China firm literally puts millions in cash ‘up for grabs’ in annual bonus money-counting game, lucky worker bags nearly US$14,000
A company in China has come up with a novel way for its employees to “earn” their year-end bonus by creating a game in which they can take home as much money as they can count.
An extravagant party held by the Kuangshan Crane Company in central China’s Henan province ahead of the Lunar New Year on February 5, has stunned many online observers.
On a 50-metre-long table in the centre of the venue, a sea of 100-yuan banknotes awaited fevered staff who were told to grab as many as they could and count how much cash they were holding in their hands.
According to the mainland media outlet Star Video, employees could take home what they had counted in given time slots that ranged from 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 minutes, decided by drawing a lottery.
The game also has a rule that 1,000 yuan (US$140) is deducted for each note incorrectly counted. The firm arranged for 20 money counters to check.
The company’s entire workforce of 5,000 was invited to join the game, with the overall bonus reaching 100 million yuan (US$14 million). One of the “jackpot” winners bagged 97,800 yuan, and said it felt “awesome”.
It is not the first time the company has gone viral for its generous year-end bonus scheme.
Last year, it gave 61 million yuan (US$8.5 million) to 40 employees with the best performance, with three top salespeople each receiving five million yuan.
A member of staff, surnamed Feng, said each of the three salespeople had sold more than 100 million yuan worth of products in the last year.
The news has attracted hundreds of job applications with the company.
The firm has also been holding annual filial piety feasts for employees’ parents, and the firm’s boss, Cui Peijun, has been given the title “China’s most generous boss”.
“I admire the staff at this company for having such a generous boss,” one online observer said.
“The staff in the finance department mastered this game,” another joked.
Although China’s labour law does not require companies to give year-end bonuses, 74 per cent of companies did so in 2022, according to a survey by the CIIC Management Consulting Company.
The average bonus per person was 21,900 yuan (US$3,000). The average annual salary in China’s urban non-private units was 114,029 yuan while in private companies it was 65,237 yuan.
