"You started your "paid to not work" days the first work day after they left town, and you will continue to have "paid to not work" days until the day they return, when you will spend less than 4 hours actually working in exchange for 2 weeks pay. "

+1

I'm a MB, but I think a good litmus test is whether the task would be something reasonable to ask if the nanny was working a regular day. If it were the last day before we were going on vacation, and the dog kennel closed before we got home from work, I think it would be extremely reasonable to ask the nanny if she wouldn't mind driving the dogs over to the kennel. If she has an understandable objection to that, (it's a large dog and she has a small car... its a wild dog and a distraction to drive, etc) then that objection could still stand if the family is on vacation. However, OP seems mainly to objecting to the time the task would take, mainly because of her commute. Considering this is guaranteed pay, and not actual vacation, that doesn't seem like a reasonable objection.

Basically -asking the nanny to work less than 10-20% of her hours on a non PTO, paid week - extremely reasonable
- confining tasks to those you would ask if she were working a regular week - also reasonable

Exactly.

PP one last time. People also seem to be assuming this task is going to take 4 hours. First of all, most of that is commute time, which isn't really something to count in working hours. Second, its seems a stretch to assume a 36 mile drive will take over an hour, when you are able to pick what time of day to do it in. The kennel we use is a 10 minute drive from our house. So, even if it took an hour to commute, if we asked this task, it would be about 30 minutes of work that took 2.5 hours out of someone's day. Unless the OP wants to weigh in, however, on exactly how much time her commute takes her and how long a drive it is to the kennel, it's all just guesswork.

I'm a MB, but I think a good litmus test is whether the task would be something reasonable to ask if the nanny was working a regular day. If it were the last day before we were going on vacation, and the dog kennel closed before we got home from work, I think it would be extremely reasonable to ask the nanny if she wouldn't mind driving the dogs over to the kennel. If she has an understandable objection to that, (it's a large dog and she has a small car... its a wild dog and a distraction to drive, etc) then that objection could still stand if the family is on vacation. However, OP seems mainly to objecting to the time the task would take, mainly because of her commute. Considering this is guaranteed pay, and not actual vacation, that doesn't seem like a reasonable objection.

Basically -asking the nanny to work less than 10-20% of her hours on a non PTO, paid week - extremely reasonable
- confining tasks to those you would ask if she were working a regular week - also reasonable

OP, you say you bargained for the additional time off. You have 76 hours of additional Pto. So either you had an agreement for the full 80 hours or you feel entitled to them. Which is it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. You get paid guaranteed hours so that means you get paid whether they need you or not. Week one you get paid and they don't need you at all so, score for you. Week two, they need you for 4 hours and 4 hours only. Shouldn't you be happy that you're still on the win here as they are paying you but don't need you for the other 35 or however many other hours?????

Nanny is paid guaranteed hours for CHILDCARE.

Oh, so OP should be happy to know that next time they travel, she will be guaranteed to work her full week doing CHILD RELATED TASKS in an empty house as opposed to getting 4 days off that week and working one.

As a nanny, I would much rather spend more time doing child related tasks than very little time doing a job I never signed up to do. I wouldn't want your smelly dogs in my car, and I don't care how long it might take. Dogs smell like trash coming home from a kennel.

Oh please, are you saying you would rather work 5 full days during a week doing busy work as opposed to being off 4 1/2 days doing nothing and working half a day mostly driving alone and then having dogs in your car for 30 minutes? You know how illogical this sounds? I know YOU don't even believe in your reply!!!!!

You know those people that realize they are wrong in the middle of an argument but then it's too late to backtrack so they keep fighting with more insane arguments?? ahahahah HI PP

That's actually not at all what I said. Refer to the bolded, feel like an idiot, then be quiet, thanks. There is no possible way to fill 2 full weeks of time with kid related tasks. I would much rather spend a few hours one day doing things related to my job, and that may actually make it easier in the future, than doing something I never agreed to do and wouldn't want to do. I don't want anyone's dogs in my car. Its just so far away from a nanny's job that I'm astounded by the number of people saying it is. Especially if this extra time off was advertised as some kind of perk of the job.

You did say "rather spend MORE time doing Child related tasks THAN very little time doing xyz". So next time the family goes away for a week, if they want you to work 5 days and find CHILD RELATED tasks to fill your time, that's what you're still saying you'd rather do, than work 4 hours in only one day.

Even if they gave you little hours per day but made you come in everyday for a week, no normal nanny would prefer that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. You get paid guaranteed hours so that means you get paid whether they need you or not. Week one you get paid and they don't need you at all so, score for you. Week two, they need you for 4 hours and 4 hours only. Shouldn't you be happy that you're still on the win here as they are paying you but don't need you for the other 35 or however many other hours?????

Nanny is paid guaranteed hours for CHILDCARE.

Oh, so OP should be happy to know that next time they travel, she will be guaranteed to work her full week doing CHILD RELATED TASKS in an empty house as opposed to getting 4 days off that week and working one.

As a nanny, I would much rather spend more time doing child related tasks than very little time doing a job I never signed up to do. I wouldn't want your smelly dogs in my car, and I don't care how long it might take. Dogs smell like trash coming home from a kennel.

Oh please, are you saying you would rather work 5 full days during a week doing busy work as opposed to being off 4 1/2 days doing nothing and working half a day mostly driving alone and then having dogs in your car for 30 minutes? You know how illogical this sounds? I know YOU don't even believe in your reply!!!!!

You know those people that realize they are wrong in the middle of an argument but then it's too late to backtrack so they keep fighting with more insane arguments?? ahahahah HI PP

That's actually not at all what I said. Refer to the bolded, feel like an idiot, then be quiet, thanks. There is no possible way to fill 2 full weeks of time with kid related tasks. I would much rather spend a few hours one day doing things related to my job, and that may actually make it easier in the future, than doing something I never agreed to do and wouldn't want to do. I don't want anyone's dogs in my car. Its just so far away from a nanny's job that I'm astounded by the number of people saying it is. Especially if this extra time off was advertised as some kind of perk of the job.

I only sort of believe this, since it was mentioned late in the conversation.

Also, how much less than her "usual" rate could she possibly have taken? And if they do take "a lot" of vacations, then that extra 12 weeks or so of paid time off still more than balances out a half day of work here and there. If the job is not as billed, she needs to renegotiate her salary or find another one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. You get paid guaranteed hours so that means you get paid whether they need you or not. Week one you get paid and they don't need you at all so, score for you. Week two, they need you for 4 hours and 4 hours only. Shouldn't you be happy that you're still on the win here as they are paying you but don't need you for the other 35 or however many other hours?????

Nanny is paid guaranteed hours for CHILDCARE.

Oh, so OP should be happy to know that next time they travel, she will be guaranteed to work her full week doing CHILD RELATED TASKS in an empty house as opposed to getting 4 days off that week and working one.

As a nanny, I would much rather spend more time doing child related tasks than very little time doing a job I never signed up to do. I wouldn't want your smelly dogs in my car, and I don't care how long it might take. Dogs smell like trash coming home from a kennel.

Oh please, are you saying you would rather work 5 full days during a week doing busy work as opposed to being off 4 1/2 days doing nothing and working half a day mostly driving alone and then having dogs in your car for 30 minutes? You know how illogical this sounds? I know YOU don't even believe in your reply!!!!!

You know those people that realize they are wrong in the middle of an argument but then it's too late to backtrack so they keep fighting with more insane arguments?? ahahahah HI PP

That's actually not at all what I said. Refer to the bolded, feel like an idiot, then be quiet, thanks. There is no possible way to fill 2 full weeks of time with kid related tasks. I would much rather spend a few hours one day doing things related to my job, and that may actually make it easier in the future, than doing something I never agreed to do and wouldn't want to do. I don't want anyone's dogs in my car. Its just so far away from a nanny's job that I'm astounded by the number of people saying it is. Especially if this extra time off was advertised as some kind of perk of the job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. You get paid guaranteed hours so that means you get paid whether they need you or not. Week one you get paid and they don't need you at all so, score for you. Week two, they need you for 4 hours and 4 hours only. Shouldn't you be happy that you're still on the win here as they are paying you but don't need you for the other 35 or however many other hours?????

Nanny is paid guaranteed hours for CHILDCARE.

Oh, so OP should be happy to know that next time they travel, she will be guaranteed to work her full week doing CHILD RELATED TASKS in an empty house as opposed to getting 4 days off that week and working one.

As a nanny, I would much rather spend more time doing child related tasks than very little time doing a job I never signed up to do. I wouldn't want your smelly dogs in my car, and I don't care how long it might take. Dogs smell like trash coming home from a kennel.

Oh please, are you saying you would rather work 5 full days during a week doing busy work as opposed to being off 4 1/2 days doing nothing and working half a day mostly driving alone and then having dogs in your car for 30 minutes? You know how illogical this sounds? I know YOU don't even believe in your reply!!!!!

You know those people that realize they are wrong in the middle of an argument but then it's too late to backtrack so they keep fighting with more insane arguments?? ahahahah HI PP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The posters that tell you not to do this favor don't care whether you suffer the repercussions. I tell my children that their aim as employees should be to make their bosses' lives easier. I've done this in all my jobs and have never been laid off or terminated and often promoted quicker than my peers.

This doesn't say as much as you think it does.

Says more than you just did.