The end of the year is the time we get to show extra special appreciation to the people who work in our homes by providing a generous end of the year bonus. An average year-end bonus is usually one to two weeks pay, although you can of course choose to give more!
This year, with 72% of domestic workers* having lost all or part of their income due to COVID-19, an end of year bonus is even more meaningful. To help answer your questions, we’ve updated our Holiday and End of Year Bonus Guide which includes tips about providing time off and communicating your plans.
Why we give bonuses…
“I’ve always given her a Christmas and Thanksgiving bonus since she started working as our family’s housekeeper. There’s no exception now, even though she’s not working due to the shelter-in-place order. Her holiday bonus is not based on the number of hours–instead, it’s just a thank you and an acknowledgement of her during the holiday so that she can have nice, restful, beautiful family time.”
— Rebecca Howard, California House Cleaner Employer
“I give bonuses to show the people who work in my home that I appreciate them! Expressing my appreciation with a tangible benefit is a way to tell them that they are valued, and to retain them as essential parts of our household’s team.”
—Elana Baurer, Philadelphia Nanny & House Cleaner Employer
“We always give a holiday bonus to our house cleaners because they do such great work and we are so thankful for how much easier they make our lives. It’s our way to give an extra ‘thank you’ because they always go the extra mile for us!”
—Evelyn Ho, California Housecleaner Employer
“We firmly believe in providing a year-end bonus to our caregiver because it’s the right thing to do, especially during these challenging and difficult times. For us, a bonus represents our appreciation for all that our caregiver has done to support our family, in caring for our daughter.”
—Julia Yang, New York City Nanny Employer
“Our 11 year old son has a neuromuscular condition and is considered medically fragile. We have a couple different homecare nurses who come to our house and help provide care for him during the day. They are paid through an agency and its covered by our insurance but we also wanted to figure out a way to pay a year-end bonus given the amazing care they give to our son. In conversations with Hand in Hand staff we were able to figure out a good amount for the bonus and a thoughtful way to talk to them about it. It’s now become part of our year-end routine and is greatly appreciated.”
—Burke Stansbury, Seattle Home Attendant Employer
Thank you for all that you do. We wish you a caring, safe and healthy holiday season.
*April 2020 Survey from NDWA
