Many companies use bonuses as a way to motivate their employees to offer the best job performance possible, especially in sales and managerial positions. When employees meet certain goals, the company may commit to giving them extra compensation.
Whether you needed to sell a specific number of units in a given week or had to meet certain corporate standards for sales when compared with staffing hours, qualifying for a bonus can be a big motivator to give your job your full effort. Some employees even count on bonuses as part of their monthly budget.
In some cases, an unpaid bonus is a clear violation of federal and state wage and hour laws. In others, the payment of a bonus may not be considered in calculated the regular rate of pay, which reduces the amount of overtime owed.