Nanny is late everyday - what to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you okay with her showing up 10 minutes early and having her breakfast or a cup of coffee? If so, make it clear that you need her there no later than 9 and suggest she come a bit early so she can settle in for the day. I think it's unreasonable to ask her to sit in a cold car while she waits for it to turn 9 AM.

This. More generally, it can be helpful to have your nanny arrive 30 minutes before your start time so you have an opportunity to pass along any information and otherwise transition smoothly, and also so that a few minutes delay due to traffic doesn’t become a huge problem for you. Obviously you need to pay for the extra time, but it creates a better working relationship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes you should if it matters to you. But you should also consider whether you actually need her to show up at 9 on the dot. Flexibility to arrive 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in the working world, so you need to consider whether you really have to take that away. If it was 15 minutes every day I might feel differently.

This. We had a nanny who was regularly 5 minutes late. She had a long commute and traffic is unpredictable. But I didn’t have to be out the door the minute she arrived and she was always willing to stay a few minutes late if I needed it. There was a year where DH had a job that required us both to be out the door at a specific time because we drove together...that year we adjusted her schedule so she arrived 15 minutes before we needed to leave and we made sure she understood the time issue. She was never late that year.

[Anonymous]

Have serious talk with her. Tell her in no uncertain terms that she must be in the house and ready to take over at exactly 9. There aren’t no excuses for habitual lateness (from a nanny or an employer!).

Our nanny has never once been late in two years. Never once.

[Anonymous]

A few questions:

-- Does she always leave exactly at her stop time? Or is there often some logistics that have to get worked out so that she's leaving 5-10 minutes after on a regular basis? Remember stuff like this cuts both ways. Giving her a 15 minute grace period in the morning also gives you a 15 minute grace time in the evening, if you are trying to wrap something up with work or need to run a quick errand or something. If there's give and take, I don't think taking a hard line on the morning start time is a good idea.

-- While you are not commuting, does her lateness cause other issues for you? My DH and I have one morning a week where we both have team calls early in the morning, and if our childcare ran late on those days it would be incredibly difficult. Do you often have calls first thing in the morning, or do you have a job where you need to get things to people by midmorning? If so, that's the issue, and as others have noted, you need to ask for an earlier start time. No one wants to be waiting on childcare right as they are trying to prepare for a meeting or finish a draft. Set your nanny's hours in a way that works for you, and if she can't do that, you may need to find another nanny who can. It's not personal -- she may have kids or family at home that make it impossible for her to get to your house earlier every day. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

I don't get all the people acting like this is some big transgression. Being 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in many jobs, even many lower paid jobs with rigid schedules. I have worked in places with hourly workers where some people always show up a little late for a shift. Sometimes it causes real problems, in which case it has to be addressed and fixed. But with proper scheduling, that kind of delay really isn't that big of a deal. If someone is otherwise good at their job, a few minutes delay in the morning due to traffic or whatever is no big deal.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny used to come 5-10 minutes late and blame the morning traffic. DH and I sat down with her and suggested that we change her hours to come 15 mins earlier. She didn’t want to do that and started getting to work on time every day. When she gets here early, she sits in her car and listens to the radio even though we said she is welcome to come and settle in. She spends about 10 minutes making herself breakfast and using the bathroom but we’ve decided that is ok as long as she goes to DD as soon as she is awake.

[Anonymous]

change her start time to 845

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you should if it matters to you. But you should also consider whether you actually need her to show up at 9 on the dot. Flexibility to arrive 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in the working world, so you need to consider whether you really have to take that away. If it was 15 minutes every day I might feel differently.

This. We had a nanny who was regularly 5 minutes late. She had a long commute and traffic is unpredictable. But I didn’t have to be out the door the minute she arrived and she was always willing to stay a few minutes late if I needed it. There was a year where DH had a job that required us both to be out the door at a specific time because we drove together...that year we adjusted her schedule so she arrived 15 minutes before we needed to leave and we made sure she understood the time issue. She was never late that year.

Direct service positions require you to be there on time, ready to go. There are clients or patients that expect you to be at your desk ready to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes you should if it matters to you. But you should also consider whether you actually need her to show up at 9 on the dot. Flexibility to arrive 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in the working world, so you need to consider whether you really have to take that away. If it was 15 minutes every day I might feel differently.

Nanny here.

Larla, you seem to prefer starting between 9.05 and 9.15. We’re going to be moving the start time to 9.15 to accommodate that preference, and we expect you to be on time. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you okay with her showing up 10 minutes early and having her breakfast or a cup of coffee? If so, make it clear that you need her there no later than 9 and suggest she come a bit early so she can settle in for the day. I think it's unreasonable to ask her to sit in a cold car while she waits for it to turn 9 AM.

if you tell her to arrive early then you need to pay her for that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few questions:

-- Does she always leave exactly at her stop time? Or is there often some logistics that have to get worked out so that she's leaving 5-10 minutes after on a regular basis? Remember stuff like this cuts both ways. Giving her a 15 minute grace period in the morning also gives you a 15 minute grace time in the evening, if you are trying to wrap something up with work or need to run a quick errand or something. If there's give and take, I don't think taking a hard line on the morning start time is a good idea.

-- While you are not commuting, does her lateness cause other issues for you? My DH and I have one morning a week where we both have team calls early in the morning, and if our childcare ran late on those days it would be incredibly difficult. Do you often have calls first thing in the morning, or do you have a job where you need to get things to people by midmorning? If so, that's the issue, and as others have noted, you need to ask for an earlier start time. No one wants to be waiting on childcare right as they are trying to prepare for a meeting or finish a draft. Set your nanny's hours in a way that works for you, and if she can't do that, you may need to find another nanny who can. It's not personal -- she may have kids or family at home that make it impossible for her to get to your house earlier every day. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

I don't get all the people acting like this is some big transgression. Being 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in many jobs, even many lower paid jobs with rigid schedules. I have worked in places with hourly workers where some people always show up a little late for a shift. Sometimes it causes real problems, in which case it has to be addressed and fixed. But with proper scheduling, that kind of delay really isn't that big of a deal. If someone is otherwise good at their job, a few minutes delay in the morning due to traffic or whatever is no big deal.

I worked hourly for 5 years. The first time you clocked in more than 5 minutes late (without a call prior to start time), it was a warning. Second time was one less day on the schedule for two weeks. Third time and they were fired. If you were late WITHOUT calling en route, it was one warning and then fired on the second.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few questions:

-- Does she always leave exactly at her stop time? Or is there often some logistics that have to get worked out so that she's leaving 5-10 minutes after on a regular basis? Remember stuff like this cuts both ways. Giving her a 15 minute grace period in the morning also gives you a 15 minute grace time in the evening, if you are trying to wrap something up with work or need to run a quick errand or something. If there's give and take, I don't think taking a hard line on the morning start time is a good idea.

-- While you are not commuting, does her lateness cause other issues for you? My DH and I have one morning a week where we both have team calls early in the morning, and if our childcare ran late on those days it would be incredibly difficult. Do you often have calls first thing in the morning, or do you have a job where you need to get things to people by midmorning? If so, that's the issue, and as others have noted, you need to ask for an earlier start time. No one wants to be waiting on childcare right as they are trying to prepare for a meeting or finish a draft. Set your nanny's hours in a way that works for you, and if she can't do that, you may need to find another nanny who can. It's not personal -- she may have kids or family at home that make it impossible for her to get to your house earlier every day. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

I don't get all the people acting like this is some big transgression. Being 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in many jobs, even many lower paid jobs with rigid schedules. I have worked in places with hourly workers where some people always show up a little late for a shift. Sometimes it causes real problems, in which case it has to be addressed and fixed. But with proper scheduling, that kind of delay really isn't that big of a deal. If someone is otherwise good at their job, a few minutes delay in the morning due to traffic or whatever is no big deal.

I worked hourly for 5 years. The first time you clocked in more than 5 minutes late (without a call prior to start time), it was a warning. Second time was one less day on the schedule for two weeks. Third time and they were fired. If you were late WITHOUT calling en route, it was one warning and then fired on the second.

Oh, and that was occasional tardiness, say once every 3 months. Twice in a week would have raised eyebrows, even with calls to explain while en route, and three times in one week would mean the person was fired, regardless of reason.

I’m guessing that you didn’t work as a cashier, in a gas station, in a pharmacy, or any other store or department that runs only when multiple people are on time everyday.

[Anonymous]

Does she stay late?

[Anonymous]

Stop the excuses! Tell your nanny to be on time or she’s fired! God, how do some of you exist in the world?

There is no excuse for habitual lateness. Do your fricking job at the agreed upon time!

- signed, a nanny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop the excuses! Tell your nanny to be on time or she’s fired! God, how do some of you exist in the world?

There is no excuse for habitual lateness. Do your fricking job at the agreed upon time!

- signed, a nanny

Np. Only fire if mom boss has a backup nanny. If your kids like her why not work with her instead of being a hard ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few questions:

-- Does she always leave exactly at her stop time? Or is there often some logistics that have to get worked out so that she's leaving 5-10 minutes after on a regular basis? Remember stuff like this cuts both ways. Giving her a 15 minute grace period in the morning also gives you a 15 minute grace time in the evening, if you are trying to wrap something up with work or need to run a quick errand or something. If there's give and take, I don't think taking a hard line on the morning start time is a good idea.

-- While you are not commuting, does her lateness cause other issues for you? My DH and I have one morning a week where we both have team calls early in the morning, and if our childcare ran late on those days it would be incredibly difficult. Do you often have calls first thing in the morning, or do you have a job where you need to get things to people by midmorning? If so, that's the issue, and as others have noted, you need to ask for an earlier start time. No one wants to be waiting on childcare right as they are trying to prepare for a meeting or finish a draft. Set your nanny's hours in a way that works for you, and if she can't do that, you may need to find another nanny who can. It's not personal -- she may have kids or family at home that make it impossible for her to get to your house earlier every day. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

I don't get all the people acting like this is some big transgression. Being 5-15 minutes late is pretty standard in many jobs, even many lower paid jobs with rigid schedules. I have worked in places with hourly workers where some people always show up a little late for a shift. Sometimes it causes real problems, in which case it has to be addressed and fixed. But with proper scheduling, that kind of delay really isn't that big of a deal. If someone is otherwise good at their job, a few minutes delay in the morning due to traffic or whatever is no big deal.

I worked hourly for 5 years. The first time you clocked in more than 5 minutes late (without a call prior to start time), it was a warning. Second time was one less day on the schedule for two weeks. Third time and they were fired. If you were late WITHOUT calling en route, it was one warning and then fired on the second.

DP. I generally aspire to treat my nanny better than a Burger King employee. She was generally on time, but I was happy to give her some leeway (and she did the same for me in the evenings if I was 10-15 minutes late.)