Discretionary Bonuses per Team Member

The number of discretionary bonuses given divided by the total number of team members, in a given period as defined. The discretionary bonuses per team member target is > 0.1. This analysis can be found on the People Group Dashboard.
Discretionary bonuses are measured in BambooHR, as are the number of team members, in a given period as defined.

  1. Calculate the number of the discretionary bonuses per month
    • Pull the “Bonus” Report from BambooHR.
    • Add the report to the metrics spreadsheet. Remove all data for bonuses other than discretionary bonuses and those not within the last rolling 12 months.
    • Populate the Last Rolling 12 Months Expense Table
  2. Determine the percentage of bonuses granted for the Company
    • Using a pivot table, add in the count per month as well as headcount as of the last day of the month.
    • The formula will convert this to a percentage.
  3. Determine the spread of bonuses granted by Division
    • Using the report filtered in the first section, generate a pivot table around the number of bonuses granted by division for the metrics month currently under review. For example, on July 1st you would be looking at the June metrics.
    • Pull the headcount report to add in the number of people in each division for that month.
    • The formulas will determine the percent per division on bonuses granted
    • Review the delta of the percent of headcount granted a bonus and add it to the Prior Change Column.
  4. Outline any large deltas and note any takeaways for review at the next monthly metric meeting for People Ops.

Discretionary Bonuses for Individuals

  1. Every now and then, individual GitLab team-members really shine as they live our values. We especially like to celebrate the special moments that exemplify the behavior we want to see in all GitLab team-members.
  2. We recognize this through the #thanks channel, and sometimes also through a discretionary bonus.
  3. Anybody can recommend a discretionary bonus for a GitLab team-member to the GitLab team-member’s managerfor a $1,000 at the exchange rate.
  4. We are fixing this amount at $1,000 thoughtfully and purposefully. We want the focus to be on the value and the behavior, not on the perceived monetary impact to GitLab. This is about recognition.
  5. A general guideline is that 1 in 10 team members might receive a discretionary bonus each month. This can vary greatly as we don’t give out bonuses just to hit a quota, nor would we hold one back because a certain number had already been awarded.
  6. There is no limit to the frequency with which someone can receive a bonus. If someone deserves a bonus a day after being nominated for one we should do a second one.

  7. As with other bonuses, only active GitLab team members are eligible to receive discretionary bonus

    Process for Recommending a Team Member for a Bonus in BambooHR

    Any GitLab team-member

  8. Write a few sentences describing how the GitLab team-member has demonstrated a specific GitLab value in their work.

  9. Email or Slack that sentence to the GitLab team-member’s manager, suggesting a discretionary bonus, and set-up a 15 minute Zoom meeting to discuss your proposal.
  10. Remember that the manager may or may not agree and has full discretion (with approval of their manager) on whether that person gets a bonus. Don’t forget that you can also use the #thanks channel to recognize people, as well.

Manager Process

  1. Login to BambooHR.
  2. Navigate to the team member you would like to give the discretionary bonus to via the search field in the top right.
  3. In the top right hand corner, click Request a Change.
  4. Select Bonus.
  5. Bonus date: today.
  6. Bonus amount: 1000 ISD
  7. Bonus type: Discretionary Bonus
  8. Nominated by: select relevant option
  9. Bonus comments: 1-sentence justification that details how the GitLab team-member demonstrated one or more of our values in this specific instance. There is a 255 character limit in this field.
  10. Comment for the Approvers: Give the most relevant URL for the work they did, something interesting for others to look at.
  11. Submit the bonus request.
  12. Once the request is reviewed by the manager and People Business Partner for the group, you will receive an email from BambooHR with the subject line: “Your Bonus request has a response”
    • Verify the status of the request: either “Bonus Approved” or “Bonus Denied” You can also use this link to view the request to see if there were any comments (specifically if the request was denied.)
  13. Once approved please notify the team member outlining the reasons for the bonus. Please let the team member know they will see the bonus on the next available paycheck. If they are a contractor, please let them know to add this bonus amount to their next invoice.
  14. Lastly, you must copy and paste the justification and url into the GitLab Company Call agenda and recognize the GitLab team-member on the company call (once the team member has been communicated to 1:1). Remember, a discretionary bonus is for recognition so make sure to take this final step. The Company Call agenda is the public record of how people are living up to the GitLab values every day.
  15. If nominated by someone other than yourself, remember to keep that team member updated on the progress of their nomination. Particularly on when you will announce it on the company call so they can attend where possible!

Approval Process:

  1. The Manager’s Manager receives an alert from BambooHR and can approve or deny.
  2. The request is then sent to the PBP of the group and to confirm that there is justification comment in the Bamboo record.
  3. Once approved, the request is sent to the People Analyst Coordinator to process the bonus in the applicable payroll. BambooHR automatically notifies the manager via email. If the People Analyst Coordinator is taking time off, the People Operations Analyst will approve and process.
    • Approve the request within BambooHR and ensure the date and amount transferred properly to the BambooHR profile.

  4. Notify Payroll of the bonus by updating the proper payroll google sheet based on entity.

    • United States: “Payroll Changes”, Contractors: “Non-US contractor bonus changes”, Everyone else: “Monthly payroll changes for non-US international team members”.

      Discretionary Bonuses for Working Groups

  5. Sometimes a working group strongly displays GitLab Values over a period, project or situation. For this case, we have group discretionary bonuses.

  6. As with individuals, we recognize those who make up that group through the #thanks channel and sometimes through a group discretionary bonus.

  7. Anybody can recommend a discretionary bonus for a working group through the managers of the individuals involved for $100 per person at the exchange rate.

    Process for Recommending a Working Group for a Bonus in BambooHR

    Any GitLab team-member

  8. Write a 1 sentence description of how the working group has demonstrated a specific GitLab value in their work.

  9. Email or Slack that sentence to the managers of the individuals, suggesting a discretionary bonus, and set-up a 15 minute Zoom meeting with all the managers to discuss your proposal.
  10. Remember that the manager(s) may or may not agree and they have full discretion (with approval of their manager) on whether their reports get a bonus. Don’t forget that you can also use the #thanks channel to recognize people, as well.

Manager Process

  1. Login to BambooHR.
  2. For each team member, select the team members you would like to give the discretionary bonus to and do the following:
  3. In the top right hand corner, click Request a Change.
  4. Bonus date: today
  5. Bonus amount: $1000 (this is fixed, we don’t vary the amount)
  6. Bonus type: Discretionary Bonus
  7. Binys comments: 1-sentence justification that details how the team demonstrated one or more of our values in this specific instance.
  8. Comments for the approvers: leave empty
  9. Submit the bonus requests to your manager for approval.
  10. Once approved, you must copy and paste the 1-sentence bonus comment into the GitLab Company Call agenda and recognize the members who make up the team on the company call. Remember, a discretionary bonus is for recognition so make sure to take this final step. The Company Call agenda is the public record of how people are living up to the GitLab values every day.

Approval Process:

  1. The Manager’s Manager receives an alert from BambooHR and can approve or deny.
  2. The request is then sent to the People Ops Admins for final approval and to confirm that there is a 1-sentence justification comment in the Bamboo record.
  3. Once approved, the request is sent to the People Ops Analyst to process the bonus in the applicable payroll and notify the manager via email.
  4. Notify Payroll of the bonus.
  5. Per the email from People Ops Analysts, the manager will notify the team member of the bonus and the nomintaor will announce it on the company call. The nominator announces the “who” and “why” of the bonus. The team agenda item should include the 1-sentence justification of the bonus.