Is there such a thing as the wrong bonus?

Trying to motivate your workforce can be a tricky task. Recently, embattled air carrier United Airlines had to roll back an unpopular lottery scheme which replaced modest bonuses with the chance of winning a luxury car or six-figure sums.

It was a clear case of choosing the ‘wrong carrot’ to motivate the workforce – one that received widespread opprobrium and media scrutiny, which is no good for employer branding.

But, is there such a thing as the wrong bonus or wrong benefit to motivate the workforce? Surely anything extra is always good.

Well, a recent joint-University study found that choosing the right bonus it depends – surprise, surprise – on the type of work, type of teams and type of individuals involved.