In the U.S., we’ve become accustomed to tipping our restaurant servers, bartenders, hair stylists, and hotel housekeepers. But what about your domestic staff?
Many homeowners wonder how much to tip house cleaners and other staff members that provide services on an ongoing basis and when tipping is appropriate or expected. Here’s a guide for domestic staff tipping to help you navigate the etiquette intricacies and ensure that your staff members are happy and properly taken care of.
When to Tip Household Staff Members
The standard in the domestic staff industry, as well as many other industries in business, is to provide your employees with a year-end or Christmas bonus in December of each year. If you hire a staff member through an agency, such as Household Staffing International, ask the agency what the tipping protocol is for that particular position. If your staff member only makes minimum wage, he or she may rely on tips to live off of. However, other staffing arrangements actually build tips into the hourly rate or salary, so there is no need to tip on top of the regular pay amount unless you really want to.
How Much Are You Supposed to Tip?
There is no hard rule for tipping domestic staff like there is for servers and bartenders, which is approximately 15-20 percent based on the service you received. If you’re wondering how much to tip house cleaners, for example, the going rate these days is about $10 to $20 per cleaning if it is a one-time or occasional service. However, if you have a staff member come into to clean your home on a regular weekly or monthly basis, there is no need to tip them each and every time. In this circumstance, it’s typically best to provide a bonus at the end of the year, on the employee’s birthday, or on the employee’s anniversary of the date of hire.
Due to the personal connection with children and the entire family, the average year-end bonus for nannies is two weeks’ pay, approximately $600, along with a personal gift. Meanwhile, your doorman may expect only between $25 and $100 as a year-end tip for services performed throughout the year.
Tipping Alternatives
Tipping can be feel very awkward for both employers and domestic staff members, so sometimes its best to give something other than cash to show your appreciation. Consider giving your staff members gift cards to a popular general-purpose store nearby or a specialty store if you know where they like to shop. It may also be more comfortable and appropriate to give your staff members tickets to a fun event for a day off of work, a bottle of wine, or a nice scarf as a tipping alternative.
What Is a Good Tip?
A good tip is one that you are comfortable with and that you feel reflects your appreciation for the work being done in your home. Whether in cash or as a cash alternative, a tip should reflect the amount of work that a staff member does for you and what your regular demands are. Sometimes the best tip is a couple crisp bills enclosed in a handwritten note expressing your gratitude. But if you connect with your staff members on a more personal level, feel free to get more creative with your tipping strategy. Also, if you are providing a tip during the holiday season, make sure to give the gift early enough to allow your staff members to use it for holiday shopping.
If you hire a domestic staff member through Household Staffing International and would like advice on how households similar to yours approach tipping, feel free to contact us at any time!