Nannies: requesting annual leave

[fencingmummy]

I am in a nannyshare and the annual leave arrangement is that our nanny chooses 50% of her holidays and we choose 50% (i.e. between my nannyshare partner and myself). The notice period for requesting leave on either side is 6 weeks and there are currently no restrictions on when our nanny can take her leave (subject to giving us 6 weeks notice). My nannyshare partner is a teacher and I have leave restrictions at certain times of the year, so the 6 week notice period is vital for us in terms of planning/making alternative childcare arrangements.

Our nanny has requested that the 6 week period be reduced, as it is too long to plan a holiday and it also makes it difficult for her to take advantage of last minute deals. In response, we have given two options (but these haven't gone done well):

1. the 6 week notice period remains, or
2. the notice be reduced to 4 weeks with a restriction that leave cannot be taken during September or March.

Are we being unreasonable?

Could you not give her a certain numer of days that can be taken with less notice (say 2 weeks) and keep the rest at 6 weeks?

Bank holidays aside, she gets 4 weeks in total. So she chooses 2 weeks and we choose 2 weeks.

I think number 2 seems very reasonable. Why is your nanny not liking it?

Why not say that the six week period applies but if she gives less notice you will both try and make it work. If you can't, you can't. But you'll try.

Where I work there is always a business need dependent-ness about leave. But as I work on projects if I give a decent amount of notice then we don't know if I'll be busy then or not!

I think she's (become) unhappy in principle with the six week period and feels it should be shorter. I think she would like a two week period, which we both feel is both unreasonable and unworkable.

My nannyshare partner can't take annual leave during term time and I can't take leave at the end of the financial year, so we do feel we're being reasonable as we currently place no restriction on when she can choose her 2 weeks of holiday.

She can still take advantage of last minute deals. She knows when her holiday is and can look for deals that fit in with that.

Anyone with a job that cannot just have the slack picked up by someone else they work with has to give decent notice. I work nights in a care home alone and I have to request holidays in advance so cover can be arranged.

Two weeks is nothing. Can I ask where you are? Is it the UK or further afield? Just because expectations are very different in other countries.

We're in London!

In which case 6 weeks notice is fine, four weeks is great.

Option 2 seems v fair, option 1 fine too.

I have restrictions on notice for holiday and some times when it is restricted. I thought that was normal?

Maybe you could let her know it's worth her asking about a holiday with late notice and if you can make it work you will but you're under no obligation to?

You are very kind to let her choose any weeks. I never let my nannies choose and they were all fine with that and stayed with me for years. But they understood holidays needed to be in school holidays.

Most ordinary jobs demand you plan all your holiday a year at a time.

The last-minute story doesn't work: the point is you book it at the last minute, no matter how long your employer's known you were going off Have you asked her what the real reason is? Maybe she's being pressured by a friend and/or has been offered a fab holiday opportunity.

You are very kind to let her choose any weeks

What a lot of hairy old bollocks. Standard contract is nanny chooses two weeks, parents choose two weeks. Nanny share, parents each get one of those weeks. It always amazes me the people who think nanny=servant.

Why not say that the six week period applies but if she gives less notice you will both try and make it work. If you can't, you can't. But you'll try

^ That.

'You are very kind to let her choose any weeks

What a lot of hairy old bollocks'

I agree with chipping on this.

OP YANBU

6 weeks is fine. Let her know she can ask with less notice and if you can sort alternative childcare/take leave you will, but you can't promise anything.

A lot of late deals come up 6 weeks before, so maybe change it to 5 weeks, 4 days notice so she has a few days to book a last minute deal when they come up?

Ermm.....you do know that she is an employee with rights, right? Not a servant who is lucky to get what she is given?

A good, hardworking and flexible nanny can name her price. A PITA parent however, can't.

Worth thinking about.....

Bit harsh there bogey. There are lots of jobs, including mine, where annual leave has to be booked well in advance. It's not akin to being a servant. I don't think the op sounded at all like a pita, rather that she was kindly trying to find a solution.

Bogey I think you are being unfair to the OP. Employment law allows employers restrict when holiday can be taken and to also have a notice period for holiday. Having recently redone my employment contracts for my staff and done quite a bit of research minimum 30 days notice is not uncommon and having several months of the year when there are restrictions on holiday being taken is not uncommon.
I assume that you have a contract. Therefore your employee is asking for the terms and conditions to be changed you are considering this. You have offered an alternative which is generous many large companies would just say no. You have offered reduced notice period, but put not unreasonable conditions on this.
If she is unhappy it maybe worth suggesting that she takes some independent advice for example CAB. There is a good chance that they will point out to her that you are being co-operative and trying to accomodate a change to her terms and conditions that suit give some benefit to you all.

I've been a nanny for a teacher and holiday was not permitted during termtime, except for exceptional circumstances like a family members funeral. So I feel your 4 weeks notice with restriction in Septemver and March is fine.

How long has this nanny worked for you, could this issue be one of many they have with how the share arrangement is working?

Very few people can take last minute holiday, so seems strange to me that she feels she should be able to do so.

We're even more draconian - our nanny cannot take holiday during term time at all, but she gets all school holidays off.

Bogey I'm not sure what you do for a living but I have to give at least 2 months' notice at work to take annual leave, and they can at their sole option require me to cancel my holiday at the last minute for business related reasons.

x posted there with nannynick, I think we put our nanny's contract together following some advice you gave us on the nannies/childminder board

I think it's unfair that anyone who works full time and not in a school, isn't allowed to choose their own four weeks holiday.

As you are effectively telling her when she has to take her paid time off whether she wants to or not, I think you should be more willing to accommodate her reasonable request.

If she is an important person in your lives, as she should be after being given sole charge of your children for a considerable amount of time, then she deserves to have her needs considered.

I used to have the 6 week period but it was negotiable IF both parties could make it work.

I think 6 weeks notice sounds fair enough for a long-ish holiday. I would expect to give more notice than that to get the weeks I want in the summer.

However, is there any room for maneouvre if she just wants the odd day? Six weeks notice seems a bit harsh if, say, she decided she wanted to take just one day if something came up