have fond on a whole bigger companies don't which is fair enough as if they gave it to every one it would be quite a expenses some smaller companies just cant afford to give away money and some can I don't begrudge anyone getting a few extra quid around the holidays I have been a recipient of this generosity in the past.

ash23 · 07-10-2014 12:29PM

I worked for a place who were on at me to get 2 weeks ahead in my work so that I could take my two weeks annual leave. When I said it wasn't possible to get it done in working hours they suggested I come in early or stay late (unpaid) to get ahead.

I said no and pointed out that I'm a single parent and then they suggested I bring my child in at the weekend for a few hours to get it done. I laughed.
Next day I applied for a job I'd seen advertised and got it. Now I get an annual performance bonus before Christmas.

Iwasfrozen · 07-10-2014 12:33PM

Why should you get more money over the holidays? Fair enough if your employer offers it but you can hardly expect it!

aaakev · 07-10-2014 12:35PM

I usually get about 5-600 net as a Christmas bonus, mixed between cash and one for all vouchers. The vouchers are handy and usually go on the big xmas food shop and drink for the holidays

The Backwards Man · 07-10-2014 12:38PM

I worked in a place where the employees gave some of their wages back when it was quiet or they weren't really needed.

Actually, that was just a dream.

skeg16 · 07-10-2014 12:49PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Why should you get more money over the holidays? Fair enough if your employer offers it but you can hardly expect it!

I'm not expecting anything but it would be nice to get some appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

I worked in Dunnes Stores for 3 years and even they gave 2-300e of vouchers every xmas, granted they were Dunnes vouchers to spend in their own stores but you could literally buy anything, food, drink, clothes....one year a colleague used all of his vouchers to get a brand new Wii console with all the accessories.

ScumLord · 07-10-2014 12:51PM

I think it will be another year without bonuses, while things have picked up they're still not good enough to have a pile of cash left over for christmas.

joe swanson · 07-10-2014 12:55PM

Public sector workers, particularly those in the emergency services have it worst at Christmas. No bonus, no party and they have to work it.

ash23 · 07-10-2014 12:57PM

joe swanson wrote: »

Public sector workers, particularly those in the emergency services have it worst at Christmas. No bonus, no party and they have to work it.

Plenty of private sector in the same position really.

The Backwards Man · 07-10-2014 01:00PM

joe swanson wrote: »

Public sector workers, particularly those in the emergency services have it worst at Christmas. No bonus, no party and they have to work it.

No Christmas Party?

Someone get me a heart transplant quick, mine has bled dry.

wonski · 07-10-2014 01:03PM

I know of a shop owner who required some people to work 3-4 hours a day over Xmas to avoid paying them for BH. They would be paid the same when they were off from work.

Very cheap.

tayto lover · 07-10-2014 01:09PM

Yis are lucky to have jobs at all.

Well thats what they like to tell us.
Miserable cnuts.

Tiddlypeeps · 07-10-2014 01:11PM

Unless you were hired with a promise of guaranteed bonuses every year, which is rare but not unheard of, then you should have no expectation of a bonus. Hope for one, sure, but expect one, no. You get paid a set amount for a set amount of work all agreed with the employer before starting the job. Bonuses are great, and from an employers point of view they are a great moral booster which encourages more efficient work at a time of year when people are often stressed and distracted, but feeling hard done by because you don't get one reflects worse on you than it does on the employer. Not being generous does not make someone a cheapskate, it simply puts them in neutral territory. The hotel in Lexi's story is a pretty good example of what an actual cheapskate employer looks like.

Also having negative feelings towards your friends because they get a bonus is pretty damn crappy. Smacks of the all too prevalent "well for some" chip a lot of people carry around on their shoulder.

Just for the record I don't get a christmas bonus and never have.

I worked in a hotel once that got around the minimum wage by taking 50c an hour off us for food. We were allowed anything we liked from the kitchen during work hours. The catch was that barely anyone worked a long enough shift to be entitled to a break long enough to actually get something to eat. By the time your shift was over the kitchen was usually closed. You could come in early to get something if you wanted, but I don't think many people bothered.

skeg16 · 07-10-2014 01:12PM

no xmas party is harsh enough....they should at least treat people once a year. Some companies have social committees FFS

seamus · 07-10-2014 01:16PM

I've never worked for an employer who paid out Xmas bonuses, either during the good times or the bad.

I think the no. of employers who do this is actually very small, and it's probably more likely to be small companies of 5/10 people where the boss throws €100 your way in an envelope before Xmas.

Rory28 wrote: »

Jaysus. I have had bad employers but this.. I'm lost for words.

Pretty standard actually in many places where they employ minimum-wage or low-wage staff.
They pay you hourly and tell you that you're expected to be on the premises 15/30 minutes before your shift starts and stay on 30 minutes afterwards (unpaid) to clean up.

They get away with it because 95% of their workforce don't know their rights and are too scared to speak up.

Menas · 07-10-2014 01:20PM

Cheapskate employers are the ones who dont provide toilet paper...or who dont have the heating on or who cut every corner on employee rights and safety.

Not dishing out bonuses or forking out for a christmas party is hardly the definition of cheapskate employers FFS!

DLMA23 · 07-10-2014 01:21PM

Chucken wrote: »

Most people realise Christmas comes every year and plan accordingly.

Which is why I book my holidays at least 9 months in advance to avoid the whole Xmas bollócks.

I shall be in Lanzarote sipping on Long Island Ice-T's, smoking a fatty & giving 2 fingers to 'felice navidad'...bah humbug :eek:

draiochtanois · 07-10-2014 01:23PM

This post has been deleted.

Iwasfrozen · 07-10-2014 01:24PM

skeg16 wrote: »

I'm not expecting anything but it would be nice to get some appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

I worked in Dunnes Stores for 3 years and even they gave 2-300e of vouchers every xmas, granted they were Dunnes vouchers to spend in their own stores but you could literally buy anything, food, drink, clothes....one year a colleague used all of his vouchers to get a brand new Wii console with all the accessories.

But the appreciation for your hard work is your wages. Like I said bonuses are nice but you can hardly expect them. Or derive from your lack of bonus that your efforts aren't appreciated.

I should work in HR.

Sugar Free · 07-10-2014 01:28PM

I'm surprised at these Christmas bonuses - what size and type of companies are these?

Any company I've worked for (all 20000+ employees) pay their bonuses at the end of Q1.

My last company and current company put on a big, free Christmas bash too. My current bonus % will be in the teens so I can't complain really, it's a good deal.

jamesbere · 07-10-2014 01:33PM

I work over the Christmas holidays, but get paid time and half for 2 shifts over that period. Counts as our bonus.

somesoldiers · 07-10-2014 01:39PM

Bonus will be paid in March and free Christmas party- in the Mansion House this year for whole company as well as some paid team nights, can't complain!

Badly Drunk Boy · 07-10-2014 01:44PM

I work for a multinational, and I can't complain about what we get at Christmas. A Christmas party (a meal, and 1 or 2 free drinks, and a band and DJ), and a hamper which I reckon is relatively expensive. I'd only be interested in about a third of what's in it so I give the rest to my family. There are about 400 of us who get these hampers.

We also get a bonus, the value of which depends on how business went during the year. It's usually about €200 after tax.

Nib · 07-10-2014 01:50PM

seamus wrote: »

I've never worked for an employer who paid out Xmas bonuses, either during the good times or the bad.

I think the no. of employers who do this is actually very small, and it's probably more likely to be small companies of 5/10 people where the boss throws €100 your way in an envelope before Xmas.

This.

There's 20 people where I work and we get €500 in a brown envelope every Christmas which is great because the taxman can't get his grubby hands on it. We get taken for dinner too.

jamesbere · 07-10-2014 01:53PM

Nib wrote: »

This.

There's 20 people where I work and we get €500 in a brown envelope every Christmas which is great because the taxman can't get his grubby hands on it. We get taken for dinner too.

Are ye Hiring

Cheapskate employers??

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