Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

You don't know anything about my particular situation. All 4 of my bosses have flexible schedules and can work from home if/when they like. They have been known to rearrange their schedules to come out with us for the day if I have something really fun planned for the kids and they don't want to miss it. They let me know if its a busy time at work, or they have an important meeting, but yeah maybe twice a year I wake up after a bad night mentally and physically exhausted and will call out because I need the day. I haven't been sick since college, and I have no qualms over using my sick time for which I negotiated. I have a degree. If I wanted the type of workplace that's super anal about every day I take off, I'd be in an office some where.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

+1. This is what all adult professionals do. Except for very low-level, uneducated office workers, I have never encountered an adult in a professional workplace who thought of sick days as another form of vacation days to be taken whenever the mood strikes and usually with no notice. Sick days are always subject to the contingency of actually being sick. Vacation days and federal holidays are to prevent and "treat" burnout and mental fatigue.

Nannies are no more entitled to use their sick days absent true illness than they are entitled to use the financial benefits of their health insurance without having sought medical treatment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

+1. This is what all adult professionals do. Except for very low-level, uneducated office workers, I have never encountered an adult in a professional workplace who thought of sick days as another form of vacation days to be taken whenever the mood strikes and usually with no notice. Sick days are always subject to the contingency of actually being sick. Vacation days and federal holidays are to prevent and "treat" burnout and mental fatigue.

Nannies are no more entitled to use their sick days absent true illness than they are entitled to use the financial benefits of their health insurance without having sought medical treatment.

You are really naive. "Adult professionals" call in sick when they need/want a day off, and then they keep their mouth shut about what they did or where they went.

Anonymous wrote:

And then if it becomes a pattern or is excessive, they are written up and disciplined for leave abuse. Good employees know when they need a day off and they schedule it in advance using their vacation time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And then if it becomes a pattern or is excessive, they are written up and disciplined for leave abuse. Good employees know when they need a day off and they schedule it in advance using their vacation time.

I get 5 vacation days a year that I get to pick.

Do you really think I'm going to save them up for when I need a mental health day? No. I'm going to take a full week off and go somewhere sunny.

Now, OP offers two weeks at the nanny's discretion, so that's a different scenario, but come on. Most of the people you're talking about have more time off and more flexibility with it than most nannies do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And then if it becomes a pattern or is excessive, they are written up and disciplined for leave abuse. Good employees know when they need a day off and they schedule it in advance using their vacation time.

I get 5 vacation days a year that I get to pick.

Do you really think I'm going to save them up for when I need a mental health day? No. I'm going to take a full week off and go somewhere sunny.

Now, OP offers two weeks at the nanny's discretion, so that's a different scenario, but come on. Most of the people you're talking about have more time off and more flexibility with it than most nannies do.

Actually, no. Nannies with guaranteed hours routinely get four or more paid weeks off per year. Federal employees, even attorneys with years of experience, start at two weeks per year. The same is true in a lot of corporate jobs. Even the flexibility as to when leave may be taken is somewhat illusory. When work is busy and deadlines are imminent, everyone could use a break but the ability to take time off is limited.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I have never in my entire career called in sick when I wasn't or taken a mental health day so I will never be able to understand people who do.

But my follow up question to the nannies is this: would it be better if I offered straight PTO or paid out the unused sick days? I am never going to agree with nanny about sick days so what is a fair compromise so we can both be happy.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I have never in my entire career called in sick when I wasn't or taken a mental health day so I will never be able to understand people who do.

But my follow up question to the nannies is this: would it be better if I offered straight PTO or paid out the unused sick days? I am never going to agree with nanny about sick days so what is a fair compromise so we can both be happy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:22:01 the reason why it is totally reasonable to treat them separately is for exactly the reasons listed above - if it is all just PTO and nanny uses it up as vacation then what happens when she is actually sick. Moreover as any MBs have said - and in line with how our own employers treat this time - we want our nanny to take a certain amount of time off to rest each year. That equates to the vacation days granted. If all Nannies treated sick days as simply extra vacation then MBs would rightfully offer fewer sick days. I simply do not understand why it is a hard concept - most MBs get short trm disability too at their jobs if they are not fed workers. So is the argument that we should all be inventing some reason to take that leave every single year so it is not "wasted"? It is there if needed with the hope that it is not necessarily done on a regular basis

All that is well and good. You said it was not self serving. It is. Its in your interest to have her not use those days, be it for doctors appointments, mental health days, mourning, etc. In my opinion, these are all appropriate uses of sick time, and as someone who hasn't been sick enough to miss work in years, this is what I use my sick time for. And yes I do use it. Not all of it, but if I'm burnt out and wake up one morning and just really need a day, haven't had one in months, and haven't scheduled vacation, I will not hesitate to call in. They're my days to use, and my MB understands that.

If I have a nanny who is using her sick days basically as vacation days (that is, when she needs a break to relax) and is calling in the morning of, then I am scrambling to find back-up care or calling out last-minute myself. It would really be nice if my nanny would recognize that she's getting burnt out or needs a day off that she could schedule it with me at least a few days in advance so that I too can plan. If you're really not sick and you just don't feel like working, that's fine, we've all been there, but you're really screwing your bosses by calling in last minute when you don't really need to. Even if you just said you really need a day off and can you take off tomorrow, that would be better than last-minute.

+1. This is what all adult professionals do. Except for very low-level, uneducated office workers, I have never encountered an adult in a professional workplace who thought of sick days as another form of vacation days to be taken whenever the mood strikes and usually with no notice. Sick days are always subject to the contingency of actually being sick. Vacation days and federal holidays are to prevent and "treat" burnout and mental fatigue.

Nannies are no more entitled to use their sick days absent true illness than they are entitled to use the financial benefits of their health insurance without having sought medical treatment.

You are really naive. "Adult professionals" call in sick when they need/want a day off, and then they keep their mouth shut about what they did or where they went.

And then if it becomes a pattern or is excessive, they are written up and disciplined for leave abuse. Good employees know when they need a day off and they schedule it in advance using their vacation time.