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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If your nanny is unable to care for your child while her child is sick, and if her child is likely to continue being sick for the coming weeks (or months?), that is a tough spot to be in.

At this point, you have to wait for the test results. It sounds like they will have a major impact on what the foreseeable future holds for this child (and your childcare situation). So, until the test results come in you should plan to continue working with her, and pay her like you normally would (which is just one week of PTO).

After the results come back, I think things will be a bit more clear, and I'm guessing there are a few likely outcomes:

Worst case scenario: child will need constant care and treatment for the long term (more than 12 weeks)

Best case scenario: child will be okay, hopefully back to normal within a few weeks (less than 3 weeks)

In the middle: child will need intense care for the short term (4-12 weeks) OR child is unikely to get better in less than 4 weeks but exact recovery time is unknown

In the worst case scenario, you will probably need to move on and find a new nanny. In this scenario, /IF/ you do not already have a contract in place that specifies PTO or sick days, then I would try to be as generous as possible, and especially take into consideration her time with you. For example, if she's been working with your family for six to twelve months, I would give her at least one week of paid severance (on top of this week of PTO waiting for test results). If she's been working with you 1-2 years I'd give at least two weeks paid severance in addition to the week of PTO. If she's been working its you more than three years I would really try to offer three weeks or more paid severance, but I know that might not be possible.

Something else you might want to consider: do you pay her legally (does she pay taxes on her wages)? If not, she will not be able to collect unemployment, which could really hurt her, especially with escalating medical bills.

In the best case scenario (child should be better within a few weeks), I'd just use backup care for the next two weeks, and also continue paying her, at least as much as you are able to.

In the middle of the road scenario, that is a much harder situation to deal with. You would have to decide if you were willing to wait it out for her and use back up care, or if it's better to find another care provider at that point. If you decide to find someone else, I'd still provide the severance pay (see above). If you decide to use back up care and wait for her to come back to work with you, I'd still provide at least two weeks of PTO, but I don't think you're obligated to pay more than that (especially if you're holding the job for her).

I hope it all works out.[/quote]
Thank you for this thoughtful advice. You are right. We just don't know yet. To the next pp I have no doubts whatsoever. It's potentially severe enough to make caring for my children impossible and yet I don't think she can be without a job. So there is certainly no good answer in a terrible situation like this. She does get 3 wks total of PTO per our contract; has used more than half so far in her time with us. I guess we just have to wait. [/quote]

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