The complaints have nothing to do with the amount of the base bonuses. Everybody knows that those senior to them get bigger base bonuses. Here’s the problem: they’ve set up a system whereby it’s possible for them to get 135 percent of their base bonus while the working level gets 54%. The multiplier for their already larger bonuses is 2.5 times that of the teams working for them.
In the military, a golden rule for leaders was to never personally benefit at the expense of their subordinates. There’s a good reason for that rule.
So, imagine you are working alongside someone all year long. That person is telling you that “we’re in this together” and that “we have the same objectives”. Yet, when it comes time to eat, they’re given 1.35 of a ration, but you only get half of a ration. Not only that, but they already got a much larger ration then you to be gone with. How do you think that’s gonna make you feel? What message does that send?