s/o Severance

[Anonymous]

Not related to general notice, which should be mutual. If a nanny works for a family for a few years and the employment is ending on good terms, does the nanny typically get severance/bonus at the end of employment? How would employers feel about adding severance into the contract for the final year of employment? Let's say nanny's final day will be the day before child enters school. If the nanny stays through the last day she will receive said amount of bonus. Otherwise, why wouldn't the nanny start looking for a job sooner and give appropriate notice when she finds a new job?

[Anonymous]

No. The nanny would be given adequate notice of the job ending, and then would have time to go line up another one.

[Anonymous]

Severance is given when someone is fired.

A bonus is given to reward good performance.

Neither is necessary/appropriate when a long term employment is coming to its natural, amicable, long foreseen end.

If a family chooses to give you a parting gift of cash to thank you that's great, but it isn't something to which you're entitled if you were given plenty of notice.

If a family gives you lots of notice that the job will be ending they may choose to incentivize you to stay through the full term, or they run the risk of you finding the next job before they're ready to have you go. That is certainly an understandable decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not related to general notice, which should be mutual. If a nanny works for a family for a few years and the employment is ending on good terms, does the nanny typically get severance/bonus at the end of employment? How would employers feel about adding severance into the contract for the final year of employment? Let's say nanny's final day will be the day before child enters school. If the nanny stays through the last day she will receive said amount of bonus. Otherwise, why wouldn't the nanny start looking for a job sooner and give appropriate notice when she finds a new job?

Sounds like a good idea to me. Why not maximize the benefits to your child?

[Anonymous]

OP here. So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract? If you know your income is ceasing in two months, why not start looking now and give contractual notice when you find a new position?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract? If you know your income is ceasing in two months, why not start looking now and give contractual notice when you find a new position?

Morals and ethics are the incentive. You can start looking for a job and say "My current job ends on September 5th, so my available start date is September 7th." Every time I've changed jobs I've been able to leave on a high note on a mutually agreed upon date. No problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract? If you know your income is ceasing in two months, why not start looking now and give contractual notice when you find a new position?

Morals and ethics are the incentive. You can start looking for a job and say "My current job ends on September 5th, so my available start date is September 7th." Every time I've changed jobs I've been able to leave on a high note on a mutually agreed upon date. No problem.

My number one responsibility is to take care of myself and my family. I cannot afford to pass up a great opportunity when I know that I will soon be out of a job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract? If you know your income is ceasing in two months, why not start looking now and give contractual notice when you find a new position?

Morals and ethics are the incentive. You can start looking for a job and say "My current job ends on September 5th, so my available start date is September 7th." Every time I've changed jobs I've been able to leave on a high note on a mutually agreed upon date. No problem.

My number one responsibility is to take care of myself and my family. I cannot afford to pass up a great opportunity when I know that I will soon be out of a job.

Exactly. Same for everyone else who has financial responsibilities.

[Anonymous]

The additional money is nice, but that's no guarantee she will stay. If she finds a great job, and they need her to start a bit earlier than she may take it.

It's a risk you take ,OP. Nanny knows she is going to need a job in 2 months, and a bonus or couple months severance though nice will not make up for that.

My advice for you is to give yourself some flexibility if you would like her to stay until the end of June, be prepared for her to go in May.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract? If you know your income is ceasing in two months, why not start looking now and give contractual notice when you find a new position?

Morals and ethics are the incentive. You can start looking for a job and say "My current job ends on September 5th, so my available start date is September 7th." Every time I've changed jobs I've been able to leave on a high note on a mutually agreed upon date. No problem.

My number one responsibility is to take care of myself and my family. I cannot afford to pass up a great opportunity when I know that I will soon be out of a job.

You mean like everyone else everywhere in every career field in the 1st world? No kidding!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related to general notice, which should be mutual. If a nanny works for a family for a few years and the employment is ending on good terms, does the nanny typically get severance/bonus at the end of employment? How would employers feel about adding severance into the contract for the final year of employment? Let's say nanny's final day will be the day before child enters school. If the nanny stays through the last day she will receive said amount of bonus. Otherwise, why wouldn't the nanny start looking for a job sooner and give appropriate notice when she finds a new job?

Sounds like a good idea to me. Why not maximize the benefits to your child?

That is not severance. It is a retention bonus. Nothing wrong with that if you and the nanny agree to it. Back in the late 60's, my dad (who was ahead of his time in many ways) put away a special bonus every year for our overseas household employees with the contingency that they would receive it, with interest, at the end of their employment if they remained with him the whole time. When we left three years later, the ones who stayed were thrilled to have so much money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract? If you know your income is ceasing in two months, why not start looking now and give contractual notice when you find a new position?

Morals and ethics are the incentive. You can start looking for a job and say "My current job ends on September 5th, so my available start date is September 7th." Every time I've changed jobs I've been able to leave on a high note on a mutually agreed upon date. No problem.

My number one responsibility is to take care of myself and my family. I cannot afford to pass up a great opportunity when I know that I will soon be out of a job.

You mean like everyone else everywhere in every career field in the 1st world? No kidding!

Only in this field is one made to feel guilty for putting their own family above their employers.

[Anonymous]

It used to be that mothers were expected to be super-human.

How convenient that they've now passed that expectation onto the nanny.

[Anonymous]

"So, what incentive does nanny have to stay through the end of the contract?"

a good reference. Honestly, if you want your MB to give you as much notice as possible when it's ending then the flip side is that you need to be ready to stay until the end - or at a minimum pretty darn close to that. Otherwise why should MBs let nanny know the job will end any more than 2 - 3 weeks beforehand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related to general notice, which should be mutual. If a nanny works for a family for a few years and the employment is ending on good terms, does the nanny typically get severance/bonus at the end of employment? How would employers feel about adding severance into the contract for the final year of employment? Let's say nanny's final day will be the day before child enters school. If the nanny stays through the last day she will receive said amount of bonus. Otherwise, why wouldn't the nanny start looking for a job sooner and give appropriate notice when she finds a new job?

Sounds like a good idea to me. Why not maximize the benefits to your child?

That is not severance. It is a retention bonus. Nothing wrong with that if you and the nanny agree to it. Back in the late 60's, my dad (who was ahead of his time in many ways) put away a special bonus every year for our overseas household employees with the contingency that they would receive it, with interest, at the end of their employment if they remained with him the whole time. When we left three years later, the ones who stayed were thrilled to have so much money.

Exactly. It's fine to negotiate a retention bonus if the nanny and the parents want to, but it's not severance.