My Nanny Quit and I'm Mad.

[Anonymous]

My nanny of two months quit and I'm sad and mad. It was going well, but I know she needed more hours. She works two days a week for 14 hours. We told her we wanted her to stay until he goes to school ( he's 4-months-old). She said a new job came up, and didn't give us more than a days notice. I am so sad how she has treated us. I didn't expect her to treat us like this. Now I have to search for a new sitter all over again.

[Anonymous]

I think you are going to find that most nannies that take this very part time job will be looking for more hours - either a second job (ideal for you) or a different ft job. It's a shame, but could you live on working 14 hours a week?

[Anonymous]

I understand being upset and inconvenienced about the lack of notice, but it sounds like you knew she couldn't keep it up the way it was going, so this shouldn't make you *mad* - she needs to be able to support herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are going to find that most nannies that take this very part time job will be looking for more hours - either a second job (ideal for you) or a different ft job. It's a shame, but could you live on working 14 hours a week?

+1

I can see being upset at the inconvenience, but I don't get being mad at the nanny. You knew she needed more hours--you weren't offering anything close to full time. And you're probably going to have the same problem with the next nanny, too, because those hours are too part-time for anyone who makes their living this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are going to find that most nannies that take this very part time job will be looking for more hours - either a second job (ideal for you) or a different ft job. It's a shame, but could you live on working 14 hours a week?

+1

I can see being upset at the inconvenience, but I don't get being mad at the nanny. You knew she needed more hours--you weren't offering anything close to full time. And you're probably going to have the same problem with the next nanny, too, because those hours are too part-time for anyone who makes their living this way.

+2 You have no right to be "mad", OP.

[Anonymous]

You will not find a nanny that will stay years with you working only 14 hours a week. You need to be realistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nanny of two months quit and I'm sad and mad. It was going well, but I know she needed more hours. She works two days a week for 14 hours. We told her we wanted her to stay until he goes to school ( he's 4-months-old). She said a new job came up, and didn't give us more than a days notice. I am so sad how she has treated us. I didn't expect her to treat us like this. Now I have to search for a new sitter all over again.

Yes, the nanny should have found a way to live on 14 hours a week. Apartments and heat are overrated. You, OP, you are the only thing that matters in the world. Poor, poor you.

[Anonymous]

Oh c’mon, it wasn’t right to give one days notice and you all know it. Want to be treated like a professional, act like one! And FWIW, I’m a nanny.

[Anonymous]

OP, I might be needing to quit. Do I find my next job first, or do I first tell this one that we all need to start looking?

[Anonymous]

You find a job that allows you to give some type of adequate notice before leaving. How about if your employer gave you one days notice?

[Anonymous]

14 hours for most people is just something to do until they can find a real job. Chances are you will be in the same position again and again.
-Maybe start looking for a drop in daycare center, or home daycare with partial availability
-or a college student with the days off from school that you need.
-be the fill-in job for a nanny that has another 3 day/week job, you may need to flex your days to make this work.
-or arrange a nanny share with another family

you have to face that you are a suboptimal job that will be dumped at the first chance for a job that can pay the bills.

[Anonymous]

OP if you want your next nanny to stick around, here are some things you should do:

1. Make sure the schedule NEVER changes, so nanny has the flexibility to fit in other jobs. So if you agree to Tues & Thurs 8am-3pm (or whatever hours) make sure you are NEVER late to relieve her, so if she has an after school job at 3:30pm she can make it on time.

2. Guarantee those hours. This means if you don't need her one day, for ANY reason (including illness, vacation, grandma's in town, etc) she still gets paid for the full hours. And DO NOT under any circumstances try to switch her hours "Oh I don't need you on Tuesday this week so can you just do Friday night instead since I'm already paying you for those hours this week? *NO!*

3. Offer paid holidays, best to include all federal holidays. They may not fall on days she works but if they do, she needs to know she has them off with full pay. Offer her TWO WEEKS PTO of her choice, plus 3 paid sick days. Don't skimp on a Christmas bonus.

4. Pay a premium. One reason for this is, if nanny had a full time job of over 40 hours a week (most nanny jobs are 45-60 hours a week, so overtime is generally a given in this industry) she'd be getting overtime pay. Since you're taking up 2 of her days she can't get overtime pay with another family. The other reason for this is simply incentive to stay. If you have one child, and want your nanny to stay, you need to be paying a MINIMUM of $22/hr. And the higher up you go from there, the more likely your nanny is to stay long term. Sure, you can probably find someone willing to accept ther job at $18/hr, but will they stay more than 8 weeks? Unlikely. Pay the same nanny $26/hr and she may stick around until preschool.

5. Make her WANT to come over. Make sure that when she arrives the house is clean. No dirty dishes in the sink. No bottles from last night for her to wash. Ask her what her favorite foods and beverages are and keep them on hand for her in the kitchen, make sure she knows to help herself. Let her have time during naps to relax. Encourage her to rest and recharge during that time.

6. Ask around among your neighbors, acquaintances, etc. See if you can find others who would be willing to use her for a chunk of time that works with your schedule. If you need Tues & Thurs 8-3, maybe a neighbor could use her the same days after school. Or maybe a neighbor with a young child could use her Mon & Wed full dates. Try to help her find other jobs to give her more hours while working around your schedule.

You don't have to do these things, but if you only need 14 hours a week, I don't think you'll find anyone who will stay long term if you don't. If you simply can't afford these things, at 14 hours a week, then you simply can't afford a nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14 hours for most people is just something to do until they can find a real job. Chances are you will be in the same position again and again.
-Maybe start looking for a drop in daycare center, or home daycare with partial availability
-or a college student with the days off from school that you need.
-be the fill-in job for a nanny that has another 3 day/week job, you may need to flex your days to make this work.
-or arrange a nanny share with another family

you have to face that you are a suboptimal job that will be dumped at the first chance for a job that can pay the bills.

This is not good advice if you want the same nanny long term. Maybe it works with her schedule now, but next semester she may need to take a specific class at that time. And does she stay in the area long term or travel home or elsewhere every summer/ spring break / etc? I've seen it a thousand times, college students don't work out long term, unless you have a VERY flexible schedule.

[Anonymous]

You expect a nanny to stay when you're only offering 14 hours A WEEK??? You need a reality check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You find a job that allows you to give some type of adequate notice before leaving. How about if your employer gave you one days notice?

Perhaps you have no clue that some employers do exactly that, just out of spite. You give them two weeks, and the next day they tell you grandma's coming to help out. See how that works?

What do you think about the "Essential Procedures" thread? I'll try to bump it for you.