Nanny gave notice before paid vacation

[Anonymous]

I would be upset too OP and that nanny would do this fully knowing you will be scrambling for care. I would ask her to delay her last date by a few weeks so you have time to line up care after you come back. Other option is you and nanny both shorten your vacation period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nanny of 5 years just gave notice today, telling us that she is moving out of state to live with her kids and grandkids. We are so sad but of course understand. She is flexible on the exact move date, but is hoping to move by mid-September.

The issue I am having is that we gave her the month of August off as we planned to be away most of the month. She is getting paid for this time. However, DH and I are kind of upset that we are now paying her a full salary for a full month off and then she will come back for 1-2 weeks before moving. Had we known she was going to leave we would not be gone for all of August since now we basically have a week to find a new nanny before we leave.

Do you think we still have to pay her in full since that was the agreement before she quit? Or can we go back to her to discuss and renegotiate in light of her leaving right after?

It doesn't seem like you understand.
She already told you she's flexible on her move date. Does she have a lease on an apartment or a house?
You gave her the month of August off. She didn't ask for it off? You chose to vacation most of the month.
You don't have a week to find someone. You have the entire month of August, 2 weeks in September, and possibly more. Even while you're gone in August, you can still make a post, email candidates, and schedule phone interviews.
YES you pay her. Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I would pay her. She is doing you a favor by giving you notice before your August trip. She may have made vacation or other moving-related plans for her time off in August, so if you've told her she had off, I'd stick to it. However, I'd definitely ask her about her flexibility on the end date so you have time to set up a new replacement.

[Anonymous]

You need to pay her. She is seriously being kind giving you so much notice. See if she can help you find a replacement during August. If she’s been with your family for five years she’ll be able to vet a new person really well, probably better than you can.

[Anonymous]

Pay her but have her help out with interviews and training of the new nanny. There are plenty of nannies looking around August and September as kids are transitioning to full-time school so you will find someone however this depends on what you are paying and your kids' behaviors.

[Anonymous]

She could have waited until Sept 1 to give you two weeks notice, but she didn’t. She said she was flexible with her move. Take her up on that whether it means you don’t need her after August 1, or you need her until Sept 30. She’s offering to work with you. Stuff like this happens to nannies all.the.time and there’s no recourse because there are more nannies than good jobs. You have home court advantage here. Use it, be kind, and wish her well.

[Anonymous]

OP, if she had given notice after her free vacation then you would have a valid gripe. As she gave ample notice prior, you have no legitimate complaint. You are just cheap and mean.

[Anonymous]

I think she did this because she feels bad about the timing and wanted to be absolutely transparent with you. It shows that she trusts you and doesn't want to leave the relationship on a sour note. She could have easily waited until afterward and given you notice, but she didn't want to put you in that position. I think you need to sit down and make a plan of action and a timeline for interviewing and doing a trial day for her replacement. It would be great if your new nanny could shadow your departing nanny for a couple of days to get a feel for things prior to taking over full time. It's going to be an adjustment but it sounds like she is being considerate, forthcoming, and flexible so that's going to help.