Depending on how much the mean/median person's base salary is that's on the order of a bonus. On one hand it's not that much. On the other hand I'd be pissed if I didn't get my bonus because of some back room deal between execs.
It’s not nearly the amount of an annual bonus, which is typically about 15% base pay. This is the order of a spot bonus (e.g. the director wants to thank you for working double time to make a product launch happen in time for a conference). Or it’s the price of 1-3 successful referrals to a company.
