Go Bonusana!

[c9]

My previous boss gave me a bonus sometimes when I did not technically deserve it, according to the document that ostensibly described my bonus requirements. I wasn't way off, I just didn't actually meet the requirement stated.

As mentioned previously, I suspect it was partly to give me an under-the-radar raise.

My new boss has asked me to evaluate myself, as I mentioned, according to those same criteria.

[Poll #914176]

Comments

[thespos]

Ooh... ethics!

To be honest, I had something of the same thing happen at my last job. I received bonuses throughout the year without an actual "raise", partly for the reasons you state, and also because of political reasons.

Oh, and because they liked me. :-)

I would approach it with these thoughts in mind:

1) Do they actually pay much attention to your self-evaluation in terms of determining a bonus? Or is it more to map out a "development plan" for you for the coming year?

2) How are the salaries at your company? Are they typically stingy?

3) What kind of bonus do you really think you deserve? My reading of your journal and the things you do now makes me think that you are deserving of a nice bonus, and that perhaps, your boss gave you a bonus based on what you were actually doing, rather than strict guidelines, because it was the most fair. Sometimes these guidelines are just restrictive or otherwise not applicable.

My 2 cents. :-)

[c9.livejournal.com]

1. This is a one-time event, as it's my new boss unable to properly evaluate the old boss' requirements. My new boss is setting my new goals and requirements for 2007, so the problem should not repeat.

2. Stingy.

3. I don't know. Same bonus as before, sorta, but I'm working on ways to justify it other than "because the company works my ass off and because I'm underpaid and because I've accepted all this bullshit." :)

[thespos]

Very honorable of you, but who says that isn't justification?

My former company had enormous turnover, and part of it was just for these reasons. They actually had us believing that we were worth less, and that our expectations were unreasonable.

I think it is important to remind them how valuable you are, and that you are compensated accordingly. :-)

[friendofjack.livejournal.com]

Evaluate the way your old boss would. If the previous manager thought you deserved an unofficial pay raise, why wouldn't the new manager?

I think managers expect a little exaggeration on self evaluations. Achievement inflation is rampant in the corporate world.

If you feel guilty about it, just tell the new boss when you are going over the review that you used the same criteria as your old boss so that he'd get an apples to apples comparison. I wouldn't offer up any more information than that unless he asked.

[sassy-red-head.livejournal.com]

I picked the second one, but I would also mention that the results are similar to previous years when you got the big bonus. You don't want to be caught in what might be considered a lie by your new boss.