Anonymous wrote:It really depends on whether there's a contract or not. Our contract (and most I've seen) has a notice period, and the leaving family would be responsible for paying for that period once they gave notice (ours is 30 days for all parties). After the 30 days, the remaining family would need to sign a new contract with the nanny to continue--either for a new share with another family or for a single child rate if the nanny agrees to that. And the nanny would be under no obligation to stay after the 30 days if the new rate or new family wasn't acceptable to her. She would also not be entitled to back wages after the 30 days if she agreed to a new rate, though--it's a new contract/job entirely at that point.

Well this is the key that a lot of people are missing/ignoring. You can't just start paying your nanny $10/hour because the other family dipped, and then act like SHE broke your contract if she walks. You would need to negotiate a new contract and it is unreasonable to think that a nanny previously making $20/hour is going to stick around for $10.

It really depends on whether there's a contract or not. Our contract (and most I've seen) has a notice period, and the leaving family would be responsible for paying for that period once they gave notice (ours is 30 days for all parties). After the 30 days, the remaining family would need to sign a new contract with the nanny to continue--either for a new share with another family or for a single child rate if the nanny agrees to that. And the nanny would be under no obligation to stay after the 30 days if the new rate or new family wasn't acceptable to her. She would also not be entitled to back wages after the 30 days if she agreed to a new rate, though--it's a new contract/job entirely at that point.

This came up when discussing the minimum wage requirement didn't? A share is legally considered one job (!?!?), so both parties are responsible for getting the nanny her full wage. Not doing so is a breach of contract, and she is free to leave despite whatever notice period or protections in place through your contract, and she could sue you for her back wages. I certainly would.

Anonymous wrote:Because the remaining family is NOT paying "less". You are suggesting they need to double what they pay. That is a huge jump.

Not doing so can be devestating to a nanny and her family.
Just because you or your share partner jump ship, this doesn't negate your responsibility as employers
This should be written out in a contract.

Because the remaining family is NOT paying "less". You are suggesting they need to double what they pay. That is a huge jump.

We gave one month severance when we left. How can people justify paying a nanny a lower rate when the other family leaves? Would you take a pay cut if some work is reassigned from you? I'm betting the answer is NO.

We split the difference and upped her pay but not to the two child share rate. That seemed fair since she is only dealing with one family and one kid during the gap.

We paid her entire wage during the gap. Your contract should have had a notice period that would have given you some tim to line up a new family.

Anonymous wrote:Agree with both PPs. If you have identified the new family they should pay a small portion to hold their spot, but either way you need to be paying at LEAST $15/hr during the gap.

Agree with this. Also the leaving family needs to give significant notice/severance to exactly when they're leaving. Your contract should outline this, but if it doesn't I'd say at least 2-4 weeks.

If there's a gap simply because you and nanny have mutually agreed that no potential families you've met with thus far have been a good fit and are still searching, then I think you paying $15/hr for the interim is appropriate.

Agree with both PPs. If you have identified the new family they should pay a small portion to hold their spot, but either way you need to be paying at LEAST $15/hr during the gap.

How long of a gap, and do you already have the replacement family selected, or will you still have to search?

I agree with PP that the nanny will likely not be willing to accept a lower salary during the gap, and if the new family is already identified, they should have to pay a contribution to hold their spot.

I think a fair compromise would be for existing family to pay $15-17/hr during the gap, and the replacement family to cover the remaining portion of the nanny's wage as collateral for holding the spot.

What do you mean pay her more? More than your half? If you think paying anything near what you've been paying is appropriate, good luck to you. If you'd like her to actually stick around, I'd suggest paying as close to her normal wage as possible. If you've already found a new family, they should probably offer something to hold their spot so that it isn't all on you, or the leaving family could meet them in the middle, but DO NOT expect your nanny to bear the full brunt of this.

Hi all,

The other nanny share family will likely be leaving our share, and for a variety of issues, there will likely be a gap before the next family starts. Have you tried to pay the nanny more to compensate for the time when you were the only family? Our nanny makes around $20 per hour ($10 each fam). What have others done?