Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not a troll. There are many other factors involved, which I won't get into here in case she reads this forum. I wanted to give the very, very basics and gauge the reaction. Yes, she will get notice. Yes, there will be severance, and I'll help her find a new job. Her inability to meet the kids schedule has threatened their safety on 3 occasions--she knows it's coming.

If you still employ a nanny who has actually threatened your kids' safety (not buckling car seats? not supervising front yard playtime on busy street? leaving in an unlocked car when she went into a store? not keeping toxic chemicals childproofed?) 3 times, then you are in need of all the advice you can get here or anywhere else.

IF you are for real, then you should have fired her after the 2nd incident, if it was indeed potentially a threat to their safety. Any normal person would have done just that.

Her inability to meet the kids schedule has threatened their safety on 3 occasions--she knows it's coming.

No sane person would give a bonus to someone who threatened the safety of their kids. Why do care what the reaction is from an anonymous message board filled with crazy nannies?

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not a troll. There are many other factors involved, which I won't get into here in case she reads this forum. I wanted to give the very, very basics and gauge the reaction. Yes, she will get notice. Yes, there will be severance, and I'll help her find a new job. Her inability to meet the kids schedule has threatened their safety on 3 occasions--she knows it's coming.

Here we go again, troll!

OP here. Not a troll. There are many other factors involved, which I won't get into here in case she reads this forum. I wanted to give the very, very basics and gauge the reaction. Yes, she will get notice. Yes, there will be severance, and I'll help her find a new job. Her inability to meet the kids schedule has threatened their safety on 3 occasions--she knows it's coming.

Wow, you're not even giving a months notice???

You're a horrible boss.

She's going to need a bonus - duh - she's going to be unemployed & unable to pay her bills!

Did you even give her a chance to deal with older children?

Have you talked to the nanny? 4 years a long time for her to be loyal to you, something to consider. I don't really understand why you're letting her go, because she doesn't know how to schedule older kids? I'm not being snarky, I'm just curious!

Convoluted

I think OP has found someone cheaper and decided to old nanny. However, as the circumstances are a bit convulated, I wonder if is isn't the same troll who comes up with bizzare circumstances and then changes story as replies are posted.

Nanny has been with us for 4 years, we're letting her go because we're losing trust in her ability to care for older children and be on their schedule (as opposed to babies/toddlers, where they were on her schedule).

This doesn't sound like a good nanny at all. If your nanny will not do playmates, take the kids to the park, or do interesting things with them because it is inconvenient to her then she isn't a good nanny. If you can't trust her it sounds like she has been less than honest with you. Just because a baby or toddler goes along for the ride, it doesn't mean that a nanny is still is good if she carts them around doing her own thing. I would not give a bonus to someone like this. Its not a mystery to her that she isn't doing a good job, she just thinks that she can get away with it and you won't bother to replace her.

I think you should give her a similar bonus you've given in years past. (I'm an MB - albeit a very softhearted one!) She is probably counting on the bonus as part of her annual salary or for xmas expenses, and even if she gets rehired right away she won't have the opportunity for a year-end bonus this year, so she's losing a big chunk of compensation.

A bonus is usually though of in terms of compensation for work performed over the course of the past year. It doesn't sound like you think she's done poorly - just that she's become a poor fit as the job evolved. So a bonus for the decent job she did over the course of the year seems like it's well earned.

If you were terminating her for something really serious that would be a different matter.

You should probably offer her some type of severance as well if you're not giving her a long notice period. We have 4 weeks for our nanny in her contract.

So, just when do you plan to tell your current nanny that she's being fired? Is this going to come as a complete shock to her, or have you met with her this year at least once and discussed the job performance issues you mentioned?

If you haven't met with her and basically "warned" her that you were dissatisfied with her performance and/or warned her that she was risking her job if she didn't shape up, then you should absolutely pay her her normal bonus, because you never made it clear to her that you were NOT happy.

Yes, you say her performance was lacking somehow, but if YOU don't TELL her that you are not satisfied, how is she supposed to know? Nanny is not a mind reader.

I think you need to tell her today that she is being fired, and then you need to face the mistakes you may have made as an employer and be willing to offer the normal bonus if you screwed up your duty to offer constructive and helpful criticism of poor job performance.

Perhaps I am in the minority here but I am a MB who has employed nannies for the last 20 years and I think you should give her a bonus, albeit less due to your dissatisfaction with her performance. Since you have not told her otherwise, like many nannies, she will be counting on receiving a bonus to make ends meet. It will be a shock to her that she is being terminated and, unless you are providing severance, her bonus and last paycheck will be all she has until landing a new job. She has worked for you for four years (three of which you were happy with) and I think that is worth some kindness and consideration at this time of year.

I do not think you should give her a bonus since it's supposed to signify your happiness with an employee's work, but if you're letting her go at the start of the new year I do think you should tell her today.

A bonus is given when someone exceeds your expectations and reward work that goes beyond the basics of the job. It makes no sense to give a bonus to someone who you are letting go because she isn't doing a good job anymore.

Also, please don't hide why you are letting her go when you refer her to people. There are many nannies out there who are good with infants and preschoolers and who don't expect their charges to follow the nanny's whims and own errands/activities or whatever. Its not fair to future employers and its not fair to other nannies on the market who would be better at the job.

Helpful advice appreciated. Nanny has been with us for 4 years, we're letting her go because we're losing trust in her ability to care for older children and be on their schedule (as opposed to babies/toddlers, where they were on her schedule). We're hiring someone new to start in January; we haven't told the current nanny yet (though I'll help her find a new job with a newborn/young child...she'd be terrific there). Do I give the current nanny the same generous bonus I had in prior years, or should it be less to signify my dissatisfaction with her performance? Or the same as prior years?