I resigned from AT&T towards the end of August 2020 and I was surprised to note that the company has denied giving me a CPI pro-rated bonus for my 8 months of time at AT&T. I worked so hard throughout all my years at AT&T and particularly in 2020 for my 8 months of service. On contacting the HR, they're just indicating that's the policy. I don't know which company has such a brutal policy of denying pro-rated bonus. Any inputs? While working at AT&T, we weren't even encouraged to contact HR directly and our communication needed to only be with our immediate managers. And tech managers don't really know these HR policies. How are we supposed to know such policies without explicit communication with the HR? Any inputs? Can I legally pursue getting the bonus I deserve?
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It's not a new policy, and it's common everywhere I've worked. At AT&T, stay on payroll until after 12/31 if you are leaving voluntarily. If you are surplus, they will pro rate. If you quit on your own, they don't pay out.
I believe you have to be an active employee on 12/31 in order to receive the bonus payout the following March. The only exception I know of is for employees who were laid off during the year. Lay off package usually includes language to cover prorated bonus to be paid out the following year in March.
Unfortunately since you said you resigned, I don’t think you would have a case for pursuing prorated bonus payout.
You forgot the other hidden purpose of the bonus is to act as a retention mechanism because if you leave voluntarily, you forfeit it. That has been true of every company I've worked for with a bonus. At least most only require you to be employed through 12/31, some require you to be an active employee through the date the check is cut (then push that date a week later every year it seemed like). Either way, it's a negotiating point to use when leaving to see if you can get a sign-on bonus to make up for the lost bonus for leaving early.
"Its clearly stated that you are only bonus eligible if you are employed on the last day of the year before." is this a new policy in 2021? I know 3+ dozen folks that were NOT on AT&T payroll at the end of the year and they received prorated bonus for 2020
Day by day, I am happier about my decision to tell my boss I'm OK being laid off...6 months severance, 3/4 of a pro-rated bonus. Extended unemployment benefits while I look for the perfect job. Lump sum pension paid at the massively low interest rate. Potential for extra medical payment after age 65. Currently covered under retiree medical. ... I really feel for the people who weren't in position to go, especially those within a year or two of it, or weren't in groups that had "voluntary" layoffs.
If you voluntarily leave you don’t get a bonus.
same here, sc–w them
Third option, if you are surplussed, you’re eligible for the bonus the following year.
Need to be on payroll on 12/31 or have qualified for the modified rule 75 and “retire” to be eligible for the bonus.
I’ve read the policies on this and it seems that you have to be on payroll on 12/31 to get the bonus on the following 3/6. A lot of my colleagues that have left have left in January or February, before bonuses are paid - I ought to check with them to see if they got paid out.
Meanwhile, this is the same company that won ethnics awards year after year, are you really surprised?
I don’t know anyone who thinks of their bonus as a guarantee and would demand it be paid based on their own idea of that they worked hard for it. So far that they feel entitled to it that they would think to pursue legal routes to obtain it. Might as well look into legal routes to obtain lottery winnings after buying years and years of losing lotto numbers.
It seems one forfeits their bonus if they voluntarily leave before a specified date (payout date? end of fiscal year?), and that may actually be standard for any business. I doubt you have any legal recourse.
However, if one is involuntarily separated without cause – in other words, laid off and not fired for negligence or something – one will get a pro-rated bonus payout. I know this, because I was involuntarily separated without cause at the end of October 2020 and I got my 83% (10/12 months) bonus pay in March.
Seems like you should have resigned last month instead of Aug of last year.
Its clearly stated that you are only bonus eligible if you are employed on the last day of the year before.
I don't know of any companies which would pay any portion of a bonus to someone who leaves before the bonus pay date. I mean... perhaps they exist... but most companies have it in a document, somewhere, that to get a bonus you have to be employed when it pays out.