Anonymous wrote:"not standard at all"

MB here - I agree it needs to be negotiated. However I think it is "standard" in the sense that it is commonly granted. Just as paid holidays are "standard" in that they are commonly given in this area although that must still be negotiated.

Frankly this strikes me as a really weird issue. If you have enough money for multiple weeks of vacation every year (well beyond 2) it amazes me that you cannot also budget to pay your nanny each week. "Sorry, we need to go so Aspen for 2 weeks and then to Cancun for another 1 - see you when we're back!!" I'm sure that goes over great.

+1 I don't get why this is such a common issue. Isn't paying your nanny part of your budget? Are you intending to redirect that money for vacations? If that's what you have to do to pay for vacations, perhaps you can't afford them. You'd basically have your nanny paying for your vacation. Not cool.

"not standard at all"

MB here - I agree it needs to be negotiated. However I think it is "standard" in the sense that it is commonly granted. Just as paid holidays are "standard" in that they are commonly given in this area although that must still be negotiated.

Frankly this strikes me as a really weird issue. If you have enough money for multiple weeks of vacation every year (well beyond 2) it amazes me that you cannot also budget to pay your nanny each week. "Sorry, we need to go so Aspen for 2 weeks and then to Cancun for another 1 - see you when we're back!!" I'm sure that goes over great.

Agreed. It's a negotiated perk, not standard at all.

OP, you need a contract that spells this out.

Anonymous wrote:

nannydebsays wrote:OP, if you do as the PP suggests, you should be prepared for your nanny to give you very short notice as soon as she has secured another position.

In virtually any other childcare situation you pay to "hold your place" or to "retain services". You choose to skip paying for a week or 2 of daycare, you'll wind up without daycare. You choose to skip paying your nanny because you choose to not use her services, you'll be without a nanny as soon as she can dump you.

Funny how often I read this "pay up or she'll quit" line on DCUM--almost as often as I read posts on here from nannies who work in positions that pay only for hours actually worked.

Hence, no one really has a damn clue. Agreed?

nannydebsays wrote:OP, if you do as the PP suggests, you should be prepared for your nanny to give you very short notice as soon as she has secured another position.

In virtually any other childcare situation you pay to "hold your place" or to "retain services". You choose to skip paying for a week or 2 of daycare, you'll wind up without daycare. You choose to skip paying your nanny because you choose to not use her services, you'll be without a nanny as soon as she can dump you.

Funny how often I read this "pay up or she'll quit" line on DCUM--almost as often as I read posts on here from nannies who work in positions that pay only for hours actually worked.

OP, if you do as the PP suggests, you should be prepared for your nanny to give you very short notice as soon as she has secured another position.

In virtually any other childcare situation you pay to "hold your place" or to "retain services". You choose to skip paying for a week or 2 of daycare, you'll wind up without daycare. You choose to skip paying your nanny because you choose to not use her services, you'll be without a nanny as soon as she can dump you.

OP, you are not under any obligation to pay your nanny for time that she does not work. Guaranteed hours are a highly desirable perk in the DC market, but it is not nearly as universal as the nannies on this board want you to believe. Rather, it is an element of compensation that must be negotiated during the hiring stage and written into your contract with the nanny, so that you can adjust the hourly rate in order to reflect what may be an above-average amount of paid time off. It sounds like your nanny didn't request this as part of her compensation package, and it is not something she is entitled to by default.

As for what to do now, how long has the nanny been with you and has she indicated that she expects to be paid for your trips? You could simply tell her that you didn't plan to guarantee hours this year but will do so next year in lieu of a raise. If you want to make an adjustment now, you could offer to pay her during your trips this year in lieu of an annual bonus, pay her for doing a different type of work (e.g. housekeeping, housesitting) while you are away, or pay her and require that she make up the hours when you return.

OP, if you have her for set days/times, yes you should pay her. If the times vary, but the days stay the same, pay her the standard minimum for the time you are gone. It is fairly standard that nannies receive guaranteed hours as they are typically required to have a schedule that the employer sets. As for holidays, I would offer paid holidays that you have off and paid if they fall on her regularly scheduled days.

I just had this problem with my MB. About a month ago she told me they were taking the kids out of town for a long weekend. She told me that she wasn't going to pay me since she would have the kids. I didn't have a problem with that so I made plans to be out of town. Two days before they were supposed to leave she sends me a text saying they weren't taking the kids after all and needed me to keep them. I told her I had plans and wouldn't be able to. She was upset that she had to find someone short notice. Now if she was paying me I would have changed my plans but because she thought it would be a "ridiculous waste of money" I made no effort at all.

All federal holidays is nice, but I've never been given that at any jobs in 10+ years. My employers had to work.

OP, don't offer holidays that you're not off of work.

Is she a part time or full time nanny, OP? You call her an hourly paid worker and that's confusing.

Ok. Thanks.

Don't feel bad for not knowing, OP, but guaranteed hours (paying for a set amt of minimum weekly hours that generally match what you use in a given week, even if you are away) is pretty standard in this area, as is giving paid holidays that match your own schedule.
I think the comparison to daycares (contested by some) is good - you pay them the same thing week in and week out even if it's a holiday week or you don't go. Treat your nanny's pay like a fixed expense since she is reserving the time in her schedule for you and it is not easy for her to fill in work while you are gone.

Of course she deserves compensation. It's not her choice to not be working, and her bills don't magically go away when you're on vacation.

Customary practice is to pay her as she would normally be paid for the week(s). You can ask her to come in and perform any light cleaning that she's normally responsible for, and perhaps some misc. child related tasks (organizing toys, boxing up outgrown clothes, playroom deep clean etc.) if she agrees to do them. My bosses are away usually 2 months of the year, and because they are so generous with paying me for all that vacation time (and often sending me home early with pay) I check on their house and bring in the mail every couple of days while they're gone, in addition to what I listed above.

She should also be paid for all national holidays. Treat (and pay) your nanny how you would like to be, and you'll have a loyal, committed employee for a long time.

What's customary practice for paying an hourly rate paid nanny while you are away on vacation? I feel badly that my nanny has nothing to do while we take frequent trips, but she isn't performing any work, so does she deserve compensation?

Also, do you pay them for national holidays, like Memorial Day?