What's fair?

[Anonymous]

Our nanny has been with us for almost 2 years. She's been taking care of our son ( 2.5) on a part time basis (about 20 hrs/week). We've given her benefits as a full time employee (holidays, vacations, etc). Now, she wants to leave as she needs a full time job. I can understand that. So, she's basically quitting. But she said that shed give me a month. I found another alternative for my son but I need to start immediately. Part of me thinks that she quit and I don't need to give her severance, but part of me thinks that I should. I want to be fair. Anyone has faced a similar situation? How did you handle it?

[Anonymous]

It'd be nasty of you to drop her; she was kind enough to give
you notice. This is a prime example how nannies get burned.
Please don't do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It'd be nasty of you to drop her; she was kind enough to give
you notice. This is a prime example how nannies get burned.
Please don't do that.

+1 this is how nannies are conditioned to give little to no notice. Why would you if employers behave this way? If you must drop her early, I think paying her through the rest of her notice period would be fair. She's quitting for a legitimate reason, and gave you 4 weeks notice. Try not to screw her.

[Anonymous]

PP, OP here, I'm trying to be fair. But she's leaving me, it's not the other way around. And I know that she started looking for a job (she didn't tell me, I found out through another person), which may mean that she will drop me as soon as she does. Regardless of this, I'm trying to be fair. She hasn't been the greatest nanny, but my son loves her.

[Anonymous]

You sound overly bitter that she's leaving OP, and are now convincing yourself that she wasn't a good nanny and somehow deserves to be shafted because she had the audacity to meet her own needs.

[Anonymous]

11:27: OP here, I'm not trying to screw her, I'm trying to be fair. That's why I'm posting the question here.

[Anonymous]

What about giving her one year of severance instead of two? Unless it's in your contract, you don't OWE her severance at all.

[Anonymous]

I would split the difference and give her two weeks pay as severance.

I would appreciate the one month's notice and not want to burn her for showing that consideration, but I might not be able to swallow paying for the whole month. Kind of depends on your overall relationship w/ her though, future contact, etc...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would split the difference and give her two weeks pay as severance.

I would appreciate the one month's notice and not want to burn her for showing that consideration, but I might not be able to swallow paying for the whole month. Kind of depends on your overall relationship w/ her though, future contact, etc...

+1 this is exactly what I was going to suggest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would split the difference and give her two weeks pay as severance.

I would appreciate the one month's notice and not want to burn her for showing that consideration, but I might not be able to swallow paying for the whole month. Kind of depends on your overall relationship w/ her though, future contact, etc...

And if a nanny decides she can't swallow giving any notice? You guys just don't get it. You can't have it both ways. If you want your nanny to give you as much notice as she can, you should honor it, be it to allow her to work through the notice period, or pay through it. If you can't honor the notice, don't expect to receive it again in the future. Nannies talk. Your new nanny will find out what happened and if/when the time comes again, your new nanny won't be so considerate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would split the difference and give her two weeks pay as severance.

I would appreciate the one month's notice and not want to burn her for showing that consideration, but I might not be able to swallow paying for the whole month. Kind of depends on your overall relationship w/ her though, future contact, etc...

And if a nanny decides she can't swallow giving any notice? You guys just don't get it. You can't have it both ways. If you want your nanny to give you as much notice as she can, you should honor it, be it to allow her to work through the notice period, or pay through it. If you can't honor the notice, don't expect to receive it again in the future. Nannies talk. Your new nanny will find out what happened and if/when the time comes again, your new nanny won't be so considerate.

People on this forum seem to be millionaires. If I go at work, I just get my accrued vacation. If they let me go, I only get two weeks. OP just pay what's in the contract.

[Anonymous]

Pay her whatever you agreed to pay her in your contract/verbal agreement.

She's not "leaving" you, she's looking for a FT job. I imagine if you could offer her that she'd stay. She was gracious and courteous enough to give you notice so reciprocate accordingly by paying her severance. If you end her position early without doing so, you will be in the wrong and will be ruining a relationship you and your dd have spent years building.

Don't be that person, OP.

[Anonymous]

Damn bitter much? Pay her 2 weeks since YOU are ending a month earlier than expected- or whatever the length of time is. I had mb like you at my last pt job when I had to leave for a full time position. It was horrible, she was SO passive aggressive towards me. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

[nannydebsays]

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny has been with us for almost 2 years. She's been taking care of our son ( 2.5) on a part time basis (about 20 hrs/week). We've given her benefits as a full time employee (holidays, vacations, etc). Now, she wants to leave as she needs a full time job. I can understand that. So, she's basically quitting. But she said that shed give me a month. I found another alternative for my son but I need to start immediately. Part of me thinks that she quit and I don't need to give her severance, but part of me thinks that I should. I want to be fair. Anyone has faced a similar situation? How did you handle it?

You need to pay her the full 4 weeks. She could have found a new job and then given you less than 24 hours notice that she wasn't coming back ever. Then how would you feel?

She did the right thing, and being punished for doing the right thing really stinks.

BTW, how long has she been doing a not so great job? For less than a month? More than a year? Or just since she gave you proper and polite notice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would split the difference and give her two weeks pay as severance.

I would appreciate the one month's notice and not want to burn her for showing that consideration, but I might not be able to swallow paying for the whole month. Kind of depends on your overall relationship w/ her though, future contact, etc...

And if a nanny decides she can't swallow giving any notice? You guys just don't get it. You can't have it both ways. If you want your nanny to give you as much notice as she can, you should honor it, be it to allow her to work through the notice period, or pay through it. If you can't honor the notice, don't expect to receive it again in the future. Nannies talk. Your new nanny will find out what happened and if/when the time comes again, your new nanny won't be so considerate.

A MB here and I agree with this. She is part time and presumably she has already worked some of the notice, why don't you just pay her through that date and let her go now? Or you could have her work with the new person for a few days to help train her if you think she has knowledge, skills, work ethic that you want your new nanny to emulate.

I don't think you owe her severance beyond her notice at all, but surely you don't need to cut her off when she was apparently trying to be fair to you? Needing a full time income when you can only offer PT is not a crime, and looking for another job is not a crime, it seems to me she tried to do right by you and meet her own personal responsibilities.