Nanny raise advice
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Anonymous
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My nanny’s one year anniversary is coming up but we are torn about what to do for a raise. We hired her before we were clear about how often we would need to be back in the office and it turns out we have to be in less than anticipated so we don’t need her for as many hours. Right now our nanny is contracted to work from 9am to 5pm for 40 hours guaranteed per week, however we usually pay overtime for around 5 hours per week as well which accounts mostly for her coming early when DH and I both have to be in the office on the same days, or if we come home late. We pay this overtime despite her not actually working the full 40 hours she is contracted for since our child was in a 2 day a week preschool program and I would usually drop him off in the morning so she just comes at 11:30am to pick him up. In the fall our son will be in school 5 days per week from 9am-12pm so in theory we need her even less hours.
All said, we love our nanny and need to keep her full time to ensure we are covered when there are holidays, sick days, breaks, etc. I am just not sure how we can justify increasing her hourly rate to work even less and still guarantee the 40 hours since she needs a full time job, and then keep paying overtime on top. It seems like one option would be to give her an hourly raise but shift her hours so we no longer have to pay her overtime and two days per week she would work 7:30-5pm, one day she would work 11-7pm and then the other two are 11-5. She would still work less hours than this but not paying overtime would be helpful for us, although she would be making a little less. The other option is to not give her a raise and keep things status quo, but I don’t love paying overtime when she doesn’t work her regular 40 hours. What would you do here? Want to come up with a solution that is fair for both of us, and knowing that our son will continue being in school for a longer day we want to be smart about this now so we can continue with the same plan year after year. |
Anonymous
| In your situation, you are not just paying for the hours she actually works, you are paying for her availability. You are paying her for 40 hours a week (plus overtime) so she doesn’t cut back her time with you to fewer days a week so she can take a second job, and suddenly you’re stuck with no childcare on a Tuesday when you and your spouse both need to be in the office. Your nanny needs to pay her own bills, so if you don’t pay her enough, she will find a new job. If you want her available to meet your needs all week, you need to pay her appropriately, including reasonable wage increases. |
Anonymous
Right, I completely agree. But why am I paying time and a half on top of 40 hours when she doesn’t actually work 40 hours? I completely understand I need to pay her for 40 hours a week and a fair hourly rate, so no disagreement there. |
Anonymous
You can ask her to change her hours, but she won’t necessarily agree to it, especially when you’re trying to change her hours week to week and on school closure days to meet your needs without paying overtime. You need to pick a schedule and stick to it, or pay overtime when you need to deviate from the hours. In the end, it sounds like you’re looking for a way to justify cutting how much you pay her. You can justify it all you want, but none of that will keep her from quitting when someone else offers her better pay. |
Anonymous
| OP, I an in the same boat. I would ask your nanny to shift the hours and guarantee her the same 40 hours, just a little earlier/later on the days you need her. You could also ask if she could cook for all of you (not just the child), put away everyone’s laundry, shop for groceries for you, make beds and tidy up etc. in those extra hours you don’t need her. Our nanny does that for us. She is a true mother’s helper and worth every penny. |
Anonymous
| Would you expect her to be available every day at whatever hours you choose between 7:30am and 7pm? If so, you need to pay a lot more. What if she makes a 9am doctor appointment once day because her core hours are supposed to be 11-7 but then you realize you need her come at 7:30am? Is she free to say no? |
Anonymous
This sounds like the right way to think about this. It sounds like you are getting a LOT of flexibility for only paying for 45 hours. None of my friends have this kind of flexibility (just stay late or come early when you want) for 45 hours a week. You can ask her to do light house work while your kid is at school. Honestly if she’s good with the kid you sound incredibly lucky. |
Anonymous
| Why don't you just make it a nanny/household manager role with a raise? |
Anonymous
Why would a nanny agree to be a cook, housemaid, housekeeper for less money,? Only a fool would agree to far more respoifir less pay. You people are so cheap you need to be screwed into your pants every morning! |
Anonymous
| This is OP, to clarify, the days and hours would not change every week. We would likely say she comes early every Tuesday and Thursday and Wednesdays are the late night. If we changed her hours to start at 11am certain days and then our child is sick and we ask her to come early we would pay overtime - not shift the hours to cover. |
Anonymous
| You can always ask but realize that it makes the job much less desirable to your nanny. When she accepted the position, ahe thought the job would be childcare with 8 hours from 9-5 with occasional longer days with overtime pay. The regular hours allow her to get on a regular sleep routine, schedule appointments, exercise, socialize and have important downtime. The few days she works longer are worth it to her because of the OT pay. A nanny that does a good job and fits in your family is not easy to find, especially these days where women have many options. Use the time to get other things done for yourself and DH or spend 1:1 time with one child. |
Anonymous
| ^^I am a long-time MB, btw. |
Anonymous
| Did you promise your nanny a raise after one year? If she is working less hours and receiving regular OT, you do not need to give her a raise unless it was in the contract or promised prior to her accepting the job. I would give her an annual bonus instead (1-2 weeks pay). |
Anonymous
| You need to do either a raise or an annual bonus that increases her total annual compensation or she will think you don’t recognize her performance and reliability. |
Anonymous
| She loses out big time because not only is she making less, working longer hours but she doesn’t have the time to have a side job with those hours. She may be unhappy with that new set up. |