Arrival time in the morning vs start time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just had a parent ask me to come at 8:45, to start at 9am. She was shocked I billed her for an 8:45 start time. Hello! If you want me there at 8:45, you can pay me to start at 8:45.

you billed her? Like gave her a bill?

NP, but lots of nannies track hours in an app that then automatically sends or "bills" it to clients. Other nannies who work with multiple families send invoices weekly.

[Anonymous]

Nanny arrives on time. Meaning she has pulled into the driveway and gotten her things out of the car and walked to the door before 8:30. She is entering between 8:29 and 8:30. She then puts her things down and washes her hands and gets right into the mix. This is 100% what I would expect. I would not expect her to arrive earlier. But, I also would not expect her to arrive a 8:35 or 8:38, unless emergency / communicated about reason.

I think shifting her times so you have more help in the morning is great. Could also mentally tell yourself she starts work at 8:10, so you mentally budget that time and are not counting down the hours so much. I totally know what you are feeling. This too shall pass, but if you overall like nanny and she is a help, don't go chasing a problem that isn't there by being fussy about arriving on time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny’s start time is 8am and she usually walks in the door at 8am, perhaps 8:02am. Granted she has washed her hands as is operational within a minute or two, I’m finding myself becoming a bit irritated. We’re only talking about a handful of minutes difference, I know, but with 2 under 2 and the baby up at 6am, every additional minute feels like 5 and I’m counting down the seconds until she arrives. At the end of the day, however, she’s never running out the door and she always stays for a little chat and debrief.

The obvious answer is to ask her if she could start earlier, at least until the little one can sleep in a bit longer, as the cost clearly justifies the need. But I’m just curious as to others’ morning handoffs.

Start her a few minutes earlier if she is willing and you need the relief by 8 AM. A lot of nannies won't start before 8 AM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've walked into work at the exact minute of my start time for 20 years. If a family needs to me to arrive earlier, I would expect them to note that or I'd have no idea. My work place is someone's home. If I walk in early I'd be nervous to catch my dad boss in his boxers or similar. It has never crossed my mind that a family wants me to enter their home prior to my start time so it wouldn't even be on my radar.

Question do you not think she feels extremely exhausted after her shift which she spends more of your child waking hours with her and you want her to stay and chat

[Anonymous]

DS' nanny's day starts 20 min before we actually need her. It provides a nice little buffer in case she hits traffic or is running a few minutes late. When she arrives, she will take over but if she's running a few minutes late, its not a problem for either DH or me to continue with DS. So in OP's case, nanny's hours would be 740-whenever her end time is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS' nanny's day starts 20 min before we actually need her. It provides a nice little buffer in case she hits traffic or is running a few minutes late. When she arrives, she will take over but if she's running a few minutes late, it's not a problem for either DH or me to continue with DS. So in OP's case, nanny's hours would be 740-whenever her end time is.

Nice for the nanny; does your employer pay you for an extra 20 minutes each day in case you hit traffic? I can see leaving a short 5-10 minute buffer, but the employee should be responsible for arriving on time, meaning she plans for contingencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS' nanny's day starts 20 min before we actually need her. It provides a nice little buffer in case she hits traffic or is running a few minutes late. When she arrives, she will take over but if she's running a few minutes late, it's not a problem for either DH or me to continue with DS. So in OP's case, nanny's hours would be 740-whenever her end time is.

Nice for the nanny; does your employer pay you for an extra 20 minutes each day in case you hit traffic? I can see leaving a short 5-10 minute buffer, but the employee should be responsible for arriving on time, meaning she plans for contingencies.

Not PP, but I'm assuming the 20 min buffer is not for the sole purpose of unexpected traffic. It's likely so the parents can have 20 mins between nanny's arrival and their departure or log on time so they can eat, use the bathroom, get dressed, etc while nanny is there before their work day begins. In my opinion, having the nanny's start time be the same as the parent's departure or start time, that sets everyone up for failure and stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny’s start time is 8am and she usually walks in the door at 8am, perhaps 8:02am. Granted she has washed her hands as is operational within a minute or two, I’m finding myself becoming a bit irritated. We’re only talking about a handful of minutes difference, I know, but with 2 under 2 and the baby up at 6am, every additional minute feels like 5 and I’m counting down the seconds until she arrives. At the end of the day, however, she’s never running out the door and she always stays for a little chat and debrief.

The obvious answer is to ask her if she could start earlier, at least until the little one can sleep in a bit longer, as the cost clearly justifies the need. But I’m just curious as to others’ morning handoffs.

You need to get organized and if you want her to come early then you pay for that extra time. She is crazy for staying more than five minutes in the evening unless you pay for ,more time. The entitlement of some of you is mind boggling!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS' nanny's day starts 20 min before we actually need her. It provides a nice little buffer in case she hits traffic or is running a few minutes late. When she arrives, she will take over but if she's running a few minutes late, it's not a problem for either DH or me to continue with DS. So in OP's case, nanny's hours would be 740-whenever her end time is.

Nice for the nanny; does your employer pay you for an extra 20 minutes each day in case you hit traffic? I can see leaving a short 5-10 minute buffer, but the employee should be responsible for arriving on time, meaning she plans for contingencies.

Pp here. I can count on one hand how many times she's been more than 5 min late in the past 3 years. It just allows for a comfortable buffer. No one is rushing in the morning, we get a chance to discuss things if needed, etc. It it just less stressful for everyone that we have ample time between her arrival and our departure.

[Anonymous]

Just pay the nanny from 7:45 til 5:15.

OP, you sound like you really don't want to be a mom. What did you expect it to be like?

[Anonymous]

OP, consider this.

Nickel and diming about 2 minutes can ultimately cost you a good nanny.

Great nannies are not a dime a dozen. You could replace her with a timely nanny that your child does not like. Or that has a mean disposition.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like she is sometimes arriving a few minutes late but is willing to stay a few minutes late instead of rushing out the door at the end of the day. You are each getting a little bit of grace from the other. It would leave it be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny arrives at 7:55 for 8am start. If you need an earlier start, ask and pay her to start earlier. I think a minute or two over is fine.

no, it isn't fine. she should be paid for all extra time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others that you should probably ask for a 7:45 start time since you really need more help in the mornings.

I just have to say it strikes me how differently nannies view their jobs than every other job I've been in. When I worked retail, I had to clock in and be ready to work at the start of my shift. So, if I had an 8am start I would need to arrive early enough to put things in my locker, use the bathroom, make sure I'm ready, etc. When I started working corporate jobs, it was similar. I was expected to start work at 9am, which meant arriving a few minutes early. Only now that I've worked my way up to more senior positions do I have some more flexibility with start time.

Washing your hands would be on-the-clock time, though. It's a part of the job description, unlike your going to the bathroom.

Sometimes there are traditional expectations that bleed over from salaried workers to hourly, or at just "the way it's always done" versus what actually complies with labor law. (And often labor law only applies to certain groups.) But regardless of how it is always been done for you, it's best and most ethical to expect nothing of people before the actual start time, but to expect them to be able to start work at the start time. Getting out of your car and up the driveway isn't a part of the job, but maybe hand-washing is, or changing into a uniform that you are expected to wear just at the job.

And point well taken that micromanaging 2 minutes can lose you a great nanny.

[Anonymous]

OP, it is refreshing that you are acknowledging that your lack of a good night’s rest may have an impact on your perception of this situation.

How many parents would admit this??!

Anyway, I wouldn’t mind if my Nanny arrived at 8:05 if she was scheduled to begin at 8AM.
If you have a great Nanny overall - then discussing your concern of being five minutes late will not bode well for your relationship & as others have mentioned > you would risk losing her.

And I think it’s a great thing if the Nanny doesn’t appear in a rush to get out of the door once her shift is over.
If she stays + provides a few minutes updating me about the day then that shows that she truly loves what she does and genuinely cares about my children.