One of the most difficult issues for my clients is changing jobs. They find it difficult to evaluate a new job offer and make a decision, for obvious reasons: The uneasiness of stepping out of one’s comfort zone, of sailing safely on a familiar and familiar sea, and then suddenly setting sail on a sea that looks attractive from afar but is less familiar…
This issue becomes even more heated in these months of the year, especially as we enter the last quarter. The main reason for this is the fear of losing the bonus earned in the current company when changing jobs.

When the employee has completed most of the year and thinks that he/she is entitled to a large amount of bonuses, it makes it very difficult to leave if he/she receives an attractive offer elsewhere, knowing that these bonuses will be burned. More precisely, while the loss of bonus is less important for someone who receives an offer at the beginning of the year, sacrificing 9 months of bonus becomes a much more difficult decision when you receive an offer in the 9th month. My client is experiencing increased stress with a feeling of being stuck as she tries to balance both her career opportunity and her current financial expectations.

Although I receive reflections on this issue from my individual clients nowadays, I have also experienced this dilemma from the opposite side in the past. When I was a manager, the problem was that those who wanted to leave my sales teams, especially those who worked with a performance-based bonus system, were asking for the bonuses that had been earned until that day. When I raised this issue in the senior management, opinions were divided.

My friends, especially those who were in charge of financial affairs, used to argue why a bonus should be paid to an employee who left voluntarily before the end of the year.

On the other hand, those who were of the other opinion would say that not paying the bonuses that the departing employee had earned up to that point could create a negative atmosphere among the remaining employees and lead to a perception of injustice.

Even extreme examples were immediately given. Taking into account accumulated leave, etc., sometimes a person who wanted to leave in October would actually have to leave the company in late November/early December, which would mean that even if he/she was entitled to 11/12 of the total bonus, he/she would not receive it.

Indeed, not paying bonuses may make financial sense for companies, but the cost in terms of creating distrust among employees and undermining loyalty can far outweigh the bonuses…

It is easy to dismiss this issue as a moot point.

(Indeed, we did so)

There are three main methods, and it is necessary to decide on one.

A) Proportioning System: Bonuses are based on the time spent performing during the year.

proportionally may be a fair solution. For example, paying a 75% premium to someone who has worked 75% of the year may be a reasonable solution for both parties.

B) Lock-in Period of Premiums: Companies should ensure that premiums are paid after a certain period.

and this period depends on the employee’s departure from the company.

that it is not. This gives employees a more comfortable range of movement and

It also creates a security process for the employer.

C) Compromise Approach: The employer tries to find a middle ground with the employee

can work. It may be possible to keep motivation high with interim solutions such as paying a portion of bonuses to employees who do not leave for a certain period of time.

There are other methods, of course, but if a payment is to be made, one of these three systems is generally applied. All three of the above methods have their pros and cons.

I will discuss them in my next article, but let me ask you as it is:

Do you think it should be paid?