WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The holidays are a time to provide the important people in our lives with tokens of appreciation. As families crunch their holiday budgets, there's one person they should remember to place on the gift list: their nanny! To help families prepare for the forthcoming holiday season, Care.com, (http://www.care.com/), the world's largest online care destination, has created an interactive Nanny Holiday Bonus Guide with average rates in all 50 U.S. states.
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According to a November 2013 Care.com poll of almost 600 families, 60% give their nanny a monetary holiday bonus and 31% give a non-monetary gift, while 9% give nothing at all. For families unsure of the appropriate amount to give, Care.com's Nanny Holiday Bonus Guide calculates the average holiday bonus for nannies across the country based on data about pay rates per state. Massachusetts currently tops the bonus list, with bonuses averaging between $575 and $1150, followed closely by Connecticut, New York and California.
"Giving nanny bonuses has become customary, as with many professions," said Katie Herrick Bugbee, global parenting expert and senior managing editor, Care.com. "And nannies really depend on it around the holidays. It's also a great way for families to show their appreciation, communicate job security, and help ensure their employee is truly vested in her work – all the same reasons companies and organizations budget for bonuses."
Most families give a holiday bonus that equals between one and two week's pay but the size of the bonus can vary based on several other factors such as whether you live in a major city or rural area, how long your nanny has been with you, and your budget. Most importantly, experts agree how the bonus is calculated should remain consistent year after year to manage expectations and avoid confusion. For families who can't afford a holiday bonus, a meaningful gift is a great alternative.
Unexpected expenses at the end of the year may leave families with a tight holiday budget. Jennifer Kuhn, executive editor at Nanny Magazine and former nanny, recommends families factor a holiday bonus into their budget when they first hire a nanny. However, for families unable to afford the usual bonus, Jennifer suggests, "Explain your situation to your nanny. She'll probably understand. Maybe rather than giving her one lump sum, break it down into smaller more manageable amounts over a period of time."
For more information about Care.com's Nanny Holiday Bonus Guide, visit http://care.com/nanny-bonus.
About Care.com, Inc.
Launched in the U.S. in 2007, Care.com (www.care.com) is now the largest online care destination in the world with 8.8 million members spanning 16 countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as throughout Europe as Betreut. Care.com enables people to connect to family care services in a reliable and easy way, helping them make informed decisions in one of the most critical aspects of their lives – finding and managing quality care. Care.com also provides tools and resources to help families make safer and more informed decisions throughout the search and hiring process, including monitored messaging, background check services, recorded references, and an online safety guide. Through Care.com HomePay℠, a service provided by Breedlove & Associates, L.L.C., a Care.com company, the Company offers an easy way for people to manage their household payroll through the nation's largest provider of household payroll, tax and compliance services. Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, technology companies and professional services firms also offer Care.com memberships and a comprehensive back up care service as a benefit to employees through Care.com's Workplace Solutions program.
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CONTACT: Sarah Tatone, PR Manager for Care.com, 1-781-795-7204, [email protected]
SOURCE Care.com
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