Big bonuses: gimmick, gesture or greed?

In Elephant Communication's market research entitled "Seeing the world through the consumer's eyes" respondents were asked the question "what would I do if I ran a financial services company for a day?". The results showed that the first changes consumers would make were:

1. Have UK-only call centres (66%)
2. Make financial products simpler to understand (60%)
3. Stop any big bonuses being given (60%)

The final point is interesting bearing in mind the discussion aired over the weekend by npower chief executive Paul Massara who is reported to say that "giving up my bonus would be a gimmick." This was in the context of Centrica's boss Sam Laidlaw turning down his bonus. Massara's reasoning was that his bonus was linked to performance which was linked to getting it right for customers.

In terms of getting it right for customers, it is pretty clear what the majority thought in this research. It would be interesting to see any research about the impact of big bonuses on building trust with stakeholders.If consumers perceive bonuses to be about greed, regardless of their link to performance, then a short-term gimmick/gesture does at least display some awareness of current issues. The key question though will be whether the top team's performance is every linked to such measures as openness,customer trust and fair treatment.