Currently, the use of bonuses is not consistent throughout Congress. In general, there are two types of individual performance based bonuses. One is a bonus for outstanding work on a specific and usually short-term project, such as a major speech, a hearing, or the successful management of a bill in committee. The other type of bonus is based on overall performance, usually over a one year period. Both types of bonuses are management tools for the following reasons:

• Bonuses issued to a staffer several times a year are probably a greater motivating tool than promotions and salary increases. Behavioral studies demonstrate that the best way to reinforce desired behavior is to reward the person soon after the desired act. Applied to management, this means managers should find ways to reward outstanding work promptly.
• If offices only increase pay on a permanent basis, they are more prone to using a large portion of their budget in an effort to compensate staff fairly. Such a budgeting practice, however, limits flexibility.
• Outstanding staff accomplishments or extraordinary efforts deserve monetary reward but do not warrant permanent salary increases. For example, suppose that the LD in your office is suddenly incapacitated for a month as a result of an appendectomy. An LA agrees to take on both jobs for a month at great personal sacrifice. Does the staffer deserve a permanent salary increase? Probably not. But she does deserve something more than your sincere thanks for her effort.
• Unlike private sector employees, when congressional staff work effectively, they do not generate more revenue for the operation. Instead, they may create more work for themselves. If this additional work is not rewarded with additional pay or bonuses, some staff will conclude that hard work in congressional offices is not rewarded, it is punished. Such a conclusion obviously does not contribute to the morale or productivity of an office

Once individual performance criteria are established, congressional managers and their staffers should sit down periodically to discuss how each staffer's performance stacks up. At the year's end, the outstanding achievers should receive the larger bonuses. Also, if you make bonuses a greater percentage of your staffers' salaries, you should be able to improve morale, reduce staff turnover, and increase your office's effectiveness.