Guaranteed hours...

[Anonymous]

I had asked them that yesterday, I NEEDED to leave NO LATER than my stated leave time due to a class I was starting. So they complied, but then asked me to stay a half hour later tonight! WTF?! These people work standard hours jobs and cannot possibly need as much flexibility as they think they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They NEED to state up front then that they need a nanny who basically has no life outside of work. I actually saw ad to this affect recently. They need to state up front if they consistently need someone more than the stated 50 hours per week. Also, if they want flexibility, then they need to be willing to offer it in return. I don't get that from them.

I agree with everything you said here EXCEPT that if they require flexibility that they need to be willing to give you flexibility as well. I don't agree with that. Of course as a nanny I would appreciate any flexibility that my bosses give me but I would never expect it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They NEED to state up front then that they need a nanny who basically has no life outside of work. I actually saw ad to this affect recently. They need to state up front if they consistently need someone more than the stated 50 hours per week. Also, if they want flexibility, then they need to be willing to offer it in return. I don't get that from them.

I agree with everything you said here EXCEPT that if they require flexibility that they need to be willing to give you flexibility as well. I don't agree with that. Of course as a nanny I would appreciate any flexibility that my bosses give me but I would never expect it.

No. It needs to go BOTH ways. I may end up being 5 to 10 minutes every once in a while, and I should expect flexibility for that. Like when the weather is really bad, even when I leave my house earlier, I might still be a little late. Yet I shouldn't have to feel like it's a big deal if I am going to give them flexibility too. Their issue is that it's becoming a weekly occurrence. If I was late even once per week, I'd probably get fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They NEED to state up front then that they need a nanny who basically has no life outside of work. I actually saw ad to this affect recently. They need to state up front if they consistently need someone more than the stated 50 hours per week. Also, if they want flexibility, then they need to be willing to offer it in return. I don't get that from them.

I agree with everything you said here EXCEPT that if they require flexibility that they need to be willing to give you flexibility as well. I don't agree with that. Of course as a nanny I would appreciate any flexibility that my bosses give me but I would never expect it.

No. It needs to go BOTH ways. I may end up being 5 to 10 minutes every once in a while, and I should expect flexibility for that. Like when the weather is really bad, even when I leave my house earlier, I might still be a little late. Yet I shouldn't have to feel like it's a big deal if I am going to give them flexibility too. Their issue is that it's becoming a weekly occurrence. If I was late even once per week, I'd probably get fired.

I agree with this. I have worked for my bosses for over a year and been 10 minutes late ONCE and am usually 10-15 minutes early. They nearly had a cow when I was late but they are late 2-3 times a week and I greet them with a smile and don't bitch about it. If they expect flexibility they should be so in return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They NEED to state up front then that they need a nanny who basically has no life outside of work. I actually saw ad to this affect recently. They need to state up front if they consistently need someone more than the stated 50 hours per week. Also, if they want flexibility, then they need to be willing to offer it in return. I don't get that from them.

I agree with everything you said here EXCEPT that if they require flexibility that they need to be willing to give you flexibility as well. I don't agree with that. Of course as a nanny I would appreciate any flexibility that my bosses give me but I would never expect it.

No. It needs to go BOTH ways. I may end up being 5 to 10 minutes every once in a while, and I should expect flexibility for that. Like when the weather is really bad, even when I leave my house earlier, I might still be a little late. Yet I shouldn't have to feel like it's a big deal if I am going to give them flexibility too. Their issue is that it's becoming a weekly occurrence. If I was late even once per week, I'd probably get fired.

I agree with this. I have worked for my bosses for over a year and been 10 minutes late ONCE and am usually 10-15 minutes early. They nearly had a cow when I was late but they are late 2-3 times a week and I greet them with a smile and don't bitch about it. If they expect flexibility they should be so in return.

I still disagree that flexibility needs to go both ways. Yes, flexibility on their part is certainly appreciated and reasonable MBs and DBs will offer extra flexibility in the case of inclement weather but just because they come home late one day every week does not mean that you can go into work late one day every week. I understand that you may have plans and even if you don't, you want to be getting home BUT if you are late in the morning then you may very well affect their being late to work and that it just not acceptable. I am a nanny and I wouldn't appreciate if my bosses were regularly home significantly late but I realize that them coming home late and me going into work late are just not the same thing. If they are coming home late then (depending on their profession) it may very well be out of their hands. If you are going into work late it is probably because you overslept. A major reason why a lot of parents want a nanny is for the flexibility (though I do believe that if this is the case that they should let you know they need flexibility in the interview). Nobody becomes a nanny because they want flexibility with their start time everyday. I think that it completely ridiculous, and I'm a nanny.

[Anonymous]

very much agree w/ 12:39. Also for me, 10 minutes late more than once every several weeks would be a deal-breaker. 10 minutes makes a 1/2 hr difference in my commute and puts me to work way later due to traffic patterns. my nanny is to the dot punctual - i love that about her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:very much agree w/ 12:39. Also for me, 10 minutes late more than once every several weeks would be a deal-breaker. 10 minutes makes a 1/2 hr difference in my commute and puts me to work way later due to traffic patterns. my nanny is to the dot punctual - i love that about her.

Well guess what, a weekly occurrence of 15 or more minutes late makes MY commute to leave work hell and late for whatever obligations I have afterwards. You better be showing the same courtesy to your nanny that she shows you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:very much agree w/ 12:39. Also for me, 10 minutes late more than once every several weeks would be a deal-breaker. 10 minutes makes a 1/2 hr difference in my commute and puts me to work way later due to traffic patterns. my nanny is to the dot punctual - i love that about her.

Well guess what, a weekly occurrence of 15 or more minutes late makes MY commute to leave work hell and late for whatever obligations I have afterwards. You better be showing the same courtesy to your nanny that she shows you.

Why are you being rude and catty? The PP told her opinion in a very mature and respectful way. You, on the other hand, had a completely unnecessary attitude in your post.

[Anonymous]

To those saying flexibility need not go both ways, I'm not suggesting tit for tat, but is the parent's time more important than the nanny's? She could very well be heading off to a second job when she leaves and a regularly late parent is affecting that.

[Anonymous]

Of course it goes both ways, unless you waste time with the slave masters around here. I feel so sorry for their poor children.

[Anonymous]

Don't feel sorry for them. They are the most spoiled rotten children I've ever worked with. So glad my job is done in 8 weeks. They have everything handed to them on a silver platter, no responsibilities whatsoever, and every luxury a kid could imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those saying flexibility need not go both ways, I'm not suggesting tit for tat, but is the parent's time more important than the nanny's? She could very well be heading off to a second job when she leaves and a regularly late parent is affecting that.

THANK YOU for pointing that out. I'm a nanny w a second job that the parents know about and offered to give me a reference for. Yet a phone call 25 mins before their expected arrival to say they'll be late and wanted to give me fair warning- is not fair warning! There are days when I can offer flexibility, like yesterday, when the mom worked at home and I still left 15 mins late, and there are days like today when I need to leave on time. That's just how it is.

[Anonymous]

If a nanny has school or another job right after work then the parents need to be respectful of her other obligations and make an extra effort to make it home on time. In the rare event that they can't make it home on time they need to give advanced notice. At the same time a nanny shouldn't apply for a job that requires flexibility if she isn't able to give it.

[Anonymous]

I'm salaried based on 50 hours per week, so I get that pay regardless of if I happen to work a little less some weeks (which almost never happens). So I do not get overtime for the over 40 hours. I wished I had known it was required even for nannies and pushed for it when I took the job though! Anyway, so basically I think they think that oh she left 20 minutes early once last week, so I can be 20 minutes late tonight. No, that's not how it should work. I need them to be home at the time they told me the end time would be and no later because that is what they essentially guaranteed to me when the job was offered. I don't mind an OCCASIONAL late leaving time, but when I have a class to get to, it makes it difficult. And the ONE time I was late (by 8 minutes) due to bad weather (even though I left my house early), MB was severely annoyed with me about it. I think I have a right to be annoyed that at least once or twice per week, they are late getting home, making my commute that much worse. As I said before, if I was late that often, I'd be fired!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They NEED to state up front then that they need a nanny who basically has no life outside of work. I actually saw ad to this affect recently. They need to state up front if they consistently need someone more than the stated 50 hours per week. Also, if they want flexibility, then they need to be willing to offer it in return. I don't get that from them.

I agree with everything you said here EXCEPT that if they require flexibility that they need to be willing to give you flexibility as well. I don't agree with that. Of course as a nanny I would appreciate any flexibility that my bosses give me but I would never expect it.

No. It needs to go BOTH ways. I may end up being 5 to 10 minutes every once in a while, and I should expect flexibility for that. Like when the weather is really bad, even when I leave my house earlier, I might still be a little late. Yet I shouldn't have to feel like it's a big deal if I am going to give them flexibility too. Their issue is that it's becoming a weekly occurrence. If I was late even once per week, I'd probably get fired.

I agree with this. I have worked for my bosses for over a year and been 10 minutes late ONCE and am usually 10-15 minutes early. They nearly had a cow when I was late but they are late 2-3 times a week and I greet them with a smile and don't bitch about it. If they expect flexibility they should be so in return.

I still disagree that flexibility needs to go both ways. Yes, flexibility on their part is certainly appreciated and reasonable MBs and DBs will offer extra flexibility in the case of inclement weather but just because they come home late one day every week does not mean that you can go into work late one day every week. I understand that you may have plans and even if you don't, you want to be getting home BUT if you are late in the morning then you may very well affect their being late to work and that it just not acceptable. I am a nanny and I wouldn't appreciate if my bosses were regularly home significantly late but I realize that them coming home late and me going into work late are just not the same thing. If they are coming home late then (depending on their profession) it may very well be out of their hands. If you are going into work late it is probably because you overslept. A major reason why a lot of parents want a nanny is for the flexibility (though I do believe that if this is the case that they should let you know they need flexibility in the interview). Nobody becomes a nanny because they want flexibility with their start time everyday. I think that it completely ridiculous, and I'm a nanny.

Ok, so a nanny can't have another job after the FT one she has each day? Or school or anything else planned? That is what you are saying, a nanny can't be late in the mornings since it would cause MB to be late to work. Well, if MB is constantly late home each evening, then she makes NANNY late for whatever nanny has plans for, which could be anything. There is no rule saying nanny can only have one job, or can't be taking evening classes, or whatever. MB has no special powers that make it allowable for her to be late all the time and therefore making nanny late as well. Flexibility is good, but an employer doesn't have a right to abuse this outside of a normal set schedule. Being flexible is MB asking if I can stay 30 minutes later at least a day in advance, or getting home 5-10 minutes late no more than once a month. Being flexible is not me having to schedule a buffer time of an extra 30-60 minutes at the end of my day just in case MB is late on a regular basis.