Accommodating unpaid leave request

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to give her guaranteed hours. I also don't really understand how an accrual method works with a week she can't choose -- that also ties you to her accrual schedule.

I think it's fine to accrue vacation, but it's ridiculous that YOU used all of her PTO for her first six months of employment.

Before we hired the nanny, the nanny and I told each other our imminent vacation plans, hers for the Wednesday & Friday of Thanksgiving week and mine for the last week of December. We agreed that since it was so soon after her start date, that she would take those days off unpaid. If we were bowled over by her those first couple months, I would have paid her that week in December and not count it as PTO, but as I said before, we had been dealing with a serious problem of her not coming to work on time (regular occurrences of 30 minutes plus late) and contemplating letting her go. I know the holidays are an expensive time and offered her a choice for that week - take it unpaid (as agreed to) or paid but counting against PTO - but I would have been a fool to give it to her paid, no strings, since she would have equated our generosity with being very happy with her (which was not the case) and not feel motivated to shape up her act. Looking back, I should have just left our original understanding intact and not paid her for that week. Which makes me think I should let go of my idea of letting her take the vacay in February in exchange for babysitting. I honestly am worse off by that arrangement and my past attempts to be kind to her have ended up biting me in the rear.

You think you should have taken a vacation at the holidays and not paid your nanny? Guaranteed hours is a VERY standard benefit. You need to look at your nanny expense in annual terms and not nickel and dime her every week. This will cause so much resentment! I remember a lady once wrote me a check for whatever dollar amount and 75 cents. It struck me as so cheap that I was never available for her again. Now I am old enough and experienced enough to cypher through people like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP again (and 17:21 was me, too). We do guarantee hours and we ALWAYS pay her for the full week when we relieve her earlier than her end time, etc. and have been doing so since she started in October EXCEPT for that last week of December, which we had discussed in advance. I read the link about banking hours and agree it is not a good idea.

WHAT!?! Guaranteed hours mean that her vacation time is not used when you go on vacation. She gets a week of her choosing and you guarantee to give her at least one additional week at your choosing. Now you are trying to take that out of her vacation time and you don't want to pay her for her vacation days and are resentful for paying her for your vacation? Lady you don't make any sense!

[Anonymous]

Out of curiosity, what does your contract state is the minimum notice required for vacation? I know I would not have agreed to your week of vacation being christmas if I was only told the week before. Common courtesy?

[Anonymous]

Please, fire her and put your kids in daycare. You do not deserve a nanny if this is how you treat them.

[Anonymous]

You are wrong OP.

If you decide to take 2 weeks off of your choosing over the course of the year you still need to pay her for those times. You took a week off at Christmas prior to when you told her the 2 week policy would start. You should have just paid her for those hours.
Basically she gets to pick 5 days out of the year that she wants, the rest, if you take off, you pay her.