Anonymous wrote:You are required to pay wages to be an employer. It's the LAW. Plain and simple.

No, legally you only have to pay for hours worked. Guaranteed hours are a perk.

You are required to pay wages to be an employer. It's the LAW. Plain and simple.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or you could be a professional and make sure you've negotiated the terms you need before you accept the position. If you prefer to do it this way, make sure you can afford to kiss that reference goodbye.

+1

Yep, I'm in this camp. Handle it professionally from the beginning and you eliminate a host of problems and set yourself (and the employers) up for a much better working relationship.

Anonymous wrote:All the cheap, unscrupulous MBs think this is bad and unprofessional.

That's because it is unprofessional. The real professional nannies (and there are a few of them out there) would lay it all out prior to employment. They wouldn't assume they get the BENEFIT and then huff and puff and be passive aggressive and quit when they don't. You want to be treated like a professional, act like it!

Anonymous wrote:Or you could be a professional and make sure you've negotiated the terms you need before you accept the position. If you prefer to do it this way, make sure you can afford to kiss that reference goodbye.

+1

Been a nanny for six years and have never had a horrible employer. Maybe I'm a better judge of character during interviews than some nannies, if I feel anything is off/odd I refuse the job and continue my search. You bring your own contract that can be combined with theirs (of they have one) and discuss every detail from taxes to feeding schedule before accepting. You also don't start the position until the contract is signed and you have a carseat installed the day before. If after all that the family decides to not pay for vacation than you tell them that sadly you can't go without pay or work for people who don't follow a contract and give your two weeks during your conversation. That will either scare them or piss them off, no matter what you need a new position because any employer who would do that isn't worth working for.

Anonymous wrote:Abusive employers should be unhappy. So nannies, choose potential employers wisely. Get references from their former caregivers. It's a red flag if they're uncomfortable with that. Would any of you MBs have a problem with that?

Not at all. I'm currently hosting au pairs actually, but I always volunteer that any seriously potential matches are welcome to chat with any of our previous au pairs.

Abusive employers should be unhappy. So nannies, choose potential employers wisely. Get references from their former caregivers. It's a red flag if they're uncomfortable with that. Would any of you MBs have a problem with that?

Anonymous wrote:All the cheap, unscrupulous MBs think this is bad and unprofessional.

No, those of us MBs who pay appropriately, provide appropriate benefits, and understand that nannies need consistent paychecks typically want high-quality, experienced childcare providers and will absolutely want to check the references of any former families. So we're warning you - if you tell me you have five years of experience as an excellent nanny and that you warrant an higher-than-standard package, but won't give me any of your former employers to talk to (because you've pulled stunts like this on them), then I will pass you over. I have no idea if you worked for crappy families and it was entirely not your fault. All I see is a nanny asking for a professional salary and package based on her experience who has left behind a trail of unhappy MBs.

All the cheap, unscrupulous MBs think this is bad and unprofessional.

What an idiotic idea. This is why so many nannies on this board get crappy jobs. You need to be professional and build a stable work history. It is your responsibility upfront to negotiate guaranteed hours. Its not hard to do and you are just shooting yourself in the foot by not bringing it up before you start working.

Or you could be a professional and make sure you've negotiated the terms you need before you accept the position. If you prefer to do it this way, make sure you can afford to kiss that reference goodbye.

I think that it would result in you losing your job, but I completely agree that is what they deserve.

"Oh you'd like to reserve my time, but aren't going to pay for it when you choose not to use it? Cool. You lose your reservation. It is now first come first served."

Smart cookie, OP.

Unless the Nanny has agreed in advance to an unpaid "forced vacation", she should simply line up a new (paying) job to begin on the first day of her "vacation". When employers don't pay you, they no longer employ you either. The former employers will have a lovely welcome home surprise upon their return. They'll learn the hard way about the responsibilities of being an employer.