Short term bonuses earned by board members at Dutch blue chip and midcap companies fell further in 2009, according to research by the Berenschot consultancy group.

In 2009, the average short term bonus paid to senior staff reached €236,000, compared with €277,000 in 2008, a decline of 15%.
Bonuses went up at 40% of the 50 companies studied and down at a further 40%.
But bonuses actually rose at 65% of the companies where earnings had fallen, the research showed. ‘This shows bonuses only have a limited relationship to a company’s performance,’ Berenschot said.