How do I charge for this?

[Anonymous]

My contract says I will be paid 50 cents per mile for driving while on the job. Recently MB and DB have been asking me to pick up DC or run to grocery store on my way into work. These places are out of the way for me and require extra gas, but how do I charge?

[Anonymous]

You charge by the mile, plus your time.

[Anonymous]

But if I'm coming from my house how do I charge by the mile? Do I just charge the mileage from the out of the way stop to their house? I would be going to their house anyway so I didn't know if this was fair.

[Anonymous]

Does your contract pay for your commute? If not, you'll have to sit down with your employer an see if they are willing to pay for that. If not, then you may have to decline to do the extra errands.

[Anonymous]

It's a little tricky. If you have a very good relationship with them I would charge like this:

If it is normally 18 miles to work and with your errand it is 22 miles, I'd charge for 4 miles of mileage.
If it is normally 30 minutes of driving to work and with your errand it is 40 minutes, I'd charge for an extra 15 minutes (round up to quarters).


If you don't have a really great relationship with them I would charge like this:

Do not charge for mileage or time getting TO your errand.
Charge for all mileage and time after arriving at your errand - including the miles driving to their house. Technically you could argue your work day starts when you arrive at your first job, and if grocery shopping or picking up DC is that first job, that is when your daily hours start and any miles driven after that are on the job miles.

[Anonymous]

PP thanks for the suggestions, that should work out perfect!

[Anonymous]

Have you already asked mb how she wants to pay you for your time and gas expense? Ask her.

[Anonymous]

I will ask her but I'm really non-confrontational and sometimes I end up feeling lowballed. I feel like I am VERY flexible for them but the flexibility is not reciprocated. I just wanted to go into the conversation with a logical expectation.

[Anonymous]

She is using you. Just another form of job creep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She is using you. Just another form of job creep

All employers use their employees. It is a fundamental aspect of the relationship, and that is why you get paid. Also, most jobs "creep" as workflow changes, new needs arise, and the employee gets more efficient with experience. Particularly in the nanny world where children are constantly growing and changing, changes in the job are inevitable.

OP, it is great that you are being flexible about responding to the family's changing needs, while also trying to charge fairly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She is using you. Just another form of job creep

All employers use their employees. It is a fundamental aspect of the relationship, and that is why you get paid. Also, most jobs "creep" as workflow changes, new needs arise, and the employee gets more efficient with experience. Particularly in the nanny world where children are constantly growing and changing, changes in the job are inevitable.

OP, it is great that you are being flexible about responding to the family's changing needs, while also trying to charge fairly.

What's your point? My point is that nanny and parent should feel that the relationship is fair and no one is being taken advantage of.

[Anonymous]

I agree with 12:02. Charge for the extra that is over the amount of the normal commute from your house to their house.

[Anonymous]

...and for your time.

[Anonymous]

Figure out how many miles it is to go from YOUR home to THEIR home. Then when running errands on your way in to work, calculate how many miles extra you used (like 10 miles total minus your normal 4 mile commute = 6 extra miles needing to be compensated for). It's pretty easy actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You charge by the mile, plus your time.

In a nutshell, yep.