Another nanny taken advantage of....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't parents put in writing that if the nanny gives them extensive notice of leaving, that they will not replace her prematurely?

Parents?

I agree that it's silly to resurrect such an old thread, but I will say (as an MB) that to put this kind of language in a contract binds me unnecessarily. It is something a prospective nanny could negotiate for (and I wouldn't consider it unreasonable) but it isn't something I would automatically insert. If a valued nanny gave me lots of notice that he/she would be leaving I would need to immediately start preparing. Does that mean I would let her go sooner than she wanted, or without payment? No, that's not how I work. But if I knew I had to replace her you can bet I'd start working on that pretty quickly.

If I had three months notice I'd start looking/planning at least by month 2 and hope to have someone lined up before our nanny's last day. If the new nanny couldn't wait to take a job for that long then I might have to make a difficult decision and it would end up being a judgement/conscience call - just as it is for nannies in deciding when and how to give notice.

That's exactly why an intellegent nanny should not give you any notice, unless she has enough funds in the bank to get fired at only your convienence.

You are a poor example of how an ethical employer should behave.

[Anonymous]

What is unethical about PP's post? She said with three months notice, she would look for a replacement in month 2 to be prepared for nanny's last day.

That sounds pretty responsible to me.

It sounds like you, 18:40, have unreasonable expectations.

[Anonymous]

The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

Exactly. The 18:55 poster repeatedly has selective reading comprehension skills. It's getting to be tiresome for a grown adult, unless English isn't her first language of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

Exactly. The 18:55 poster repeatedly has selective reading comprehension skills. It's getting to be tiresome for a grown adult, unless English isn't her first language of course.

Actually, I think it's you who needs the help with reading comprehension because that's not what the PP said. She said if the new nanny couldn't wait to start shed have to make a judgement call then. She was being honest but never said what she'd do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

Exactly. The 18:55 poster repeatedly has selective reading comprehension skills. It's getting to be tiresome for a grown adult, unless English isn't her first language of course.

Actually, I think it's you who needs the help with reading comprehension because that's not what the PP said. She said if the new nanny couldn't wait to start shed have to make a judgement call then. She was being honest but never said what she'd do.

Thank you - that's right. And I also said that I wouldn't let the current nanny go early or without pay because that's not how I work. A nanny that gives me three months notice is a nanny that gets my loyalty in return - both in terms of paying her for the full duration of her employment, being flexible about what she needs as she wraps up, and giving her a stellar reference (and maybe even maintaining a relationship after she leaves).

It is possible to do all of that while still looking for the next childcare solution. It's even potentially possible to pay two caregivers for some period of time to ensure overlap, training, building a relationship with the new provider, and honoring the existing provider.

All of that comes under the umbrella of what happens on an individual basis with any employer/employee relationship. Good relationships are built, earned, and maintained on both sides over time. This isn't something I would automatically put in a contract - just as I wouldn't expect a nanny to give me 3 months notice, and wouldn't put that in a contract. Our contract says one month notice on both sides, except in cases of extreme negligence, neglect, theft, medical emergencies, etc... A nanny who gives me more notice gets more consideration from me in return. It's a two way street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

Exactly. The 18:55 poster repeatedly has selective reading comprehension skills. It's getting to be tiresome for a grown adult, unless English isn't her first language of course.

Actually, I think it's you who needs the help with reading comprehension because that's not what the PP said. She said if the new nanny couldn't wait to start shed have to make a judgement call then. She was being honest but never said what she'd do.

Thank you - that's right. And I also said that I wouldn't let the current nanny go early or without pay because that's not how I work. A nanny that gives me three months notice is a nanny that gets my loyalty in return - both in terms of paying her for the full duration of her employment, being flexible about what she needs as she wraps up, and giving her a stellar reference (and maybe even maintaining a relationship after she leaves).

It is possible to do all of that while still looking for the next childcare solution. It's even potentially possible to pay two caregivers for some period of time to ensure overlap, training, building a relationship with the new provider, and honoring the existing provider.

All of that comes under the umbrella of what happens on an individual basis with any employer/employee relationship. Good relationships are built, earned, and maintained on both sides over time. This isn't something I would automatically put in a contract - just as I wouldn't expect a nanny to give me 3 months notice, and wouldn't put that in a contract. Our contract says one month notice on both sides, except in cases of extreme negligence, neglect, theft, medical emergencies, etc... A nanny who gives me more notice gets more consideration from me in return. It's a two way street.

I think that since finding the next nanny is such a delicate process that requires a good fit (it's not like a gallon of milk, if you miss it in one store, you just go to the next one), there may be several answers to this question. Suppose my nanny gives me 3 months notice, that's excellent. I begin looking for a new one. Four weeks into the process I find EXACTLY the nanny I want, my dream come true, but she needs to start NOW, not in two months, NOW. So I have to either give her what she wants, or risk losing her and starting the search again. If that were to happen, I would simply start the new nanny sooner, and pay the old one her entire notice period early. So the old one would still get her all money, she just won't be working during the notice period. I think that's fair. If she finds a new position sooner than expected, she can pocket the difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

Exactly. The 18:55 poster repeatedly has selective reading comprehension skills. It's getting to be tiresome for a grown adult, unless English isn't her first language of course.

Next time, you might want to make sure you read more carefully before insulting someone. You are both wrong and look foolish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

This poster was right, imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

This poster was right, imo.

But she didn't say that. So, the poster you think is right is, in fact, wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The part where she says if she finds a new nanny sooner than old nanny is gone

This poster was right, imo.

But she didn't say that. So, the poster you think is right is, in fact, wrong.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Nannies should make their own "judgement calls" based on how most MBs behave. Two way street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nannies should make their own "judgement calls" based on how most MBs behave. Two way street.

Actually, they should make their own judgement call based on how their MB behaves. As I'm sure most good nannies don't want to be lumped together will ALL nannies, neither do MBs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nannies should make their own "judgement calls" based on how most MBs behave. Two way street.

Actually, they should make their own judgement call based on how their MB behaves. As I'm sure most good nannies don't want to be lumped together will ALL nannies, neither do MBs.

Does your nanny have access to the history of your behavior with your former employees, employers and co-workers?
Most don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't parents put in writing that if the nanny gives them extensive notice of leaving, that they will not replace her prematurely?

Parents?

Bump