Pretty much no salary rises, and a reduction in Performance Related Pay for next year.

On the plus side, we have not had a large amount of redundancies - unlike many in our field. Other companies have had salary cuts, too.

At least we've still got jobs to grumble about.

for at least twelve months and we never get xmas bonuses anyway. My employer has even stopped the usual ten pound per head contribution to the team xmas dinner.

Merry fuckin' christmas.

on presents in our family apart from for kids as several members are either unemployed or on reduced hours.

..is doing well thanks to Amazon turning over more than ever, (so much so that we hardly seem to have felt anything from Borders going belly up). It's still drinks in the office this year though, (rather than the hired venues and boutique hotels of a couple of years ago). Sounds churlish I know, particulalrly in this climate, but I do like nodding off in a free standing bath after emptying the minibar. Provided its not too deep, mind.

...are looking to make worldwide cost savings of $40 million, and are outsourcing furiously ($400,000 gets you 25 programmers in India, apparently).

Still, I did get a small bonus, and have survived two rounds of culls. They are brutal here (US) - you turn up to work on a Tuesday, and HR/your manager are waiting. After a quick "Thanks for everything", you are escorted from the building, clutching perhaps 2 weeks wages. You don't get to say goodbye, and you need to rely on colleagues to box up your personals and deliver it.

Annual weeks wages as Christmas bonus has been cut to a reduced lump sum but with two wage earners both earning an above average salary we are comfortable enough.
However just received a letter today from Virgin Money today regarding my credit card. Seems like from 1/1/2010 the APR is increasing to 23.7 percent. Not bad considering base interest rates are 0.5 percent. Apparently if I dont agree with it I can write to Virgin and they will keep interest at old rate but I wont be able to use my card for purchases. I have an open message for anyone from Virgin that may be reading this:-

FUCK RIGHT OFF

It's a lot better than I was expecting. About 6 weeks ago I was told that my contract may not extend into the new year so I was bracing myself for christmas eve to be my last day of work for a while (I don't have a problem with not working, it's the not being paid that smarts!). As it is I seem to have so much work to do that I'm having to work overtime now. Mind you I'm still (over)paid the same amount I was when I started this contract 6 years ago. Both the FPO and I work in pretty much recession-proof industries so if we're going to get the elbow it's best not be thrown back into the job pool at this time of year.

for retail, as it's often the only time people venture out to do any shopping. Our company have decided to help us by moving our previous store manager to Mansfield, and letting another manager run two stores at once (in different towns); which means he's only here two or three times a week. Financially, and based on budgets etc, I think we're doing ok, but Head Office have made a few cutbacks behind the scenes in order for it to look like our profits are greater (less temps with less hours, less staff (c.f. the manager situation). The primary gripe within the staff walls at the moment is the lack of respect we seem to get from higher authority, the lack of common-sense they seem to possess, and the seemingly increasing number of tasks they expect us to undertake.

Colleague moral seems to be at a lowpoint at the moment; but I'm hoping that's just winter blues and it will improve after the New Year.

We didn't get a Christmas bonus last year, and we don't expect to get one this year. Mind you, I was working all I could twelve months ago just to get a permanent position within the company, so there's a slight financial improvement on my part.

The company seems to be going through a bit of a mid-life crisis this year, and doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.

Didn't even get the usual free advent calender this year and have to make up the time for being out of work for half an hour to attend a Christmas meal after work, which we have to pay for. Merry Christmas!

... but then I'm self employed and work is getting harder to come by. However I have just finished one contract and I start another in mid January so at least I know I'm covered.

So Christmas hasn't been cancelled but it is being rather carefully planned.

We are on a pay freeze and a "sinking lid" policy is being adopted i.e. when people leave/retire they are not replaced. In my area, there were 5 last year and now there are 3 of us with an increased overall workload.

A much reduced bonus is not so bad because I always see any bonus as a bonus and have learned not to expect it after having worked through previous recessions. I enjoy what I do so it could be a lot worse.

However, Corporate BS moved to a new level recently when the Exec Team referred to these times as us "shrinking to greatness". I must remember that one when I am next in the boudoir with the GLW.

Its no better here in the "greatest nation on earth", I work for a bank in Arizona. We had no pay raises this year, and likely, none next year. We also had a mandatory 5% pay cut for 6 months of this year. That was, thankfully, restored in October. Arizona is currently worst in the nation for credit card delinquency and home foreclosures. It will be a holiday on a very short budget this year.
Still, we've got the weather!
Incidentally the Arizona Power Co. just put their electricity rates up for the second time in the past 6 months, everytime something breaks in one of their facilities, the cost of fixing it gets passed down to the consumer. Do your utilities do this?

Recession hasn't bitten in Portsmouth. Staff had their Christmas do last week, they've all got prezzies, they'll have their normal payrise in Jan..

I should have told them it's all shit and cut back on all fronts. It's what everyone else seems to have done. And trousered the resultant profits.

It seems to bring out the worst in bad employers.
Union-busting, pay freezes (though not for directors) in April, half my team to be laid off (sorry, 'physical resources will be affected') and to cap it all, a jolly Christmas lunch - paid for by us - the day our fates are sealed (tomorrow).
Christmas bonuses? We should be lucky to have a job if we're spared the chop, it appears. God bless you Mr Scrooge!

Having been made redundant in March, and out of work for five months, this Christmas will be a quiet one. I never was one for saving, I am now. Although my last revenue target at my previous employers was increased from £3m (achieved) to £20m per annum (You're having a laugh).

We have been waiting for months on whether our main client wants to renew our contract. The smart money is on Not. Meetings are arranged for tomorrow. Dread is in the air. By past form, it is traditionally just before Christmas that the really bad news comes along.

We had a pay freeze this year, but we are used to pay policy being set arbitrarily in America, regardless of UK reality, so pay has been cut in real terms even before this.

This is not in isolation. One sibling was made redundant this year. Another is waiting for long promised commissions to be paid : this may not be in for Christmas. My extended family have agreed that belts will have be worn tighter this festive season so presents are small gestures rather than pushing the boat out. I have bought mine while I still feel flush. Mostly from an increasingly denuded Borders bookshop.

...has had some effect. But it's not too hideous looking forward. At the moment.

i was doing freelance work for a small company where the end client was in financial services ... at the end of '08 and into '09 the plug was pulled on a number of projects and that small company lost a massive chunk of turnover ... i went from doing 2-3 days a week for them to zero (no more work for freelancers) and i estimate that my income from 2008 to 2009 has dropped by around 50% ... from average-ish to minimum wage-ish

as for the staff members at that wee company, they have a pay freeze, only one redundancy so far, but a couple of people who have moved on and not been replaced

for me, 2009 has been a time of sporadic invoicing and mounting debts although if i finish one specific big project over the winter then i'll be skint but debt free by next spring ... on the bright side, that wee company is still having a Christmas party and i have been invited as a semi detached 'member of the team', even though i've done nothing for them all year - they have been sorely affected by the recession but they are jolly nice people ...