Nanny student's schedule conflicts with mine

[Anonymous]

Hello,

We hire a nanny that we and our daughter like quite a lot. She's been with us for over a year and takes classes online and at a community college after work hours. I telecommute 3 days a week and go to the office 2 days a week. It looks like next semester she will need to take classes early in the morning on my telecommuting days (e.g. she wouldn't arrive til 10:30 when she normally starts at 8:30 to match my work schedule) and take lunch time classes on my office days... which means I would have to be away from the office for at least 2.5 hours when they expect me to be fully on site. I also have a new baby on the way due in a few weeks.
I asked her to see if she could take different classes or take those ones online... we're meeting with her adviser next week. But what would y'all do? How far would you go to accommodate your nanny's schedule? Like I said, we like her a lot but she's not Mary Poppins to the extent that we'd be willing to reorganize my entire work schedule around her classes. I feel horrible for telling her that her new class hours would be a deal-breaker, but I have obligations to my organization and one of the provisions of my telework agreement is that I would be ready to show up at the office on my offsite-days for any emergency meeting scheduled at the last minute - I can't possibly tell them "I can't come, our nanny is taking a class right now".

Has anyone else been in this situation? Obviously, I want her to succeed in her studies, but the #1 reason I hired a nanny in the first place is to have childcare customized to my schedule and not the other way around...

[Anonymous]

Why on earth would you be meeting with her advisor? She is your employee, not your child. It is her business to balance her work life and her school life. If there is a conflict, it is hers to solve. She can quit her job or change her schedule. Simple.

[Anonymous]

She's the one who asked me if I would be willing to meet with her advisor to see if we could find an arrangement that would work for everyone. She thinks having everybody in the same room would help in some way. I'll be 38 weeks pregnant so that's the last thing I want to do, but I'm doing it for her because she asked.

[Anonymous]

Her asking for an accommodation once per week on a temporary basis is one thing but she's asking you to change your schedule five days a week?? If she could narrow it down to one day a week maybe you could find a pt nanny to fill in but I understand if you aren't willing. I think all you can do is see if she can take her classes online or one one day if that works for you, if not you will have to find someone else. I think she's put you in a crummy situation!

[Anonymous]

If you're almost due maybe she is thinking you will be home on maternity leave so it's no big deal?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, right now I accommodate her schedule on Friday afternoons (without taking anything out of her salary) and juggle childcare with my work, so I try my best to be flexible when I can. But her new request basically shuffles my days completely. It also dawned on her that she'd be losing much-needed income by having shorter work weeks which is why this arrangement wouldn't be beneficial to either of us.

[Anonymous]

17:35 her new schedule would start right at the end of my maternity leave... I will also have a new boss that will be hired while I'm out so there is also the chance that this person will want me in the office/teleworking on different days of the week. I have to leave as many options open for that new boss so s/he doesn't feel disrespected or fearful of telework when s/he starts.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to hire a new nanny. DC's first nanny required a lot of accommodations and I was always stressed trying to build schedule around her. Also, I worked from home and for some reason she thought it means she can arrive whenever in the morning. I honestly thought this is normal, plus DC liked her, but comes new nanny- not only she is never late and accommodates MY schedule, but she also is a better nanny. Night and day, really.

[Anonymous]

As a nanny and a student I always try to work my schedule around my employer's work schedule, but it can't always be done. She either has to decide between school or work. My sophomore and junior year I chose to accommodate my work schedule because I had plenty of time to make up for the classes I couldn't take. Now that I'm a senior I have to focus on my school schedule rather than my work schedule, and if that means quitting that's what I have to do. Ultimately, this isn't something you should worry about. It is up to your nanny to tell you what she has decided in a timely fashion.

[Anonymous]

You need a new nanny.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your feedback everybody. I will follow your advice and let the outcome be decided by her choice. Thankfully, we have a few months to go before the new schedule hits so that would afford us both enough time to sort things out on our respective ends if she chooses to quit.

[Anonymous]

You don't need this shit. Get a new nanny. And don't meet with her advisor. Write down what hours you need her to work and hand her that. She can meet with her advisor on her own - she's an adult. If she can't accommodate your schedule, then hire someone else.

[Anonymous]

The nanny is for make easy your live, change nanny, simple

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't need this shit. Get a new nanny. And don't meet with her advisor. Write down what hours you need her to work and hand her that. She can meet with her advisor on her own - she's an adult. If she can't accommodate your schedule, then hire someone else.

+1

I have been a student and nanny before (just a student now!) and I would never in a million years expect a family to rearrange their schedules to meet my school schedule, much less ask my boss to meet with my academic advisor! How embarrassing! It isn't your problem if the nanny can't accommodate the hours you need.

[Anonymous]

When you initially hired her, did you both discuss future plans? I am saying this because knowing she was a college student, you must have had some inkling that her class schedule would be changing each semester. Did she promise you that she would schedule her courses around your work schedule or only take online courses? If she did, then I say you should let her go and hire a new nanny, probably one who is not also a student.

However if you knew she was a student and told her you would be accommodating to HER schooling schedule, then I think you should keep your word.

If nothing was discussed upon hire, then all I can really say is it is a tough call, but one only you can make.

You are about to give birth to a new baby soon, so ideally the last thing you want to do is seek a new nanny, yet I do not see how this nanny's school schedule will fit w/your business one.