MB here, and I give personal days or even half days separate from sick days and vacation days. I don't specify how much, just say that we can give a reasonable amount for medical appointments and personal errands, and have never felt that our system has been abused. I think that since I require some flexibility from our nanny, we should do what we can to be flexible in return. For example, our current nanny knows that it is easier for us to cover Friday afternoons than other days, so if she has something she needs to take care of she will try to arrange it for that time.

I would talk this over w/your bosses.

Just explain to them what you explained to us.

Let them know that some things need to be done between Mon. - Fri. during business hours and you need to get them done so you need to take certain days off for them. Ask them if you can utilize your sick days for this.

See what your bosses suggest.

This would be much better than being dishonest and lying to them.

I agree with above. It's morally not right to lie and call in sick when you are not sick.

If you need a personal day, schedule it in advance. I wouldn't leave your NF hanging unless you were truly unwell.

Anonymous wrote:
You should ask to have the sick days converted to PTO. That way you can actually use the days as you need them, and give your employers the benefit of advanced notice and honesty. It is still wise to budget for a couple of sick days, as you never know what may happen.


Agreed. MB here and originally we had sick days/vacations/holidays listed and she asked to switch to PTO so if she needed to schedule an appointment she could use a designated PTO day and let us know in advance vs a sick day that we know the day of. It has worked out very well for all parties

We do the same. MB here.

Sick leave is not personal leave. It is more like an insurance benefit that only kicks in when you are ill. Accordingly, it is unethical to call in sick when you are not sick but just need some personal time. You may not get caught, but most employers do suspect and think less of employees who use all their sick days every year or who make a habit of using them on Fridays and Mondays. Don't squander your personal integrity and your employer's trust in this way.

As a working professional, I totally understand how personal tasks can occasionally pile up and become a source of stress and distraction. My kids' nanny works almost as much as I do, so I would expect her to face the same challenges. I don't want her to feel like she loses out by being a responsible employee and I want her to give me as much notice as possible when she wants or needs to take off. For that reason, in lieu of sick leave, we provide paid personal days (in addition to the usual two weeks vacation) that she can use for any purpose, including sick leave, mental health days, additional vacation, snow days when she can't make it in, etc. We also pay out any unused personal leave at the end of the employment relationship, so a nanny who wants to save her personal leave in case of serious illness would not feel like she lost out in the end. It has worked well for both parties. We do make it clear that we don't want the nanny to come to work with a fever or a stomach virus, but I have never had a nanny who seemed to be abusing the policy.

OP, I would suggest that you explain what you posted to your boss and ask how she feels about converting your sick leave to personal leave that can be used for illness or other purpose without distinction. Assure her that you understand the importance of not coming to work when you are too sick to care for the kids and assure her that if you use up all your paid leave for reasons other than illness, you understand that you would have to go without pay if you ever became too ill to work. Particularly if you have been in the job long enough to build trust, most employers will accommodate this.

Anonymous wrote:You should ask to have the sick days converted to PTO. That way you can actually use the days as you need them, and give your employers the benefit of advanced notice and honesty. It is still wise to budget for a couple of sick days, as you never know what may happen.

Agreed. MB here and originally we had sick days/vacations/holidays listed and she asked to switch to PTO so if she needed to schedule an appointment she could use a designated PTO day and let us know in advance vs a sick day that we know the day of. It has worked out very well for all parties

You should ask to have the sick days converted to PTO. That way you can actually use the days as you need them, and give your employers the benefit of advanced notice and honesty. It is still wise to budget for a couple of sick days, as you never know what may happen.

Is it ok to use your sick days when you are not sick? I work 8a-6p Mon-Fri and I'm not able to do anything during the week. Sometimes I wish I called in and said Im sick because I need to run some errands (bank, car repair etc) I don't understand why families get upset if you wanna use your day to do something. Is it better to give you a notice in advance that I won't be at work that day (and be honest) or just call in and say you are sick. I hate to lie but I never (literally) get sick.