Wow, OP, you need to adjust your expectations to the real world. Bonuses are not standard. Many, many people have not seen raises or bonuses in years. If we went into work and cried about it,we'd be laughed out of a job.

Everyone wants a bonus. In this economy, when bonuses across the board are low or non existent, whining is ridiculous. If you are so destroyed, make a case with concrete examples to your employer for your entitled bonus. Don't be surprised if your whining goes nowhere, especially if your MB didn't earn a bonus doing at least as good a job as you do...or think you do.

Good luck.

Agree with PP, there are a LOT of reasons to give bonuses and that list was only SOME examples. (MB PP who feels the need to point by point explain her position sounds defensive and weird.)

FWIW, I received my bonus for the stated reason that they're so thrilled with how their toddler son is growing up - specifically his good behavior, developing self-control, and manners. I do tons of extras, come in 15 min. early every day, etc etc. but the bonus was, essentially, for doing my job. They just feel I'm doing it exceptionally well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez you people are dumb. Bonuses are bonuses, not standard. It is a GIFT given at the discretion of the employer. (I'm a nanny by the way.)

-The 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you before her start time each day (5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~21-42 hours annually)
the nanny's start time is 15 minutes before I have to leave
-The occasional 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you when you're late/she spends time briefing you on the day, that she doesn't charge you for (2 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~8-17 hours annually)
i get home at least 10-15 minutes before nanny's end time for this reason. The 2 times I've been 5 mins late because of traffic I rounded up to the next 1/2hr.
-The extra money she spends on your children while out and about that she doesn't charge you (a drink here and there, a bag of chips, a small toy, a box of crayons, some stickers, etc. the little incidental cost of spending time with kids)
i always pay her back more than she spent for that
-The skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinners because she's too busy
both DCs nap at the same time for at least 2hrs everyday so she always has a break for lunch (she's never here for breakfast or dinner).
-The shirts your kids pooped on, puked on, stained with blueberry/strawberry fingers, ripped while hanging on nanny
i don't have a response for this one so ill give you that.
-The time your nanny spends planning and shopping for activities on her own time
Again, she has at least 2 hrs at nap time for that
-All the things your nanny did this year that she didn't have to do, that you may not have even noticed (taking out the trash and recycle, loading/unloading your dishwasher, folding the clothes you left in the dryer, helping you pack/unpack for vacations, surprise dinner/baked goods, picking up the eggs/milk she knew you were out of, etc. )
[b]she did organize one DCs dresser drawer one time but that's the only "extra" thing she's done.[b].

FWIW I did give the nanny a bonus this year because she's great with the kids and I know she really could use the money. I don't think she was expecting it but I know she appreciated it. By your standards though I basically gave her a bonus for her clothes that may or may not have been ruined and for the one time she organized one drawer of clothes. My point is that there is no standard and nannies shouldn't "expect" anything. If you are a truly exceptional nanny and don't feel you are appreciated then no one will fault you for looking for another job but don't base it solely on whether are not you get what you feel is an appropriate bonus.

I'm not saying that these are the only reasons to give a bonus, of course. My post was a response to the employers who claim that they can't justify giving that large of a "gift". If most of you really thought about it, you probably owe your nanny that money and more. That was my point, to those that say their nanny has done nothing to earn a bonus. As I illustrated, just by showing up 5 minutes early, and staying 5 minutes late to debrief you every day, she has "earned" that bonus. Good for you for building your nanny's schedule in a way that respects her time. It has not been my experience that most bosses do that. Most bosses plan to head out the door when nanny arrives, so being late is a problem, and they don't walk in until her end time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez you people are dumb. Bonuses are bonuses, not standard. It is a GIFT given at the discretion of the employer. (I'm a nanny by the way.)

-The 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you before her start time each day (5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~21-42 hours annually)
the nanny's start time is 15 minutes before I have to leave
-The occasional 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you when you're late/she spends time briefing you on the day, that she doesn't charge you for (2 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~8-17 hours annually)
i get home at least 10-15 minutes before nanny's end time for this reason. The 2 times I've been 5 mins late because of traffic I rounded up to the next 1/2hr.
-The extra money she spends on your children while out and about that she doesn't charge you (a drink here and there, a bag of chips, a small toy, a box of crayons, some stickers, etc. the little incidental cost of spending time with kids)
i always pay her back more than she spent for that
-The skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinners because she's too busy
both DCs nap at the same time for at least 2hrs everyday so she always has a break for lunch (she's never here for breakfast or dinner).
-The shirts your kids pooped on, puked on, stained with blueberry/strawberry fingers, ripped while hanging on nanny
i don't have a response for this one so ill give you that.
-The time your nanny spends planning and shopping for activities on her own time
Again, she has at least 2 hrs at nap time for that
-All the things your nanny did this year that she didn't have to do, that you may not have even noticed (taking out the trash and recycle, loading/unloading your dishwasher, folding the clothes you left in the dryer, helping you pack/unpack for vacations, surprise dinner/baked goods, picking up the eggs/milk she knew you were out of, etc. )
[b]she did organize one DCs dresser drawer one time but that's the only "extra" thing she's done.[b].

FWIW I did give the nanny a bonus this year because she's great with the kids and I know she really could use the money. I don't think she was expecting it but I know she appreciated it. By your standards though I basically gave her a bonus for her clothes that may or may not have been ruined and for the one time she organized one drawer of clothes. My point is that there is no standard and nannies shouldn't "expect" anything. If you are a truly exceptional nanny and don't feel you are appreciated then no one will fault you for looking for another job but don't base it solely on whether are not you get what you feel is an appropriate bonus.

Anonymous wrote:-The 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you before her start time each day (5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~21-42 hours annually) My nanny arrives at 8am and I leave at 8:15, specifically so she has time after she starts to exchange kiddie info with me
-The occasional 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you when you're late/she spends time briefing you on the day, that she doesn't charge you for (2 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~8-17 hours annually) I get home at 5:15 or 5:20 and the nanny is scheduled to work until 5:30 specifically so we have an overlap for an exchange of kiddie info.
-The extra money she spends on your children while out and about that she doesn't charge you (a drink here and there, a bag of chips, a small toy, a box of crayons, some stickers, etc. the little incidental cost of spending time with kids) The nanny is given petty cash specifically for these types of things
-The skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinners because she's too busy We specifically make it a point to keep food our nanny likes in our house so she can grab something, and again, petty cash
-The shirts your kids pooped on, puked on, stained with blueberry/strawberry fingers, ripped while hanging on nanny Our nanny has been told to let us know if our kids ruin any of her clothes and we will either pay for drycleaning or replace the item.
-The time your nanny spends planning and shopping for activities on her own time Our kids have naptime and quiet/time specifically so the nanny has downtime and time to plan for future activities.
-All the things your nanny did this year that she didn't have to do, that you may not have even noticed (taking out the trash and recycle, loading/unloading your dishwasher, folding the clothes you left in the dryer, helping you pack/unpack for vacations, surprise dinner/baked goods, picking up the eggs/milk she knew you were out of, etc. ) [b]All of these things are written into our nanny's contract.

(Sorry, to busy to bold my answers properly)

Congrats? You're one person. You've done a really thorough job of crafting your nanny's position and being sure that she is compensated for everything she does for you. I'm sure she's very happy and already feels appreciated. But you can't really think that your situation is typical? Never has an employer offered to comp me for ruined clothing. Its part of the job, but it is a cost I incur. I make a point of being at least 5 minutes early, have never been late, NEVER, and my employ gets home at 5:30 each day (my end time) if I'm lucky. Usually she is a few minutes late, then we discuss the day. I routinely leave closer to 5:45-6:00 each day. My contracted duties are purely childcare, and doesn't even include kid laundry. I do kid laundry, fold whatever may be left in the dryer, the house is left cleaner than when I arrived, I regularly restock their eggs and milk, etc. These are all extra things I do to keep my bosses happy, I am very aware of the unpaid time and how it adds up, and my annual bonus is honestly something I expect as payment/show of appreciation for all of those "extras". If I didn't get my bonus, those "extras" would stop, I would begin using a time sheet to track my actual end time, and I would begin looking for a new family.

-The 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you before her start time each day (5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~21-42 hours annually) My nanny arrives at 8am and I leave at 8:15, specifically so she has time after she starts to exchange kiddie info with me
-The occasional 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you when you're late/she spends time briefing you on the day, that she doesn't charge you for (2 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~8-17 hours annually) I get home at 5:15 or 5:20 and the nanny is scheduled to work until 5:30 specifically so we have an overlap for an exchange of kiddie info.
-The extra money she spends on your children while out and about that she doesn't charge you (a drink here and there, a bag of chips, a small toy, a box of crayons, some stickers, etc. the little incidental cost of spending time with kids) The nanny is given petty cash specifically for these types of things
-The skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinners because she's too busy We specifically make it a point to keep food our nanny likes in our house so she can grab something, and again, petty cash
-The shirts your kids pooped on, puked on, stained with blueberry/strawberry fingers, ripped while hanging on nanny Our nanny has been told to let us know if our kids ruin any of her clothes and we will either pay for drycleaning or replace the item.
-The time your nanny spends planning and shopping for activities on her own time Our kids have naptime and quiet/time specifically so the nanny has downtime and time to plan for future activities.
-All the things your nanny did this year that she didn't have to do, that you may not have even noticed (taking out the trash and recycle, loading/unloading your dishwasher, folding the clothes you left in the dryer, helping you pack/unpack for vacations, surprise dinner/baked goods, picking up the eggs/milk she knew you were out of, etc. ) [b]All of these things are written into our nanny's contract.

(Sorry, to busy to bold my answers properly)

Anonymous wrote:Jeez you people are dumb. Bonuses are bonuses, not standard. It is a GIFT given at the discretion of the employer. (I'm a nanny by the way.)

Name calling doesn't help your argument, in fact it makes you look silly. A bonus is not a gift. And it is a fact that there are industries in which bonuses or tips are a reasonable expectation for a job well done. Service industries, and other industries, in which it is difficult to define and fairly compensate for the varying levels of flexibility, changing hours, and changing duties, typically reward employees with performance bonuses or tips. A nanny who did absolutely nothing more than what is in her contract, showing up exactly at start time, and walking out the door at her end time, never cleaning an extra dish, never doing any extra helpful things, would not be a very good nanny, and she likely WOULD NOT HAVE A JOB. So by the very fact that someone is an employed nanny, with employers that are pleased with her performance, she is most likely due a bonus.

If you don't like that, think about it this way; the year end bonus pays for:

-The 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you before her start time each day (5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~21-42 hours annually)
-The occasional 5-10 minutes your nanny gives you when you're late/she spends time briefing you on the day, that she doesn't charge you for (2 days per week, 50 weeks per year, ~8-17 hours annually)
-The extra money she spends on your children while out and about that she doesn't charge you (a drink here and there, a bag of chips, a small toy, a box of crayons, some stickers, etc. the little incidental cost of spending time with kids)
-The skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinners because she's too busy
-The shirts your kids pooped on, puked on, stained with blueberry/strawberry fingers, ripped while hanging on nanny
-The time your nanny spends planning and shopping for activities on her own time
-All the things your nanny did this year that she didn't have to do, that you may not have even noticed (taking out the trash and recycle, loading/unloading your dishwasher, folding the clothes you left in the dryer, helping you pack/unpack for vacations, surprise dinner/baked goods, picking up the eggs/milk she knew you were out of, etc. )

Throughout the course of the year, most decent nannies do some or all of these things. Most of these things are so small you may not even notice them, or remember how often she does them, but as you can see they all add up. Even just the small increments of unpaid time (5-10 minutes here and there) probably add up to that weeks salary of a bonus that your nanny really is entitled to. Please please think about that next time you think you don't owe her anything, that a bonus is unnecessary, or that a $50 gift card is enough. If you're honest with yourself, you know it isn't.

Jeez you people are dumb. Bonuses are bonuses, not standard. It is a GIFT given at the discretion of the employer. (I'm a nanny by the way.)

Anonymous wrote:Consider having a job to go to every day your bonus. You are not entitled to a bonus. Most people don't get a bonus. Neither my husband nor I got a bonus this year or any other year.

If you worked in an industry in which bonuses were standard, and even taken into account when considering your compensation and your job duties, you would be highly upset if you didn't receive one. You can be upset about this and still be grateful to have a job. That's a pretty low bar you're setting there, and slippery slope if we all lowered our standards that much. "Oh my paycheck was a week late, but at least I have a job!" "Oh, my boss was over an hour late this evening, but at least I have a job!" "I broke a dish, and my MB smacked me, but at least I have a job!!!"

Anonymous wrote:Consider having a job to go to every day your bonus. You are not entitled to a bonus. Most people don't get a bonus. Neither my husband nor I got a bonus this year or any other year.

And do you and your husband work in industries where bonuses are not standard? uh huh, that's what I thought.

This argument doesn't hold water. Christmas bonuses are standard in the nanny industry. OP should have gotten one.