nanny vacations at difficult time
![[Post New]](/nanny-forum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| Nanny question: I am pregnant and have three young children. My nanny has just asked me to take two vacations - 10 days off when I am 6.5 months pregnant, and another 10 days when I am 8 months pregnant. Do I have to give her these days off, regardless of the impact? I never specified in her contract when she should take days off, so my gut feeling is yes, but with a regular job you wouldn't take time off right before a product launch, for example, as it would look unprofessional. One vacation is to a country rampant with Zika. Thoughts? |
Anonymous
| Sorry but I'm just surprised that you give her FOUR WEEKS off per year. |
Anonymous
| Both trips are a Friday through a Monday inclusive, so it's actually 7 paid days. She gets 12 days/year, but she has two rolled over from last year. |
Anonymous
|
If she is giving you months of notice, and has the PTO available, then yes, you give her the time off. It's two weeks, split up, and you have ample time to figure out another plan.
The Zika issue seems ... silly. How often in your professional relationship have you been bitten by a mosquito that also bit her? Not to mention that mosquito season is ending anyway. Or, require her to get tested when she gets back (and give her the time off to do so). There is never a good time for a nanny to take a vacation. Are you going to be happier if she waits until after you have the baby? I say this as a mom of four myself: you are being very self-centered right now. That's pregnancy for you, but this isn't your first rodeo, and you need to get some perspective. Before you say something kind of mean and unreasonable to your nanny, please take some time to imagine that you are the employee who just wants to use her vacation time. You know, before she has four children to watch, or three children coming apart for a few months because of a new sibling and mom on maternity leave. Finally, it's not really fair to count her weekend days, either. |
Anonymous
|
MB here. I agree that weekend days don't count. Seven days, split into two segments, is nowhere near as disruptive to me as 10 working days off.
Would you rather have her gone when you're pregnant, or after the baby is born? If you'd rather cope w/ the newborn and related realities then ask her if it's possible for her to take one of the trips a little later. If life will be more complicated after the baby is born then find a way to let her take the trips now. This means she presumably won't be taking any significant time off when your household expands right? So maybe she's actually trying to be considerate in doing it this way. I think that if you want to retain the nanny, in a job that is about to involve 4 (!) young children, it's in your best interests to try to say yes to the vacations she wants to take. Perhaps it's an opportunity for you to line up and start involving some backup support beyond just the nanny. I think the zika is a non-issue. Unless one of you is having sex with the nanny it is highly unlikely she would transmit something even if she did get sick, and you will be VERY far along in your pregnancy in terms of the development of the baby. So extraordinarily little risk there. I really don't think your nanny is being unprofessional OP. It might be good to be careful about your tone so you don't harm the relationship during any discussions you have around these requests. |
Anonymous
| Does anyone post here except bitter nannies? |
Anonymous
|
Give her the time. She has it banked. She needs to gear up for the 4th kid. Ask your ped about the Zika factor - I know nothing about it.
You can't dictate where an employee goes on vacation. |
Anonymous
Every single poster before you has been nothing but nice and logical. Your post is the first hint of crazy this thread has seen. |
Anonymous
| She may be trying to take it before you have the baby as a way to be helpful. My MB had a new baby last year and I took my vacation about 6 weeks prior to her delivery. Please don't ask her to reschedule her vacation. She may have non-refundable airline tickets/hotel reservations. She could be traveling with someone who doesn't have flexibility to reschedule. Her vacation time is hers. You shouldn't begrudge her a break. |
Anonymous
|
If she is fully entitled to the time off, then I would have no choice but to allow her to take it whenever she needs to. Unless your contract discusses timing issues.
Personally if I were you, I would be much happier if my nanny took the time off before I had my fourth baby. Because once the baby will come, things will be even tougher for the both of you! As for the Zika virus concern, I would discuss it w/my Dr. since I personally do not know anything about the health risks involved there. |
Anonymous
| Nanny here- Would you rather she take time off right when you need her the most, after the baby is born?? Not being snarky but honestly I think the baby is being considerate to use up her vacation time before you need her the most! If not now, then when? It doesn't get any easier once the baby is born and you'll be even more resentful and back here complaining if she goes away when you have a 2 month old. Nannies have lives too!! |
Anonymous
|
Nanny here and I do think some of these answers are a bit snarky. Op is just asking for some advice and is justified in the Zika worry. You say you do not have a contract that specifies time off OP so yes you are going to have to do some negotiation here, now might be a good time to work on a nanny/employer agreement. Did your nanny give you enough notice? You should go ahead and honor your nannies request for the time off and would be in your right to ask her to be tested for Zika when she returns. There is a good chance you could loose your nanny if you do not let her have the time off but just take this as a learning experience. Typically vacation pay is negotiated with nanny picking one week of her choice and the other week coordinated with the employer, this is not always the case but many do this.
Hope some of this help and congratulation on your soon to be new baby. |
Anonymous
Not one answer has been snarky. |
Anonymous
How are these responses snarky? OP is calling 6.5 months pregnant "too close to delivery" for her nanny to go on vacation. She is not thinking clearly. If she's got tons of other help lined up for after the baby comes, then maybe that would be a better time, but I think most of us MBs know that it is just never the right time for your nanny to go on vacation. When you aren't a hormonal mess, though, you remember that your nanny is a person who wants a life outside your home, and you're thankful if she keeps her vacations within the guidelines listed in your work agreement and gives you lots of notice to make arrangements. And she does have an agreement about vacation; she just didn't specify "blackout" dates having to do with her pregnancy. She is certainly within her rights to refuse these vacation requests, but I think everyone who has responded is saying that the nanny would have a legitimate reason to feel she was being unfair if she does so. |
Anonymous
|
at 6.5 months, you will be fine without her. Let her go. Encourage her to take more days off then instead of at 8 months.
it's a toss up at 8 months- the baby may come early and you may need her. |