£520 million in free shares and bonuses paid to employees since 2006

Since the early 1980s, Wetherspoon has awarded bonuses, free shares and ‘share options’ to pub employees.

The current scheme of paying monthly bonuses to all pub employees, subject to certain criteria, started in 1998, with a government-approved free shares scheme introduced in 2003.

Bonuses and share schemes provide an extra incentive for people to stay with the company: there are 18 employees who have worked for the company for over 30 years, 584 for over 20 years, 3,668 for over 10 years and 10,663 for over five years.

Employees are eligible for bonuses from their employment’s commencement and are eligible for free shares after 18 months.

Wetherspoon paid £36m in respect of bonuses and free shares to employees in the period ended 31 July 2023, of which 98.6% was paid to staff below board level and 83.4% was paid to staff working in our pubs.

Since the share scheme’s introduction, Wetherspoon has awarded 25.9 million shares to employees – approximately 19.9 per cent of all shares in existence today.

As far as the company is aware, Wetherspoon consistently pays a bigger percentage of its profits to its employees, by way of bonuses and free shares, than any other large pub/restaurant company or retailer.

Wetherspoon’s chief executive, John Hutson, said: “People are vital to the success of the business. Our bonus and share schemes are a good way to share in the company’s success.”