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Glite Dictionary
golden hello

golden hello

7.1
A large cash bonus given to a new employee to join a company
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊldən həˈloʊ/
  • UK
translation icon : bono de bienvenida
  • When she accepted the position, her new employer promised her a generous golden hello as an incentive.

Examples

  • To entice experienced professionals, the firm implemented a golden hello policy that included signing bonuses.

  • Perks such as golden hellos, lease car schemes, mileage allowances, and relocation allowances could also be at risk.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The tech company offered a golden hello to attract top talent amidst a competitive job market.

Synonyms

big fat bonus
vsgolden hello
  • Informal
1 3.3

A large extra payment from your job for good work

is a similar payment given specifically to attract someone to start at a company

How Generous

golden hello
  • UK
7.1
bonus
310 2.2

Surface Forms

golden hello singular
golden hellos plural

Morphology

golden + hello

The parts 'golden' (valuable) and 'hello' (greeting/welcome) give a learner a plausible sense of a 'valuable welcome' — enough to infer some kind of generous welcome or gift, possibly monetary. However, using 'hello' to mean a specific financial inducement (a signing bonus) is an English-specific metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the words alone, so prior exposure is usually needed.

Etymology

The noun golden hello may come from an older phrase, golden handshake, which meant a large payment when someone left a job. One popular story says companies turned that idea into a valuable hello, a welcome gift for someone new. So today a golden hello means a big sum offered 'to join' a company.