Guaranteed hours and PTO

[Anonymous]

When we hired our nanny we discussed that most weeks we'd need 45-50 hours a week. In the contract we guarantee pay for 40 hours a week and also provider 20 PTO days a year, 5 at her discretion and the rest at ours + 10 paid holidays. A few questions I'm curious on what the standard / expected is - we pay her $22/hr - $33/hr for overtime - I'm definitely not looking to nickel and dime her but also not looking to pay hundreds of dollars extra for time not worked given that she is overall well compensated.

Also for context we will have at least 20 days of formal vacation time this year (2 weeks over xmas, one over thanksgiving, one in summer) so there is no world in which she won't get at least 20 days of PTO.

- In a given week, if she works 10 hours for 4 days and I have her not work at all the 5th day, I can just pay the 40 hours right? I don't have to make the 5th one "PTO" (paying her for 48 hours) because we met the guaranteed minimum of 40 hours for the week and the PTO days are being used elsewhere, do I?

- For full weeks off, do I pay for 40 hours or something more than that?

- For a xmas bonus - what would you give?

[Anonymous]

Did you talk about this and the interview and when you did the contract?

I think if you clearly spelled out that you guarantee 40 hours a week and that is what you will pay at a minimum when she is off then you are good to do that.
I think it kind of sucks for the Nanny as she has gotten use to the OT rate being her base rate by now but I dont think youre being unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we hired our nanny we discussed that most weeks we'd need 45-50 hours a week. In the contract we guarantee pay for 40 hours a week and also provider 20 PTO days a year, 5 at her discretion and the rest at ours + 10 paid holidays. A few questions I'm curious on what the standard / expected is - we pay her $22/hr - $33/hr for overtime - I'm definitely not looking to nickel and dime her but also not looking to pay hundreds of dollars extra for time not worked given that she is overall well compensated.

Also for context we will have at least 20 days of formal vacation time this year (2 weeks over xmas, one over thanksgiving, one in summer) so there is no world in which she won't get at least 20 days of PTO.

- In a given week, if she works 10 hours for 4 days and I have her not work at all the 5th day, I can just pay the 40 hours right? I don't have to make the 5th one "PTO" (paying her for 48 hours) because we met the guaranteed minimum of 40 hours for the week and the PTO days are being used elsewhere, do I?

- For full weeks off, do I pay for 40 hours or something more than that?

- For a xmas bonus - what would you give?

This was the hardest part of the contract to draft and I'm still not sure (four years in) if we've gotten it right, but we usually pay for any days not worked as PTO (so, in your case, 8 hours). For full weeks off, we pay 45 hours (our guaranteed amount - so you'd pay 40). For Christmas we give her gifts and $2,500 in cash.

I hear you on the nickel and diming - I adore our nanny but it is really hard to pay her with our after-tax funds, and sometimes I do start adding up all the hours I could save here or there, but then I try my best to let it go.

[Anonymous]

I think you're being cheap. You should be guaranteeing he full number of hours each week ( 45 or 50). It sucks to pay more sometimes but the nanny is not allowed to pick up extra hours with their families because she has to keep you in mind if you go over 40. You need to pay to gaur ante that she is available for a full 45-50 hours or prepare for her to take extra work. She doesn't owe you that time never see you have not reserved it.

[Anonymous]

If you want her to be available for 45 to 50 hours then you guarantee and pay her for those hours whether you need her or not. Here is where I think it gets sticky - do you pay overtime for those hours you didn't use her?

[Anonymous]

So you expect her to be available to you for up to 50 hours, on a flexible schedule (at your beck and call-or is it beckon call?), but only guarantee 40 hours? At what point do you set the schedule? Do you decide last minute to add or subtract hours from her schedule? I think you need to decide what hours you truly want from her and then pay her every week for those hours. If you regularly use her beyond 40 hours, you should be paying for those hours. If she guarantees her time to you, you guarantee pay.

[Anonymous]

You're already nickel and diming her. If you want her available for 45-50 hours then you have to pay for this time. This is a no brainier. Look

[Anonymous]

This all sounds like it should be resolved with a conversation with your nanny as standards (if one exists, which I'm not sure it does for this situation) aren't as important as what your nanny's expectations and needs are. What do you mean by "most" weeks? Are there only 2-3 weeks in the year where you need less than 45 hours? Or is this 20 weeks out of the year? Are they randomly spread out or are you doing this every week during the summer, for example? How much notice would you usually be able to give her? You need to clarify this with your nanny so she can tell you whether your plan is acceptable to her or not.

If you've guaranteed 40 hours, then that is what you should pay during vacation (8 hours a day). Doesn't hurt to specify this with her, though, since that is 4 weeks of 40 hours pay a year.

I know some nannies on here are mad that you don't guarantee every single hour she might possibly work, but I think the difference is small enough to be reasonable to a lot of nannies, as long as you're clear about the expected flexibility you need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds like it should be resolved with a conversation with your nanny as standards (if one exists, which I'm not sure it does for this situation) aren't as important as what your nanny's expectations and needs are. What do you mean by "most" weeks? Are there only 2-3 weeks in the year where you need less than 45 hours? Or is this 20 weeks out of the year? Are they randomly spread out or are you doing this every week during the summer, for example? How much notice would you usually be able to give her? You need to clarify this with your nanny so she can tell you whether your plan is acceptable to her or not.

If you've guaranteed 40 hours, then that is what you should pay during vacation (8 hours a day). Doesn't hurt to specify this with her, though, since that is 4 weeks of 40 hours pay a year.

I know some nannies on here are mad that you don't guarantee every single hour she might possibly work, but I think the difference is small enough to be reasonable to a lot of nannies, as long as you're clear about the expected flexibility you need.

It's not fair the nanny has to be available and flexible but not get paid for it. The nanny can't take other job during these hours. If op doesn't want to guarantee hours, she shouldn't expect the nanny to be available for any more than 40 hours a week. It isn't reasonable to expect someone to keep their schedule open for you without offering some incentive. 1-2 hours extra is no big deal but 5-10 hours is. She is cheating her out of other work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds like it should be resolved with a conversation with your nanny as standards (if one exists, which I'm not sure it does for this situation) aren't as important as what your nanny's expectations and needs are. What do you mean by "most" weeks? Are there only 2-3 weeks in the year where you need less than 45 hours? Or is this 20 weeks out of the year? Are they randomly spread out or are you doing this every week during the summer, for example? How much notice would you usually be able to give her? You need to clarify this with your nanny so she can tell you whether your plan is acceptable to her or not.

If you've guaranteed 40 hours, then that is what you should pay during vacation (8 hours a day). Doesn't hurt to specify this with her, though, since that is 4 weeks of 40 hours pay a year.

I know some nannies on here are mad that you don't guarantee every single hour she might possibly work, but I think the difference is small enough to be reasonable to a lot of nannies, as long as you're clear about the expected flexibility you need.

It's not fair the nanny has to be available and flexible but not get paid for it. The nanny can't take other job during these hours. If op doesn't want to guarantee hours, she shouldn't expect the nanny to be available for any more than 40 hours a week. It isn't reasonable to expect someone to keep their schedule open for you without offering some incentive. 1-2 hours extra is no big deal but 5-10 hours is. She is cheating her out of other work.

Nanny should not have taken in a minimum guarantee of 40hrs if she could not afford that arrangement. If i hit 40 by Thursday, and didnt need her Friday, then I met my obligation. If she expecrs to be paid for Friday, then she could have taken a job with a 48hr guarantee.

At your hourly, you can replace her in a second. Just make sure you tighten up your contract and hire someone with better cognitive abilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we hired our nanny we discussed that most weeks we'd need 45-50 hours a week. In the contract we guarantee pay for 40 hours a week and also provider 20 PTO days a year, 5 at her discretion and the rest at ours + 10 paid holidays. A few questions I'm curious on what the standard / expected is - we pay her $22/hr - $33/hr for overtime - I'm definitely not looking to nickel and dime her but also not looking to pay hundreds of dollars extra for time not worked given that she is overall well compensated.

Also for context we will have at least 20 days of formal vacation time this year (2 weeks over xmas, one over thanksgiving, one in summer) so there is no world in which she won't get at least 20 days of PTO.

- In a given week, if she works 10 hours for 4 days and I have her not work at all the 5th day, I can just pay the 40 hours right? I don't have to make the 5th one "PTO" (paying her for 48 hours) because we met the guaranteed minimum of 40 hours for the week and the PTO days are being used elsewhere, do I?

- For full weeks off, do I pay for 40 hours or something more than that?

- For a xmas bonus - what would you give?

If the nanny elects to use a PTO week on the 5th day, you aren't obligated to pay OT, but you are obligated to pay the base rate (if she has the PTO day available). Otherwise, you pay just the 40 hours.

If guaranteed pay is 40 hours, you pay for 40 hours on vacation weeks, unless your contract reads higher.

Are you letting your nanny either 1. pick at least one week of her vacation or 2. giving her at least 2 months' notice for each vacation so that she can make her own plans? What does your contract state happens when your vacation plans fall through?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds like it should be resolved with a conversation with your nanny as standards (if one exists, which I'm not sure it does for this situation) aren't as important as what your nanny's expectations and needs are. What do you mean by "most" weeks? Are there only 2-3 weeks in the year where you need less than 45 hours? Or is this 20 weeks out of the year? Are they randomly spread out or are you doing this every week during the summer, for example? How much notice would you usually be able to give her? You need to clarify this with your nanny so she can tell you whether your plan is acceptable to her or not.

If you've guaranteed 40 hours, then that is what you should pay during vacation (8 hours a day). Doesn't hurt to specify this with her, though, since that is 4 weeks of 40 hours pay a year.

I know some nannies on here are mad that you don't guarantee every single hour she might possibly work, but I think the difference is small enough to be reasonable to a lot of nannies, as long as you're clear about the expected flexibility you need.

It's not fair the nanny has to be available and flexible but not get paid for it. The nanny can't take other job during these hours. If op doesn't want to guarantee hours, she shouldn't expect the nanny to be available for any more than 40 hours a week. It isn't reasonable to expect someone to keep their schedule open for you without offering some incentive. 1-2 hours extra is no big deal but 5-10 hours is. She is cheating her out of other work.

Nanny should not have taken in a minimum guarantee of 40hrs if she could not afford that arrangement. If i hit 40 by Thursday, and didnt need her Friday, then I met my obligation. If she expecrs to be paid for Friday, then she could have taken a job with a 48hr guarantee.

At your hourly, you can replace her in a second. Just make sure you tighten up your contract and hire someone with better cognitive abilities.

That's a great way to have your nanny quit. However, if you are pushing to get all of your work done Monday-Thursday so that you can spend Friday with your child, you can certainly find a nanny who would love an employer who tries to give them a day off when possible, all at the same rate. The issues start when it's done solely to deprive the nanny of OT.

[Anonymous]

We guarantee 8 hours a day, but only pay OT when our nanny goes over 40 hours a week. So in your example, we'd pay her 48 hours of regular pay, no OT, since she didn't actually work more than 40 hours. That seems like a fair compromise and has worked for us for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This all sounds like it should be resolved with a conversation with your nanny as standards (if one exists, which I'm not sure it does for this situation) aren't as important as what your nanny's expectations and needs are. What do you mean by "most" weeks? Are there only 2-3 weeks in the year where you need less than 45 hours? Or is this 20 weeks out of the year? Are they randomly spread out or are you doing this every week during the summer, for example? How much notice would you usually be able to give her? You need to clarify this with your nanny so she can tell you whether your plan is acceptable to her or not.

If you've guaranteed 40 hours, then that is what you should pay during vacation (8 hours a day). Doesn't hurt to specify this with her, though, since that is 4 weeks of 40 hours pay a year.

I know some nannies on here are mad that you don't guarantee every single hour she might possibly work, but I think the difference is small enough to be reasonable to a lot of nannies, as long as you're clear about the expected flexibility you need.

It's not fair the nanny has to be available and flexible but not get paid for it. The nanny can't take other job during these hours. If op doesn't want to guarantee hours, she shouldn't expect the nanny to be available for any more than 40 hours a week. It isn't reasonable to expect someone to keep their schedule open for you without offering some incentive. 1-2 hours extra is no big deal but 5-10 hours is. She is cheating her out of other work.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

With odd schedules, I think it's best to give PTO in hours, rather than days. Then you designate how many hours = a day. At the end of the year, she should have been paid for 20 full days that she didn't have to work. If those are 8-hour days, then you pay her for 160 hours worth of work in addition to the working hours you have paid for.

As for whether you pay those at regular vs. OT rate, I only pay days off that come to more than her regular schedule at regular rate. However, if you almost never schedule her for less than 45 hours a week (or 50 hours a week), it's kind of crummy to make her lose money on a vacation week. Pay her her usual overtime.