Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, PP. The contract says we give 2 weeks notice. I know 2 MONTHS in advance that her employment is ending. Are you really suggesting I only give her 2 weeks notice because that’s what the contract says? I’m not going to follow your suggestion.

We had a one month notice requirement. When we decided to move we gave our nanny about nine months notice. Basically there was no way we were going to be able to keep it a secret for any longer than that, but I do regret it. Her attitude changed and she became a nightmare to deal with at the end. We thought we were doing the nice thing by giving her plenty of leeway and it backfired. And yes, we gave her a bigger than normal Christmas bonus, a severance bonus, we paid to have her come with us to the new location (at her request), we wrote glowing letters of recommendation, we talked to her potential future employers over the phone, and we gave her time off to do interviews, etc. to find a new job. I'm not saying you only give her two weeks, but I wouldn't feel bad about not giving her two months.

Yes, unfortunately there can be a downside to too much notice. See above. Consider your nanny's perspective. Be fair and at least follow your contract but understand she may look for a new position and find it before your preschool starts. Definitely consider the severance bonus and make it contingent on her performance, reliability, etc during the notice period.