Advice on cleaner's Christmas present

[ThirstyMeeples]

Normally our cleaner has 1 week off at Christmas. We pay her normal weekly wage (60) and then do a gift usually wine and chocolates.
This year she's taking 2 weeks off. Should I pay her for both weeks she isn't here ie a bigger Christmas gift as well as choc and wine or would you cancel one of the week's payments?
Want to do the right thing but also £120 seems quite a lot.
Any advice welcome, thanks.

I don’t think she should expect two weeks paid. One week as a Christmas bonus is more than generous. Does she realise that pay is a bonus rather than ‘holiday pay’?

What happens when she takes a couple of weeks in the summer?

No. Just pay for one, or she’ll be wanting 3 paid weeks next year.

I would pay both.

I’m assuming she’s paid cash in hand, so you don’t pay holiday pay.

i think a weeks money and wine/chocolates is plenty, if she chooses to take a second week unpaid, thats up to her

Thanks. She's paid by DD so I'd have to stop 1w payment. I tend to also pay in the summer for 1w when she's away. But not the other weeks she's off.

To be fair you may be tempted to try it on like wouldn't you?

What you've always done is fine OP. Don't fall into a trap you can't/ don't want to sustain.

I pay her €65 a week normally. For Christmas I give her €150 plus a small present. This year I got her a L'Oréal gift set that cost me €20.

I she took a week off, I wouldn't pay her. However, if Christmas day or Stephen's day falls on her normal day, I cancel her and pay her for that so I would give her €200 in those circumstances so a slightly smaller bonus.

I know I am more generous than most. However, she is absolutely wonderful and I definitely don't want to ever lose her. I only gave my previous cleaner who was only alright €20 or €30 extra at Christmas.

Thanks. I think I'll pay 1 week as Xmas bonus and then stop the 2nd week. But maybe do a slightly nicer bottle of wine and chocs.

I’m a cleaner.
i stop the last working day before Xmas Eve and resume in the new year.
My clients never pay for the break and they don’t generally give any gift.
I’m Self employed. I don’t get holiday pay. It’s a cost/loss of earnings that I have to factor in across the year.

You are very generous giving one weeks holiday pay. I am a self employed cleaner, I don't have any clients that do this. I don't think you need to pay her 2 weeks. I save a little each month to prepare for any time off I take.

One weeks pay and two tickets to the cinema

Thanks for your reply. I think, although she is self employed, she's so reliable and good that I feel I want to thank her (and keep her!) so it's the decent thing to do. I assumed most people did the same as my parents pay all year around even when they or she are on holiday.

One weeks bonus pay and wine and chocs sounds lovely of you. No need for any more.

No, not normal (having both worked as a cleaner and employed a cleaner!). Normal is the equivalent of the cost of one (if generous two) cleans as either cash, payment despite being on holiday, or gifts to the value of.

If my cleaner is off we don't pay her. Over Christmas though we choose to pay her for both weeks. Partly it is because she works hard all week, has extended family who I am sure she can enjoy spending time with and she is probably really busy in the run up to Christmas.

It is also because it suits us. We are on different schedules over Christmas, off on activities, the teens are off so she might be trying to tidy up around them or she might be coming when they have friends over. It also means we can relax our tidying before she comes a little as well.

I think though there is no obligation to pay your cleaner if they have chosen to take two weeks off and you would prefer that it is only one week, or even no weeks off. They are self employed and they choose their level of pay and their hours.