Lots of bosses say they value their employees. Some even mean it. And then there's Leonard Abess Jr.
After selling a majority stake in Miami-based City National Bancshares last November, all he did was take $60m of the proceeds - $60m out of his own pocket - and hand it to his tellers, bookkeepers, clerks, everyone on the payroll. All 399 workers on the staff received bonuses, and he even tracked down 72 former employees so they could share in the windfall.
For long-time employees, the bonus - based on years of service - amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, more than $100,000.
At a time when financial titans are being paraded before Congress to explain how they blew billions on executives' bonuses even as they received a taxpayer bailout, the big-hearted banker's selfless deed stands out.
"I retired seven years ago, and all of a sudden I get this wonderful letter and phone call," said Evelyn J Budde, who spent 43 years at City National Bank of Florida, rising to vice-president.
"I was shocked," said William Perry. In 43 years at City National, he climbed from janitor to vice-president. Like many long-time City National employees, he forged an unbreakable bond with the bank that continued into retirement. Perry returns regularly for the annual employees' dinner.
Abess didn't publicise what he had done. He didn't even show up at the bank to bask in his employees' gratitude on the day the bonus envelopes were distributed. He was inundated with letters soon afterward.
Asked later what motivated him, Abess said he had long dreamed of a way to reward employees. He had been thinking of creating an employee stock option plan before he decided to sell the bank.
"Those people who joined me and stayed with me at the bank with no promise of equity - I always thought someday I'm going to surprise them," he said. "I sure as heck don't need [the money]."
In exchange for an 83% stake in the business, the Spanish bank Caja Madrid paid $927m in November. Abess retained a minority share and is still the board chairman and chief executive officer at City National.
Even before the sale, Abess wasn't hurting for money. He bought his 4.7 hectare (11.8 acre), $23m estate in Miami's Cliff Hammocks neighbourhood from actor Sylvester Stallone in 1999.
Abess' father, Leonard L Abess, founded City National in 1946 with Baron de Hirsch Meyer as one of the first post-war commercial banks in the region. Abess Jr started his career in the bank's print shop, which made forms and documents. Working his way up the ladder gave him an appreciation for the role that employees play in the success of an enterprise.
"I saw that if the president doesn't come to work, it's not a big deal," he said. "But if the tellers don't show up, it's a serious problem."
Sharing the wealth with staffers came naturally. Abess and his wife, Jayne, have long been big contributors to local organizations, such as the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and Mount Sinai Medical Centre. In 2006, the Abesses gave $5m to the University of Miami to promote environmental studies.
But he also wanted to reach out to his staff. "I wonder if I did enough," he recently mused.
"I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn't feel right getting the money myself," said Abess, who was concerned that their 401(k) retirement plans had taken a beating in the downdraft on Wall Street last year.
To prepare employees, Abess made an online video just before the merger was completed and explained in it that a windfall was coming soon. He also wanted to make sure that people realised it was a one-time bonus - and certainly not severance pay or a nudge for them to move on.
Three days later, a handful of senior employees fanned out throughout the bank's offices to dole out vouchers that detailed the sums deposited in their payroll accounts.
"We expected a bonus, but the type we received - our mouths are still open," said Carleatha E Barbary, a 39-year veteran of the company.