Bonus pay: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in a general sense to refer to any additional payment given to employees, often as a reward for good performance or as part of a company's compensation plan.

• Employees received bonus pay for exceeding their sales targets.
• The end-of-year bonus pay was higher than expected.

Specifically used to describe payment meant to motivate or encourage employees to achieve specific targets or performance goals.

• The company introduced incentive pay to boost productivity.
• Incentive pay schemes were implemented to reduce absenteeism.

Less commonly used, but can refer to an additional amount added to a regular salary, typically as a one-time event.

• She was thrilled with her bonus salary this year.
• The company announced a bonus salary for all its staff.

A more formal term that can apply to any additional payment or benefit outside regular wages or salary, such as overtime, bonuses, or other incentives.

• Extra compensation was offered for employees working on holidays.
• The role comes with potential for extra compensation based on project success.

This term is commonly used in corporate settings to refer to extra monetary compensation given to employees for various reasons, such as exceeding performance targets or reaching sales goals.

• Employees who exceed their quarterly sales targets are eligible for bonus pay.
• The company offers bonus pay at the end of the year to all its employees.

This phrase is straightforward and can be used in both conversational and formal contexts. It highlights the idea of giving additional money as a form of appreciation or recognition for good work.

• We decided to reward John with extra pay for his outstanding performance on the project.
• Employees who contribute to significant improvements will be rewarded with extra pay.

This phrase is often used in management and HR contexts to describe the strategy of motivating employees to perform better by offering them extra money. This is more formal and is typically found in policy documents or managerial discussions.

• To boost productivity, management decided to incentivize with additional compensation.
• The new policy aims to incentivize with additional compensation for those who take on extra projects.