To not give my cleaner a holiday bonus?

[TigerJoy]

I normally give cleaner one week's wages as an extra Christmas bonus. However she usually doesn't miss a clean.

She comes on a Monday so obviously didn't work Christmas Day and wanted the week off so I missed a clean. She came on Thursday last week.

We pay her by standing order so any weeks she takes on holiday (I think 4 or 5 a year) or she is ill we pay her regardless, which I think is only fair.

She was paid for Christmas Day when she didn't work. AIBU to think this counts as her bonus?

Give her a bonus! She's hardly rolling in it is she

I think that's a bonus, yes.

That’s not OP’s problem.

Cleaner accepted a job at X rate. Cleaner does job, cleaner gets paid.

Bonus is unnecessary.

I think that is a bonus that you've paid her.

It's not wages unless you employ her.

I think that's fine.
I did give my cleaner a bonus but I only pay her when she cleans.

I would class that as a bonus

Oh I agree with you completely - a bonus IS unnecessary in a job - your pay is your reward and anything else is, well, a bonus lol.

The OP's question was should she give her a bonus.

I do exactly the same as you, pay monthly- still pay even if she is off ill or on holiday & normally pay an end of year bonus. However like you, my cleaner works a Monday, so this year I didn't pay the end of year bonus because she was paid for Christmas on top of usual holiday allowance & didn't have to work it, or reschedule it that week.

I did however give her the choice of working it on a different day or having it as her bonus & that's what she wanted to do.

Seems mean-spirited.

Yes, it's a bonus as she was paid for a day she didn't work. Surely she is self-employed, in which case you aren't required to pay her holiday or sick leave and it's very nice that you do - those are also bonuses/benefits as they are pay for days she doesn't work

How do you know?! I know several people who work as cleaners who are perfectly well off - they clean as a part time job to give them 'fun money'. I also know cleaners who run their own businesses, so have a fleet of cleaners that work for them and are doing well - they still work themselves for a few clients though. Such an assumption that the only people who will work as cleaners are on the breadline.

Mine comes on mondays too - so no clean since before Xmas as she wanted a break over the Xmas hols. I gave her a bit extra on the last clean before Xmas but I don't pay her whenever doesn't clean on a bank hol/holidays. So I think paying her when she didn't clean that week should be considered a bonus!

It depends did she clean Monday and Thursday the week before Christmas or did she just work the Thursday so the cleaning was done closer to Christmas that week because if she worked the Monday before Christmas and then came in on the Thursday she technically did work an extra day.
Also I think standard of cleaning comes into this...is she just doing basics like dusting and hoovering and bathrooms or is she doing full cleans, picking up rubbish, doing dishes wiping down skirtings, banisters etc.....its great you pay her if she's off sick and holidays though but if we're talking strictly Christmas bonus I think you just need to put yourself in her shoes, look at the level of work she does and ask yourself are you getting the deal here or is she? If the answer is her then I think not giving her a bonus is appropriate but if you have a super busy lifestyle and your house does get quite messy and shes in every week ding deep cleans then I think a bonus is defo appropriate because that level of work, physical hard graft should be rewarded. I know the level of cleaning I do in my own house I couldn't possibly offer enough money for someone to come in and do (i have a toddler and older child with ASD who sensory seeks and still draws on walls and stuff) so I think its about what's proportionate to what she provides .

"Oh I agree with you completely - a bonus IS unnecessary in a job - your pay is your reward and anything else is, well, a bonus lol.

The OP's question was should she give her a bonus."

@NotSuchASmugMarriedAnymore the poster you are quoting answered the question. She said no, a bonus is unnecessary.

You're not "agreeing with her completely", you are disagreeing as you are saying she should pay her a bonus because she's "not exactly rolling in it".

Well, firstly, we don't know. We have no idea about the cleaners finances.

Secondly, maybe she is rolling in it. Good cleaners can make pretty good money.

Yeah that's fine. Also..bit late to give a Christmas bonus now

I know a cleaner who enjoys cleaning - doesn’t need the money as she lives in a £1.4m house.

She got paid for a day she didn't clean = bonus. No need to pay another bonus on top.

Our childminder doesn't work over Christmas (or charge). We give her a cash equivalent instead as a gift/bonus. Surely if you pay for a service that hasn't been provided (and isn't even offered) AND the same again on top, that's a double bonus, no? Self employed people factor in no guaranteed holiday pay/ sick pay to their rates.

Mumsnet is weird about cleaners, as if everyone should feel so guilty about the drudgery they perform that they deserve to be being paid twice over for the weeks they do absolutely no cleaning. Might as well buy a dog and bark yourself ... but twice as often!

OK. I stand corrected. I never knew that so many cleaning ladies were actually very wealthy women, or women who live in million pound houses. In that case - definately no bonus!

Yes, it is a bonus. She didn't work. The wage is the wage, so you are not obliged to throw extra money at her for any reason at all, whether or not she's "rolling in it".

OK, so she's definitely not a millionaire!

She didn't work the week of Christmas at all, and came 4 days late the next week as she wanted NYD off (of course paid that week).

I will regard her pay for Christmas week as her bonus then, thanks all. I know she doesn't have much and I don't want to be scabby.

You're giving her Christmas Day as a day off. I wouldn't call it a bonus as such....

I did the same , paid for my cleaner for Xmas week off. She does a Thursday.
That was her bonus afaiac.

OP unless she works only for you and nobody else she is an independent contractor. You're more than generous paying for when she's ill, etc. Who usually have illness etc worked into the fees they charge.
It's not 'fair' to pay her when she doesn't clean. It's very generous.
Do what you like but paying despite missing service is already a bonus.

I’d consider it a bonus especially given the rest of the info. I only pay when the cleaner shows up and we are away. So I make sure I give her a Xmas bonus or sometimes extra money for an important event (child’s graduation etc). If she’s sick or doesn’t come for her own reasons, I don’t pay.

It's fine. If you're self employed then you shouldn't expect to get paid if you don't come to work. I say that as someone who's also self-employed.