Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny and I just don't see a total of twenty minutes late being a big deal. I wouldn't charge a parent for that time regardless of overtime or not.

I have never been late. I sort of trained my employers to always be on time early on as I tutored right after work three days a week and had to leave at exactly my end time. Now that I am not tutoring, they are still always on time.

Being late 20 minutes for 50 weeks per year adds up to 17 hours.
That is a big deal. They need to be on time or pay overtime. Period.

I don't see it that way either. Seventeen hours of overtime is not worth developing a "nickel and dime" relationship with a new employer. I would absolutely mention it but not fret about it so soon into a new job.

Just my opinion as a nanny.

I'm the PP you quoted and I would never do this either. The employers, however, are making her make up the 5 it's she was late. The parents started the nickel and diming.

I, the nanny, am never late. Never, not once. My employers were more lax about coming home on time until I started giving them the subtle stink-eye and led them by my example of never being late.

Now I am never late and they are never late.

I'm an MB and I am virtually never late. Perhaps 3x a year some traffic jam makes me 5 or 10 minutes late but I always let the nanny know if/when that's happening. I have set up her hours to allow for approximately 15 minutes of "cushion" time at the end of the day so I have a little bit of give. Sometimes I walk in the door 20 minutes or more before her day is over, sometimes it's only 2 minutes. But 99% of the time I'm there before her day is done.

I respect her time and she respects ours.

It sounds like no one (neither employer nor employee) in OP's scenario is particularly thoughtful or smart about how they are approaching time. If my nanny wanted to bill me in 5 minute increments for her time we would not be a good fit. I would find that difficult. I don't require that a time card be punched, I understand if life happens and she is occasionally delayed 5 minutes or something, and I expect the same courtesy in return. However, it also sounds like these employers are pretty obnoxious with how they are treating time as well.

So it sounds like a good fit in terms of small-mindedness but a nightmare relationship overall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny and I just don't see a total of twenty minutes late being a big deal. I wouldn't charge a parent for that time regardless of overtime or not.

I have never been late. I sort of trained my employers to always be on time early on as I tutored right after work three days a week and had to leave at exactly my end time. Now that I am not tutoring, they are still always on time.

Being late 20 minutes for 50 weeks per year adds up to 17 hours.
That is a big deal. They need to be on time or pay overtime. Period.

I don't see it that way either. Seventeen hours of overtime is not worth developing a "nickel and dime" relationship with a new employer. I would absolutely mention it but not fret about it so soon into a new job.

Just my opinion as a nanny.

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny and I just don't see a total of twenty minutes late being a big deal. I wouldn't charge a parent for that time regardless of overtime or not.

I have never been late. I sort of trained my employers to always be on time early on as I tutored right after work three days a week and had to leave at exactly my end time. Now that I am not tutoring, they are still always on time.

Being late 20 minutes for 50 weeks per year adds up to 17 hours.
That is a big deal. They need to be on time or pay overtime. Period.

I am a nanny and I just don't see a total of twenty minutes late being a big deal. I wouldn't charge a parent for that time regardless of overtime or not.

I have never been late. I sort of trained my employers to always be on time early on as I tutored right after work three days a week and had to leave at exactly my end time. Now that I am not tutoring, they are still always on time.

See parents, this is what you get when you pay peanuts. If you have a good nanny who doesn't act like this count your blessings and treat her right!

How long have you been with this family OP?

If brand new, then yes, bring it up immediately so they know you are not dumb about time. If they apologize and say they won't do it again, then I would let it go if everything else in the job is satisfactory.

If you have been working for them awhile, and this just suddenly happened when it hasn't before, then I would chalk it up as an oversight, but still mention it regardless.

Time is money.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it was an oversight PP as mom knew she was late.. When you apologize for being late but not show it on my pay its not an oversight. I honestly feel as they don't want to pay since it's just a few minutes, but yet make sure they get their 40 hours by me not leaving a minute early. I also think if I mention it, they'll say ok and if running late 10 minutes will just not come home until the next hour to get their full hour of OT.

Employers who do this are the worst relationships I've had with past employers.
When you start keeping score, it's over.

Nanny here. In my contract it states that anything past 15 min of my 40 hrs gets counted to OT rounded up to the closest half hour. So if they are late by 15 min, they pay me OT for 30 Min. Just sit down with them and say that you have to keep to your schedule and you'd appreciate if they did the same.

MB here and this is the clause we have in our contract as well. In practice, I'm very very rarely late but if I am, our nanny absolutely should be compensated for her time. Additionally, if I am late for whatever reason, I call our nanny to alert her. If I had to be ten minutes late frequently, I would discuss changing her leave time and compensate her at OT rates if she wanted to alter her leave time.

Figure out what they owe you and tell them they can pay it tomorrow.

I don't think it was an oversight PP as mom knew she was late.. When you apologize for being late but not show it on my pay its not an oversight. I honestly feel as they don't want to pay since it's just a few minutes, but yet make sure they get their 40 hours by me not leaving a minute early. I also think if I mention it, they'll say ok and if running late 10 minutes will just not come home until the next hour to get their full hour of OT.

Calmly and politely mention it to them as if it were just an oversight (which it could have been).


I am NEVER late - not one minute. And my employers, while late a few times early on, seemed to straighten up when they realized that I was not someone who took scheduled time as a "suggestion". Now they are NEVER late.

Nanny here. In my contract it states that anything past 15 min of my 40 hrs gets counted to OT rounded up to the closest half hour. So if they are late by 15 min, they pay me OT for 30 Min. Just sit down with them and say that you have to keep to your schedule and you'd appreciate if they did the same.

Hi I need some advice..My bosses have been late a total of 20 minutes last week like 10 min one day and 5 the other 2 days. Per our contract it's time and a half over 40 hours. I recieved my check and see I wasn't paid overtime for the 20 minutes. It doesn't sit well with it's me as I never leave early, if I'm late by 5 minutes I still have to make that 5 minutes up, dad will even come home early by 10 minutes but wait outside in the car until it's exactly 5:00. I don't think it's fair to expect someone to make up 5 minutes, but if you're late 5 minutes not to pay over for their time. Any helpful advice appreciated, as mom was late 8 minutes yesterday, Thank you