Was it weird of me to ask for a raise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much do you make now per hour?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:19:24, everyone who has ever had a job knows that a yearly raise is a fact of life. To excuse cheap people by saying FT parents expect a nanny to work for years without a raise is beyond absurd.

MB here - A yearly raise is most certainly *not* a fact of life! Despite flawless annual reviews, I haven't had a raise in several years, or a bonus, due to the economic impact on the industry I work in. However, I do continue to give our nanny bonuses and raises, because she deserves them for all the hard work and extra effort she puts in, and above all else the amazing care she gives our children. I know parents who think we are too generous and easy going with our nanny, but what goes around comes around.

OP - you were not out of line, but you should sit down and discuss this properly with the parents, have an annual review where you give each other feedback, that kind of thing. I would say a $1 an hour increase does sound like a lot. And when you took the job, you knew that the child was going to grow up and therefore have changing needs, so that's not really a reason for a raise. Temperament is also not really a reason, unless the child has special needs that were not known at the time of hiring. Good reasons for a raise are your dedication, overall hard work and meeting or exceeding expectations, any special activities you have arranged, taking the initiative to plan or research things related to the child, and if the parents have asked you to take on extra responsibilities that were not originally agreed, especially if they are non child related. You might also look into what a typical cost of living increase is these days. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

$1/hour raise is what an extra $40-50 per week? I don't think that's unreasonable or even a lot. That's what I've always been given as a yearly increase. Less than that and you'd barely see it after taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to be rude OP, but what did you expect after 15 months? That the baby would still be a baby? Of course as she gets older, you have to adapt to her needs and I don't see anything unusual about cleaning up after her, making meals, and keeping her busy. Those are very basic nanny duties imo.

Of course needs change, and so should compensation. There is a reason nannies are given raises yearly, and its because their job duties can change so substantially in a year, as compared to a corporate job where the duties remain essentially the same until you are given a promotion (and a raise to go with it). Parents complain when it's the other way around (kids are older/in preschool) and nanny has much less work to do (and I understand this complaint) but it goes both ways. Compensation should always be kept in line with the duties.

Yeah, right. Because nannies are so amenable to taking a pay cut when their charges start spending part of the day in school. I don't know of a single family that has cut a nannies pay in this circumstance. Compensation should always be kept in line with the market value of the services, which is somewhat related to, but not a direct function of, the changing needs of the children.

[Anonymous]

should have said nanny's pay

[Anonymous]

20:06, I have had many jobs and have gone many years without a raise. My raises come when I get a promotion or convince my employer that a raise would be appropriate based on superior performance, a change in duties, or market conditions. Often adjustements are made every two years, although in that case the raise often reflects the fact that it has been two years since a prior increase.

And no one here has suggested that a nanny should work years without a raise. The OP has only been in her job for 15 months; that is not exactly "working for years without a raise."

This is true. Many, many professionals, depending on their field, have not received raises in this economy.

I do think, OP, that you should have based your request for a raise in the context of receiving a review to determine whether you earned a raise, instead of just assuming you deserve one.