UK reward metrics · Incentives & Recognition

How is the main bonus pool funded (top-down profit share vs bottom-up target-based)?

Source lumi HRBase 143 organisationsFieldwork 2026 H1

39.9%Bottom-up (target-based)

39.9% of organisations in the lumi HR community answered “Bottom-up (target-based)” on how the bonus pool is funded (base: 143 UK organisations, 2026 H1).

Figures describe organisations in the lumi HR community, not a random sample of UK employers.

How UK organisations answered

Top-down (profit share) 33.6% Bottom-up (target-based) 39.9% Hybrid 26.6%
How the bonus pool is funded (base: 143 organisations, 2026 H1). Percentages percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.
How the bonus pool is funded: share of organisations by answer
AnswerShare of organisations
Top-down (profit share)alternative33.6%
Bottom-up (target-based)common39.9%
Hybridalternative26.6%

Common, alternative and rare describe how each answer sits against the community: the most chosen answer is common; an answer chosen by fewer than one in five organisations is rare.

Definition

How the main bonus pool is generated: top-down from profit share, bottom-up from targets, or a hybrid of both. See the methodology for how the base is built, how not-applicable answers are handled, the public floor, and which organisations are excluded.

Cite this figure
Source: lumi HR, UK Reward Metrics, September 2026, lumihr.co.uk/metrics/how-the-bonus-pool-is-funded
Last updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.

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