Anonymous wrote:"
OP here. Not trying to move around the hours. If she leaves early because she wants to do so, though, she's making a choice about how much she wants to work. That's different from the employer making a choice about how much she works by sending her home early or cancelling for a day.

If I ask her to arrive an hour early, I pay for that hour. If I send her home an hour early because I don't need her, I pay for that hour. If she asks to leave an hour early because she wants to go get her nails done, I don't pay for that hour. She chose not to work during that time; I didn't choose for her. "

What is not clear here is if you are offering her PTO. If so then the hours she leaves early come out of that. I don't really see how you would make "guaranteed hours" work without PTO or hour shifting. It is one or the other and the former is more common I think.

Guaranteed hours and PTO are different things, as are guaranteed hours and shifting the schedule. Parents set the schedule as x am/pm to y am/pm on whichever days they need. Nanny is guaranteed pay for those hours every week, with the proviso that she MUST be available and ready to work during those hours. That means that if MB calls the nanny in the morning and says she doesn't think nanny needs to come that day, but then decides at 11 am that she does need the nanny from 3 pm til 5 pm, nanny goes in 3-5 pm and is paid for the day.

PTO is usually a benefit offered to the nanny, but she can take it whenever she wants. Some contracts allow for only full days of PTO, some allow half days, some allow usage of hour or half hour increments. If the nanny requests to go early, she's cutting into guaranteed hours, and she has the option of using PTO. Again, depending on the contract, it could be up to 40 hours or it could be up to guaranteed hours if the nanny is guaranteed over 40.

Parents add a few minutes to a few hours before or after the regular shift frequently. If the parent wants to shift the hours, then they need to be clear about that, and it needs to be done ahead of time so that the nanny can make plans for the new schedule. If not, the employer is asking for hours to be guaranteed available that are not being paid, and they're veering towards a flex schedule. I always charge more per hour for flex schedules even as compared to 24 hour shifts, because I can't plan when I'm doing anything. With 24 hour shifts I've been able to take kids with me whenever I needed anything done or the parent stayed with the kids for a few hours while I used PTO. I have yet to talk to a single nanny who likes flex schedules, and there are many that simply won't agree to it, and that includes shifting hours once or twice.

"
OP here. Not trying to move around the hours. If she leaves early because she wants to do so, though, she's making a choice about how much she wants to work. That's different from the employer making a choice about how much she works by sending her home early or cancelling for a day.

If I ask her to arrive an hour early, I pay for that hour. If I send her home an hour early because I don't need her, I pay for that hour. If she asks to leave an hour early because she wants to go get her nails done, I don't pay for that hour. She chose not to work during that time; I didn't choose for her. "

What is not clear here is if you are offering her PTO. If so then the hours she leaves early come out of that. I don't really see how you would make "guaranteed hours" work without PTO or hour shifting. It is one or the other and the former is more common I think.

Anonymous wrote:This is why employers need to negotiate some scheduling flexibility when they offer guaranteed hours. You can say that Nanny will be guaranteed 45 hours per week scheduled between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm, and she must be available to you during all those hours except with advance notice, provided however that most days will follow a 8-5 schedule. I have always done this and never had a nanny that I wanted to hire object. If someone did, I would probably not want to hire her because the best nanny-family relationships involve mutual accommodation.

ya do what's right for Nanny then

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not a one-way street. But even if it were, what's so bad about that? That's the point of any job offering benefits. To *benefit* the employee.

There's a difference between providing a benefit and an employee taking advantage of that benefit. Example: unlimited sick time. Great benefit because employee can stay home when sick without worrying about job loss or income loss. Taking advantage of benefit when employee has a minor headache, or is just really tired, and decides to take advantage of that unlimited sick time.

1950 over long time ago Dear agency What about no one get sick?? No Head scratch? I believe they can have her only 40 hours a week more then that is OT is her choice... she provide the service to the family the nanny need to be involved to making a Choice she's the one dealing with the kids and the family not the agency get it stay out of it !!!!!

Anonymous wrote:Guaranteed hours is definitely a perk for the nanny, not a two way street, but that's ok.

In your case, however, if the nanny requested the afternoon hours off, she should either use her PTO or let you shift the hours. Just because you could have said no is irrelevant. The time off was at her request.

agree, she should want to build goodwill and so should you. right now she is being self-centered and taking a very short-term view.

This is why employers need to negotiate some scheduling flexibility when they offer guaranteed hours. You can say that Nanny will be guaranteed 45 hours per week scheduled between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm, and she must be available to you during all those hours except with advance notice, provided however that most days will follow a 8-5 schedule. I have always done this and never had a nanny that I wanted to hire object. If someone did, I would probably not want to hire her because the best nanny-family relationships involve mutual accommodation.

Anonymous wrote:It's not a one-way street. But even if it were, what's so bad about that? That's the point of any job offering benefits. To *benefit* the employee.

There's a difference between providing a benefit and an employee taking advantage of that benefit. Example: unlimited sick time. Great benefit because employee can stay home when sick without worrying about job loss or income loss. Taking advantage of benefit when employee has a minor headache, or is just really tired, and decides to take advantage of that unlimited sick time.

OP here. Not trying to move around the hours. If she leaves early because she wants to do so, though, she's making a choice about how much she wants to work. That's different from the employer making a choice about how much she works by sending her home early or cancelling for a day.

If I ask her to arrive an hour early, I pay for that hour. If I send her home an hour early because I don't need her, I pay for that hour. If she asks to leave an hour early because she wants to go get her nails done, I don't pay for that hour. She chose not to work during that time; I didn't choose for her.

It's not a one-way street. But even if it were, what's so bad about that? That's the point of any job offering benefits. To *benefit* the employee.

Anonymous wrote:It is a one-way street until you are in desperate need and your nanny has another gig because you're too cheap to pay for guaranteed hours and you have to stay home and take care of your snowflake

This. If you do not guarantee me the set time then I am free to take another job. Simple as that.

OP, you cannot move around the hours. All these responses are very helpful. So, OP just figure it out.

Anonymous wrote:Guaranteed hours are great for both sides. You know that you don't have to scramble last minute to find someone to fill in because nanny needed more money for her bills, she knows how much (minimum) she is getting per week.

If you asked her to come in before the set schedule, you pay for those hours. If she left early because you said she was done for the day, you pay for the hours. However, if she asks for hours off, it comes out of PTO/vacation hours, and she can't require you to pay overtime for the week for those (unless the normal schedule has overtime).

It sounds like you had the normal schedule, asked for two mornings to be an hour early each. Ok, so you're at 42 hours, which is overtime for 2. But, she asked for 2 hours early two days, so that takes you back down to 38. Guaranteed hours only applies when the nanny is actually available and willing to work the required hours, and she wasn't, so you are only obligated to pay for 38. If the nanny wants to use 2 PTO hours to bring the weekly total up to 40, that's her prerogative, but you don't have to pay more than 38 as it stands now.

+1

You can only bank hours within the same pay period, so it would be fine in this situation.