I'm the PP whose nanny gave notice along with with a bad lie. We sent her on her way the next day and released her from her notice period (she claimed she "had" to stop working ASAP). We have had two AMAZING nannies give notice before and we were truly sad to see them go. We paid them through their notice periods, gave them parting gifts, and encouraged future visits. One returned to work for us again between finishing her coursework and starting her career (she was an older student). The other still visits and sends texts.

Our most recent nanny had a history of dishonesty, avoiding work, and being all around kind of crappy. We did not choose to compensate her for her half-effort at being "professional". Lying on your way out is not professional. Don't expect to be rewarded for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have quite then you're not being fired. THey are choosing not to have you work out your notice period.

As a mom I can envision doing this if any of the following were true:
- I wasn't all that happy with your performance in the job and you giving notice was a relief
- I quickly found a solution and was eager to move on
- the interpersonal dynamics between the adults involved were strained or difficult
- I have concerns about the interactions you might have with the kids about your departure

It may not at all be that "they can't handle it" but more that they would rather not work through some extended difficult period. If they can figure out a solution then why not just move on.

+1. For the pp who asked about practical advice, this is it. Do a stellar job, have a good professional relationship with the parents, don't do anything weird and creepy with the kids, and basically be the kind of employee that your boss is sad to see go and genuinely wishes well, and this will not be a problem.

In my experience, this is only true in situations where the parting is mutual. If an employer is sad to see their employee go, and wishes them well, wouldn't they also have done their best to treat them well? When nannies give notice, more often than not it is because they aren't treated well. It is those same employers that behave like children when they are given notice. So your advice doesn't hold. Sometimes you can do everything right, but your employer is still an ass.

Anonymous wrote:If you have quite then you're not being fired. THey are choosing not to have you work out your notice period.

As a mom I can envision doing this if any of the following were true:
- I wasn't all that happy with your performance in the job and you giving notice was a relief
- I quickly found a solution and was eager to move on
- the interpersonal dynamics between the adults involved were strained or difficult
- I have concerns about the interactions you might have with the kids about your departure

It may not at all be that "they can't handle it" but more that they would rather not work through some extended difficult period. If they can figure out a solution then why not just move on.

+1. For the pp who asked about practical advice, this is it. Do a stellar job, have a good professional relationship with the parents, don't do anything weird and creepy with the kids, and basically be the kind of employee that your boss is sad to see go and genuinely wishes well, and this will not be a problem.

From what is posted here, it appears that many MBs are 24k
Witches. I am not a nanny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say "very part time," what do you mean? Like less than 10 hours a week? If so, it's hard to get too wound up about this ...

Yes, that definitely seems to be getting overlooked. If this was a few hours a week it's really not that big a deal.

Who are you to say what makes a big deal to OP? She could be a student stringing together part time jobs trying to get by. Those couple of hours could be the difference between getting to eat tonight or not. It doesn't matter how part time the job is, it was important when you needed someone reliable and qualified to care for your child, and you need to show that person some freaking respect.

Anonymous wrote:When you say "very part time," what do you mean? Like less than 10 hours a week? If so, it's hard to get too wound up about this ...

Yes, that definitely seems to be getting overlooked. If this was a few hours a week it's really not that big a deal.

When you say "very part time," what do you mean? Like less than 10 hours a week? If so, it's hard to get too wound up about this ...

I had one parent tell me that I wasn't welcome back because she couldn't leave her kids with someone that was "mad" at her. It was the most immature reaction to notice I've ever dealt with. I couldn't even properly say good bye to the kids I was so taken by surprise. She had arrived significantly late (at least 20 minutes) every day for the past month, and flipped out when I said something about it. I gave her notice even after her ridiculous behavior and that is how I was treated.

You just can't win OP, I'm sorry. My husband keeps telling me I should leave nannying because anyone who thinks their kid need one on one constant attention (a nanny) is probably pretty selfish and would make a bad boss.

Are they paying you through your notice period, or through the contractual minimum?

Welcome to the club, OP. This egregious employer behavior teaches us NOT to give notice. Plain and simple. We just keep getting burned, no matter how good we were to them.

Any practical advice from employers?
What do you tell your friends who do this?

Totally unprofessional by the family. Not sure how the nanny world works, but in the business world this is really really bad form. The employee is operating morally, professionally and in good faith by giving 2 weeks notice.

As the employer, you can give them the option to not work the last 2 weeks. But by terminating them for giving notice you're saying that you're unprofessional and dishonest, and they should have just quit and left you totally screwed.

Seriously. I guess your feelings may be hurt if your nanny quits, but be a stand-up person and continue to act like a professional employer, since that's what you supposedly are.

We're in the process of hiring a nanny, and I'm asking each applicant when they can start. If they're currently employed and they say they would not give notice to their current employer, I would not hire this person.

OP I've solved this problem by addressing it in my contract. The notice clause is mutual, and there are penalties to either party that doesn't follow it. In this situation, if I followed all of the requirements for giving notice, and they had no actual cause for firing me, they would still need to pay me for the duration of the notice period.

I also typically only give notice if a family has mistreated me in some manner, and according to our agreement they aren't actually entitled to any notice. I point out the breeches of the contract in my notice letter but state that this notice is a courtesy. Families usually behave in this situation because they know one step over the line and I won't return, but they still have to pay out the notice.

Yep, PP is spot on.

We just had a nanny give us 2 weeks notice and we're THRILLED as we were planning to terminate her. She made up a fairly transparent lie to go along with giving notice. We embraced her lie and encouraged her to go ahead and make it her last day earlier than expected. She was awful and we would not have wanted her to continue working while just serving her time in hopes of getting a decent reference. We have happily started with someone new already and our entire house feels more relaxed.

Also, if I had a new nanny lined up who was ready to work, I would not risk losing that person. If you were a good, reliable nanny I would pay you for your notice period. If you were awful I would simply thank you and let you move on ASAP.

If you have quite then you're not being fired. THey are choosing not to have you work out your notice period.

As a mom I can envision doing this if any of the following were true:
- I wasn't all that happy with your performance in the job and you giving notice was a relief
- I quickly found a solution and was eager to move on
- the interpersonal dynamics between the adults involved were strained or difficult
- I have concerns about the interactions you might have with the kids about your departure

It may not at all be that "they can't handle it" but more that they would rather not work through some extended difficult period. If they can figure out a solution then why not just move on.

What is with parents, can they really not handle being given notice? Is it "you can't quit because we're firing you" type thing?

I have left 2 very part time filler positions over the last 2 years and both times, I was thanked for the notice, told I would definitely be needed and then a few days later get a text or email saying I was no longer needed.

I just don't understand what's going through their heads when they fire you for quitting!

Ok, vent over!