Banking Hours

[Anonymous]

I only do banking hours for one family, and I don't really consider it banking. I work PT for them, 2 days a week, which one of them has many holidays land on it. If the parents really don't need me or want me to come in for a day then I get it paid. If they could use the help that day but could also do it themselves, they give me the option to work that day or take it off paid (with my normal pay day) and in the future help out for babysitting one weekend evening. Sometimes I choose to work that day, sometimes I take the day off and do babysitting to make it up. They always pay for extra hours used on the babysitting night and the kids still go to sleep early on weekends, so I don't see it as a huge hassle. Since this only happens now and then, and is MY CHOICE, I do it. I would never take on another position that banks WITHOUT my choice. If they are the ones that don't need me, then they still pay me for that day with no make ups needed.

[Anonymous]

why don't nannies get paid a salary instead of being an hourly rate employee? would that help

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always find that banking for me as MB goes the other way. My nanny would like certain days/times off when she is regularly scheduled to work and still be paid and then asks to work those hours at another time. If I agree to that, then there shouldn't be a problem with her agreeing to the same for me as well.

Sure, when it's a mutually beneficial agreement that's no problem.

Typically, however, it's a one-sided benefit and puts the nanny in an unfair position of being forced to give up her free time at no extra pay, when she WAS available to work her scheduled hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why don't nannies get paid a salary instead of being an hourly rate employee? would that help

Because then there is no end of abuses they would suffer.

Let's say I'm a nanny and my MB is Director of Development at a non-profit. She has a set number of tasks she needs to accomplish daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. She knows what they are, typically ahead of time, and can arrange her time and schedule in order to accomplish them.

A nanny has no such list - rather, she provides coverage. If a nanny is on a salary with no set schedule, she could end up working 6am-12am seven days a week and why? Because MB didn't budget her work time better, or because MB is taking advantage and enjoying extra downtime alone, with friends, with DB, and so on.

There is a pretty clear difference between the obligations in salaried jobs (performing specific tasks and accomplishing specific goals) and hourly jobs (working during scheduled hours).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always find that banking for me as MB goes the other way. My nanny would like certain days/times off when she is regularly scheduled to work and still be paid and then asks to work those hours at another time. If I agree to that, then there shouldn't be a problem with her agreeing to the same for me as well.

Sure, when it's a mutually beneficial agreement that's no problem.

Typically, however, it's a one-sided benefit and puts the nanny in an unfair position of being forced to give up her free time at no extra pay, when she WAS available to work her scheduled hours.

But wait, several MBs here have responded talking about mutually working this out with their nannies or being flexible for their nannies' sakes. A few nannies have commented that their employers do this as well. But then you say "typically...it's a one-sided benefit." I don't see too many nannies in this particular thread complaining about being used this way. So I'm not sure where you are getting your data. Yes, I've seen a few other threads, but not more than I've seen MBs in this thread saying it's a mutual benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always find that banking for me as MB goes the other way. My nanny would like certain days/times off when she is regularly scheduled to work and still be paid and then asks to work those hours at another time. If I agree to that, then there shouldn't be a problem with her agreeing to the same for me as well.

Sure, when it's a mutually beneficial agreement that's no problem.

Typically, however, it's a one-sided benefit and puts the nanny in an unfair position of being forced to give up her free time at no extra pay, when she WAS available to work her scheduled hours.

But wait, several MBs here have responded talking about mutually working this out with their nannies or being flexible for their nannies' sakes. A few nannies have commented that their employers do this as well. But then you say "typically...it's a one-sided benefit." I don't see too many nannies in this particular thread complaining about being used this way. So I'm not sure where you are getting your data. Yes, I've seen a few other threads, but not more than I've seen MBs in this thread saying it's a mutual benefit.

I'm the PP you're replying to - I've had employers who went on vacation and asked me to bank those hours, making them up in extra long days and weekends later (a one-sided benefit), and I've had employers where we agreed to a respectful give-and-take that benefitted both sides.

I have seen more of the former than the latter, however, so I'm basing my "data" (your word) on my experience and the nannies I know in person - not the anonymous posters here - who've been taken advantage of.

[Anonymous]

I just finished a contract for 20 hours a week Salary, no matter when the family vacations or do not need me. I put in that daytime working hours would not be used as date night make-ups in cases where I was not needed. I've worked for this family a year and although they had verbally agreed to twenty hours when I started they were canceling my daytime hours for weekend vacations and letting me make up the time with Friday Saturday or Sunday date nights, that sucked! So after a year, I asked for salary of twenty hours to be paid, and daytime hours not to be used as make-ups unless discussed & agreed upon ahead of time. They agreed and I'm happy because I'll be working & being paid for almost 40 hours, the salary just allows me to only work for them during daytime working hours and I don't lose or have to make up hours willy nilly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always find that banking for me as MB goes the other way. My nanny would like certain days/times off when she is regularly scheduled to work and still be paid and then asks to work those hours at another time. If I agree to that, then there shouldn't be a problem with her agreeing to the same for me as well.

Sure, when it's a mutually beneficial agreement that's no problem.

Typically, however, it's a one-sided benefit and puts the nanny in an unfair position of being forced to give up her free time at no extra pay, when she WAS available to work her scheduled hours.

But wait, several MBs here have responded talking about mutually working this out with their nannies or being flexible for their nannies' sakes. A few nannies have commented that their employers do this as well. But then you say "typically...it's a one-sided benefit." I don't see too many nannies in this particular thread complaining about being used this way. So I'm not sure where you are getting your data. Yes, I've seen a few other threads, but not more than I've seen MBs in this thread saying it's a mutual benefit.

I'm 15:38 and while I have no problem doing the type of banking that I listed in my reply, I do have a problem with frequent banking and doing it for things like mom getting home an hour earlier and wanting you to make up that time at a later point. I had a HORRIBLE experience with this type of banking from a PT position, so the hours weren't much each week but would build up so much that I was owing anywhere from 30-60 hours sometimes. I was AVAILABLE to work during my normal schedule for all of those hours that they did not use me for, and I would have been much happier working those hours THEN instead of owing them later on. I quit that position partially (basically half the reason) due to this. I can just imagine what some parents with FT nannies would try if banking and the number of hours their nannies might end up owing them!

[Anonymous]

I do not think it seems fair to the nanny. I view my payment to her for her 8 to 6 time as reserving the slot in her schedule and a fixed expense to me. I also cannot take gobs of time off work. So just as I don't ask her to shift, I am not keen if she would ask for time off during the work week and to make it up later. She has true guaranteed hours, PTO and those work for us and also strike me as the most fair way to handle things.
"Mutually agreeable" is a loaded term in a work relationship. I try to almost always say yes toy boss since well he's my boss. I wonder if nannies do the same re: banking.

[Anonymous]

I'm an MB. I would never expect my nanny to bank hours. I pay guaranteed hours and if I'm home early, that's her benefit. Occasionally, my boss will just tell everyone to leave early on a Friday as a reward for hard work on a project. There is no way my boss would expect me to work later on a Monday to "make up the time". It would be crazy to expect anything of my nanny that I wouldn't accept as an employee.