where yesterdays are all boxed up & neatly put away.

Bonus is a Latin word. It means Good. Nowadays, it is used over and over again by people who have never studied Latin and probably regard it as a dead language taught to toffs (cue: Humphrey from PWC!). As usual, abuse of language and over-reaction leaves us in the UK in danger of throwing out a perfectly good management tool simply becaues it has becme synonymous with excessive greed.

I have long believed that the real threat to London's position asa global financial centre is not its exorbitant commercial rents, nor the ludicrous cost of a gin and tonic at the Berkeley Hotel, but the nature of the press coverage it attracts. The banking crisis here has seen the media (with obvious honourable exceptions) descend into near-hysteria over anything called a 'bonus', assuming that, by definition, it must be an unearned, undeserved perk.

Anything is better than having the government hijack compensation, share registers and now even language.

posted by meishi @ 11:17 PM