Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Bonuses aren’t bribes — they’re feedback

Most companies use bonuses as rewards or bribes. But in the field, bonuses work best as a weekly feedback loop—one that shapes behavior faster than any HR program.

Bonuses are your best coaching tool... if you use them right

Picture this.
 You’re running two crews on identical jobs.

Crew A finishes ahead of schedule and under budget.
Crew B runs over on time, misses some scope, and gets a callback.

Both crews get the same flat bonus at the end of the week.

What message did you just send?

You told them: “It doesn’t matter how you perform. Everyone gets paid the same.”

That’s not a reward. That’s a shrug. And over time, it trains your top performers to care less—while training your underperformers to never level up.

Good bonuses are feedback in disguise

We’re not against bonuses.
Quite the opposite—we built Protiv around them.

But here’s the trick:
A great bonus program isn’t about throwing cash at people.
 It’s about reinforcing the right behavior.

Think of every bonus payout as a weekly performance review, but one your team actually opens.

  • It shows them what great work looks like
  • It rewards them when they do it
  • It creates teachable moments when they don’t

Done right, a bonus program doesn’t just motivate.
It manages.

How bonus programs usually go wrong

Most companies make one of two mistakes:

  1. Bonuses as bribes
     These are “show up and get paid” schemes—flat-rate bonuses, no matter how the job goes. That’s not a bonus. That’s just a slightly disguised wage.
  2. Bonuses as black boxes
     The boss or manager decides who gets what based on vibes. There’s no transparency. No explanation. No opportunity to improve. Just confusion and resentment.

What feedback bonuses actually look like

Let’s walk through it.

Say you’ve got a crew lead named Luis.
His Bonus Statement shows three jobs this week:

  • Job 1: 95% efficiency
  • Job 2: 82% efficiency
  • Job 3: 47% efficiency

You pull him aside.

“Hey Luis. Nice work on Jobs 1 and 2. That third one looks rough. What happened?”

“Scope changed mid-job. We lost hours reworking stuf, boss.”

“Makes sense. Let’s log that properly next time so it doesn’t hit your numbers unfairly.”

 

Now you’re not just pointing fingers.
You’re coaching.

That’s the real power of feedback bonuses.
They create a shared language between leadership and the field.
You’re not arguing feelings—you’re reviewing facts.

How to start using Bonus Statements for feedback

Start small.
You don’t need a coaching program.
You need 20 minutes a week.

Weekly coaching checklist:

  • ✅ Pull Bonus Statements every Friday
  • ✅ Highlight any jobs under 60% efficiency
  • ✅ Praise top performers (and do it publicly)
  • ✅ Review gaps 1:1 with crew leads
  • ✅ Ask: “Anything we missed on this scope?”
  • ✅ Adjust scope, hours, or revenue if needed
  • ✅ Reinforce ownership, not blame

You’ll be shocked how fast people start paying attention.

Want a team that thinks like owners? Use the tool that makes them one.

You don’t need HR scripts.
You don’t need culture decks.

You need to show people how their work impacts their pay.
And give them the tools to improve it.
That’s what Bonus Statements do.
They’re not spreadsheets.
They’re scoreboards.

And once your team sees the game, they’ll start playing to win.