Severance for 2.5 years

[Anonymous]

Our nanny was excellent when DS was a baby but we have been having problems for the past year. I've tried to work through them but it has become clear that she's not the right fit for our family. Especially now that DS is getting bigger and does not appear to be connecting with her. What is the normal severance for 2.5 years? We have her a very generous Christmas bonus and have done so since she was employed with us. My husband and sisters thinkn2 weeks is sufficient and I was thinking 3 weeks would be a better package. We can barely afford the severance as I'm expecting a new baby but I want to do right by her even if she has become incredibly difficult to work with.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately there's very little "normal" for nannies. Please do what you think is fair considering her past service to your child.

How much notice have you given her?

[Anonymous]

I don't think we will give her notice. She has been causing our family tremendous stress and at this point i would rather take leave from work and let her go than give her notice.

[Anonymous]

You're fine with two weeks if the situation is as bad as it sounds.

[Anonymous]

What does your contract state? If your contract states 4 weeks notice from both employer and nanny, you will have to pay that out as severance if you don't want to give her any notice. If your contract states 2 weeks notice, you are only required to pay out two weeks as severance if you are choosing not to give notice.

[Anonymous]

I would do the three weeks if you can manage it. Taking the high road will let you sleep better at night.

But if two weeks is all you can manage, and you just gave her a generous xmas bonus, then I don't think you're terrible people.

I do support you doing it all at once. Let her go this afternoon, write her a check and a reasonable reference letter, and you'll be immediately relieved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does your contract state? If your contract states 4 weeks notice from both employer and nanny, you will have to pay that out as severance if you don't want to give her any notice. If your contract states 2 weeks notice, you are only required to pay out two weeks as severance if you are choosing not to give notice.

OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your contract state? If your contract states 4 weeks notice from both employer and nanny, you will have to pay that out as severance if you don't want to give her any notice. If your contract states 2 weeks notice, you are only required to pay out two weeks as severance if you are choosing not to give notice.

OP?

We never had a contract we just agreed on vacation and sick days at the start of employment. I'm an attorney and I didnt do one because Nanny contracts are basically unenforceable.

[Anonymous]

OP, considering that her job performance has gone down the drain the past year, I honestly don't think your nanny deserves any type of severance package.

Why reward someone who didn't do a good job for the last year??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, considering that her job performance has gone down the drain the past year, I honestly don't think your nanny deserves any type of severance package.

Why reward someone who didn't do a good job for the last year??

It's not about rewarding her, it's about basic human decency. OP isn't giving notice, she is terminating, effective immediately. Two weeks severance wouldn't be a reward, it would be standard practice. Not giving notice or severance is a punishment that this nanny doesn't deserve.

Yes, her performance isn't as good as it once was, but she has at least been reliable. This is said a lot and for good reason: think about if the situation were reversed, and it was the nanny who was ending the relationship. Wouldn't you want those last two weeks of care to give you a chance to find a new childcare solution? Nanny may well need those two weeks of pay to pay rent, and it often takes a lot more than two weeks to secure a new job (especially when your most recent employer of the past 2.5 years is unlikely to provide a good reference).

[Anonymous]

A nanny's primary duty is to care for the child. Anything additional is above and beyond the scope of a nanny, even if you find a person who will agree to clean your house and babysit. That person is not a nanny.

I agree that most Americans don't understand that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your contract state? If your contract states 4 weeks notice from both employer and nanny, you will have to pay that out as severance if you don't want to give her any notice. If your contract states 2 weeks notice, you are only required to pay out two weeks as severance if you are choosing not to give notice.

OP?

We never had a contract we just agreed on vacation and sick days at the start of employment. I'm an attorney and I didnt do one because Nanny contracts are basically unenforceable.

I will skip whether nanny contracts are enforceable. Given that you didn't have a contract, I would say pay out whatever vacation is owed (prorated for the amount of time she's worked this year), and 2-4 weeks severance. Unless you terminated her at the end of the day today, you'll probably want to take this week to start looking for another nanny and terminate next Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny was excellent when DS was a baby but we have been having problems for the past year. I've tried to work through them but it has become clear that she's not the right fit for our family. Especially now that DS is getting bigger and does not appear to be connecting with her. What is the normal severance for 2.5 years? We have her a very generous Christmas bonus and have done so since she was employed with us. My husband and sisters thinkn2 weeks is sufficient and I was thinking 3 weeks would be a better package. We can barely afford the severance as I'm expecting a new baby but I want to do right by her even if she has become incredibly difficult to work with.

Why do you care about treating her right at the end of your relationship? You think she is going to bad mouth you to perspective nannies? If my nanny was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and it came time to let her go I would surprise myself if I gave a weeks bonus as severence, anything less than AMAZING = no severence. Paycheck and done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think we will give her notice. She has been causing our family tremendous stress and at this point i would rather take leave from work and let her go than give her notice.

I work in HR for a tech firm and everything I know says that severance is for being laid off through NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN. That is not the case here. By giving her severance yet hiring a new nanny, you're sending the wrong signal. She's going to be able to get unemployment by telling them "No, I wasn't fired for cause - otherwise they wouldn't have given me severance!" I wouldn't give notice or severance.

[Anonymous]

Didn't OP say she did a decent job taking care of OP's child?