Nanny used all vacation and wants more

[Anonymous]

Our nanny of 1.5 years has used up all her vacation and sick leave for the year. She wants to take a week of unpaid leave this summer for vacation. Has anyone had this experience? What would you do? How much time off is too much?

[Anonymous]

This happened to us and we let our nanny take the time off. She is valuable to us. If it happened again though, we would not be happy.

[Anonymous]

This is why we have our nanny accrue vacation and sick time. It's June. So right now our nanny has only accrued two weeks so far in 2020.

I am shocked at people who give vacation time all in one chunk at the beginning of the year.

So, change your contract effective January 1, 2021. To give practical advice to the situation you're in, I would ask the nanny if she plans to want to take time off at Thanksgiving or the December holidays. I would even go the extra mile of talking to her like a child by pointing out she is damaging her relationship with her employers when she asks for unpaid time off and that is why it is smart to plan all your vacation time at the start of the year to figure out how you'll use it.

See what she says about wanting time off in Nov/Dec. If you can go without childcare for a week this summer, I'd give it. But her request for this would factor into my year-end bonus I'd be giving.

[Anonymous]

Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

[Anonymous]

Did she use her vacation time to stay home during covid? If so, give her one week paid vacation. If she did NOT use vacation during covid, deny it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

Pretty judgemental there my dear - life happens and it does not have to be life or death to warrant UNPAID time off

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

Pretty judgemental there my dear - life happens and it does not have to be life or death to warrant UNPAID time off

Unpaid time off is still a burden to the employers.

I stand by my post. Unless there was a dire emergency, paid or unpaid time off should be denied.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it makes a big difference why she used up all that time. Was she using paid vacation to cover time when she was sick or you asked her not to come in? Or on actual vacation?

[Anonymous]

I’ve done this before. I get 2 weeks paid. I’ve asked for an extra week before unpaid to go on a nice trip with my family . My request was greeted with such joy for me. My employers let me know of course they wanted me to be able to go on the trip.

I will say that when working with those employers I’d never been late. Never taken a sick day and filled in many times for them when other childcare arrangements had fallen through. Had they denied it I probably would have quit .

[Anonymous]

OP here, she used her vacation just for time off to relax that just happened to be during COVID

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

There is no such thing as a "professional" nanny. No institution of higher learning in this country offers a degree in nannying
There is a school in England for professional nannies.

[Anonymous]

I often take 4 weeks vacation time because I’m from Europe and we are used to more time off. I take 2 weeks paid, 2 weeks unpaid. My bosses don’t care and always get a temp from the agency. However during coronavirus I haven’t taken any time and I won’t even get my 2 weeks this year. I’m going to ask to roll them over to next year instead. Pretty sure my bosses don’t want a temp here now or me bringing back germs from vacation! My bosses are amazing and I’ve been with them for several years. I’m sure they don’t love it when I go away, but they know travel brings me joy so they make it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

There is no such thing as a "professional" nanny. No institution of higher learning in this country offers a degree in nannying
There is a school in England for professional nannies.

Ugh... you again. There is no institution of higher learning to make one a professional model, professional photographer, professional football player, professional or professional athlete, etc. One who earns money in a profession is a professional.

Here “professional nanny” is used in contrast to unprofessional nannies. Completely acceptable.

We have all told you this about two hundred times. Please stop boring us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

Pretty judgemental there my dear - life happens and it does not have to be life or death to warrant UNPAID time off

Unpaid time off is still a burden to the employers.

I stand by my post. Unless there was a dire emergency, paid or unpaid time off should be denied.

+1. Getting extra unpaid time off would “bring me joy” too however my law firm doesn’t seem to care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. Deny her request, OP. No professional nanny would ask for an additional week off - paid or unpaid - unless there was a dire emergency.

Pretty judgemental there my dear - life happens and it does not have to be life or death to warrant UNPAID time off

Unpaid time off is still a burden to the employers.

I stand by my post. Unless there was a dire emergency, paid or unpaid time off should be denied.

Good thing you’re a nanny and not a MB then.