Nanny on the clock

[Anonymous]

Maybe? She does have to meet him at a certain time but the way I see it, the only reason for that is because he wants to help her out and save her waiting/riding the bus and then walking. Do you think she doesn't see it that way?

[Anonymous]

I am a nanny and would never think to bill for commuting time nor for coming in early. I regularly and 15 minutes early and hit the ground running. I start work the second I walk in the door but never, ever have billed for it.

[Anonymous]

She is billing you for the time with your husband, which is for her benefit. And does he actually bring her home to DC or back to the station? I'd reiterate her start time and let her take the bus. Most employers would be too busy to provide shuttle service.

[Anonymous]

No, her starting time is definitely when she arrives at your home & begins her day.

Someone must have put an idea in her head.
I have heard situations where a Nanny even wanted gas money to pay for her drive to + from work.
(That was done off-the-clock.)

Sounds to me as if your Nanny is starting to feel a little entitled here.

I would refuse her any “off-the-clock” pay.
If it annoys her, then I would let her go.

[Anonymous]

Even if she arrives earlier than her scheduled start time, she is not to be paid any extra monies for doing so since that would be entirely on her....not you.

[Anonymous]

If she comes in early and starts working. That’s one story. If she comes in early sits and reads a book. That’s another story.

From what I’m reading, she gets to your home at 730 (?? Is that correct.) or is that the time she gets picked up from the station by your husband?

I suggest have a serious conversation tonight before she leaves. Talk about hours and responsibilities. She may see it differently.

I arrive to work early, though I sit in my car. I don’t clock in til am supposed to. If my bosses ask me to come earlier than scheduled, I clock in.

If she can’t see the reasoning behind your conversation, inform her she will have to start taking public transportation the whole way to your home (husband will no longer drive). This includes her going home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she comes in early and starts working. That’s one story. If she comes in early sits and reads a book. That’s another story.

From what I’m reading, she gets to your home at 730 (?? Is that correct.) or is that the time she gets picked up from the station by your husband?

I suggest have a serious conversation tonight before she leaves. Talk about hours and responsibilities. She may see it differently.

I arrive to work early, though I sit in my car. I don’t clock in til am supposed to. If my bosses ask me to come earlier than scheduled, I clock in.

If she can’t see the reasoning behind your conversation, inform her she will have to start taking public transportation the whole way to your home (husband will no longer drive). This includes her going home.

This is good advice.

[Anonymous]

She is wrong on all counts. I would have a conversation with her, but unless I really loved her, I would stick to a hard line "no" on the idea of paying her for anything outside of the time she is scheduled to watch your baby. Most people can get to work as early as they like and sit and drink their coffee, or read a book, or whatever, but no one gets to add that time to their paid time!

You have an easy job here: 1 infant, no housework. So replacing her with someone who does not have this misunderstanding would not be difficult. My bottom line to her would be that while you understand the commute on public transportation can be a challenge, you never had any intention of paying for it in any way. That is not how jobs work. It's up to her to get to work on time, and if that means she's early, then she gets some free time before she starts. If she's late, she'll lose the job.

I will say that I have always required my nannies to have reliable transportation, but then I never had the option of another parent who could do pick up at the station. Public transit has too many "what ifs" for me, and it gets worse in bad weather.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that the metro fare is adding up faster than she anticipated, the commute is taking longer than she anticipated, so she's trying to make up for it with extra pay.

This may just not be the right job for her.

[Anonymous]

I’m a nanny and I arrived early about 15 mins for two days in a row and my MB gave me the baby right away even though I wasn’t supposed to start work for another 15 mins. . This happened twice so I billed for 30 mins and they paid. Now I sit in my car and listen to music if I’m early. I think she’s just trying to milk as many hours as possible and you need to be clear about when the clock starts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a nanny and I arrived early about 15 mins for two days in a row and my MB gave me the baby right away even though I wasn’t supposed to start work for another 15 mins. . This happened twice so I billed for 30 mins and they paid. Now I sit in my car and listen to music if I’m early. I think she’s just trying to milk as many hours as possible and you need to be clear about when the clock starts.

No, she is just staying to the terms of your contract. If you want to come in early, you start work right away (what did you think you would do - play on your phone for 15 minutes on their couch?) and do not bill for what is your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op again, thanks everyone. Does anyone see her point of view and think she may have right to this extra time? I will probably pay her for 8 to 7 like someone above suggested but I want to prepare myself for a negative reaction and feeling confident that I'm not wronging her would make it easier.

Nope. I see that she's trying to get more money out of you, period. When she is at the station she is NOT AT HER PLACE OF WORK. Period. It's that simple.

[Anonymous]

Nanny or not, no one gets paid for their commuting time.

If she arrives early and starts working, whether that's caring for the baby or doing baby-related tasks, she gets paid. If she arrives early because you asked her to, she gets paid. If she arrives early on her own initiative and doesn't start working, she doesn't get paid.

[Anonymous]

Career nanny here (not that it matters because all jobs work the same). I would talk with her, otherwise you appear to be passive aggressive. Just tell her that while you are happy to assist in transportation, that her transportation time is not paid in her job just like it is not paid in yours. And that she is welcome to come in early but that she is not required to start work until 8am and that you will pay from 8am on, barring any additional needs.

[Anonymous]

I would be clear that her work time does not start before she arrives at your home and/or her official start time.

If the public transit schedule has her consistently arriving 30 minutes before her start time, I would consider adjusting her hours if you can afford it. Having her empty the dishwasher or fold a load of towels or whatever activities you can agree upon would help you out and get her a bit more coverage.