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Christmas Incentives: Let’s Give Everyone 1 Christmas Turkey #oops

By August 13, 2019 November 3rd, 2021 No Comments
Snowfly Christmas Incentives Howard Hughes Turkey Fiasco

Christmas incentives are a big deal. Of course, not everyone celebrates Christmas, but because it falls at the end of the year it’s a natural time to give rewards and bonuses. Also, the nature of Christmas is giving, buying presents, spending time with family and loved ones, etc.

Getting a little extra something from the boss, or the employer, can go a long way to foster positive feelings.

Have you heard the Howard Hughes Christmas turkey story? The one about Christmas incentives that became a nightmare? This was The Great Turkey Ripoff, as the Hughes Aircraft union boss said.

The story is an incentives-gone-wrong example that talks about favoritism, seniority, incentive awards logistics, etc.

You need to hear the story from Snowfly founder Brooks Mitchell, Ph.D., as told to him by his mentor. Watch the 3 minutes and 36 seconds story on Youtube here:

This is a charming story, isn’t it? It’s easy to laugh at this because we weren’t involved in the decision making or the debacle. But this really impacted people.

Your decision on year-end bonuses really impact your people. People plan their December spending based on anticipated Christmas incentives. People plan vacations around Christmas incentives. They think about it a lot, especially if these bonuses are significant.

Doesn’t that mean you should put in a lot of thought, strategy, and consideration of logistics and timing of your Christmas incentives?

Jason Alba

Jason Alba

I'm passionate about building great cultures. I love respect in the workforce, especially respect that is earned. I love strategic management, leadership, and vision. I love healthy companies through profitability. I love employee engagement, employee performance, and employee satisfaction. I love how Snowfly can help YOUR organization work towards all of these things.

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