Performance Bonus

In the first quarter of the year if performed well the previous year you will get a pretty decent bonus

The bonus program at BASF is a complicated, German, mess. First, you are graded on your individual performance on one of three levels (up to 10%). Almost no one is given the highest level. If you are given the lowest level (lower performer) not only is your bonus reduced, your merit increase (aka cost of living increase) is reduced. Next there is a "kicker" based on your business's performance. Then you are given another kicker based on a profitability number for the BASF Group as a company. The thing is, if the BASF Group misses their profitability number, your bonus will actually be REDUCED because everything is compounded. So if you do a great job and are awarded a 15% base bonus, and your business unit does great and your bonus jumps up to 20%, but the company as a whole misses its number, your bonus could get kicked all the way back down to your individual level (15%).

it is significantly lower when the company doesn't do well

PIC (performance incentive bonus) is available for both hourly and salary employees. Bonus is tied to performance and not to the business budget (e.g. previously to have a high performance rating, the business had a fixed budget and would need an equal number of low performers to pay for the high performers). This has changed as of 2014. In theory, now an organization or business in BASF Corp could have all solid performers and get 100% of their PIC.

Did not get a performance bonus from BASF

depending on the job, the base performance bonus has a spread from 5% to 35% which is multiplied by the financial success of the company as a whole.