I have paid for private in home care for my mother. When we started it was for a few hours a day but gradually increased to so that my mother had nearly full-time care in her apartment. We paid $19/hour. My mother passed and suddenly the women are without a job. What is appropriate payment?
Thank you.
Working under the table, huh? Well, you as the "employer" are the one who decided to hire under the table and not take out for Social Security and Medicare. Or unemployment insurance. You also saved money not having to pay into any such things as a pension plan or 401K. Or health insurance. As you well know, hiring under the table is also illegal, but you're going to say your illegal help is the one taking a chance?
Your help asking after their severance the day your mother passed away could have waited a few days. If you had a good working relationship with your help and they trust you, they wouldn't have to chase after any money because they would be confident that you'll do right by them.
They were paid to perform a Service and Service is no longer needed and they will work elsewhere
If you paid them under the table, you can decide on what is appropriate for the care they gave, if their attitude supports such generosity, and your finances.
Unless the caregiver took your mother's clothing with her permission and before she died, the clothing belongs to the estate and the caregiver may be guilty of theft. In business, one fires - for cause - employees who steal.
I would evaluate each caregiver independently and offer/deny a bonus accordingly.
To ask you about her pay at one of the hardest times in your life says it all. She didn't, doesn't and never will care about her patients, this is about her earning a living. That is fine, it just removes any obligation for you to care about her. She was just there for the paycheck and that should be all she gets.
There is such a shortage of workers that anyone really wanting employment will be able to find a job immediately. No need to give her a paid vacation.
I am so sorry for your loss and I am sorry that you have to deal with this person and their greedy, grubbing personality at this difficult time.
Do you take a paid vacation from your job? Or do you tell your employer there's no need because you already get paid for doing your work?
What you see as a greedy and money-grubbing personality is very likely a person who's just trying to get by and make a living in a line of work that is very hard to make a living in.
Sometimes a person has to ask about their pay. This is how homecare works because most of the time the caregiver and what they're owed or been promised gets forgotten about. No caregiver ever intends to make some family feel bad. Especially when they're going through a hard time, but we all have to eat and pay bills just like everyone else. I can't tell you how many wonderful, generous families I've worked for over the years that I had to chase down to get what I was owed. It's not personal. It's business. No caregiver should have to chase family members down for their money or ask after it during a hard time. It should just be paid without question.
I'm pretty sure that if you were owed wages or some benefit from your employer, you'd get after it too.
Caregivers aren't supposed to do the same?
It is very rare to come across an employer like you who thinks so highly of the help. I should know because I was in homecare almost 25 years. In all that time I never had client families offer anything other than a handshake and a 'thank-you'.
I'd say whatever you want to give them and whatever you can afford will be appropriate.
I wish I worked for you and your mother. You sound like a wonderful family who really appreciates good help.
I would give at most for anyone else 1 month and recommendations
You paid a good wage. These aides know their jobs are not permanent. I would consider how long each one has been with Mom. Personally, I have never gotten more than a months pay in severance. The less was 2 weeks. Just enough till my unemployment started. Which if you didn't take out taxes for, they can't get.
So, it depends on how they did their jobs. How long they were with Mom. The one that asked would get the least. I bet she wasn't u best worker. If no one in the family wants the bed, tell her she can have it and that will be her severance. I will bet you find something missing when you have time to clean out.
I think no more than a month. Two weeks at least.
My mom's caregivers had been with her for 7 and 4 years. They were very close to her, to the point that we considered them "family" for the funeral arrangements. One of them was hired within a week of my mom's death because my mom lived in a retirement community, and other people had seen the excellent care she gave my mom. I actually think her new employer may have been waiting for the opportunity. The other caregiver had delayed her retirement to stay with my mom. We gave them a couple month's salary, knowing the money would be welcome and helpful, but not necessary. One caregiver had been with my dad before my mom, and he gave her a gift of money just before he died.
I think a month to three month's salary would be very helpful.
The best thing you can do beyond giving some extra pay is to put it out there to everyone you know (NextDoor app, for instance) that someone you recommend highly is now available.