Bonuses/Holiday Pay?

[Jim]

Since the holidays are approaching (felt like Xmas was last month!), I was wondering what owners/managers do for their staff as far as holiday pay or bonuses? Or, as an employee, what would you like/expect from your higher-ups?
I was planning on jackets for my crew, with their names embroidered on them. I am thinking this is a little more personalized than just a gift certificate or something.
Your thoughts?

[chiffonade]

When you say "jacket" do you mean something you wear outside (like a football jacket - Starter!) or do you mean a chef's coat? Personally, I'd love a chef's coat with my name embroidered on it - but that's me. It's also safe for my husband to show up with pans for a birthday gift - but not everyone feels that way.

If you believe your staff won't feel you're buying them "uniforms" I say go for it...they're not cheap and would make a wonderful gift. However, if you think they want something more festive and less "about work" then you'll have to think of something else.

[Jim]

I should I have been more specific... tell a chef a 'jacket' and he/she thinks the white kind with the two rows of buttons. Sorry. The jacket I was thinking of is an outdoors style... ya know... lined with fleece stuff, about $50 a piece.

[Peachcreek]

We give everybody the holidays off. We are closed Thurs-Sun of Thanksgiving Week. We are closed Christmas Day and New Years' Eve and Day. We EXPECT people to be with their loved ones on the Holidays and NOT schlepping food for me....Then we usually buy each employee a gift and a bottle of booze and give them some cash and they seem to be pretty happy with the whole thing. This year I will be taking off from Dec 21 to Jan 2, so I can't complain too much either!

[W.DeBord]

From my managers I've never recieved a gift, so anything would be really nice (a gift certificate to a book store thrills me). Most men would love a nice jacket (my husband loves getting them from work), but that wouldn't trill me (I'm more picky about my clothes). My husbands manager gives out gift certificates to a large excellent restaurant chain. I like that alot but I think my hubby would rather have the nice jacket.

One year at the country club the manager got us a box at the bulls game (after Micheal Jordons days, so it was a loosing game). I know it was very expensive but I'd rather have the money in a bonus. The game was on a work night and I had to attend with-out my spouse and drive very far late at night.............then work the next morning.......bad x-mas party!

[ChefClayCollins]

Last year my boss gave everyone gift certificates for a local grocer and I think that was pretty cool. The kids that work in the kitchen were happy, because they could go get something to eat when they had a day off and no money, and the married guys were happy, because their wives could use them when money was tight. All in all at least when you do that you know that every one goes to the grocery store and no onle likes paying for it so it's not that bad. Also, then you know their not going to blow it in the bar (or worse) on the way home!

[Suzanne]

Jim -- sounds like a good idea to me.

Peachcreek -- Have I already asked if I could work for you???

W.DeBord -- you raise a very good point: sometimes the giver doesn't realize that the "gift" is far more bother than it is worth to the recipient.

ChefClayCollins -- That's another great idea.

Now, 2 BAD examples: One place where I worked gave gift certificates -- but only for other restaurants in the group and only to the Chef, Pastry Chef, and Sous Chefs Everyone knew, and everyone hated that.

Another place promised to pass out the goodies that our purveyors dropped off. Didn't, though.

[kuan]

Originally posted by Peachcreek
We give everybody the holidays off. We are closed Thurs-Sun of Thanksgiving Week. We are closed Christmas Day and New Years' Eve and Day. We EXPECT people to be with their loved ones on the Holidays and NOT schlepping food for me....Then we usually buy each employee a gift and a bottle of booze and give them some cash and they seem to be pretty happy with the whole thing. This year I will be taking off from Dec 21 to Jan 2, so I can't complain too much either!

BRAVO PEACHCREEK!!!! Three cheers! And that bottle of booze thing really does work doesn't it?! Seriously, I applaud you for showing that foodservice employees can have holidays off as well.

Kuan

[kuan]

We used to have have a prime vendor account with a large food company. Twice a year you could go to their shows and book product. You got a certain amount of points for the product you booked. You also got points by knowing people and simply asking for them. At the end you could exchange those points for premium items such as TV's and DVD players. One year we had casino night with the management acting as dealers so people could gamble and win points. Then at the end of the night we had an auction. EVERYONE in the hotel got something that night. The grand prize was a 32" TV and there were 2 of them. It was fun, everyone appreciated it, and the best thing was there were no big functions the next day. Nobody got written up for being late that day.

Kuan

[Isa]

How about gift certificate from a mall, valid in every store.

[fodigger]

We are closed on Christmas Day. That alone would be a huge gift in my old work history. Otherwise, we do a couple of things.We give them a gift certificate to a local restaurant, cash depending on time of service and position and I give them a box of handmade chocolate truffles.(I make about 3000 of them and am so sick of the smell of chocolate by the end of the process) They seem to be happy with that

[eds77k5]

we get nada, zip, zilch, nothing, they throw a party in january sometime, but that meets their requirement for an employee meeting, cororate penny pinchers

[Leo R.]

A useful gift or bonus at Christmas will,i`m sure,be appreciated by the recipients.A little consideration goes a long way!
The company i work for closes for the holiday on the 20th December and we all return after the New Year.This is mainly due to Central London business people going off for Christmas.
My employers give the staff a bonus every year,which is handy,but they make sure we earn it.
There are also plans by the senior catering manager to have a staff night out,this will be paid for by the company.It`s seen as a "thank you"for all the hours and the money we make for the company.
Wendy & eds77k5,do your bosses keep their Christmas spirit in a bottle?What a miserly lot they are,is Ebenezer Scrooge their role model

Best wishes,Leo.

[Suzanne]

Just remembered one more negative example, the absolute worst of all: the extra staff who had been brought on for the busy season were all told they were being let go during the pot-luck Xmas party!

[SlaveGirl]

At my last web geek job before my current one (I forget I'm a geek when I browse in here, ahhhhh) my boss did give us jackets. Black ones.
On the back they said the name of the company, our department, the city and the year:


Organic
CE-SF-99


on the front he gave us embroidered nicknames. They were cool Dickies jackets, we all looked like concert security!

It was a great gift, especially since that year we were really tight knit and it was a good time. I still wear mine often. I reccomend that jacket gift immensely.

These days, anyting to show appreciation is great. When so many aren't getting raises or bonuses at all because of the market, a little something really REALLY goes a long way.
SG