Nov
06
Maid Help!
ByGuest Post by Marina K. Villatoro, Travel Experta.
I need some advice on the ins and outs of bonuses and other things when it comes to domestic help.
I have a great cleaning lady that comes to my house 6 days a week for 4 hours a day. She’s been with me for 4 months now and I’m very happy with her. I’m going to be heading to the US for one month and obviously don’t want to lose her.
Instead of paying her the bonus, I was planning on giving her 6 weeks (my trip plus holidays) off but fully paid. Basically, 100% paid vacation.
So my question is:
Even though I’ll be paying her for not working, do I still have to pay her a bonus?
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17 Comments
November 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
According to what I've heard (and this may possibly be Guatemalan law, though I can't swear to it) after six months, you are required/it is customary to pay her half a month's salary. She then gets 2 weeks vacation (paid) per year. So, yes, you're being more than fair, generous, in fact…I'm planning to do somewhat the same for my maid when we go to the States next summer. Plus, she can work while you're gone if she wants for someone else, though I wouldn't bring that up lest you lose her.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Marina, my suggestion would be to get her to sign a piece of paper that establishes when she started working for you and that her work is ending and that you have paid her in full. Then give her a second document that gives her the 1.5 months bonus. Tell her that when you return you're going to rehire her.
This will protect you in terms of any claim she would have against you, give her the paid time off, and when you rehire her in 6 weeks, you're starting over again instead of continuing to accrue (in her mind) all sorts of bonuses and severance pay she will assume you owe her. Believe me, I've just been through this with a former maid.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Marina, I thought, but am not positive, that laws regarding domestic help have changed recently. I can tell you employment law in regards to other than domestic help. You can be as generous as you want to your housekeeper but I can guarantee you that she will expect, and most likely by law, that she is eligible for her bono 14 and alguinaldo and vacation time. Don't think that you can trade one thing for the other. It really does not work that way here. I recommend, no matter how many hours a person works for you, that you have a contract and are very clear about employment law not about what you want to pay her or what extras you are giving her. Fairness does not work when you get called into the work inspector's office or a law office. Do a little checking around and always err on the side of the employment law when hiring anyone to work for you. If you never dealt with the work inspectors regarding a disgruntled employee, and they may not see unhappy when they leave your employment, you really don't want to. It is time consuming, costs a lot of money and is just all around unpleasant. Get the a copy of the domestic help employment laws, it will save you heartache.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Hey Mark . . .don´t be a whimp and forget about the advice to "err on the side of of the employment law"..
Nobody could actually produce a complete "employment law" document in Guatemala if they tried. Tell the maid (don´t ask) you don´t need her from x date to x date. Tell her that if she wants her PART TIME JOB back to be there at that date and thats that. There is no bono 14 and aguinaldo for casual staff employed by the hour. If she doesn´t like it just mention to a lurker that there is cleaning work at your house and half the town will turn up.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Also never pay in advance or lend money to the maids or gardners and check their duffle bags and backpacks before they leave after each shift. Impose fines for any misdemeanor like answering back, turning up late, getting the wrong plate, damaging the switch on the washing machine etc. They like all that sort of thing and will actually tell you how happy they are on payday when they received their full pay without any deductions. Another way to handle your going away is simply not tell the maid and whn she gets to your house it´s all locked up. This is probably the fairest way as it is the same thing they do when they decide not to come back to work for you because they feel insulted that you expect a fair days work for fair pay.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Q&A – these people are human, too, not just dogs to be treated any way you like. Sure, many don't work out well, but fire them and hire another. We have a great maid who lives with us and I wouldn't dream of treating her like you mention. No, I don't loan her money, and yes, she has to be on time when she returns. Treat your help humanely and you'll be surprised what you get in return.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Q&A must have deleted her other post that I responded to, but my reply still stands.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I am sure you're being facetious. You would have surely had your throat slit by now if you did any of your funny deductions, which are probably illegal. Funny guy.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
mmmmm. . . . if I was to have my throat slit, would you be doing this yourself or would you be waiting for a group of friends to egg you on? Will the knife be attached to a log pole or would you be standing on stilts?
November 6th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Hi Benjamin!
This sounds doable. So basically, I'm going with the law.
I'm defeinitely not going to give her ideas to work elsewhere:)
November 6th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
LOL how did all this degenerate into throat-slitting? Mark brings out the best in us
November 6th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Hi Mark,
I'm a bit nervous of doing this before I leave. I think I will do it once I come back. She's too simple and will freak out thinking I'm firing her. However, I am planning on doing a contract with her for sure.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
You may want to check into the vacation thing, since she's part-time…but giving her vacation even if she isn't necessarily entitled to it can't do much harm, I think
November 6th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Good idea, Mark. We drew up papers with her working hours and pay when she started and it's been useful on a couple of occasions.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Q & A, if you are being sarcastic, your not funny, if you aren't, I would be glad to slit your throat !
November 6th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I wouldn't need stilts or a pole, you are the type of person that spends a lot of time of his knees.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:19 am
Marina,
I had a similar situation, have a househelp who helps me with shopping, occasionally cooking, light housekeeping, plays with my 2 yr old for maybe an hour. she works 3-4 days per week. she is paid excessively well from what i have seen everyone else post. we went out of town and I didn't want to pay her for not working so I had her come 2 days a week to do some housekeeping. I didn't want to confuse things by paying for 2 weeks now and calling it vacation when she will expect it later too. Now my problem is I have decided that I want to let her go in December. She started in July so we will be right at the 6 months mark. I was thinking of giving her 2 weeks vacaction from Dec 15 – Dec 30th with pay and then 2 weeks bonus. Which equals basically a month of pay. does this sound like reasonable?and should I still get all of this in writing with her? I wanted to do everything at one time…vacation. bonus and termination? will that work?
will probably hire another person when we return at end of January for just morning housekeeping 3 days a week. we also have a maid 2 days a week as part of our rent.
Marian