Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 22:00     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If my employer said to me, anytime you don't feel safe, don't come in and we'll pay you the same, I think I'd feel unsafe pretty often.


+100


+100! The problem is, any nanny who didn't go in this morning because she felt unsafe should have called this afternoon when the roads were dry and the sun was shining to see if she was still needed. From my perspective as an MB, I certainly don't want my nanny to drive if she reasonably feels unsafe. But if she demands a paid day off every time it flurries (or the government closes - which can sometimes be the same thing), it puts my ability to do my job at risk. And if I am not employed, I won't need a nanny anymore ... Offering the day off but unpaid or counting it against vacation time on days the employer is still expected to work is almost a good compromise - it puts some responsibility on the nanny to determine whether conditions are actually bad enough to warrant not going on. Obviously Snowmageddon/Hurricane Sandy type days should be paid days off, but they are days off for most MBs and DBs too for the same reason.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 21:39     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.


And if working tomorrow means traveling in what could have been unsafe conditions, you've not really given her a choice have you? It was spend the night at work to ensure you are here tomorrow, don't get paid, or risk your life to get here. Anyone else asked to spend the night at work would get paid.


You obviously have never met anyone who has had to pull an all-nighter at their job to make sure they met a deadline. If they are on salary, they don't get extra to stay there.


You are obviously not very smart. Nannies aren't salaried workers, especially not one who wouldn't get paid for a weather day. Hence the "stay tonight, or don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow" issue. And being hourly employees, they ought to get paid, if you've mandated their presence at work.


You're right. Being told "if you don't stay and finish this project or you will lose your job" is so much different than "stay the night, or you don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow".


Yes am right, and your continued sarcasm is only making you look silly. Salaried workers have deliverables. They have to finish certain things before their work is "done". Hourly workers are paid to do specific often repetitive tasks for a specified period of time. That is the difference, and that is why a nanny is not a salary worker. You cannot compare the two. There are no deliverables, no projects, and no deadlines. You pay her for her presence for a specified period of time. If you have her spend the night as a condition of payment in the event of bad weather, you'd best believe you should, if not legally have to, pay her.





Thousands of people had to decide today if they should go into work. Many of them had to go, or they would have to take some type of PTO, or, for others, they won't be getting paid for today. Why should a nanny expect to be paid when many others won't be?

Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 21:14     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:We don't have a specific snow day policy with our nanny (who works 3 days a week), but since my husband is federal, if the government is closed, I'm fine with giving her a paid day off. I want her to be safe, and she takes public transportation to get to us, so if the travel conditions affected bus routes I'd factor that in as well.

All of that said--I have worked as a day care teacher and a nurse, both hourly positions, and in both cases, I was expected to be there or risk having consequences up to and including losing my job. And I have been offered the option to sleep on a cot in a room near the hospital with a couple dozen other nurses, which would have been unpaid, but would have prevented me from getting fired in the event that I didn't make it in the next day. So, that's not really unheard of.


Are you advocating the practice? Just because its done (nurses are kind of essential) doesn't mean it should be.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 21:07     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
We don't have a specific snow day policy with our nanny (who works 3 days a week), but since my husband is federal, if the government is closed, I'm fine with giving her a paid day off. I want her to be safe, and she takes public transportation to get to us, so if the travel conditions affected bus routes I'd factor that in as well.

All of that said--I have worked as a day care teacher and a nurse, both hourly positions, and in both cases, I was expected to be there or risk having consequences up to and including losing my job. And I have been offered the option to sleep on a cot in a room near the hospital with a couple dozen other nurses, which would have been unpaid, but would have prevented me from getting fired in the event that I didn't make it in the next day. So, that's not really unheard of.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 20:26     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.


And if working tomorrow means traveling in what could have been unsafe conditions, you've not really given her a choice have you? It was spend the night at work to ensure you are here tomorrow, don't get paid, or risk your life to get here. Anyone else asked to spend the night at work would get paid.


You obviously have never met anyone who has had to pull an all-nighter at their job to make sure they met a deadline. If they are on salary, they don't get extra to stay there.


You are obviously not very smart. Nannies aren't salaried workers, especially not one who wouldn't get paid for a weather day. Hence the "stay tonight, or don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow" issue. And being hourly employees, they ought to get paid, if you've mandated their presence at work.


You're right. Being told "if you don't stay and finish this project or you will lose your job" is so much different than "stay the night, or you don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow".


Yes am right, and your continued sarcasm is only making you look silly. Salaried workers have deliverables. They have to finish certain things before their work is "done". Hourly workers are paid to do specific often repetitive tasks for a specified period of time. That is the difference, and that is why a nanny is not a salary worker. You cannot compare the two. There are no deliverables, no projects, and no deadlines. You pay her for her presence for a specified period of time. If you have her spend the night as a condition of payment in the event of bad weather, you'd best believe you should, if not legally have to, pay her.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 19:32     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.


And if working tomorrow means traveling in what could have been unsafe conditions, you've not really given her a choice have you? It was spend the night at work to ensure you are here tomorrow, don't get paid, or risk your life to get here. Anyone else asked to spend the night at work would get paid.


You obviously have never met anyone who has had to pull an all-nighter at their job to make sure they met a deadline. If they are on salary, they don't get extra to stay there.


You are obviously not very smart. Nannies aren't salaried workers, especially not one who wouldn't get paid for a weather day. Hence the "stay tonight, or don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow" issue. And being hourly employees, they ought to get paid, if you've mandated their presence at work.


You're right. Being told "if you don't stay and finish this project or you will lose your job" is so much different than "stay the night, or you don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow".
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 18:52     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.


And if working tomorrow means traveling in what could have been unsafe conditions, you've not really given her a choice have you? It was spend the night at work to ensure you are here tomorrow, don't get paid, or risk your life to get here. Anyone else asked to spend the night at work would get paid.


You obviously have never met anyone who has had to pull an all-nighter at their job to make sure they met a deadline. If they are on salary, they don't get extra to stay there.


You are obviously not very smart. Nannies aren't salaried workers, especially not one who wouldn't get paid for a weather day. Hence the "stay tonight, or don't get paid when you can't get here tomorrow" issue. And being hourly employees, they ought to get paid, if you've mandated their presence at work.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 18:11     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:If my employer said to me, anytime you don't feel safe, don't come in and we'll pay you the same, I think I'd feel unsafe pretty often.


+100
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 18:11     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.


And if working tomorrow means traveling in what could have been unsafe conditions, you've not really given her a choice have you? It was spend the night at work to ensure you are here tomorrow, don't get paid, or risk your life to get here. Anyone else asked to spend the night at work would get paid.


You obviously have never met anyone who has had to pull an all-nighter at their job to make sure they met a deadline. If they are on salary, they don't get extra to stay there.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 18:01     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
If my employer said to me, anytime you don't feel safe, don't come in and we'll pay you the same, I think I'd feel unsafe pretty often.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 17:57     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.


And if working tomorrow means traveling in what could have been unsafe conditions, you've not really given her a choice have you? It was spend the night at work to ensure you are here tomorrow, don't get paid, or risk your life to get here. Anyone else asked to spend the night at work would get paid.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 17:49     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
I'd say the demand is "work tomorrow or don't get paid." Semantics, I suppose.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 17:40     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
If you're making demands on her time, ie. spend the night or don't get paid tomorrow, you should pay her.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 17:36     Subject: Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
I agree, it's not appropriate to force a nanny to spend the night. But if she knows she's not comfortable driving in the snow or there are no public transportation options and she wants the hours, then it seems like a reasonable option as long as you are not expecting her to work during her "off" hours and there is a private place for her to sleep. But truly the best policy is to cover all these details in a contract agreed to prior by both parties.
Anonymous
Post 12/10/2013 17:35     Subject: Re:Snow days when our offices aren't closed?
Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny in the area and did call out today because when I woke up there was already 2 inches of snow on the ground. I have a smaller care which slides a lot in the snow. My employers completely understood and had no problems with giving me the PAID day off. Around 12:30 the roads were fine so I offered to come in for a few hours and at least give them a break, but they did not need me.

In my opinion she should have offered to come for the half day. If my employers had offered to bring their child to my home or to pick me up in their SUV I would have been happy with either, I even told them that.

You need to implement a snow day policy. One that has worked for me in the past is giving 2-3 paid snow days then anything after is either not paid or paid, but hours made up on weekends or holidays.

There are people uncomfortable driving in this kind of weather and no one should have to put their life at risk for a job.

To the person who said their nanny should have spent the night: that is completely inconsiderate of you to even think that, your nanny is a person just like you. She/he has things that need to be done in their home and shouldn't HAVE to spend the night in your home because of the weather.


If someone asks their nanny if they want to stay over due to weather and the nanny says yes, and she is not working, there is no reason for her to be paid for that time. If I were in a situation like that, I would appreciate my bosses asking me if I wanted to spend the night as opposed to driving home and then having to turn around again and drive again in the snow. I think plenty of people would appreciate not having to drive through crappy weather.