Family emergency, not sure what to do!!

[Anonymous]

I just started a new job last week, and this morning I woke up to a phone call very early informing me of a family emergency. I need to leave soon to tend to this emergency, and it will put me in and out of the state until it's over. It could be a week or a year. I have no idea. Obviously I cannot continue working for them, and I can't go in to work today, but they have not responded to any of my calls/texts. I do not have their email addresses. I really do not want to just leave them hanging, because that would be a horrible thing to do, and I also have not been paid for last week (my pay schedule is every other week). What do I do??

[Anonymous]

Can you go in to tell them face to face? If not i would just call again and leave a message explaining everything. Anyone who's reasonable will understand. It sucks but clearly it's not your fault. I'm sorry OP, hang in there!

[Anonymous]

What happened?

[Anonymous]

If you have called and texted and been clear that you have a family emergency and can't come in, that is enough for today. This afternoon try re-calling and ask if you can come this evening to explain and talk about what will happen moving forward. You need to directly say you are resigning and hate the pinch it puts them in but you have no choice. They need to pay you anyway because you worked the hours. If you are there in person it may up the ease of getting the check though.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. If possible, try to get over there sometime today and get your pay from last week and apologize for whatever inconvenience this may cause them. A family emergency is a good enough reason to need to resign. If they don't understand there isn't much you can do about it except apologize and go take care of your family. Thoughts are with you OP.

[Anonymous]

I too, am curious what the emergency is. I am having a hard time imagining something that could have you out of the state for anywhere from a week to a full year.

I understand that it is a difficult situation, but maybe they just aren't sure that you are being truthful with your reason for quitting? It has only been one week and some might think that you just realized you don't want to be in that position after doing it for a few days. You sound very vague with how long you could be gone for, which doesn't help either. You may not know how long it could be for, and since you haven't been with them long enough to see if you could be back after a week (and just have them find a temp nanny for that week or 2), but it doesn't look good. Most situations you can usually judge how long you would NEED to be gone for. So they just might not believe it and can't bring themselves to respond to you at this time.

I do hope that things go ok for you and that you can find something else quickly when you are able to.

[Anonymous]

I think people sometimes over-estimate their importance. Unless you are a doctor (why then, are you working as a nanny) who is somehow the ONLY doctor who is capable of getting to where a medically distressed person is in a remote location, how can it be that you are so crucial to this emergency that it can't wait a day? If you're about to put your life on hold for possibly a year, surely it's reasonable that it take you a day if not a week, to tie up some loose ends (also known as, your life).

[Anonymous]

OP?

[Anonymous]

I would go in and explain the situation in person.

Do not text or email them. That's disrespectful.

[Anonymous]

I don't think people need to know the situation to answer OP's question. People are just being nosy.

[Anonymous]

I think it really is important to show just why it couldn't wait, and how she thinks that it could possibly take up a whole year of her life! That is being overly dramatic. I honestly have thought of some of the WORST situations that I have known my friends or family to go through, where family was needed for something and can't come across ANYTHING that would need that time of time commitment. Unless your family member is in an accident and will be able to go home soon, and needs some kind of daily care and your family is just so flat broke that there is no money to pay for this care at all, that someone has to stay with relative to do the care, then there isn't anything. Since there is government assistance programs for people that need help and can't afford it (through the county generally), there isn't even a huge chance for that happening. OP must be making it out to be much more than it really is, like the PP said, to not be able to take a day to go and talk to her employers IN PERSON and need to take up to a whole year out of her life for it. How does one manage to survive without working for a whole year with no money? If she has to work elsewhere, or has money saved to use, then the money could be used to help out without her being there.

So yes, it really has left me curious as to what was so big and important that she would need to leave so quickly and for possibly that long.

[Anonymous]

Are your employers the people who posted about nanny who suddenly quit? Stories sound similar, nanny had only been working for a week in both situations....

[Anonymous]

It makes people suspect when things don't add up. That's all.

[Anonymous]

OP here- thank you all for your advice and concern. For those that offered advice and support without demanding the details or questioning my importance, I appreciate you especially.

My son, who is in college across the country, was in a sports related accident. He is in critical condition, we do not know what is going to happen. If we are very lucky, we are looking at a very long recovery. I booked a flight out immediately, packed the essentials, and left. My job was in the opposite direction, so no, it really wasn't an option to stop there when considering I might not make it in time to see my son. I did finally get it touch with MB, she understood.

[Anonymous]

My thoughts are with you OP. I hope your son recovers fully and screw the other PP's who were so nosy. An emergency is an emergency and if your employers did not understand then that's their issue.