Introduction:The distribution of year-end bonuses at Manner Coffee in 2024 sparked heated discussion among employees, with some new hires receiving their bonuses within just two days on the job, while long-tenured veterans received nothing at all. What exactly is the basis for this distribution? From salary structures to the details of the controversy, this article delves into the full story behind the incident, helping readers understand the underlying management logic and potential risks.
The 10th of each month is Manner Coffee’s regular payday, and this year coincided with the distribution of the 2024 year-end bonuses. What should have been a double celebration instead became a source of confusion and unease for many employees. On that day, some employees received two payments as usual in their bank accounts—both their January salary and the year-end bonus. However, many others only received their January salary, with no sign of the year-end bonus, leaving them puzzled.
On social media platforms, numerous Manner employees posted about the anomalies in this year’s year-end bonus distribution. Looking back at 2022 and 2023, the company had consistently followed its usual practice of issuing what is known as a “13th month salary” or year-end bonus, typically covering all employees. However, the situation in 2024 was markedly different. Many employees who had worked for a full year, or even veteran store managers who had held their positions for several years, received no bonus at all, despite being present for the entire year and even forgoing vacation for three consecutive months during periods of staff shortages.
Even more baffling is that this year’s year-end bonus seemed to turn into a “lottery,” with some new employees who had only joined the company two days prior also successfully receiving their bonuses, while long-serving veterans were left empty-handed.This stark disparity in treatment has left employees filled with questions about the criteria used for distributing the year-end bonus, yet the company has so far failed to provide a clear and unified evaluation mechanism.
After the incident, some employees attempted to organize through group chats to seek a reasonable explanation from company management, while others posted questions such as “Where is my year-end bonus?” in the comments section during the brand’s livestreams, hoping to draw attention. However, responses from the company’s HR department varied widely—some claimed that bonuses were withheld due to “possession of a warning notice,” while others explained that the “2024 policy has been adjusted, and evaluations now take into account the number of warnings, the nature of violations, and overall performance throughout the year.”
But such explanations were quickly refuted by other employees. Some employees who had received warning notices still got their bonuses as scheduled, while others with good records did not receive anything. Clearly,the so-called evaluation criteria are inconsistent, lacking transparency and fairness, which has further deepened employees’ dissatisfaction and mistrust.
Currently, the comment section under the pinned post on Manner’s official Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) account has been flooded with messages from employees expressing their disappointment and frustration over the non-distribution of year-end bonuses. Many employees believe that given incidents that occurred over the past year—such as the “coffee powder throwing” event—the company should have further strengthened internal systems and employee care. However, in reality, not only is there no clear system for bonus distribution, but statements from management have also contradicted one another, leaving frontline employees feeling deeply disheartened.
This incident shows that the distribution of year-end bonuses not only concerns the immediate interests of employees, but also reflects the maturity of a company’s institutional development and communication management. For professionals at large, understanding their own rights and the company’s policies is an important part of safeguarding their interests in the workplace. If a company fails to provide a clear reward mechanism and evaluation criteria, employees should take the initiative to familiarize themselves with the relevant regulations and retain necessary work records and communication evidence.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
