Do you accrue sick days?

[Anonymous]

Our nanny has been out for a week due to the flu. Her vacation started accruing on January 1, what do we do about sick days of which she has five? The couple websites I looked at from google say that sick days are typically accrued. I guess under that system, she still has zero sick days, but it seems kind of harsh to not pay her for the whole week. At the same time, I think there's a good chance that we will no longer need her starting April and I don't want to be overly generous by paying her for the whole week when we are not obligated to and given it's in part performance-related. Should I just pay her the week and point out that she hasn't accrued the days so we can deduct the ones she hasn't accrued from her pay if we do let her go? Or just pay out two days / three days unpaid? FYI we signed a contract but it doesn't say anything about sick days. And FWIW she didn't get sick from our kid.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny has non-accrued sick days/ personal days that she can use anytime in the year from the date of contract. Anything else would feel wrong to me.

Please don't be cheap and petty, OP. This is the person who has your child's life in her hands and you do not want her to show up hiding some contagious ailment your child could get because she couldn't pay her rent otherwise.

[Anonymous]

PP again. Our neighbor's nanny hid the fact that she had been exposed to Hand Foot And Mouth (adults often have no visible symptoms) and gave it to the then pregnant mother and toddler a week before her due date. It is feasible to assume the nanny didn't have sick days.

[Anonymous]

Omg. MB here. Just pay her for her 5 sick days. Don't worry about being "overly generous" because you're planning to let her go in April. If she needs more sick days after these 5, then consider then if they are going to be paid or unpaid.

Don't cheat her now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny has non-accrued sick days/ personal days that she can use anytime in the year from the date of contract. Anything else would feel wrong to me.

Please don't be cheap and petty, OP. This is the person who has your child's life in her hands and you do not want her to show up hiding some contagious ailment your child could get because she couldn't pay her rent otherwise.

You are a very generous employer, but please note that not accruing vacation days is not the norm, at least for a nanny new to your family. If you don't accrue vacay, this can get so easily taken advantage of and is a topic I've seen many a time on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny has non-accrued sick days/ personal days that she can use anytime in the year from the date of contract. Anything else would feel wrong to me.

Please don't be cheap and petty, OP. This is the person who has your child's life in her hands and you do not want her to show up hiding some contagious ailment your child could get because she couldn't pay her rent otherwise.

You are a very generous employer, but please note that not accruing vacation days is not the norm, at least for a nanny new to your family. If you don't accrue vacay, this can get so easily taken advantage of and is a topic I've seen many a time on DCUM.

I hear you PP, but I thought the OP was talking about whether to give the sick days all at once or make the nanny accrue them. Given that she plans to let the nanny go in April, the poor nanny will never have the chance to accrue them. I still think it's mean and petty.

[Anonymous]

I have unlimited sick days. That said I have only used 1 or 2 days over the last 4 years.

[Anonymous]

I had unlimited sick days too. I never abused it. I took off once because I had strep for a week and one other day for a bad cold. I was with them for 7 years. Dont be cheap OP and just pay her for the week.

[Anonymous]

I'm another nanny who always has unlimited sick days, and I've not taken any either

[Anonymous]

Let her use her 5 sick days as she needs them. Once they are gone she can use her vacation days if she chooses or go unpaid. That seems only fair. Be thankful your family doesn't get the flu .

[Anonymous]

Hi this is OP. I've decided to give her the paid sick days, but debating whether to do so for the whole week. If we end up letting her go in April (and it might be later), I would round up and say she'd accrued two sick days already. I mentioned there've been performance issues. She's been really unreliable with a string of absences not related to health, but all for 'very good reasons,' according to her. She's also sick or under the weather a lot, which I do think is partly her fault to the extent it's due to her not taking care of herself. I'm just tired of dealing with all the time off and yeah I guess it's making me feel cheap, as you all would say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi this is OP. I've decided to give her the paid sick days, but debating whether to do so for the whole week. If we end up letting her go in April (and it might be later), I would round up and say she'd accrued two sick days already. I mentioned there've been performance issues. She's been really unreliable with a string of absences not related to health, but all for 'very good reasons,' according to her. She's also sick or under the weather a lot, which I do think is partly her fault to the extent it's due to her not taking care of herself. I'm just tired of dealing with all the time off and yeah I guess it's making me feel cheap, as you all would say.

It sounds like the issue is general unreliability, not the use of the sick days. Why not just find a temp nanny and let her go now?

[Anonymous]

How would you feel if your boss didn't pay you when you are sick