My Nanny Quit and I'm Mad.

[Anonymous]

I quit a similar job with 2 days notice... I was hired to do two mornings of 5 hours, which was fine by me as I had a 3pm-8pm job with school kids as my main source of income anyway. The job was also with a SAHM and a 6mo baby. Half the time I was let go early because the baby fell asleep and didn't get paid for the 'missed' hours and was asked to make up those hours on other days, and the mom texted me several times less than an hour before I was due to arrive to tell me she didn't need me that day. I lasted about two months, maybe three months tops.

Then I found another part time morning job where my hours were guaranteed and the mother never tried to change my hours without advanced notice. My job was treated as a job. I stayed with that family for nearly 4 years until both kids went to school.

OP, treat the nanny the way you would like to be treated by your employers and she will stay for even a small number of hours. Treat her like she is disposable, and she'll leave. Yes, she should have maybe given you another day's worth of notice, but learn from this experience when you're dealing with a new nanny; offer guaranteed hours (you can pay 100 bucks an hour but if she never knows how much she's earning any given week, she's not going to be able to keep the job if she's a professional nanny) and respect her schedule (if she knows she works Monday and Tuesday for you she can more or less easily find another job in the afternoons or on other days, whereas if her days with you differ week to week, your job is the only one she can have - and 14 hrs is not enough).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I quit a similar job with 2 days notice... I was hired to do two mornings of 5 hours, which was fine by me as I had a 3pm-8pm job with school kids as my main source of income anyway. The job was also with a SAHM and a 6mo baby. Half the time I was let go early because the baby fell asleep and didn't get paid for the 'missed' hours and was asked to make up those hours on other days, and the mom texted me several times less than an hour before I was due to arrive to tell me she didn't need me that day. I lasted about two months, maybe three months tops.

Then I found another part time morning job where my hours were guaranteed and the mother never tried to change my hours without advanced notice. My job was treated as a job. I stayed with that family for nearly 4 years until both kids went to school.

OP, treat the nanny the way you would like to be treated by your employers and she will stay for even a small number of hours. Treat her like she is disposable, and she'll leave. Yes, she should have maybe given you another day's worth of notice, but learn from this experience when you're dealing with a new nanny; offer guaranteed hours (you can pay 100 bucks an hour but if she never knows how much she's earning any given week, she's not going to be able to keep the job if she's a professional nanny) and respect her schedule (if she knows she works Monday and Tuesday for you she can more or less easily find another job in the afternoons or on other days, whereas if her days with you differ week to week, your job is the only one she can have - and 14 hrs is not enough).

Absolutely. My part time people have stayed and stayed. But they have a set schedule, paid days off, and guaranteed hours. And when I hired them, I made sure they only wanted part time work.

[Anonymous]

What do you people expect out of an airhead SAHM?

[Anonymous]

What do people expect of air headed nannies that take jobs full well knowing the job doesn't fulfill their needs just so they can screw over the employer by not giving adequate notice? Teenage babysitters act this way, not professional nannies. End of story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do people expect of air headed nannies that take jobs full well knowing the job doesn't fulfill their needs just so they can screw over the employer by not giving adequate notice? Teenage babysitters act this way, not professional nannies. End of story.

This was a teenage babysitter, Einstein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes she does.

The nanny owed her two weeks notice. It’s unprofessional to quit without notice unless there are extreme circumstances. The nanny agreed to the part-time Horus, no?

-nanny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes she does.

The nanny owed her two weeks notice. It’s unprofessional to quit without notice unless there are extreme circumstances. The nanny agreed to the part-time Horus, no?

-nanny

There is a difference between a casual babysitting relationship and a formal nanny relationship. In the former, hours vary from day to day or week to week, hours are few and not guaranteed and there are no benefits and either party can call it quits at any time. In the latter, hours are fixed and guaranteed and some benefits are offered and the contract or verbal agreement outlines the terms of notice required. Which does the OP describe?

[Anonymous]

Op here. We did have set hours but I occasionally had to switch them. She was a nanny, not a babysitter. We didn't have any notice. I told her I would be fine if she found something full-time, but didn't think she would blindside us. That's why I'm mad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

LOL what? The last thing I would ever need is to stress about cleaning the kitchen for the nanny.

[Anonymous]

Cleaning the kitchen for the nanny is as important as cleaning it when you have family or friends over : it's called being polite and is a basic thing to do anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We did have set hours but I occasionally had to switch them. She was a nanny, not a babysitter. We didn't have any notice. I told her I would be fine if she found something full-time, but didn't think she would blindside us. That's why I'm mad.

You did not guarantee hours. You have no right to be mad. And you are a SAHM so I don't get what the big deal is - take care of your own baby until you find someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We did have set hours but I occasionally had to switch them. She was a nanny, not a babysitter. We didn't have any notice. I told her I would be fine if she found something full-time, but didn't think she would blindside us. That's why I'm mad.

You are dense, aren't you? Wow. You had set hours but would switch them. Then they were not set! I can see why she left. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Op here. We have set days and hours but I sometimes need to move it around. I am SAHM. We do not offer anything but a good hourly rate. If we don't need her, she can make up the hours. We won't offer any benefits because it's only 14 hours a week.

What I don't like is the way she treated us. She tossed is aside after basically treating her well.

Your situation is not set up to sustain someone who needs an income to live on. You may be the nicest employer in the world, but the $$ won't work for someone who needs to pay for rent, utilities, food, clothing, etc. No one can support a household on 14 hours of nanny work. Maybe find a mom or grandma who is just working to supplement the family income/get out of the house.

This is what I did. My schedule is a little funky, but always consistent. And I only needed someone 10 hours over 3 days. I found a mom with two older kids who was more than happy to cuddle my baby and make a little extra cash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We did have set hours but I occasionally had to switch them. She was a nanny, not a babysitter. We didn't have any notice. I told her I would be fine if she found something full-time, but didn't think she would blindside us. That's why I'm mad.

If she found something full time, how exactly do you think she was supposed to handle your 14 hour a week schedule, especially when you would switch hours?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We did have set hours but I occasionally had to switch them. She was a nanny, not a babysitter. We didn't have any notice. I told her I would be fine if she found something full-time, but didn't think she would blindside us. That's why I'm mad.

You did not guarantee hours. You have no right to be mad. And you are a SAHM so I don't get what the big deal is - take care of your own baby until you find someone else.

+1

She didn't even leave you in the lurch--you don't actually need childcare to be able to work or anything. And you didn't guarantee hours and you shifted her schedule at your convenience, meaning that she could not find another part-time job to fill in the other days. Sure, telling you the week before might have been nice, but she had an offer for a full-time job, and apparently needed that money. It's not like she could live on what you paid her.