Lead engineer gets convinced by manager to give up $5000 bonus for intern bonuses, has second thoughts when other team lead receives bonus: 'I'm sure the CEO will know about this'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Feb 4, 2026 9:00 AM EST

In most jobs, it isn't wise to make a sacrifice unless there is an obvious reward for it.

Many managers or HR departments will be more than happy to convince their employees that if they just offer to do that unpaid overtime or ignore the fact that they haven't had a pay rise for the past 3 years, they will feel totally fulfilled by the warm and fuzzy feeling of having done a good deed by contributing to the well-being of the company. Make no mistake, most businesses are interested in taking as much labor as they can from their employees, and little else.

Still, it is not uncommon for well-meaning or just plain stressed workers to take on such responsibilities when those above them request it. They can be under the impression that they will be rewarded for it later, or be afraid that they will face negative consequences if they don't agree. Either way, it can be unwise to say yes, as there is every chance that what starts out as a one-time thing quickly becomes a requirement of the role that they did not ask for. It is an easy way to make the demands of working worse than they have to be, and we all know that most workplaces do not need any help with that.

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  • a man sat at a desk with a laptop drinks from a yellow tea cup with an abstract painting behind him
    via Chris Benson

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • In particular, it is important to be careful any time these kinds of issues involve money. A lot of employers will use whatever tactic necessary to justify paying employees less, and getting them to agree to it is just the icing on the cake.

    An engineering lead was approached by his office manager and asked to forego his usual bonus so they could afford to give a bonus to the newer engineers and interns. This was justified as a necessary sacrifice that would be looked upon favorably by the CEO of the company.

    Although he felt pressured, the employee agreed to give up the extra $5k for the sake of his subordinates. However, another team lead told him that he had made a foolish decision, and that the company could have afforded to give a bonus to the entire team. 

  • Friend gave up his bonus to help new hires get their bonuses. Unselfish or dumb move?

    My friend Calvin has been working at a small engineering firm for nearly 7 years. He's a lead engineer that normally gets an annual bonus of around $3-5000.
    via bestfriendever714
  • In 2025, his company hired a bunch of new interns and newly graduated engineers so the office manager approached Calvin and asked if he would forgo his bonus this year to give the 4 engineers that work under him a smaller bonus of about $1000 each.
    via bestfriendever714
  • While Calvin isn't broke, he told me he normally used that bonus to pay for a Disneyland vacation or something similar every year for his family.
    via bestfriendever714
  • The company reasoned to Calvin that anyone in a lead position is being asked to forgo their bonuses as they cannot afford to give everyone a generous bonus and to incentivize the new hires to stay with them as they predict 2026 to be a big year and need them.
    via bestfriendever714
  • "You will have the thanks and appreciation of everyone here and I'm sure the CEO will know about this." Is what Calvin told me his office managers said.
    via bestfriendever714
  • Calvin felt pressured but ultimately decided to forgo and give up his bonus. He later spoke to another team lead who says he took his normal bonus because the company always brags about how much profit they're making at every quarterly meeting. and how they're setting record numbers.
    via bestfriendever714
  • He urged Calvin to not buy into this facade that the company genuinely cares and that they will never think twice about calvin giving up his bonus and they won't hesitate to cut him at any moment.
    via bestfriendever714
  • The point he was trying to make was don't give up something that the company has promised him especially if they don't promise anything in return.
    via bestfriendever714
  • Calvin has told me about all this and I'm afraid to say that I agree with his coworker to a certain extent.
    via bestfriendever714
  • While you can really enjoy working for a place, be prepared to let that all go if the suddenly don't see a use for you anymore or if they feel they can take advantage of you.
    via bestfriendever714
  • I asked him if he knew that his office managers also gave up their bonuses as well and he was told that they were too.
    via bestfriendever714
  • But there's no real way to find out. Any thoughts?
    via bestfriendever714
  • a dollar bill on a white background with various coins on top of it
    via Kenny Eliason
  • throwedoff1 Is the C Suite giving up their bonuses as well or just the team leads?
    via throwedoff1
  • bestfriendever714 Original Poster's Reply From what I was told, they are not getting bonuses too but there's no way to prove that. Either way, I'm sure they're making way more money than Calvin to even care about it.
    via bestfriendever714
  • Random_NYer_18 Calvin was noble but dumb. That money will never come back to him, and they could lay him off next week with no recourse.
    via Random_NYer_18
  • Ok_Job_9417 Dumb. The CEO could give up 3-5K profit if they wanted to motivate new hires to stay.
    via Ok_Job_9417
  • Old_Confidence3290 Unselfish AND a dumb move. But he is a good human being!
    via Old_Confidence3290
  • Nick-Riffs Calvin was being a nice guy. But nice guys finish last. That company could lay him off tomorrow morning and wouldn't give a damn about what he did for the other employees. He should've just kept the money like the other quy.
    via Nick-Riffs
  • AstronautNumerous 184 That bonus was something Calvin earned and how dare the Office Managers solicit senior staff to give up their earned money! If Calvin used it to wipe his butt or save it, that's his right and no other employee has the right to talk him out of his money! This actually feels off, like if the contract needed to make an impression on new hires, they could have offered sign on bonuses, did Calvin's immediate boss ask him to do this? Is the CEO on board for giving away earned bon
    via AstronautNumerous184
  • lostone3592 Calvin now has a 'sucker' sticker on his file. If the business is so insolvent that it can't find a spare $4k to give the new hires a retention bonus, it's sinking anyway. They've taken the bonus he'd have gotten, and the senior mgr now has a nicer bonus.
    via lostone3592
  • 2wheelmoron69 The owner of the company can also choose to make $3-5k less that year. Don't let anyone bullshit you on this "it ain't in the budget" nonsense.
    via 2wheelmoron69
  • Senior-Cantaloupe-69 That's one of the dumbest things I've heard
    via Senior-Cantaloupe-69
  • publicsausage It's dumb but I'd do it once. Not that much money and could help/be leverage for advancement. Only once and I know its dumb but worth a shot for that amount.
    via publicsausage

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