Communicating with nanny about pay raise--24 vs. 26 pay periods

[Anonymous]

Our nanny is wonderful with our two children, ages 6 months and 2 years. Unfortunately, she recently had her license taken away and now has a long commute on metro and bus to get to and from our house. She asked for a raise which we are scrambling to fulfill, because we know how much the commute costs and she deserves a raise. Right now she is paid every other week, $1250 before tax. We want to increase her pay to $1500, but pay her only twice a month so she's on the same pay schedule that my husband and I are on. So we're going from 26 to 24 pay periods. We've tried to explain to her how over the course of the year she will be making much more, but she is fixated on the fact that in March she will only get 2 pay checks instead of 3. Any advice on how to convey this better? It's not a language issue, and we've gone over the math with her many times.

[Anonymous]

Why was her license taken away?

[Anonymous]

OP. Her license was taken away because she was a bad driver. The last issue was making a left turn when the sign clearly said no left turn. My husband had to pick her up because the officer wouldn't let her back in her car. For what it's worth, we never let her drive our children anyway.

[Anonymous]

I'm not completely clear that I understand the issue here.

If she understands the language and the math, and sees how it all works out, but is still fixated on March - perhaps it's because she was counting on those three paychecks to pay specific bills. If you have a relationship where you can ask her if that's the issue, and could maybe be flexible next month (I know I plan my bills one month ahead and a lost paycheck would be a huge problem, even if I were going to make it back over the rest of the year), that might solve all the worries?

[Anonymous]

Sit down with her, with a calendar, blank paper, and a calculator. Maybe she's a visual learner?

Are you sure there's not a language barrier? Or maybe she had a reading disability?

[Anonymous]

OP, I would be very careful about going to a 24 paycheck cycle because nanny technically has to be paid hourly. If the number of days in the pay cycle is varying, you are going to need to calculate her pay for each cycle based on her hourly rate. With the 26 check cycle, she is presumably working (or getting guaranteed pay for) the same number of hours each paycheck, and you only have to recalculate if she works more than her regular hours.