Christmas parties and bonuses

Hershey. Plain.

 

3% raise. I'll take it.

 

Informal newsroom gathering last week, veggie tray, cheese and crackers, soft drinks. Boss probably paid out of the one of the freelancer budgets we don't use much.

Going for 13 straight years of never seeing these so-called bonuses, anywhere I've worked. I think people make this stuff up.

Last actual big dinner holiday party was probably 10 years ago (worked for a different paper back then). It was held in late January. Publisher didn't want to pay for it, but there was a lot of backlash from the drones. Of course, by then it was too late to book anywhere in time to have it before Christmas, hence why it was in late January. That was the last one.

 

What a shitty fucking business with shitty fucking leadership.

 

Nothing. In the health insurance biz now. Damn you, Obamacare!

But we do get a day of paid Volunteer Time Off a year, so I spent most of Tuesday handing out gifts for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program.

That was better than a drunken work party (probably feel different if I were single).

People donated some really nice stuff to those kids. So not everyone and everything sucks.

 

Staff reductions.

Our guild did a potluck meal that was nice, but it had nothing to do with the company.

As someone else said, you're lucky the doors are open. I was actually totally shocked that people were getting shit.

Oh, I got a generic card from one of the owners. Same one I get on the first of my birthday month.

 

On a tangent, the company sent me a nice Get Well floral arrangement in November. Didn't know a daisy from a donkey fart except for the roses, but that's OK. I like flowers and shit.

 

The digital publishing/information services and consulting firm where I worked after leaving the Herald still sends me a bag of pecans at Christmas as a retiree. It was part of a conglomerate based in Birmingham (our firm grew so big it swallowed the Southern part) that owned a pecan farming operation. Guess it still does.

 

We always had a big bash for the first several years when in a got to my place. All free booze and great food.

It's been scaled down the last two years. Still have a party, but not quite as big. To be expected, I suppose.

 

@Michael_ Gee Ebsco? They seem to dabble in a bit of everything, from sporting goods to real estate development.

 

Thanksgiving, we had company meal with $600 bonus for anyone there more than 5 years, scaled back from that depending on tenure.
Also a Christmas dinner and $40 in grocery coupons/cards.

Certainly was more generous at one time - we used to get "profit sharing" - but that's still decent.