Nanny returning to work before it is safe
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Anonymous
| Nanny sprained her ankle Friday and has an AirCast. It's her driving foot. She says she is returning to work Monday and driving herself. I am alternating days off work with dh to cover her. I do not think it's safe for her to drive, based on the reading I've done on sprained ankles. Should I ask her to bring a doctor's note clearing her to drive? She will not be able to get that for 4 weeks, I think, unless she forges it. |
Anonymous
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I think you're crazy. Unless she's on heavy drugs, she can drive, especially if she's only driving herself to work.
She will need to get used to the "feel" of driving in the aircast, so I think I would ask her to wait a few days before adding the distraction of driving the baby if that's part of her job. If you really can't stomach this, I hope you are paying her and not counting this against her sick leave while you insist she stay out of work for a month. She is willing to return. Or pay for an Uber. |
Anonymous
| It's not crazy to require a doctor's note clearing an employee to return after several days out. At my work, it's 5 days. |
Anonymous
Is this OP? Usually, that's for some kind of illness, not a bone thing, and it's designed to 1) make sure the person has recovered enough (the good reason) 2) make sure they aren't just going to call out again in two days (a semi-good reason, but also sort of designed to catch people who were "milking" their condition -- doc says they should be over it) 3) make them see a health professional to certify the whole thing wasn't made up in the first place (the bad reason) Your nanny took a week off. Presumably, she's been driving during that week. What are you worried about exactly? |
Anonymous
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You are nuts, OP. You trust her to take care of your child but don't trust her to tell you the truth about what the doctor said?!
Yes, you can drive with an air-cast, btw. |
Anonymous
| Will she be driving your kid around? If you are uncomfortable, make other arrangements for your child's transportation or ask her to keep him home until her ankle is healed. If she is just driving herself to your house, butt the hell out. |
Anonymous
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Hold on previous posters, I could be wrong but maybe this MB is just concerned about her nanny driving when she has hurt herself and feels
it is too soon. OP if you are concerned about this, like someone suggested provide transport to get her to and from work and don't allow her to drive children around if you don't feel comfortable with it. |
Anonymous
But why? It's a little weird for one grown-up to second-guess another grown-up when that grown-up says she's ready to return to work. Valid reasons for second-guessing might be if the nanny is on some kind of drugs that might make her loopy, or if she has a contagious disease, or if her condition could affect her ability to safely care for the child because she might fall or pass out or something ... None of those apply here. She might not be able to dance around at Gymboree for a couple of weeks, and OP would be within the range of reasonable to ask her not to drive the kid (the far range of reasonable, but ok), but worrying about her getting to work? The only way this makes sense to me is that OP is enjoying the time at home with her child. Or, if she's not paying the nanny and this is a huge cost savings. Otherwise, what a huge expense and misplaced concern! The woman sprained her ankle. Sprains can be bad, but she's not even recovering from a break or surgical procedure, and she's been out for a week. |
Anonymous
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So sue the MB for caring!
Mine would probably be concerned over me if I were the nanny in this situation. There is nothing wrong with being anxious that the nanny is pushing herself too soon even if it does seem to you to verge on over protectiveness. I may be reading OP and the situation wrong but if I have read it correctly then she is a good MB. |
Anonymous
If I were the nanny in this situation, and my MB asked for a doctor's note, I would not feel like she was concerned. I would feel like she had just turned our relationship into a very business-like one. |
Anonymous
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I had an air cast for a stress fracture on my right foot, and was able to drive immediately. I even drove to and from the doctors appointments where I go the air cast (over an hour away.)
I had to take it off for driving, and put it back on again immediately (still in the car.) It was a PITA, especially because it was winter and cold out. If your nanny says she is ok to drive, I'd assume her doctor told her it was ok. |
Anonymous
| op: Nanny came in yesterday. She took some laundry upstairs, which I had hung to dry. It wasn't fully dry yet and I was mad when I came home from work and saw that she must have taken the stairs while holding items. I didn't say a word, though. I am so worried about re-injury. I know someone who re-injured a broken foot, then ended up with serious consequences. |
Anonymous
Your concern is sweet, but inappropriate. Please consider how you would feel if your boss felt that he could second-guess you on your medical conditions. Right now it's a sprained ankle. What if next time it's a miscarriage, or something very personal. She took a week off. She is presumably doing her best to follow the doctor's orders. She is a grown-up. If you really can't stand watching this, then tell her either to stop doing x,y,z until the cast is off, or send her home with full pay. But admit to yourself that this is about you, not her. |
Anonymous
| You sound very caring but you just have to trust nanny on this. If you can't I would suggest what PP has just said. |