Am I misunderstanding guaranteed pay and vacation?

[Anonymous]

So she wants to be paid double for her vacation days? I'm so confused, but I'd love this job!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're in the process of hiring a nanny. We offered guaranteed pay, plus 2 weeks vacation and some sick days. Nanny has a previous obligation and needs a day off. No problem. I made a reference to using a vacation day, and found out we have totally different ideas of what that means.

I thought guaranteed pay meant we'd pay for the full 40 hours/week, even if we used less by going on vacation, or coming home from work early, or something. If nanny wanted to take a day off, she used a vacation or sick day. When those were used up, any time she wanted to take off was unpaid.

Our nanny says in the past she's always been "salaried" - paid for 40 hours regardless of how much time she took off. Her vacation was time paid on top of those 40 hours. So, let's say she earned $100/day for an 8 hour day. Each week she was paid $500 no matter what. If she took a vacation day, she worked 4 days and was paid $600. So, her vacation days were just bonus money, not an actual limit on her paid days off.

So, am I totally misunderstanding this?

What?

I think your nanny is trying to forge a new frontier in this field called "Benefits and Compensation".

So, in her mind, not only does she have unlimited vacation time, she also gets paid DOUBLE every time she takes a vacation day?

I totally want that job. I'd vacation all the freakin' time and collect double!

No, you are not misunderstanding guaranteed pay. Your nanny is either crazy or thinks you're stupid to fall for this.

[Anonymous]

The only way in which her understanding of vacation makes sense is that, if she doesn't use her vacation and leaves the job, you will need to pay out her unused vacation days to the extent you have both agreed they are accruable. So in only that one sense, vacation days can operate as bonus pay.

Unless there is a major misunderstanding here, there is no way she can legitimately think any job could operate the way she thinks it does. It's actually so crazy I'm inclined to think there has to be at least a partial misunderstanding somewhere... Like, based on her understanding, you would need to pay her even if she NEVER worked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're in the process of hiring a nanny. We offered guaranteed pay, plus 2 weeks vacation and some sick days. Nanny has a previous obligation and needs a day off. No problem. I made a reference to using a vacation day, and found out we have totally different ideas of what that means.

I thought guaranteed pay meant we'd pay for the full 40 hours/week, even if we used less by going on vacation, or coming home from work early, or something. If nanny wanted to take a day off, she used a vacation or sick day. When those were used up, any time she wanted to take off was unpaid.

Our nanny says in the past she's always been "salaried" - paid for 40 hours regardless of how much time she took off. Her vacation was time paid on top of those 40 hours. So, let's say she earned $100/day for an 8 hour day. Each week she was paid $500 no matter what. If she took a vacation day, she worked 4 days and was paid $600. So, her vacation days were just bonus money, not an actual limit on her paid days off.

So, am I totally misunderstanding this?

She is wrong. More likely she is confused, lost in translation. No one has unlimited paid vacation or personal days, esp as a fulltime reliable childcare provider. keep track of these monetary "confusions", in a logbook.

Make it clear she had 10 personal days and whatever sick days. Personal obligation days use up a personal day, or she can take it unpaid.
Many nannies also help find a sub if they have an apt they must take not on the weekend or first/last spot of the day.
On payday, write out days used and days remaining. Has nothing to do with hourly or salaried.

[Anonymous]

Also, you earn a vacation day every three weeks of work.
That or no taking paid time off until 6 or 9 mos of work. Unless the nanny family is off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in the process of hiring a nanny. We offered guaranteed pay, plus 2 weeks vacation and some sick days. Nanny has a previous obligation and needs a day off. No problem. I made a reference to using a vacation day, and found out we have totally different ideas of what that means.

I thought guaranteed pay meant we'd pay for the full 40 hours/week, even if we used less by going on vacation, or coming home from work early, or something. If nanny wanted to take a day off, she used a vacation or sick day. When those were used up, any time she wanted to take off was unpaid.

Our nanny says in the past she's always been "salaried" - paid for 40 hours regardless of how much time she took off. Her vacation was time paid on top of those 40 hours. So, let's say she earned $100/day for an 8 hour day. Each week she was paid $500 no matter what. If she took a vacation day, she worked 4 days and was paid $600. So, her vacation days were just bonus money, not an actual limit on her paid days off.

So, am I totally misunderstanding this?

She is wrong. More likely she is confused, lost in translation. No one has unlimited paid vacation or personal days, esp as a fulltime reliable childcare provider. keep track of these monetary "confusions", in a logbook.

Make it clear she had 10 personal days and whatever sick days. Personal obligation days use up a personal day, or she can take it unpaid.
Many nannies also help find a sub if they have an apt they must take not on the weekend or first/last spot of the day.
On payday, write out days used and days remaining. Has nothing to do with hourly or salaried.

Nannies find a sub? No. The parents are respondinle for choosing their childcare providers. Plus, I am the only nanny I know, it's not like we all go into the office to chat it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only way in which her understanding of vacation makes sense is that, if she doesn't use her vacation and leaves the job, you will need to pay out her unused vacation days to the extent you have both agreed they are accruable. So in only that one sense, vacation days can operate as bonus pay.

Unless there is a major misunderstanding here, there is no way she can legitimately think any job could operate the way she thinks it does. It's actually so crazy I'm inclined to think there has to be at least a partial misunderstanding somewhere... Like, based on her understanding, you would need to pay her even if she NEVER worked?

Well, I suppose she'd risk getting fired if she was out too much, which is why I have heard of jobs that offer unlimited sick leave (they usually require doctor's notes, though). But, yeah, crazy.