What am I going to do? Nanny's kid might be really sick...

[Anonymous]

So, as a moral person without infinite funds to pay my nanny as well as back up care, I am totally lost as to what I am going to do. My thoughts are with my nanny and her child but what am I going to do? (No treatment plan in place yet- everything very uncertain until test results are in next week).

[Anonymous]

Ask your nanny what their thoughts are. Perhaps they are more concerned with staying home with a sick child, perhaps they will be in dire need of money and will stay committed to your position, perhaps they will be willing to go to a more part-time position if that is something you could work out.
There are a dozen ways this could work out but the only people who can really do that are your nanny and you, not strangers on the internet.

If you are coming here looking for a pass (again from strangers) to fire her because of this, that's another matter entirely.

[Anonymous]

What does "really sick" mean? Cancer or bronchitis?

[Anonymous]

This posting is just too general.

Can you please provide us with some more details OP?

I need something to follow and I do not follow anything.

Tell me where to start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask your nanny what their thoughts are. Perhaps they are more concerned with staying home with a sick child, perhaps they will be in dire need of money and will stay committed to your position, perhaps they will be willing to go to a more part-time position if that is something you could work out.
There are a dozen ways this could work out but the only people who can really do that are your nanny and you, not strangers on the internet.

If you are coming here looking for a pass (again from strangers) to fire her because of this, that's another matter entirely.

+1. You will have to address this with her directly. I am sure she is worrying about what to do as well, even as she is worried about her child.

[Anonymous]

Does she have paid sick days or vacation time to use? If not she really should be getting some paid sick days and at least 1 week of vacation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does she have paid sick days or vacation time to use? If not she really should be getting some paid sick days and at least 1 week of vacation

since OP mentions that "test results will be in next week" it sounds like this is a condition that will likely last longer than what a week's vacation plus standard sick days will cover.

[Anonymous]

If your nanny is unable to care for your child while her child is sick, and if her child is likely to continue being sick for the coming weeks (or months?), that is a tough spot to be in.

At this point, you have to wait for the test results. It sounds like they will have a major impact on what the foreseeable future holds for this child (and your childcare situation). So, until the test results come in you should plan to continue working with her, and pay her like you normally would (which is just one week of PTO).

After the results come back, I think things will be a bit more clear, and I'm guessing there are a few likely outcomes:

Worst case scenario: child will need constant care and treatment for the long term (more than 12 weeks)

Best case scenario: child will be okay, hopefully back to normal within a few weeks (less than 3 weeks)

In the middle: child will need intense care for the short term (4-12 weeks) OR child is unikely to get better in less than 4 weeks but exact recovery time is unknown

In the worst case scenario, you will probably need to move on and find a new nanny. In this scenario, /IF/ you do not already have a contract in place that specifies PTO or sick days, then I would try to be as generous as possible, and especially take into consideration her time with you. For example, if she's been working with your family for six to twelve months, I would give her at least one week of paid severance (on top of this week of PTO waiting for test results). If she's been working with you 1-2 years I'd give at least two weeks paid severance in addition to the week of PTO. If she's been working its you more than three years I would really try to offer three weeks or more paid severance, but I know that might not be possible.

Something else you might want to consider: do you pay her legally (does she pay taxes on her wages)? If not, she will not be able to collect unemployment, which could really hurt her, especially with escalating medical bills.

In the best case scenario (child should be better within a few weeks), I'd just use backup care for the next two weeks, and also continue paying her, at least as much as you are able to.

In the middle of the road scenario, that is a much harder situation to deal with. You would have to decide if you were willing to wait it out for her and use back up care, or if it's better to find another care provider at that point. If you decide to find someone else, I'd still provide the severance pay (see above). If you decide to use back up care and wait for her to come back to work with you, I'd still provide at least two weeks of PTO, but I don't think you're obligated to pay more than that (especially if you're holding the job for her).

I hope it all works out.

[Anonymous]

What does your gut tell you OP??

Do you trust your nanny one hundred percent??

Or is she the type of person that you think is trying to con you...??

Because you sound like you may have some doubts here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your nanny is unable to care for your child while her child is sick, and if her child is likely to continue being sick for the coming weeks (or months?), that is a tough spot to be in.

At this point, you have to wait for the test results. It sounds like they will have a major impact on what the foreseeable future holds for this child (and your childcare situation). So, until the test results come in you should plan to continue working with her, and pay her like you normally would (which is just one week of PTO).

After the results come back, I think things will be a bit more clear, and I'm guessing there are a few likely outcomes:

Worst case scenario: child will need constant care and treatment for the long term (more than 12 weeks)

Best case scenario: child will be okay, hopefully back to normal within a few weeks (less than 3 weeks)

In the middle: child will need intense care for the short term (4-12 weeks) OR child is unikely to get better in less than 4 weeks but exact recovery time is unknown

In the worst case scenario, you will probably need to move on and find a new nanny. In this scenario, /IF/ you do not already have a contract in place that specifies PTO or sick days, then I would try to be as generous as possible, and especially take into consideration her time with you. For example, if she's been working with your family for six to twelve months, I would give her at least one week of paid severance (on top of this week of PTO waiting for test results). If she's been working with you 1-2 years I'd give at least two weeks paid severance in addition to the week of PTO. If she's been working its you more than three years I would really try to offer three weeks or more paid severance, but I know that might not be possible.

Something else you might want to consider: do you pay her legally (does she pay taxes on her wages)? If not, she will not be able to collect unemployment, which could really hurt her, especially with escalating medical bills.

In the best case scenario (child should be better within a few weeks), I'd just use backup care for the next two weeks, and also continue paying her, at least as much as you are able to.

In the middle of the road scenario, that is a much harder situation to deal with. You would have to decide if you were willing to wait it out for her and use back up care, or if it's better to find another care provider at that point. If you decide to find someone else, I'd still provide the severance pay (see above). If you decide to use back up care and wait for her to come back to work with you, I'd still provide at least two weeks of PTO, but I don't think you're obligated to pay more than that (especially if you're holding the job for her).

I hope it all works out.

Thank you for this thoughtful advice. You are right. We just don't know yet. To the next pp I have no doubts whatsoever. It's potentially severe enough to make caring for my children impossible and yet I don't think she can be without a job. So there is certainly no good answer in a terrible situation like this. She does get 3 wks total of PTO per our contract; has used more than half so far in her time with us. I guess we just have to wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your nanny is unable to care for your child while her child is sick, and if her child is likely to continue being sick for the coming weeks (or months?), that is a tough spot to be in.

At this point, you have to wait for the test results. It sounds like they will have a major impact on what the foreseeable future holds for this child (and your childcare situation). So, until the test results come in you should plan to continue working with her, and pay her like you normally would (which is just one week of PTO).

After the results come back, I think things will be a bit more clear, and I'm guessing there are a few likely outcomes:

Worst case scenario: child will need constant care and treatment for the long term (more than 12 weeks)

Best case scenario: child will be okay, hopefully back to normal within a few weeks (less than 3 weeks)

In the middle: child will need intense care for the short term (4-12 weeks) OR child is unikely to get better in less than 4 weeks but exact recovery time is unknown

In the worst case scenario, you will probably need to move on and find a new nanny. In this scenario, /IF/ you do not already have a contract in place that specifies PTO or sick days, then I would try to be as generous as possible, and especially take into consideration her time with you. For example, if she's been working with your family for six to twelve months, I would give her at least one week of paid severance (on top of this week of PTO waiting for test results). If she's been working with you 1-2 years I'd give at least two weeks paid severance in addition to the week of PTO. If she's been working its you more than three years I would really try to offer three weeks or more paid severance, but I know that might not be possible.

Something else you might want to consider: do you pay her legally (does she pay taxes on her wages)? If not, she will not be able to collect unemployment, which could really hurt her, especially with escalating medical bills.

In the best case scenario (child should be better within a few weeks), I'd just use backup care for the next two weeks, and also continue paying her, at least as much as you are able to.

In the middle of the road scenario, that is a much harder situation to deal with. You would have to decide if you were willing to wait it out for her and use back up care, or if it's better to find another care provider at that point. If you decide to find someone else, I'd still provide the severance pay (see above). If you decide to use back up care and wait for her to come back to work with you, I'd still provide at least two weeks of PTO, but I don't think you're obligated to pay more than that (especially if you're holding the job for her).

I hope it all works out.

This is the best approach. I should add that you can be supportive of her in non financial ways as well .

Should you need to replace her it doesn't mean you are a terrible person.

I hope everything turns out well for the child.

[Anonymous]

She won't be able to collect unemployment anyway, though, if her available work hours are restricted by caring for a sick child. You have to pretty much be willing to take any job that's available and apply for all of them to stay eligible for unemployment.

I am sure she is scared about a lot of things, including how she will pay her bills if she has to stop working. We have very little true safety net in this country, which is awful in situations like these, but even at a big company the best anyone usually gets here is 12 weeks unpaid FMLA. OP, you can't be expected to do more than you can do. But be upfront with her when the time comes; don't say things like "I'm sure we can work it out," or "everything will be all right." Instead, be straight-forward and tell her what you're willing to do to make it work (part time, hold job for awhile with unpaid leave, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Her child may have a life-threatening disease and you are only concerned with yourself.

[Anonymous]

If she isn't able to work, can she apply for SSI for her child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Her child may have a life-threatening disease and you are only concerned with yourself.

Oh please. Ops reaction is totally fine and normal. She's trying to figure out different options so she's prepared. A
Selfish person wouldn't give an eff and woild just fire the nanny.