A bonus vent-ish

[Anonymous]

Keep rolling and trolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what 11:40 is saying - I really think my nanny deserves and SHOULD get a months pay if I could afford it! We love her. It's that a week's pay is a LOT for us. When we hired her, I really didn't know the standard was a week's pay. We give her more vacation than most people receive, every holiday, early releases all the time, tons of flexibility.....so we don't really follow a lot of the standard contracts I've seen floating around. And before taxes, 700 is our portion for a week through the payroll service (some of that is health care, so untaxed)

[/quot

You pay your nanny weekly by your own admission.

In October you paid her 5 times or $3500 Her bonus along with the 4 weeks of December comes to the same amount.

You could afford it two months ago?

Why not now?

You will be able to give her a raise which will add up.

Not wanting to give a bonus and not being able to afford it are two different things.

Basically you'd rather put that money towards other things.

You feel like what for the most part standard nanny benefits are enough.

You don't feel like you should have to do a bonus?

If you really couldn't do the $700 and you truly wanted to give her a bonus you would have come up with the very obvious solution.

Bottom line you don't like the idea of a bonus for nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure how I'm a troll - is it because you think I should give a bonus? Or because you're doubting what we pay our nanny? Or what?

I'm just hopeful that what we provide her is enough because what she provides us is priceless. I would think that nannies would LOVE an employer that thought they were this important and special. Go figure!

Most nannies won't quit over a bonus.

Plenty of employers appreciate the their nanny and let them know, these same employers also give a Holiday bonus.

As I said props for creativity. This is a new twist on the nannies are paid too much and entitled song and dance. Bravo!

[Anonymous]

No, we pay our nanny biweekly.

We pay her when we get paid (every other week) and her pay zeros out one entire paycheck (so, 45% of our take home pay). That's how our payroll is set.

What am I putting money towards? Can you tell me?

The lavish lifestyle I live in my 1 bedroom apartment, used car? Modest gifts for my parents who help take care of my child? Just curious.

And what's the obvious solution? Pay her less? And you think the benefits we offer are standard? Seriously - does every nanny get fully paid health care? 4 weeks vacation (2 of the nanny's choosing)? When we were looking at sample contracts, I didn't see any with this. Our nanny negotiated for more time off (she does other work when not nannying) vs. more pay (she originally asked for $20 for one child, but negotiated more time off since we couldn't afford $20 an hour).

I'm just confused - I guess we're naive in being so appreciative and laudatory of our nanny (we routinely give her small gifts to thank her for being so great).

Perhaps we should let her go so she can find a family that, while possibly not as good to work for, will give her a bonus?

Jesus. I'm glad I don't base my job satisfaction on a bonus. I'd be SCREWED.

thanks, all!

[Anonymous]

OP here - I don't think nannies are paid too much. I think childcare workers of all types are not paid enough. If you actually knew me, you'd know I was active in organizations that promote childcare improvements including wages and benefits for childcare workers.

But hey, keep assuming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are a troll.

I do give you props for being original.

Yup, me too. The martyred "we'll just bit the bullet and not buy any gifts for family" routine is pretty silly.

[Anonymous]

I at least own the fact I don't give a full week's salary. We do $400-$500 a year, depending on performance, and a gift. No one has quit yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I at least own the fact I don't give a full week's salary. We do $400-$500 a year, depending on performance, and a gift. No one has quit yet.

I'm guessing you don't see the irony in this? You've obviously had more than one nanny, and unless you fired them all, you don't really know why they left. Even if they told you things like they're moving, or found a job in another industry, you still don't know. "I'm moving" is my to to reason for quitting if a family has the potential to be nuts.

[Anonymous]

Op, as a nanny I've rarely gotten a weeks bonus, actually, probably never., $100-150 is my average. I wouldn't sweat it. I would feel really really awful if an employer felt like they HAD to give me a large bonus to keep me happy. Being happy in a job is so much more than that. Feeling appreciated means more. On the other hand if I had an employer who took fancy vacations, or multiple smaller trips in the year, shopped a lot, ate out several times a week, had a new high end car etc then cried poor, I'd have a very different opinion on the topic. But, most of the families I work for are middle class and I set my expectations accordingly.

[nannydebsays]

Good Lord. OP, a bonus is just that, an additional amount of money for doing an exceptional job. As a nanny, nannies who expect bonuses and/or try to play the "I'll leave if my bonus isn't X..." game with their employers PISS ME OFF.

Give your nanny what you can. Many nannies don't get bonuses at all.

And, in all honesty, if you are stretching so much to afford your nanny you might want to seriously look into a FT nanny share.

[Anonymous]

nannydebsays wrote:Good Lord. OP, a bonus is just that, an additional amount of money for doing an exceptional job. As a nanny, nannies who expect bonuses and/or try to play the "I'll leave if my bonus isn't X..." game with their employers PISS ME OFF.

Give your nanny what you can. Many nannies don't get bonuses at all.

And, in all honesty, if you are stretching so much to afford your nanny you might want to seriously look into a FT nanny share.

Thanks - we tried for a FT share and it was very difficult because our nanny has pretty set/strict hours. It's rare in DC (actual DC not the burbs) that a family needs 8 hours a day of care. We had trouble, and our nanny was fine with a pt share. It works great for all of us. We're stretched to the point of $500-$700 is a lot. We have savings for emergencies. I honestly don't think a bonus is an emergency. However, maybe since we haven't had her for a full year, we can give her a bonus at "annual review" time to make up for not being able to pay her what seems to be expected by nannies in this area at holiday time. That will give us time to save money for that bonus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly families need to factor the yearly bonus into their overall nanny costs. Don't look as it as "omg I need to come up with an extra 700 dollars in December" but look at it as "I employee a great person and I am saving 59 bucks a month towards her yearly bonus." I have had 2 nannies and it is a standard benefit in the field. I completely understand it is not a benefit in your field (it isn't in mine either...another Fed mom) but I understand its the norm in my nannys field and I would like to retain her so I conform.

I've seen this on 15 other threads, and a bonus is not required to keep a nanny. You have to consider, if your nanny is willing to quit because she didn't get a bonus (or a large enough bonus) then you obviously have other issues in your relationship. No good, professional nanny that likes your family and is bonded with your child will quit because she didn't get a bonus.

+1. If the nanny is being paid a competitive wage and the family treats her well otherwise, a bonus should not be a reason to leave. The nannies I know that have left jobs after not receiving a bonus felt it was the final straw after putting up with difficult parents and working conditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

nannydebsays wrote:Good Lord. OP, a bonus is just that, an additional amount of money for doing an exceptional job. As a nanny, nannies who expect bonuses and/or try to play the "I'll leave if my bonus isn't X..." game with their employers PISS ME OFF.

Give your nanny what you can. Many nannies don't get bonuses at all.

And, in all honesty, if you are stretching so much to afford your nanny you might want to seriously look into a FT nanny share.

Thanks - we tried for a FT share and it was very difficult because our nanny has pretty set/strict hours. It's rare in DC (actual DC not the burbs) that a family needs 8 hours a day of care. We had trouble, and our nanny was fine with a pt share. It works great for all of us. We're stretched to the point of $500-$700 is a lot. We have savings for emergencies. I honestly don't think a bonus is an emergency. However, maybe since we haven't had her for a full year, we can give her a bonus at "annual review" time to make up for not being able to pay her what seems to be expected by nannies in this area at holiday time. That will give us time to save money for that bonus.

More nonsense.

If you're not a troll you're exceedingly clueless. What a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:employer here...I HATE seeing the whole "one weeks pay for a bonus" because we cannot afford to do that. I really want to shower my nanny with gifts and bonuses as much as possible because she's so wonderful, but we have a nanny because we've never gotten in to a day care spot and it turns out that we just love her and how much my child is thriving with her.

We're giving her what we can afford - neither my husband nor myself receive a bonus at all during the year (both fed employees) and have faced pay cuts and recovering from losing pay while I was out on "maternity leave".

While a weeks pay might be standard (I've never received anything like that at any job!), I really hate that I can't provide this for her. It bums me out

Your financial problems are not your nanny's problem. She puts up with cheap parents and does a fantastic job taking care of your kids. You cannot give her a measley week's salary, you cannot afford a nanny. Cheapskates like you are nothing but pigs. I hope she finds anothet job with someone who appreciates her and can afford to give her a decent bonus. Hell. I'd Go without something for myself to give my employees a bonus.

I am not a nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:employer here...I HATE seeing the whole "one weeks pay for a bonus" because we cannot afford to do that. I really want to shower my nanny with gifts and bonuses as much as possible because she's so wonderful, but we have a nanny because we've never gotten in to a day care spot and it turns out that we just love her and how much my child is thriving with her.

We're giving her what we can afford - neither my husband nor myself receive a bonus at all during the year (both fed employees) and have faced pay cuts and recovering from losing pay while I was out on "maternity leave".

While a weeks pay might be standard (I've never received anything like that at any job!), I really hate that I can't provide this for her. It bums me out

Your financial problems are not your nanny's problem. She puts up with cheap parents and does a fantastic job taking care of your kids. You cannot give her a measley week's salary, you cannot afford a nanny. Cheapskates like you are nothing but pigs. I hope she finds anothet job with someone who appreciates her and can afford to give her a decent bonus. Hell. I'd Go without something for myself to give my employees a bonus.

I am not a nanny.

But you are a piece of work. NP here. OP, please ignore this kind of nonsense. People who post stuff like this are clueless about $$ (probably have never experience a life of anything other than substantial wealth), and judging from their tone are probably hell to work for.