View synonyms for golden handcuffs

golden handcuffs

[ gohl-duhn hand-kuhfs ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

incentives like bonuses, raises, insurance plans, and flexible hours that discourage employees from leaving a company:
She wasn’t especially happy in her job, but the healthcare benefits were the golden handcuffs that kept her from looking elsewhere.

golden handcuffs

plural noun

informal.
payments deferred over a number of years that induce a person to stay with a particular company or in a particular job

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Word History and Origins

Origin of golden handcuffs¹

First recorded in 1985–90

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Idioms and Phrases

Financial benefits that an employee will lose upon resigning, as in The company's presented all the middle managers with golden handcuffs, so they can't afford to leave . This slangy business expression dates from the 1970s.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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