Do you give a nanny a Christmas bonus if she's still on probation?

[HeadFairy]

There is a consensus that if you're going to give a Christmas bonus to your nanny it's a weeks pay plus a token present, however our nanny only started last week and we have a mutually agreed 3 month probation. So should I give her a bonus? We're very happy with her btw, but of course it's early days...

If you are still happy with her at Christmas then why wouldn't you give her the same bonus as anyone else..

What would you expect at Christmas at your own work place? If everyone was taken out for Christmas dinner for instamce and I wasn't invited then I'd be a bit miffed (I don't get a Christmas meal provided anyway but to use the analogy). Same if we were given a starter only rather than a 3 course meal since we'd only been there 3 months...

I know the analogy isn't the same but if she's a nanny maybe there is an expected norm..

Sorry to add my three-penneth worth - too much time on my hand this week with the kids on holiday. I just taxi them around these days to other places and drop them off!!

Treeesa's analogy is a bit different than the actual situation. Not all nannies work for the same employer. Not all employers offer the same bonuses or special outings, even within companies/other work places.

However, if you want to go with that analogy, I'm sure that within the work place, if someone is on probation and has only been there a few weeks or months, they would indeed get a lesser bonus than those that have been there longer. Of course everyone would be invited to the meal, but a cash bonus is quite different.

can't you give her the gift and then agree to look at the bonus issue when she's finished probation?

I would think if you like your nanny and you are happy with her then I would give whatever bonus you would normally want to give. A nice appreciated nanny is probably going to be worth her weight in gold for you, great to appreciate this at the start of the relationship.

One company I know used to give a Christmas bonus then £50 cash in a card. Somehow cash was so lovely!!!

glad all is going well and agree it is early days as 2nd week, but by xmas time your nanny would have been with you 2mths so hopefully by then you would know if all is going well

so yes if you are happy i would give whatever bonus you would have done

I better stick to au pair topics then..! ;-)

Treesa - I don't think any company would pay a bonus to someone who was on probation whereas surely no one would be left out of the company Christmas dinner regardless of their status at the company. That said I'm inclined to give her some kind of token Christmas bonus with perhaps a larger one when her probabtion is over (which is lets face it only a month later)

Of course my next question, do you give the bonus before or after Christmas? Do you include it in pay slip or give cash? And while we're on the subject, what do you do about Christmas pay, do you give it the last working day before Christmas or on the last Friday of the month as normal?

headfairy - bonus i normally get on my last working day before christmas - in card and yes cool crispy cash [hgrin]

same with christmas pay (i get paid monthly) and get paid as normal end of dec, even though generally i finish work around the 22/23 dec and not back till jan

i guess if you pay weekly, then still would be paid as normal and money just goes in same each week

ok, I will double check with her but I'm sure she'd prefer to keep her pay on the normal day than do that horrible 6/7 week between paypackets that so many employers do. We get paid on the 15th of the month so no problems here but dh's employer pay him a couple of days before Christmas and he really struggles through to the end of Jan.

Will defo put cash in an envelope for her (hope she doesn't think that's too wierd) plus buy her something more thoughtful, Lordy knows what though, we barely know her!

You don't have to buy it today - send dh out christmas eve, men are fantastic at buying last minute christmas presents

After 9 weeks, you'll know whether you want to keep her or not, you won't be waiting for the last 3 weeks of probation to make up your mind, so by then you'll know whether or not to give her a present.

I really think cash is unnecessary, many nannies never recieve a cash bonus, if youd like to give her one do it out of the blue either probation or year end. I think a lovely gift would be much more appropriate in this instance.

I think I have been working for the wrong people. I always get a present but have never received a bonus. I have always been pleased though.

I have in the past received very gratefully cash bonus and also presents that the children have choosen for me..showed how well they know me when I received Cds with my perfect choice of music!!! Agree by December you will know if she is going to stay so don't stress too much now about it.