Nanny planned vacation without discussing

[Anonymous]

You have 2 months to find alternate arrangements. I think that's reasonable.

[Anonymous]

I think this is a communication issue. She's worked for your family for years and you presume she knows the family's needs, i.e., summer time coverage. From her end she thinks she's giving you plenty of notice with 2 months to go.

This is obviously eating at you. And I would be similarly annoyed since she's not asking for the time off; she's counting on it. I'd have a conversation about it, and point out the disconnect. If you think you want to keep her in the future, make it explicit about no vacation time during the kids' breaks, or that they need prior approval before she books anything.

[Anonymous]

Two months is a reasonable time to request vacation but a vacation request is a request not a notification. If the employee requests time off during a critical period or when others have already been granted PTO, the employer can say no and direct the employee to take different weeks. Nannies do not seem to understand this.

Is it normal and agreed upon for your nanny to take two consecutive weeks during the summer? You mentioned that you really only pay her all year so you have her in the summers and you were really surprised she announced two weeks in August. If it’s not, my guess is the two week girls trip is BS. She has a cushy gig getting paid for lots of hours while the kids are in school and wants to take her vacation when she has the most work. This is a crap move.

It may be time to move away from this model of childcare.

[Anonymous]

YTA.

She's an employee, not a slave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny of many years mentioned last week shes doing a girls trip for 2 weeks in August.
I’m opening another office for my company same time so not only is it summer break- when my kids are home from school and I need her most- but I’m traveling this time frame.
I’m really pissed she didn’t even mention before she made this trip plan. I feel like she should have discussed this with us. We basically pay her year round to have her for summer when kids home from school.
And this isn’t trip with her kids (I would understand that if she booked a trip when her kids were home from school )—- but this is a girls trip.
Am I fair in thinking she should have discussed with us?
I mean- honestly my boss wouldn’t have looked kindly on me taking off right when I’m opening an office- so I think most people consider their employee when planning trip… at least to some degree.

Would you have *not* allowed her to go? A nanny of many years? Seriously? Make other plans. Deal with it. If she's a good employee, she deserves to go on vacation when SHE wants. She's going with a whole group who coordinated a zillion schedules to make this happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two months is a reasonable time to request vacation but a vacation request is a request not a notification. If the employee requests time off during a critical period or when others have already been granted PTO, the employer can say no and direct the employee to take different weeks. Nannies do not seem to understand this.

Is it normal and agreed upon for your nanny to take two consecutive weeks during the summer? You mentioned that you really only pay her all year so you have her in the summers and you were really surprised she announced two weeks in August. If it’s not, my guess is the two week girls trip is BS. She has a cushy gig getting paid for lots of hours while the kids are in school and wants to take her vacation when she has the most work. This is a crap move.

It may be time to move away from this model of childcare.

You're a terrible boss, I can just tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two months is a reasonable time to request vacation but a vacation request is a request not a notification. If the employee requests time off during a critical period or when others have already been granted PTO, the employer can say no and direct the employee to take different weeks. Nannies do not seem to understand this.

Is it normal and agreed upon for your nanny to take two consecutive weeks during the summer? You mentioned that you really only pay her all year so you have her in the summers and you were really surprised she announced two weeks in August. If it’s not, my guess is the two week girls trip is BS. She has a cushy gig getting paid for lots of hours while the kids are in school and wants to take her vacation when she has the most work. This is a crap move.

It may be time to move away from this model of childcare.

It's not really reasonable to expect an employee to never take vacation in the summer which is prime travel time. If that were very important to the employer it should have been spelled out in the contract.

[Anonymous]

I disagree that its reasonable. She planned to be gone for 2 weeks coincidentally with the time of year her workload as a nanny is highest-summer school break? Girls trips can happen any time of year. She did it on purpose to get out of working.

[Anonymous]

I can’t speak to OP, but for some employers there is never a good time to take a vacation. There’s always something urgent at work. There is always something that needs the nannies attention. I think two months time is plenty Notice.

I am curious what would you have told her if she had talked to you and discussed this prior to her booking her trip? Is there a good time where she can take two weeks?

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't the nanny realize that they are paying her all year specifically to cover the summer months?

[Anonymous]

This is absolutely unacceptable conduct by your nanny. You should ask your nanny to cancel her vacation since she did not discuss it with you previously. at this point in time it’ll be impossible for you to find a camp for your kids that provides the full coverage you will probably need.Middle ground might be for her to Change her vacation from two weeks to one week. You will really need to sit down with her and have a serious discussion on this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't the nanny realize that they are paying her all year specifically to cover the summer months?

If they never said, no. Maybe she thinks they keep her all year for the random days off and half days. Or minor illness coverage. Or to drive around to afterschool activities. Or any of the other times working parents need coverage and can struggle to find it.

[Anonymous]

You've only tried 4 camps, try more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't the nanny realize that they are paying her all year specifically to cover the summer months?

If they never said, no. Maybe she thinks they keep her all year for the random days off and half days. Or minor illness coverage. Or to drive around to afterschool activities. Or any of the other times working parents need coverage and can struggle to find it.

Oh come on. The nanny knows.

[Anonymous]

Post on your list serv or local next door and get a college student for those two weeks.