How does everyone feel about mandatory staff bonus contributions? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Out of curiosity, what are other industries where employees give other employees bonuses instead of gifts during the holidays?

[Sackboy]

Both partners and associates should be giving bonuses to the lower-paid workers who do their grunt work.

No. At a regular corporation do VPs give bonuses to Directors? Do Directors give bonuses to Managers? Do Managers give bonuses to Analysts? No. The Total Rewards/HR/equityholders decide how the COMPANY will compensate all of its people. Give a nice holiday gift if you feel inclined, but the informal bonus structure is obnoxious. Firms can easily add another bonus component that pays out $100 per class year of associate the secretary works with. Work for 3 1st years, 2nd years, a 5th year, and 2 8th years? Ok, here is your additional $2,800 bonus.

[Anonymous User]

No one is ignoring that partners also contribute. It’s just not relevant.

[Anonymous User]

Why is every anti-bonus cheapskate acting like the partners (whether through the firm or individually) don't also give staff bonuses? They do every place I've ever worked, and when it's done individually, in much larger amounts than we're talking here. It's not an either/or thing. Both partners and associates should be giving bonuses to the lower-paid workers who do their grunt work.

Are we talking about secretaries or staff more broadly? Most secretaries do little to no grunt work nowadays. If we are talking staff, they do work hard, but at my firm it's not customary for associates to tip them. There's also no custom to tip paralegals who work a ton and are not paid much.

I think the tipping custom for secretaries is there because of the historical relationship between a lawyer and their secretary, and that relationship just isn't the same anymore

[Anonymous User]

Isn’t this just like giving cash to your doorman? The building could pay them more, sure, but it’s just custom. At least everyone I know gives their doorman cash for the holidays.

[Dcc617]

Every year greedy shitty associates get on here to ask permission to not tip their secretaries.

Nobody believes your moral stands or self-serving rationalizations. If you don't pay the meager bonus then you're a Christmas movie villain. Just don't be a greedy selfish prick one time this year.

[Anonymous User]

I'm convinced that, much like abortion, these two sides will never agree.

[Sackboy]

Isn’t this just like giving cash to your doorman? The building could pay them more, sure, but it’s just custom. At least everyone I know gives their doorman cash for the holidays.

Yep, except my building holiday fund, which I gladly give to, doesn't say pay $100 x the number of years you've lived in the building. I'm not against giving holiday gifts to the staff I work with (I've stated that I do it on a couple of occasions in this thread). The idea that it should be anything beyond the cost of a nice dinner is what I find egregious.

[Anonymous User]

I’d also note that paying your doorman a Christmas gift is especially common in NY and most common among condo/coop owners, who quite literally are the employer, through their building’s board and fees. It’s also not something you’re guilted/shamed into doing - you gift your doorman for standing out in the snow and calling you a cab, or going above and beyond to make sure a package gets to you. You have a particularly personal relationship with your doorman that just doesn’t exist with your secretary any more, and certainly not with a collective and anonymous staff pool.

[Dcc617]

Boomer mindset

[Anonymous User]

Isn’t this just like giving cash to your doorman? The building could pay them more, sure, but it’s just custom. At least everyone I know gives their doorman cash for the holidays.

I have no doubt in my mind that the same people taking a passionate stand against tipping their secretaries also don’t tip their doorman

[Anonymous User]

Isn’t this just like giving cash to your doorman? The building could pay them more, sure, but it’s just custom. At least everyone I know gives their doorman cash for the holidays.

I have no doubt in my mind that the same people taking a passionate stand against tipping their secretaries also don’t tip their doorman

AFAIK this thread is not about “tips” or “gifts.” That is kind of the whole point.

[Anonymous User]

I gave my secretary $600 last year and she has done a fucking terrible job this year. The most glaring thing she did was send an email blaming me for her fuck up on a document, and adding the main partner I work for in the cc line. She also missed so much work this year that everyone she works for assumes she’s interviewing elsewhere. This year I gave her $200. I’m sure she’ll be pissed but whatever. One mistake doesn’t require another.

This was my post. Today another guy that has this secretary told me she’s waiting for end of year bonus and then leaving. Asked if we should reduce what we’re giving her even more. I said no but I’m happy I didn’t go $600 again.

[Anonymous User]

Why is every anti-bonus cheapskate acting like the partners (whether through the firm or individually) don't also give staff bonuses? They do every place I've ever worked, and when it's done individually, in much larger amounts than we're talking here. It's not an either/or thing. Both partners and associates should be giving bonuses to the lower-paid workers who do their grunt work.

I recently found out that at my current firm (senior associate at a V100 secondary market) the partners in my group gave $200 each to the two shared secretaries. I used to give the $100 per class year at my NYC V20 and did here until this year, but definitely not anymore. I'm not getting any bonus because I didn't hit the hours requirement, and my secretary literally did three things for me this year and two of them were submitting receipts for reimbursement. As usual, TLS hive mind think everyone works at a V50 in NYC and the attendant customs are universal.