75% of Wide-Format Pros Give Holiday Bonuses to Staff – Here’s How

QUESTION:

Do you give holiday bonuses to staff?

YES: 75%

• Yes, we try to reward our team with a respectable bonus and a real holiday party. It seems like the tradition of a party has gone away so our staff really enjoys it. — Ryan Clark, Direct Edge, Anaheim, California
• I try to do gift cards so they don’t get taxed. — Christine Walsh, Alpha Graphics, Baltimore, Maryland
• Good or bad, we always give a holiday bonus, but the better the year, the bigger the bonus. — Pete Brunner, Full Sail Graphics & Marketing, Huntington Beach, California

• In general, we distribute 10 percent of EBITA to the employees based on a formula that considers house works, pay rate, and performance review score. — Cain Goettelman, FLS Banners, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

• We have a holiday luncheon every year at an ancient Italian restaurant near our studio run by two ancient Italian gentlemen; one a chef and the other the waiter. We have funny place settings, little gifts, and wine. Each staff member receives a bonus check, which has fluctuated from $50 the first year to about $300 in gravy days. Then, everyone gets to go home at 3 p.m. and start their holiday week off. It’s not lavish, but we’re a tiny nonprofit. — Barbara Chandler Allen, Fresh Artists, Philadelphia
• We set aside as part of our budget and forecasting plan annually in amount of money to be used for bonuses at the end of the year. — Brian Hite, Image Options, Foothill Ranch, California

NO: 25%

• We do profit sharing bonuses instead. — Brian Adam, Olympus Group, Milwaukee
• Gifts often, but not bonuses. — Wade Neff, Strategic Factory, Owings Mills, Maryland

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