How much flexibility can you reasonably expect from your nanny?
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Anonymous
| My husband and I are first time working parents, and we've recently hired a nanny to care for our ten week old son. We both have schedules that can vary a fair amount from week to week, but have committed to paying our nanny $20 an hour for at least 35 hours every week. Our question is whether it is at all reasonable to expect some flexibility on weeks that we don't even come close to using her services for 35 hours, and yet still pay her the full $700. For example, we are going out of town Wednesday-Friday one week, so she'll only be looking after our son Monday and Tuesday of that week. As per our agreement, we are still going to pay her for a full 35 hour work week despite the fact that she will only be working for 14 hours that week. Would it then be completely unreasonable to ask her to "make up" a small portion of those unworked hours the next week, so that she perhaps works 40 hours that next week for the same base rate given that she was paid for 26 hours she didn't have to work the week before? Any advice would be very appreciated. |
Anonymous
| Mb here. Yes, it's unreasonable. We need some flexibility with DS' nanny as sometimes dh gets caught in a meetinG and due to my long commute, I can't do much about it if it's a last minute thing. However this flexibility is reflected in her pay |
Anonymous
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Guarantees hours are just that - guaranteed. She does not need to make up any hours because YOU decided not to use her. She was ready and available to work the days you are gone - they days you agreed for her to work every week - and you need to pay her for those.
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Anonymous
| MB here and you are starting off on the wrong foot, OP. Of course you have to pay your nanny for the hours you agreed upon and NO you cannot ask her to make up for the hours that you said you didn't need her. |
Anonymous
| No, you cannot ask her to make up those hours!!!! Come on, OP, use your head here! |
Anonymous
| As a nanny, I keep the agreed upon hours open to my employer and am always ready to work those hours. I have no time nor inclination to "make up" the hours that my employer chose to not have me work. |
Anonymous
+1 Begin as you mean to continue. Springing this unreasonable (in my mind) request on her right after agreeing to set hours on set days is a bad omen so early on and a huge red flag to most nannies. She may agree if you ask her and may well use those three days you are gone to look for another job. I earn over 20 an hour and this is certainly what I would be doing while you were away. It's way too early in your relationship to ask for favors or changes to your agreement. |
Anonymous
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Husband here of OP. We are not talking about springing anything. When we made arrangements over a month ago, we discussed flexibility. Didn't seem to be a problem.
Now when discussing an actual instance about a month away, we were met with confusion. I guess from reading the initial responses we are way off base but we did think it reasonable that the nanny may be willing to work slightly longer days the following week if needed. Not looking for a one to one of hours exchange just some understanding that life does not work on a perfect, structured schedule. Oh well, you live and learn. |
Anonymous
Did you discuss this actual situation (or one like it) before she agreed to take the job? "Flexibility" to most nannies and employers means being late some evenings and has nothing to do with making up hours. If I heard "be willing to work longer days" sometimes, I would assume that was in addition to my regular hours - not instead of them! What did you discuss with her prior to her taking your position? |
Anonymous
OP and husband, the thing is, nannies are hourly employees and must be paid for every hour worked. You cannot have her work extra hours unpaid, even if she worked less hours the previous week. That is not a choice that you have under the law. What is your choice is whether or not to guarantee hours, however not doing so at this point will almost certainly lose you this nanny. Flexibility when it comes to hiring a nanny means that she has some flexibility in the hours she can be available (ie. she doesn't need to pick up a kid after work, work another job, etc.). Flexibility does NOT mean that you get carte blanche to amend her schedule or demand her availability any time you please. |
Anonymous
My working life as a nanny does work on a perfect, structured schedule. I am at work every single day at the time my employer requested and keep working until the time my employer requested I quit. My employer set my schedule. I follow it. I have obligations to my own family and a second job when I leave work. Please don't make the mistake of assuming your nanny has no life outside of her position with you and your son. |
Anonymous
| OP's expectations are crazy. |
Anonymous
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I do think some nannies have this kind of flexibility. Nannies who work for emergency room physicians, for example, may work many more hours one week than the next. It is usually reflected in a higher pay rate, and is always laid out clearly at the hiring stage so that everyone agrees up front.
In the above example, the nanny may know for sure that some weeks she will work 60 hours and some weeks 24, she may get a guaranteed number of hours each week, or she may get some other perks. $20/hr for one child is a good rate if you are also including other standard benefits, and you may find someone willing to be flexible on the hours and days worked, but that would need to be part of the original job description and what it means would have to also be explained clearly. |
Anonymous
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If an employer asked this of me, it would be the beginning of the end. You guarantee 35 pre-agreed upon hours. Not 25 this week and 10 next week.
To a nanny, that request says "My employers do not respect my time and see me as a commodity." Game over. |
Anonymous
+1 You hired a nanny, not a babysitter. |