Generous boss awards his 200 workers £8million Christmas bonus
A generous boss awarded his 200 employees a whopping £8million Christmas bonus.
Lucky workers at the property company were not expecting the astonishing gift, which celebrated the firm meeting its targets.
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Each member of staff was given a red envelope at a Christmas dinner, revealing they would receive roughly £38,000 each - depending on how long they'd worked there.
The firm based in Maryland, US said it wanted to make a "significant" impact on the lives of those responsible for its success.
An emotional video taken on the night shows workers react with joy as they realised what had happened.
Chairman Edward St John, who founded the company, revealed the bonus on Saturday.
Xmas bonus joy
He said: “To celebrate the achievement of our goal, we wanted to reward our employees in a big way that would make a significant impact on their lives.
“I am thankful for every one of our employees, for their hard work and dedication. I couldn’t think of a better way to show it.”
“I may steer the boat, but they're the ones that run the boat.
“They are the ones that make the boat go. Without the team, we are nothing.”
One employee stated: "What happened tonight was magical. It is life-changing."
St John Properties was set-up in 1971 by Edward St John.
On sjpi.com, the company says it has "evolved from a small, local real estate developer into one of the largest and most successful privateky held commercial real estate firms in the Mid-Atlantic region".
Donations
According to the site, the firm's real estate investments are valued at more than $3.5billion (£2.6billion).
St John also set up The Edward St John Foundation, which provides financial assistance to education programs
Over the years, more than $60 million has been gifted through donations to non-profit organisations, according to the foundation.
In his "chairman's message" St John says: From the day we entered the real estate business in 1971, St. John Properties has succeeded by placing our clients’ needs first.
"We aren’t just committed to excellence — we practice it every day and work hard to ensure that your experience is a pleasant and rewarding one."