Hi all. I’m a systems administrator and internal software developer for a medium sized business in NYC. I’ve received a $6000 bonus every year for several years, but this year, am only receiving $2000. I’m the highest earner at this particular business, and I know for a fact that other employees’ bonuses have not been reduced this year. Of note is the fact that a bonus was never stipulated in salary negotiations, so while I believe my bonus has been reduced for unreasonable reasons, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to complain or argue for more.
Basically, the situation is that a major project I was due to finish this year was put on hold so I could help devise and open a sister business for the owners. I’ve received no additional pay (though a request for a small COLA was recently granted) for now administering the networks of two businesses, as well as developing software for both. Despite being sidetracked from the major project I was due to finish, I holed up in November to work 14 hour days to finish the project in question anyway. My boss was duly impressed upon presentation, but I have the sense that my bonus has been reduced because I worked from home during this time, because there’s no way I’m going to give up any additional time to commute when working such obscene hours. After 5 years of working from home, they built me an office at our new business, and believe my bossism irritated that I haven’t taken full advantage of it, despite the fact that heading to office would have reduced the amount of work I was able to accomplish. I also think that he was becoming annoyed by my lack of output this year—despite the fact that goal posts were moved and I did an enormous amount of work opening another business for him—and when I did pull unhealthy crunch time and actually finished the project in question anyway, it was during the most stressful time of year in our industry, and it didn’t quite click that this was a big fucking deal.
So the question is: Since my bonus is a ‘courtesy’ and not guaranteed to begin with, would it be within reason to argue my case and complain about the reduction, or should I just accept that it’s a courtesy and keep my mouth shut?
Submitted December 31, 2018 at 08:57AM by BotoxTyrant http://bit.ly/2EY8kNH
