Make a bonus mean something

Reading Don’t Go For The Doughnut reminded me of a company that I worked for that did not seem understand that rewards for developers should consider their extra effort and relative salaries. Sometimes when companies are composed primarily of hourly workers they forget that a bonus for a senior architect or developer needs to be more in line with their salary.

After a nine month development effort where long days and frequent weekend hours were requested, providing a $100 bonus is almost an insult. I had more damage control to repair hurt feelings after the bonus was given than if no bonuses wee given at all. Bonuses are great motivators and they need to reflect the extra effort and the pay scale of the employee.