Handling sick days after nanny uses up her PTO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you hired a non-native English speaker and didn't realize that she'd probably need to take at least 1 long trip each year? Then your kids get her sick and you dock her pay?

Are you under some impression that every non-native speaker travels abroad yearly?

The odds are that someone who's native tongue is not English will probably be traveling abroad far more than an American nanny. Think about it.

Not generally immediately after starting, without disclosing to the family upon hire.

[Anonymous]

I used to feel the same way as you, OP - you have a contract and both parties ought to abide by it - but with time I've come to realize that if you have a nanny you really like and want to keep, and if you can afford it, it's best to just give her the $/extra PTO. It's not that she deserves it - under the contract, she certainly not does. But it's more a question of what matters most to you: sticking to the agreed-upon terms of the contract, or staying on good terms with the nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to feel the same way as you, OP - you have a contract and both parties ought to abide by it - but with time I've come to realize that if you have a nanny you really like and want to keep, and if you can afford it, it's best to just give her the $/extra PTO. It's not that she deserves it - under the contract, she certainly not does. But it's more a question of what matters most to you: sticking to the agreed-upon terms of the contract, or staying on good terms with the nanny.

I do this sometimes, too. The fact that she's only been with you 8 months, and you had the other weirdness with the vacation, though, makes this harder.

If you feel like you should give her this day paid b/c she caught the bug from your kids, I think I would tell her that's why I'm doing it, but also take the opportunity when she comes back to say that this is a one-time thing and make sure she understands how her PTO is structured.

This is also why I have PTO accrue. Then, if a new nanny wants to take a two-week vacation, and I can manage the break, she only gets the days that have accrued paid. It's very clear, and if she quits soon after, I'm not then looking at a full year's PTO for a new nanny, too.

[Anonymous]

You mentioned she takes the kids to her "monthly doctor appointments" Monthly? I'd be concerned there is a chronic health issue that is going to cause future issues with sick leave.

[Anonymous]

I would just pay the day. I agree with 20:15, if she is great with the kids and this is not a huge burden, just don't let it be an issue. Our nanny started with us in the fall and then announced that she wanted a week off at the holidays to travel to family. Our work agreement clearly stated she had to accrue vacation before taking, and I was slammed at work and had a zero percent chance of getting off to cover (DH too). But I just wasn't trying to get bogged down in the concept of accrual and the math of how many days she actually had, in the face of Christmas and her elderly and ailing parents. It just wasn't worth it. Since then, she's been completely reliable and totally fantastic. This was not a harbinger of things to come. So I'd suggest paying the day and waiting to see if these kinds of issues recur.

For add'l context, I would say I think your rate is fair but not overly generous, based on what I do and what I know some of my friends do.

[Anonymous]

I don't know, I think this snowballs quickly. The nanny didn't have to take PTO; it sounds like it could have been unpaid. She chose to do it and the risk was that she wouldn't have any paid time off. Catching the virus from the kids is a non-issue to me. Pretty much every illness I catch is from co-workers and that has no bearing on what I'm entitled to at work.

You obviously have to be prepared for her to quit, but this seems like the start of a bad pattern to me and one that you have to stop now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think your proposal is a fair alternative to unpaid time off and she is being inappropriate complaining about it. That being said, you could also offer to deduct from her remaining vacation week. If you are already planning the vacation, you could arrange that she will work at least one full day you are gone on a larger scale, kid related project.

In the future, keep sick leave as sick leave. You can offer unpaid time off to extend vacations, but, emergencies happen and emergency leave is essential.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of shitty to dock her hours when she caught an illness from your children.

This