Maid christmas bonus

Adrian Bye

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Jul 7, 2002
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Hi guys,

Whats the details for the christmas bonus for a maid? I have a maid who comes a couple of times a week, I pay her RD $2000/month. She's been working for me for a year.

How much am I expected to give her for christmas bonus?

And, since she's been really great, what is an additional appropriate gift/money to say thank you?

Adrian
 

La Gata

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Jul 16, 2003
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We are wondering the same thing! We have a maid and she has only been with us for 3 months and we pay her $4000 RD a month. We would like to give her a bonus we just dont know what is too much or too little!

Thanks
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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adrian, I recommend you repost your question in the Legal section in order to get a response from Fabio Guzman. He doesn't search the other sections for questions of a legal nature. Since the regalia (Christmas bonus) is based on the law, it would be best for you to see what he has to say.
 

Eddy

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Jan 1, 2002
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Art. 292 of the Dominican Labour code. 1/12 of the monthly salary for every month worked. CabareteCid 1/4 of $4,000.00 = 1,000.00.
adrianb = 2,000
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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And really......

Eddy said:
Art. 292 of the Dominican Labour code. 1/12 of the monthly salary for every month worked. CabareteCid 1/4 of $4,000.00 = 1,000.00.
adrianb = 2,000

Either amount is barely $50 or $100 for a year's work (well potentially) so even if not a legal requirement which it is, why not give her $100 US cash? I would.
 

FireGuy

Rest in peace Amigo!
Aug 21, 2002
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Sorry Eddy,

I work it out like this:

CabareteCid
1/12 X 12 months X $2000RD = $2000RD Legally Required

adrianb
1/12 X 3 months X $4000RD = $1000RD Legally Required

Plus in each case whatever you would like to add on top of this (if anything). Personally I tend to agree with ricktoronto that since both amounts are a little more than a pittance by non-DR standards why not be generous - if the work is as or better than expected (just my opinion).

Eddy
Did I misunderstand your formula? Your numbers just didn't seem to compute for me.

Gregg
 
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ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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One month per year, simple equation

BTW 1/12 X 12 is the same as 1. So A full year is one month e.g. 1/12 of a year or $2000 for the one.

The other would be $1000 since she would get $4000 for a year (one month's pay) but only worked for 1/4 of a year it is 1/4 of $4000.

Either way $100 is as affordable for your servants.
 
S

Stephen

Guest
Art. 292 of the Dominican Labour code

..........does not apply to domestic help. Bonus' for domestic help is not mandatory. That includes your maid, gardener etc.... at your private residence
 

quaqualita

Member
Feb 4, 2002
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no Stephen, the articles 258-265 of the "Codigo de trabajo", are about the rigths of domestic workers (maids, gardeners). They are entitled to 2 weeks of paid vacations for every year of service and christmas salary, like calculated above.

So, ricktoronto and Fireguy are right:
CabareteCid
1/12 X 12 months X $2000RD = $2000RD Legally Required
adrianb
1/12 X 3 months X $4000RD = $1000RD Legally Required

and I also agree, if you are very happy with the work of your maid, you are free to give her more. I do also.

quaqualita
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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No reason to "Over Pay",or "Over Bonus"!

2000 a month for a "Part-time" maid is a "LOT",even by Santo Domingo standards.And 4000 a month is way too much! You do no one a favor by paying more than the going rate for labor,just because you come from another country!

Do employers in England tell their employee,"This job is only worth 5 pounds an hour,but that is not enough,I'm going to pay you 10!In "Germany",they get ten!

Makes no sense,and is condesending as well!

My maid "lives-in" we pay her 2000 a month! I will give her 2000 "bonus",and increase her pay to 2,500 a month in January,and to 3000 a month in August,if she is still with us! It is better to start "low",and give a pay increase every 6 months,rewards good service,and "longevity"!
But don't get too high!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 
Oct 13, 2003
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As all of you have of course already noticed

But just for the sake of correctnes:

adrianb has a maid who worked the entire year therefore:
1/12 x 12 X $ 2000 = $ 2000 Regalia for his maid

CabareteCid has a maid who worked 3 months therefore:
1/12 x 3 x $ 4000 = $ 1000 Regalia for his maid

In previous post the numbers were correct but they were ascribed to the wrong posters, except by Eddy who got it right first try...

Sorry, but when it comes to numbers I am usually a little anal :classic:

MD
 

Adrian Bye

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Jul 7, 2002
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Hey guys,

Thanks for your comments.

I'll give my maid RD $3000 as a christmas bonus.

Ken, you're right, I should have posted this in the legal section.

Criss - I understand what you're saying about overpaying. However my time is very valuable, so I prefer to overpay - and have less management issues. My maid has been 100% rock solid in the year she's been working for me, and thats well worth overpaying RD $500 - RD $1000/month. Other people complain about having things stolen, the maid being on an irregular schedule, or not doing a good job. I've had no problems like that.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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I agree its a difficult balance to strike. We have increased our maid's pay to RD$2000 per month for two day's work per week. We have just paid her the regalia, simply the equivalent of one month's wages, so that for December she gets double pay, and we will be giving her a Christmas basket next week.

When she started working for us about 4 years ago I paid her RD$1,600 per month, which was then equivalent to US$100. Her current RD$2,000 per month is worth just over half of that, and I am very conscious of this. We try and make up for it in other ways, such as interest-free loans (which she has paid back in full), paying for medical consultations and medicines and gifts of food and clothes.

If I had my way I would pay her at least RD$4,000 but this is too far above the going rate and as some point out there may be drawbacks to being considered too generous.

Like adrianb's maid, ours has never let us down, and does an exceptionally good job.

Chiri
 

FireGuy

Rest in peace Amigo!
Aug 21, 2002
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Doubly sorry Eddy, my sincere apologies;

After re-reading, taking my obvious dyslexia into account last evening and defering to the most anal (LOL) MerengueDutchie I concede that I errantly posted the correct formulae for the incorrect posters and that Eddy was RIGHT ON AS USUAL in his contention of calculations.

In addition I think we all acknowledge that we know (ricktoronto) that 1/12 X 12 = 1 but it was put that way to conform to the stated formula.

Anyway as long as the "domestics" get at least their legal requirement or more we can breathe a sigh of relief in the name of the thirteenth month.

Gregg
 

bochinche

Bronze
Jun 19, 2003
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...f*** the formulae! why don't you just use some common sense?

if they've been a year give them the extra month (maximum) or fraction of a salary depending on how many months they have been with you.

- forget about the legal stuff, if they really are unhappy with their bonus they might get some bozo from the local government department to give you some hassle, but that is doubtful.
- don't over pay them, that is just stupid.
- and don't pay them in dollars either, that is even more stupid (and makes you look stupid as well).
- don't lose any sleep worrying about this.

maybe that isn't common sense for most of you after all, but i still think it is.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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Juan, do you mean sueldo (salary)?

When they talk about double salary they are talking about the payment in which the employee gets his regal?a (Christmas bonus).
 

mikeyone

New member
Apr 16, 2003
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And Get a Signature

I agree with C.C... you guys are paying too much above the goimg rate....Glad my staff cant use the computer......One thing I think you all should consider, being so generous....... get a signature every time you pay, including bonus etc.... FOR...WHEN ITS TIME TO LEAVE....... they become something else... I have friend who paid without signature... and ended up having to pay 30,000 pesos more than necc..(old Rates).....My advise anyway.M.
 

Juan_Lopez

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Oct 21, 2003
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ken---Could be.... I always thought it was Luck, seriousely.

More on point, I have always paid employees double their current salary for the month of december as their december luck. i have never given them additional bonuses.

There are formulas for when an employee leaves your company, sorta like unemployment insurance but dominican style. I would have to ask my accountant for specific formulas. I remeber it cost a friend of mine over $RD 100,000 pesos to get rid (fired) of 6 bad employees and this was when the peso was 16.5 > 1...... be very careful with who you hire and can their asses before 3 months if their work is bad.

I did not know there was a specific formula for x-mas bonuses other than DOUBLE...........
 
Oct 13, 2003
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upper limit to X--mas bonus

I heard from another poster in the legal section that the Regalia is limited to a maximum of 5 times the minimum salary in the applicable company.

MD