Daycare, wait lists, and notices
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Anonymous
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How much is two weeks of daycare? And how much is the nanny? If you can afford the presumably more expensive nanny until the daycareopens up, then you can afafford severance. If the nanny costs $600/wk, and the daycare $400/wk, then $1200 severance would take you a total of 8 weeks of daycare to "recoup" (the two initial severance weeks, and then 6 weeks of the cheaper childcare bill.
No one likes the idea of paying someone who isn't doing anything for them, but it's not possible that you absolutely don't have the money. If it were, DC would be in daycare tomorrow, even if it wasnt a great one. Why not give her notice when the slot opens and just send DC part time for the first couple of weeks. |
Anonymous
+1 And you aren't paying someone who isn't doing anything for you with severance - you are giving the former employee a cushion since you gave them no notice that their job was ending and no time to find another job. It is just the fair and right thing to do. |
Anonymous
They don't choose the most expensive childcare option in the first place! If you're paying your nanny legally, daycare is going to be so much cheaper you should have those credit cards paid off quickly. When you hired a nanny, you became an employer. You can be a crappy one, but why would anyone want to make you feel good about that? |
Anonymous
| I live in an at-will state and I know my employer would not pay me a severance when letting me go, so I have no plans to do that for my nanny once my son is old enough. |
Anonymous
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I had a family in this situation once.
My best advice is to notify your nanny and let her know the circumstances. Then leave it up to her to decide if she can handle it if you have to give her sudden notice. In other words, telling her NOW will allow her some time to plan ahead financially so she has a money cushion readily available if she is not needed anymore. |
Anonymous
Then hopefully you will give her notice that her job was ending in two weeks. If not, you are simply a bad person. |
Anonymous
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You have a responsibility to her, as her employer. You say you think a family member pays her rent, but you do not know that. She HAS bills and obligations; she has to be able to buy food. If you are really struggling this much to afford proper severance, then you are likely paying her poorly as it is (you can try to justify it to yourself all you want, but if you are paying any less than $12/hr you are not paying a fair wage), so she is probably already struggling financially, and is heavily dependent upon her paycheck. Giving an hourly, low wage employee no notice and no severance is literally setting up that person to default on loans, take a credit hit, possibly have possessions repoed, and maybe even end up homeless if she can't pay rent. I know these examples seem extreme, but they are very real possibilities.
As others have pointed out, if you can't afford severance, you never should have hired a nanny in the first place. It is grossly irresponsible because another persons life and well being are at stake, but you clearly don't give a shit anyway, which is competely despicable. I was in a similar position myself, recently. A family (who I had worked with for 3 years) told me they put their son on a wait list at daycare/preschool and weren't sure when he would get in. They actually had told me his care there would only be part time so I would still have some hours with them. But about 6 weeks after telling me that, they heard from the preschool that they had a full time opening in 3 weeks and "decided to go for it." I was pretty irked because I'd been previously told I'd still be able to work with them 18-20 hours per week (when they had said preschool would be part time), and they gave me no severance, but ultimately 3 weeks notice did give me /some/ time to find a new job. But even 3 weeks wasn't really enough time to ensure no gaps in employment; it took 3 full weeks of sending applications and going to interviews before finding a family that was a good fit (in terms of hours, location and pay, but also a good fit between the parents personalities and parenting styles and my own), and even then the position didn't start for 2 weeks, so I ended up with a two week gap in employment anyway (which is why even one week of severance from my previous employer would've been very helpful). Any less than two weeks notice is NOT ENOUGH TIME, especially without severance. In my case it took 5 weeks to find and begin a new position, and I am highly qualified. ( I have 12 years of nanny experience with families of up to 5 children, including experience with autistic children, cerebral palsy, newborns, preemies, twins, etc, and I have a bachelors degree in ECE, CPR and first aid certified, and I'm a native USA English speaker but also speak Spanish (which I studied in college), and I have my own car, great driving record, and glowing references from families I worked with long term, etc). If you really feel you can't afford to pay your nanny severance or her last two weeks, then you need to tell her that NOW. You need to tell her that as soon as your kid gets into daycare she will be let go with no notice or severance. Be prepared for her to leave, but at least you won't have someone's possible complete ruin (of credit and possibly descent into homelessness and/or deep deep debt) on your conscience. |
Anonymous
| You don't have to pay severance, but then you do have to give a reasonable amount of notice. You seem concerned about what would happen if she left you suddenly and you didn't have childcare. Well, it's the same thing if you drop her suddenly, leaving her with no money. |
nannydebsays
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There is a standard, OP, whether you want to hear it or not. That standard is that you either give notice or severance in lieu of notice. Severance allows your nanny to maintain her standard of living while she job hunts or waits for unemployment to start.
If your nanny walked out on you without any notice, would you be in a world of hurt? Would you want her to be decent and give you notice if she planned to quit? Then you do the same for her. And if you "can't afford" to pay nanny and daycare for 2 weeks, then you let nanny know right now that you are planning to start daycare ASAP, and you take your chances that she will find a new job before you find a daycare. If you choose not to give your nanny any notice or severance, be ready for karma to kick your a$$ repeatedly. |
Anonymous
| Have you asked the daycares that you are looking at how much time you will have between them saying they have a spot and when your kid will start attending? That could help alleviate some of your worry about the situation. But you really should give two weeks notice or severance. |
Anonymous
OP, you have asked a question and refuse to accept any answers. What do you want people to tell you? You won't give her advance warning, and you won't give her severance. What's left to talk about? I also want to know the differential in cost between your daycare and your nanny care. It's hard for me to believe you simply cannot pay her anything. I employ a nanny, FWIW. I think it's unethical to let a nanny go with no notice and no severance, unless you are firing her for cause. |
Anonymous
I am not sure what one has to do with the other. You can still be a more decent employer to your nanny than your employer is to you. |
Anonymous
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What's the difference in the cost? Pay her the difference each week until the equivalent of two weeks pay has been given.
So if daycare is 400$ a week and her pay was 600$ A week pay her 200$ A week until two weeks salary has been given |
Anonymous
Wow. You sound nasty. I hope she quits on you before you know it. |
Anonymous
Thank you, PP. |