Find a project to call the justification for a bonus - that way the project is the thing, and there won't be a repeat expectation set up. (we paid december bon

Find a project to call the justification for a bonus - that way the project is the thing, and there won't be a repeat expectation set up. (we paid december bonuses on exactly that basis once and then the next year wasn't as good and one of my team thought he'd fucked up to not get a bonus again, so the project oriented thing is way superior even if it's the same money being given to the same people for the same reasons overall)