Bonus withheld - can they do this?

jhf18

Hi everyone

My partner was due his bonus back in April this year but his company "Whitbread (Premier inn)" put a hold on the bonus.

My partner has been questioning this for a little and then he heard that his boss and other senior employees had recieved their bonus. So he went to HR and they told him they would need to contact his Manager/Area Manager in writing.

They have responded saying that the bonus for non-senior employees has been cancelled for last year!!!!

My Partner has an amendment to his contract stating that he will recieve a bonus if he meets all KPI's set, which he did.

Is there anything we can do? is there any point in trying to fight them for this money that he worked really hard to make sure he got? (really unfair i feel)

Please help

Thanks

J x

damoandclaire

if its in his contract saying he will get one, unless an adendum to that contract has been provided to him in writing or new contract signed and agreed since this change was notified, then, quite frankly, i can't see that they have a leg to stand on. proving it on the other hand maybe somewhat tricky.

i would seek advice of CAB/Union to gain legal position on this and look at possibility of raising a greviance(spelling? lol). Although it states in his contract that he could be paid this, does it state anywhere that they reserve the right to change the contract without notice? Possibility.

hope you get it sorted.

jhf18

thanks for your reply, I think i am going to aid him going through the employee greivance procedure. It just seems so unfair

damoandclaire

hope you get it sorted. if he has any meetings with his employers, make sure he takes someone with him - doesn't have to be someone official, just someone to be with him to be witness. that way the employer will be very cautious about what they say or do.

good luck

wynnvegas

Hi,

I've just been through a similar thing with a friend of mine. He ended up at tribunal and, due in large part to poor organisation and shoddy paperwork (namely forgetting to get everyone to sign up to the new bonus and commission scheme) the company got a hammering. I would recommend raising the grievance informally to show that your husband is willing to work everything out amicably and only go to the formal stage if that proves unsuccessful.

Kind regards,

Billy

DKLS

I would take that as a good reason to start looking for another employer.
Similar happened when I worked at RBS, when I started I was advised that for my grade, bonus's over the past 3 years were between 4-8K, a tidy sum, we were set targets that half way through the year we had met, so they raised the bar, we smashed that bar, I was consistently the top performing staff member every month. My line manager insisted we would get a good bonus.

The reality was we were offered £300 each, the day after RBS announced record profits, luckily that was in the days that I could change jobs with ease, I rang an agency on a friday morning and had secured a job starting the following monday, I tore my line manager and dept manager a new a-hole, and flounced out with the theme to the great escape blasting away from my PC.

Dozy sods even rang me on the monday to ask if I was going in.