Moving states in a few months. When to tell nanny?

[Anonymous]

We have an amazing nanny who has been watching our infant for several months now. We are moving out of state at the end of June due to a new job. Breaks my heart but we will need to let our nanny go. She is getting married in mid May, I would hate for this to add to the stress she's dealing with in planning her wedding, but I also hate to give her the news right after such a happy occasion. I want to give her plenty of notice but need her to stay through June, although I realize I don't have control over that.

What would you do?

[Anonymous]

Just let her know as soon as possible. Also provide good reference for her and reassure her of honoring a severance pay/bonus. Also ask her if you should look for nanny jobs on her behalf.

[Anonymous]

Tell her at the beginning of April, or tell her now and offer her a hefty bonus to stay through June.

[Anonymous]

Tell her after her wedding. Then she'll have about a month to line something else up.

[Anonymous]

Tell her now so she knows not to count on a certain income when paying wedding expenses or looking for a new place to live married, or planning a honeymoon etc. It's the right thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Tell her now!!!

Why do MBs keep asking this question? Your child's nanny is an adult and she deserves to know when you do.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for all of your input...we'll talk with her soon and make sure she feels properly incentivized to stay with us through June. We'll also give her a stellar referral and help finding a new gig, if she wants it.

As an aside:

Anonymous wrote:Tell her now!!!

Why do MBs keep asking this question? Your child's nanny is an adult and she deserves to know when you do.

I think this is a little short-sighted. I'm a full time employee at a large corporation - my employer wouldn't give any thought to giving me months worth of notice, that would just never happen. I understand a nanny-family working relationship can be more personal but at the end of the day, it is still that of an employer-employee. It might be the right thing to do to tell her earlier in our case, because of her upcoming wedding, but I think you're putting way too much of a personal spin on something that is still a business relationship.

[Anonymous]

Yes a Nanny/Parent relationship is business theoretically however since both home + child are personally involved, the dynamic is incomparable.

I would tell her tomorrow.
Ask if she finishes up in June you will offer her a severance package as well as a stellar reference.

The more notice she gets, the better this situation will be for everyone involved I promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just let her know as soon as possible. Also provide good reference for her and reassure her of honoring a severance pay/bonus. Also ask her if you should look for nanny jobs on her behalf.

Not "as soon as possible", you tell her immediately so she can be looking for a new job giving them a starting date. She has a right to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for all of your input...we'll talk with her soon and make sure she feels properly incentivized to stay with us through June. We'll also give her a stellar referral and help finding a new gig, if she wants it.

As an aside:

Anonymous wrote:Tell her now!!!

Why do MBs keep asking this question? Your child's nanny is an adult and she deserves to know when you do.

I think this is a little short-sighted. I'm a full time employee at a large corporation - my employer wouldn't give any thought to giving me months worth of notice, that would just never happen. I understand a nanny-family working relationship can be more personal but at the end of the day, it is still that of an employer-employee. It might be the right thing to do to tell her earlier in our case, because of her upcoming wedding, but I think you're putting way too much of a personal spin on something that is still a business relationship.

I think you are a selfish horse's ass. You work in an office and there is a huge difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think this is a little short-sighted. I'm a full time employee at a large corporation - my employer wouldn't give any thought to giving me months worth of notice, that would just never happen. I understand a nanny-family working relationship can be more personal but at the end of the day, it is still that of an employer-employee. It might be the right thing to do to tell her earlier in our case, because of her upcoming wedding, but I think you're putting way too much of a personal spin on something that is still a business relationship.

If it's still just a business relationship you'll certainly be understanding if she needs to leave sooner, right? Kind of like Or is that why you wanted to wait on letting her know?

[Anonymous]

Offer her a retention bonus if 4-8 weeks pay, depending on how long you've had her and your finances. Any less than 4 weeks would likely not be worth risking being out of a job. I'd also tell her right away and give her a great reference letter right away so that she can revamp her resume, online profile, and join agencies.