if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

I have a nanny and treat her like she is salaried (even though I am not! but I want to treat her well). I give her paid holidays off (ie- gave her thanksgiving and day after off and paid). We agreed that she'd get a week paid vacation when she first started plus paid days off when I take vacation. She is taking off from xmas eve through new years (Dec 22-Jan1) and retuning on 1/2. Many of those days are holidays anyway which I would have needed to give her off. My question is, on top of paying her for 1.5 weeks off, do I ALSO need to give her a xmas bonus that week? WWYD? I pay close to 600 so the friday before vaca I will already be giving $1,200 cash and on top possibly a bonus??!! I want to be fair so please let me know what you do/would do. Just seems like so much $$!!! It's tough for me b/c I lost a lot of money being displaced and w/out power from hurricane b/c I couldn't work. I gave her off several days from that too, but it wasn't her fault she couldn't work....

Re: if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

If the days that she is taking are a mix of vacation days and holidays, then yes you should give her a bonus if you think she has done a good job and deserves one.

If the days that she is taking are supposed to be unpaid (for example, maybe she already took her one week vacation) then I think you deduct the cost of those days from whatever you would have given her as a bonus.

Basically if she is abiding by the contract you have in place, then you shouldn't short change her because she is choosing to take time off at Christmas.

if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

I always gave our nanny a week's pay for her holiday gift/bonus (she also had one of her week's paid vacation between Christmas and New Years).

Re: if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

A week's pay is standard I believe. However sometimes we give 1/2 a week's pay plus a nice gift.

Re: if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

SInce you are paying her for the 3 days of Christmas week (assuming she has already gotten her one week vacation) I would give her maybe 300-400 (not another full week) plus an actual gift from the kids.

Re: if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

This post makes me feel like I'm very cheap with my sitter

I would think you should give her what you are comfortable giving her. If it doesn't feel right to give her a bonus on top of the paid time off, then I wouldn't do it. I'd give her a smaller amount (not a half or full week's pay) as a bonus and an actual gift from the DCs to her.

Our sitter is PT and while she won't be working the holiday week in December, we've decided to double up her days earlier in the month so that she'll net the same amount of pay. Then I plan on giving her some actual gifts as the holidays approach (gc to a spa for a facial she's been wanting, tix to a theater show she and her DH have been talking about, etc). I'm not sure if it matters, but I also "tip" her almost every week -- by rounding up her hours to an even $ amount, maybe $10-15/wk.

Re: if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

Since you have agreed to 1 weeks pd vacation, then it does not seem right to not pay a X-mas bonus simply because her week off is at year-end. That being said, there is no need to pay a X-mas bonus if you are under financial hardship. If it is truly a hardship, maybe give her a smaller bonus or ask if you can pay half her bonus now and half later in the year.

Re: if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

Thanks everyone. I'll end up giving her a bonus too just not sure how much. I don't want to shortchange her b/c she is taking vaca xmas break, but it's difficult b/c she had about 4 days off unexpectedly b/c of the hurricane (b/c I was staying away w/fam and had to miss work- we had no heat or power)...but that's not her fault. She also had numerous days off when we took vacation, which were paid, plus holidays, but that's all standard. I want to treat her well since she watches my children! I was thinking on the frida before x-mas to give her 1200 (the week she worked plus the pay for the following week of vacation), plus maybe 200-300. When she returns I'll pay that week (which would include 2 additional paid days off of new years eve and new years day). I should have been a nanny!! LOL but I know her job is very diff too!!

if you have a nanny re: xmas bonus

A bonus is an appreciation of a job well done, and no one says you have to give her a week's pay. I would give her what you feel comfortable with, and I would also get her a gift from the kids. I wouldn't go by what you read on here to be honest, because it most instances everything is the extreme (gifts, tips, bonuses, etc.).