5 years no Tet bonus increase
Ms. Dam Thu Nga is an accountant in charge of purchasing for a company that owns a chain of restaurants in Hanoi. According to Ms. Nga, the company where she works has not increased the Tet bonus for the past 5 years.
“Since Tet 2019 until now, our accounting department staff have regularly received a Tet bonus of 3 million VND/person. I remember Tet 2022, when we saw that the bonus level remained the same, we had an opinion, but the leader said that because the company continuously reinvested and increased the number of points of sale/restaurants, there were not many resources left. We sympathized and had no opinion. However, this year the leader announced that the Tet bonus... would not change, we felt very sad,” said Ms. Nga.
According to Ms. Nga, employees who have been with the company for a long time will always share and sympathize during difficult or turning points. However, keeping the Tet bonus the same for 5 years is… hard to accept in the context of escalating prices; more importantly, the company's business is quite favorable and smooth.
"With the 3 million VND Tet bonus, I can only afford to buy a few incense offerings for my family. It's difficult to buy anything...", Ms. Nga lamented.
Mr. Dam Van Vinh, born in 1985, is an employee at a composite casting workshop in Van Quan ward (Ha Dong, Hanoi). The daily work of Mr. Vinh and nearly 20 workers is quite hard and toxic. The products the workshop produces are usually fine art casting products for display or decorative models.
“We live and work at the workshop, and our salary is divided into two levels: Foreman (3 people) earns 14 million VND/month; pure laborers earn 8.5 million VND/month. Our work is not fixed at the workshop or only in Hanoi, but we can go to install projects in all localities,” said Vinh.
According to Mr. Vinh, foremen are usually bachelors who graduated from fine arts schools in sculpture or painting. Very few people stay long-term, they usually only work for 1-2 years, then start their own business or switch to other fields that are less strenuous and less toxic.
Foremen like Mr. Vinh who have been in the profession for nearly ten years are rare, so according to him, a salary of 14 million VND/month is not much. “Not to mention, for many years now our Tet bonus has been fixed at 5 million VND and a gift bag worth 500,000 VND. This year, we are anxiously waiting for the Tet bonus, hoping that if orders pick up, the bonus will be better…”, Mr. Vinh said.
"Everyone has their own difficulties"
That is the sharing of Mr. Nguyen Van Minh, Director of Text Trading Company Limited. According to Mr. Minh, maintaining human resources and salaries for several years after the pandemic is a great effort of the enterprise.
“Our revenue growth fluctuates between 4-5%/year, thanks to the leadership constantly coming up with new business ideas and expanding the product range. Revenue increases but other expenses also increase, we cannot guarantee regular salary increases and bonuses for nearly 200 people. In reality, everyone has difficulties, no business does not want to increase salaries and bonuses for employees if resources are guaranteed…”, Mr. Minh said.
Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, owner of a stone carving business in Ha Trung district (Thanh Hoa), said that despite difficulties, his company always tries to give a Tet bonus of 1 month's salary and a gift package worth 1 million VND. "I always put myself in the position of my workers. 80% of my workers are local, from the same district; the rest are from some neighboring districts. When my brothers come home for Tet, they all want to take care of and buy things for their families, so no matter how difficult it is, I have to try my best.
Last year, thanks to the positive business situation, I bought a car on installments as a gift for the sales director. That act was like a motivation for all officers and employees to look at and try harder. This year, I plan to give a bonus of 1.5 months salary per person. Many single workers said that after receiving the bonus, they will open a savings account to save money for marriage...", Mr. Ba said.
Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) said that a satisfactory Tet bonus will make employees appreciate and be more attached to the company/enterprise. Employers need to truly understand that employees are the most valuable asset of each unit. "However, besides businesses that do well, there are still many businesses facing difficulties in production and business. In cases where businesses do not give cash bonuses, they can give bonuses in kind to employees, but any bonus should be consulted with employees to ensure practicality and meaning," said Mr. Trung.
