Anonymous wrote:OP, your employer did not make you come to work. They simply chose not to offer paid sick days as part of your compensation, perhaps because they simply rolled what it would cost them to give you paid sick leave into your hourly rate. You could have taken an unpaid day off or used your vacation time.

You attitude is exactly why so many parents are disgusted by the unbalanced nannies on this board.

Doubtful that sick leave was "rolled into" her salary, and regardless, this attitude is the reason many of the nannies on these boards are disgusted by parents. Yes it is a job, and in no way are you required to be considerate, after all its business not personal, but...we are the people you entrust with your children. Would you argue with your child's teacher about their sick days? Would you ask your pediatrician if lack of PTO was built into their salary? No. Because you respect these people. Try having the same attitude towards your nanny. Give sick days, vacation and general PTO, it really does make a difference all around. Who cares what OP was sick with. Sometimes you just need a day to yourself. It shouldn't, however, have to be at the expense of not being able to pay a bill.

I am another nanny. I am too young and poor to have health insurance. Guess what? I agree that this is your fault.

It is not your employer's job to fill your world with rainbows and puppies. It is their job to meet the specifications of the contract YOU negotiated. Maybe you truly did NEED this job. Maybe you are not qualified enough to command a better deal for your self, and had no other options. If that is the case, then you should be spending this time working your ass off and having the most positive attitude that you can muster, So that after a year you can either renegotiate for better terms, or seek new employment with a wonderful reference under your belt.

Complaning that your employers did not provide you with perks that are not contractually required, and wishing them and their children ill health as vengeance, will get you nowhere. I think we can all see why you "needed" to accept an unacceptable job. A poor attitude will drag you down to the bottom of the employment heap every time.

Oh pat yourself on the back pp. How does it look from up there?

"Next time don't sign a contract that doesn't offer me sick leave" Get off your high horse!!!
I hope you never NEED a job pp.

So, OP, lesson learned, right? Next time, don't sign a contract that doesn't offer sick days and at least ask for some type of health insurance contribution. I have both. Know why? I asked for them.

Anonymous wrote:I'm OP. To the lady that is 35 and never got a cold that is really bad, well, does that mean everybody else in the world also "never got a cold that is really bad like you described"?. If even by my description you think was bad, so then why is your argument about yourself? Do you think I'm lying when I say a bad cod that knocked me down is a real thing that people may suffer from time to time? Headache, sore throat, chest congestion, nose congestion, fever, lost voice? I mean just because you never has it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

But then again your point might have been it was the flu? Maybe I had the flu. I wouldn't know because I don't get health insurance and since I have to pay for doctors visits, I wouldn't go to the doctor for what I call "a bad cold". I know it's stupid but the reality of it is that not all of us can just drop everything and a)lose 2 paid days b)have extra $200 to go to doctor for a walk in visit.

I've been there OP and I agree it sucks. I spent a year suffering from undiagnosed Crohn's disease because I could not afford to take time off unpaid to go to the doctor or even afford a trip to the doctor. The MBs scoffing at your distress have health insurance and sick leave and no amount of explaining will make them understand or sympathize because your just a faceless grunt as far as they're concerned. God forbid someone treat them or their kin as callously one day. Do not accept another job without this benefit. It's absolutely necessary for one who works on their feet and not on their ass at a desk.

I'm OP. To the lady that is 35 and never got a cold that is really bad, well, does that mean everybody else in the world also "never got a cold that is really bad like you described"?. If even by my description you think was bad, so then why is your argument about yourself? Do you think I'm lying when I say a bad cod that knocked me down is a real thing that people may suffer from time to time? Headache, sore throat, chest congestion, nose congestion, fever, lost voice? I mean just because you never has it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

But then again your point might have been it was the flu? Maybe I had the flu. I wouldn't know because I don't get health insurance and since I have to pay for doctors visits, I wouldn't go to the doctor for what I call "a bad cold". I know it's stupid but the reality of it is that not all of us can just drop everything and a)lose 2 paid days b)have extra $200 to go to doctor for a walk in visit.

I have been a nanny for many years, and I would always work with a cold or a flu, or at least be willing to. I now work for people who pressure me to come in with the stomach flu. Yes indeed, I will call and say I can't leave the bathroom, and they will say they can't get anyone to come and could I come in anyway, or the next break in between barfing and/or diarrhea, could I drive over and just be sick there. No, I am not kidding. I so wish I were kidding. I cannot believe it. They are self-centered and not empathetic in other ways too, so this shouldn't be a surprise.

OP, your employer did not make you come to work. They simply chose not to offer paid sick days as part of your compensation, perhaps because they simply rolled what it would cost them to give you paid sick leave into your hourly rate. You could have taken an unpaid day off or used your vacation time.

You attitude is exactly why so many parents are disgusted by the unbalanced nannies on this board.

Anonymous wrote:"What are you talking about? I had a cold a couple weeks ago that literally knocked me off my feet. My nose was constantly running, my head hurt, my body ached worse than it ever has and I couldn't get out of bed. Sickness affects people in different ways. Sometimes a cold can be really rough. "

wow. OK. maybe some people are super effected by colds. Honestly never in 35 years have i ever had a "cold" like you describe. head hurt, runny nose constantly, yes. "can't get out of bed" - not unless I had the flu.

Lucky you. But yes, I went to the doc and it was a cold, not the flu. Everyone's different, haven't ya heard?

It's really not up to anyone but the individual how sick is sick enough to call out. OP if you've decided you're too sick to work, TELL your bosses don't ASK. If the reason you didn't call out is because you don't have paid sick days, I agree that's a crappy thing to not offer, but you did agree to the job on those terms. Lesson learned, just make sure you make clear in negotiations that sick days are a deal breaker for you (as they should be for all of us working with children and their imminent illnesses). Parents get away with this shit because we let them. If we all refused jobs that don't offer basic things like sick days, they wouldn't be able to get a decent nanny without offering them.

"What are you talking about? I had a cold a couple weeks ago that literally knocked me off my feet. My nose was constantly running, my head hurt, my body ached worse than it ever has and I couldn't get out of bed. Sickness affects people in different ways. Sometimes a cold can be really rough. "

wow. OK. maybe some people are super effected by colds. Honestly never in 35 years have i ever had a "cold" like you describe. head hurt, runny nose constantly, yes. "can't get out of bed" - not unless I had the flu.

Anonymous wrote:I would tell them I was sick and they would say they needed me to come in. Simple as that. I had paid sick days but when DB was out of town for a week, I had no choice but to go in since they had no back up.

You need to talk to your employer about this. You should always have a choice whether or not to go to work when you are sick. They need an emergency backup.

Anonymous wrote:"very ill"? OP had a cold. OP are you a guy? only my DH is such a baby about having a cold. I know of no woman who would view having a cold as grounds for staying home "sick" in bed.

What are you talking about? I had a cold a couple weeks ago that literally knocked me off my feet. My nose was constantly running, my head hurt, my body ached worse than it ever has and I couldn't get out of bed. Sickness affects people in different ways. Sometimes a cold can be really rough.

Nanny here -
Here is what drives me crazy. If you sign a contract that has no paid sick days, you can't later bitch about not having paid sick days. You signed the contract. Nannies need to stand up for themselves and get what they want (within reason) agreed upon in the contract. Otherwise, we will continue to be walked all over and taken advantage of. And PP, it isn't your fault if they don't have back up care. You're too sick, you're too sick. If the first time this happened you said, no, sorry I"m too sick to come in and it is part of my contract that I don't have to come, they would have found a way to make it work. Instead, you set a precedence that you would work even though you didn't HAVE to, because they didn't have back up care.

When I first started out, I made mistakes and didn't get things in the contract I should have. But each time it happened, it was a learning experience. Yes, I was mad at my bosses for whatever it was that I thought was unfair, but ultimately I had no one to blame but myself for not being better prepared when drafting a contract.

Sorry you felt bad, OP. You're right that nannies should be offered sick days if employers want to put together a good benefits package. I offer to my nanny. Personally I would think she was a wuss for calling in sick for a cold but if she felt she could not work (as you apparently did) then I'd expect her to do that. Paid sick days or not, you could have called in sick and just not come to work.