United Airlines appears to have had a change of heart about its decision to replace quarterly employee bonuses with a lottery system.
Last week, United Airlines issued an internal memo notifying employees of its plans to drop the performance-based bonuses for a new program called “core4 Score Rewards.” Under this system, quarterly drawings would be held with prizes ranging from thousands of dollars in cash to resort packages and luxury cars, the Chicago Business Journal reported. But due to the randomness inherent in a lottery, not all United employees would be guaranteed a reward for high performance, which left a number of workers upset with the decision, according to internal employee comments obtained by Inc.
Now, United says its “pressing the pause button” on the system, according to CNBC. United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.
United says it is "pressing the pause button" on lottery bonus system after complaints from employees. (Previously qualifying employees received quarterly bonuses automatically. new plan called for once-a-quarter lottery for $100k, other prizes)
— Leslie Josephs (@lesliejosephs) March 5, 2018
In Inc.’s report published on Sunday, comments posted on United’s internal employee website, Flying Together, highlighted the disdain workers felt towards the airline’s decision.
“I would be embarrassed and mortified to win this lottery,” a flight attendant wrote on the internal site. “If it was possible I wouldn’t allow my name to be released and I would give my ‘winnings’ to the Flight Attendant AFA Cause Charity. I win at the expense of tens of thousands of fellow employees? No thanks.”
“Awful idea. [Current] bonus program has everyone pulling in the same direction with a common goal,” a captain commented. “This is scratching a lottery ticket…”
United did not see it that way — at least at first.
“We announced a new internal program based on United meeting certain operational and dependability metrics as a way of offering meaningful rewards to our employees,” a company spokesman said last week. “We believe that this new program will build excitement and a sense of accomplishment as we continue to set all-time operational records that result in an experience that our customers value.”