Bonuses are great. No one ever wants to turn down money. But, when a bonus is too small, it’s best to skip it altogether. For instance, take a look at the above example from the Anti Work Subreddit.

Handing an employee $25 as a gesture of goodwill on a random Friday is fine. Telling an employee that if they work hard for five years (5 years!) they’ll be rewarded with $25 is an insult.

Right now, a lot of hospitals are struggling to get qualified staff–especially nursing staff. And while this bonus may be specific to some position that is easy to staff, it’s likely not. 67 percent of nursing offers in 2021 received sign on bonuses. Travel nurses earn $5000-$10,000 per week.

So, if you have a turnover and staffing issue that causes you to spend $10,000 a week on a travel nurse and offer your current staff a $25 bonus for sticking around for five years, you may want to sit down and think about how you could solve this problem.

Think of the message this sends your employees. The message is we don’t value you. We’ll spend like crazy to attract new talent, but if you’re loyal and stay with us for 50 years your bonus will be $200!

Nope. A card is nicer than this message.

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