That's according to The Financial Times' Laura Noonan and Alistair Gray, who report that some managers are doing so on a "'case by case' basis" in what is expected to be a rough year for bonuses.
US banks are in the midst of bonus season right now, with European banks set to communicate bonuses to staff in a couple of weeks.
Banker pay has been a contentious issue for some European executives.
Last week, Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam said that investment banks' pay model "does not work." In October, Barclays Chairman John McFarlane also argued that bankers earned too much.
And Deutsche Bank's own CEO, John Cryan, has publicly made digs at investment banks' bonus culture.
In October, he referred to his firm's "inflexible compensation culture" as a "significant challenge" in a presentation.