Employees at a Maryland real estate firm got more than dinner and drinks at the holiday party this year.

Did you ever get a Christmas bonus that changed your life? Employees of a Maryland commercial brokerage firm got the surprise of their lives at this year’s holiday party. St. John Properties in Baltimore announced it would be giving all its employees bonuses that totaled $10 million. The company has a total of 198 employees, which means the average bonus is around $50,000.

Employees were told ahead of time there would be a “surprise” at the party, but had no idea they would be getting such a large amount of money. The bonuses were based on how many years the employee had worked for the company—one brand new employee received $100, while the largest bonus was $270,000. Company founder and chairman Edward St. John thanked his employees and then ordered the big reveal. Each person had a sealed envelope that detailed the amount of his or her holiday bonus. 

Most of the employees were shocked and some were brought to tears when they opened the envelope. St. John Properties set a hard goal in 2005 to lease a total of 20 million square feet of space. They reached that goal in 2019, and St. John wanted to reward his team in a big way.

“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,” said Edward St. John. “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.”

Courtesy ASI

According to a survey by the Advertising Specialty Institute, the average employee holiday bonus in 2018 was $65. Companies use bonuses to reward and retain employees in what has become an increasingly tight job market. St. John Properties operates in eight states and was named “2018 Developer of the Year” by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.

What is the best holiday bonus you ever received? Tell us in the comments!