Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
This question is about salaries.
What is a discretionary bonus?
A discretionary bonus is a bonus given from an employer to an employee that is at the sole discretion of the employer to determine. The main facet of a discretionary bonus is that, unlike a performance bonus, an employer has not set a specific expectation or goal that the employee must achieve in order to receive the discretionary bonus.
While discretionary bonuses are not directly tied to the achievement of specific goals, they are normally handed out on the basis of exceptional employee performance. For the most part, discretionary bonuses are one-time bonus arrangements.
In addition, the amount and time frame of receiving a discretionary bonus is not normally known in advance. Oftentimes, employees are completely unaware that they are going to receive a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses can have very positive impacts on employees, including in some of these ways:
They make employees feel valued and seen
They can improve the overall job performance of a company or department when they are given out
Employees are generally very grateful to receive them because they were completely unaware that they were going to receive a bonus
Choose from 10+ customizable resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
