How to handle lateness outside of our control

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess this is what happens when you actually pay a nanny well, they still treat you like the people who pay a crappy $10 an hour. There is no gain in being generous. You can jump through hoops to let them have every perk under the sun and they will still not go one centimeter outside of the bare minimum. Wasted your hard earned money. They do not compromise.

Oh, stop, Bitter Mommy - your rant is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I maxed ourselves out on paying the nanny, we gave every last penny we could afford because she is amazing. At $19 base rate were at our breaking point with this daily over time. I think we will just give it to her straight and understand if she declines to stay. If that should happen, we will have to hire someone else at a lower rate in order to afford the overtime. Thanks DCUMers.

That's really too bad. It's not your fault for this change in circumstance and it is certainly not your nanny's fault. If you cannot flex any time in your job (go in earlier while DH is still home and leave earlier) then you have no choice but to tell your nanny. If she is paid legally, she can't actually refuse overtime - it's the law. Very sad for your children.

Have you thought about getting rid of cable TV? That saved us 60 bucks a month - which would cover the necessary overtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I maxed ourselves out on paying the nanny, we gave every last penny we could afford because she is amazing. At $19 base rate were at our breaking point with this daily over time. I think we will just give it to her straight and understand if she declines to stay. If that should happen, we will have to hire someone else at a lower rate in order to afford the overtime. Thanks DCUMers.

I'm so sorry, OP. You must feel horrible about losing a great nanny because of road construction. Weird the outside things that can affect our children's education and lives, isn't it? You think you're doing everything that is the best for your children and then something so arbitrary takes away a secure and amazing nanny from them for 45 minutes of OT pay.

[Anonymous]

If you can't afford it, OP, you can't afford it. We put nothing above our kids education, happiness and safety so I'd sell my wedding ring before I let a great nanny go (and my husband would agree)!

Where do you live, OP? Our nanny is moving to Los Angeles to go to graduate school in August and we'll be looking for a new nanny. We'll pay 20 an hour if she is as good as you say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I maxed ourselves out on paying the nanny, we gave every last penny we could afford because she is amazing. At $19 base rate were at our breaking point with this daily over time. I think we will just give it to her straight and understand if she declines to stay. If that should happen, we will have to hire someone else at a lower rate in order to afford the overtime. Thanks DCUMers.

Wow, so you're going to ask your nanny to work for free or you're going to ask her to let you break the law and pay her base rate vs. OT for the extra time?

I actually don't condemn the second quite as much - I have a flexible schedule and offered my MB and DB 45 hours a week at base pay and anything over as OT (all paid on the books) because there are times when I work 30 hours one week and 45 the next and I felt fine about the trade off. But please, don't ask her to stay for free and please guarantee her hours by an extra half hour a day so you're at most 15 minutes late.

Not sure why anyone would give up there OT pay unless there was a situation like this. I would work with you in a bind but not going to contract to give away money in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can you and your husband stagger your schedules a little more so one of you leaves earler in the morning and gets home earlier? As a nanny who genuinely likes the families I work for (share) I would definitely work with you on this. The first thing I'd want to know is about the schedule staggering and whether you actually asked your bosses or just assumed it would be a no w/o actually explaining the situation and asking for a concession. Then I'd offer to meet you somewhere en route (assuming it wasn't out of my way to get home) and doing the pass off elsewhere. If neither of those worked, I would accept some other type of benefit...extra day off once a month for example, or you stocking my favorite drinks and lunch items or something like that. Get creative! Most nannies are pretty flexible, unlike many of the nannies who often post here. A family you enjoy working for is worth more than $6 a day (or whatever the difference is.)

Would you accept unwanted gift cards as payment?

if it were to a place I shopped or ate at then sure why not.

[Anonymous]

I'm paid 30/hr and don't charge OT. I just charge my regular rate for anything over 40hrs. I work 55-60hrs a week and wouldn't have a job if I charged OT!! I'm happy with my 30/hr and I think really 45/hr for child care is extreme. Some of you nannies are nuts!! If I was making 15/hr yeah I'd charge OT, but anything over 20/hr is just being crazy. And then you complain you can't find a good paying job, gee I wonder why!! I'm paid $30 for every hour I work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm paid 30/hr and don't charge OT. I just charge my regular rate for anything over 40hrs. I work 55-60hrs a week and wouldn't have a job if I charged OT!! I'm happy with my 30/hr and I think really 45/hr for child care is extreme. Some of you nannies are nuts!! If I was making 15/hr yeah I'd charge OT, but anything over 20/hr is just being crazy. And then you complain you can't find a good paying job, gee I wonder why!! I'm paid $30 for every hour I work.

Your employers are breaking labor laws. It's not up to ANY employee to decide if they will or will not charge overtime. I'm fairly sure if you are being paid legally that they are rearranging the numbers to cover your overtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I maxed ourselves out on paying the nanny, we gave every last penny we could afford because she is amazing. At $19 base rate were at our breaking point with this daily over time. I think we will just give it to her straight and understand if she declines to stay. If that should happen, we will have to hire someone else at a lower rate in order to afford the overtime. Thanks DCUMers.

You have to understand, OP, that it is not up to her to decide. Labor laws demand time and a half after 40 hours.

[Anonymous]

If you're really maxed out on every dime, I'm sure the nanny can see that. She might even give you xx hours per week for free. Ask her!

The thing is, most nannies can see what you're doing with your money. It's hard to hide.

[Anonymous]

So, OP, you are willing to pay her usual rate of $19 for her additional work time due to the road construction but can't afford to pay the additional $9.50 a day in overtime? Actually, if you want to nickle and dime it, it would be an additional 3/4 (for 45 minutes) of $9.50 which is $7.13 a day.

[Anonymous]

$50 a week is over $2500 a year. That's not exactly "nickel and dime" territory for most people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$50 a week is over $2500 a year. That's not exactly "nickel and dime" territory for most people.

It's actually about $35 a week in OT if you are doing 15 minute increments instead of the usual 30 minute increment. That's what I meant by nickle and dime - the difference between paying by a 3/4 hour than a hour.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure nannies are legally entitled to time and a half. Being paid hourly for overtime sure, if they are on salary and you suddenly increase their hours they need to be paid, but not at time and half.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure nannies are legally entitled to time and a half. Being paid hourly for overtime sure, if they are on salary and you suddenly increase their hours they need to be paid, but not at time and half.

You are incorrect. Look it up.