Employees of Henan Kuangshan Crane Co. Ltd. were left astonished after the company unveiled an extraordinary bonus distribution method piling up $26 million in physical cash and inviting staff to take home as much as they could carry during its annual end-of-year celebration.
The event, held on February 13, transformed the venue into a spectacle of wealth, with stacks of banknotes spread across about 800 banquet tables under bright decorative lighting. Nearly 7,000 employees attended the gathering, many seen eagerly calculating how much they could manage to lift in a single trip.
Reports cited by Chosun Daily indicated that at least one worker walked away with roughly $13,000 in cash during the exercise.
Why Cash Instead of Transfers?
Company chairman Cui Peijun, who reportedly holds nearly all of the firm’s shares, explained that the dramatic gesture was intentional.
He questioned the idea of giving out traditional gifts or making quiet bank transfers, saying digital payments felt like “cold numbers” and lacked emotional impact. Instead, he chose to physically distribute a large portion of company earnings back to employees, turning the bonus into a shared celebratory moment.
Cui has previously said his philosophy is driven by concern for younger workers facing financial pressure from mortgages, car loans, and living costs, arguing that tangible rewards offer more meaningful relief.
A Pattern of Lavish Employee Rewards
Founded in 2002, the crane manufacturing and leasing company now operates in more than 130 countries and has built a reputation for unusually generous staff incentives.
- In 2024, it posted about $38 million in net profit and distributed roughly $24 million of that to employees.
- The year before, it awarded $8.5 million to 40 top-performing workers, with its three highest sales earners each receiving about $730,000.
- For International Women’s Day, the company shared nearly $230,000 among close to 2,000 female staff members.
Turning Bonuses Into a Public Spectacle
Observers say the cash-stacking event was designed not only as compensation but also as a morale-building display, reinforcing a culture where employees visibly share in corporate success.
While unconventional, the approach underscores a broader message from the company’s leadership: prosperity, they believe, should be experienced collectively rather than quietly processed through payroll systems.
The striking scene rows of tables covered in currency and employees physically carrying away their bonuses has since gone viral online, sparking global debate about workplace incentives, wealth-sharing models, and how companies can creatively reward performance.
