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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Expecting nanny to come in whilst they are on holiday

141 replies

pezza15 · 04/07/2018 18:18

My friend is a nanny and the parents are off on holiday in August for two weeks and have hinted that perhaps my friend should go to their house whilst they are away to “do a few bits” - meaning batch cooking etc.

Taking the piss or what???????

OP posts:
insancerre · 04/07/2018 18:35

So do all of you go in to work when you are on annual leave?

icelollycraving · 04/07/2018 18:37

Well I go in when I’m getting paid. It doesn’t sound like it’s leave.

Pengggwn · 04/07/2018 18:37

insancerre

But I don't think she is on annual leave.

HollowTalk · 04/07/2018 18:37

The Nanny isn't on annual leave, from the sound of it. The family are away; the Nanny is still at work.

NapQueen · 04/07/2018 18:38

The op hasnt clarified if the nanny is using her annual leave entitlement these two weeks or not.

PrincessHairyMclary · 04/07/2018 18:40

It's like having a school inset day, whilst the kids aren't in we do training, get admin work done, tidy and reorganise classrooms, plan lessons.

Honeyroar · 04/07/2018 18:41

If she's not on annual leave herself then yes she should work! I'd think it would be quite a nice couple of weeks for a nanny - to be able to get ahead of jobs like ironing and cooking without having to keep an eye on the children at the same time, and would be a lighter workload compared to a normal day.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 04/07/2018 18:41

If those two weeks are her annual leave, then yes, it is taking the piss.

If they are not, then she should be working for the family that pays her salary, surely? Or am I missing something?

kaytee87 · 04/07/2018 18:46

No she's not entitled to do her own thing if she hasn't taken annual leave Hmm

bubbles108 · 04/07/2018 18:48

If nanny is on Annual leave then the family can't expect her to work

If the nanny is just wanting an easy fortnight whilst the family are away AND SHE IS STILL BEING PAID, then she's a lazy scrounging so and so

BoomBoomsCousin · 04/07/2018 18:51

If she her own holiday is separate from this then she should expect to be doing some prep (like batch cooking, planning/prepping things to do with the kids, tidying or sorting their rooms, etc.). I would probably think it would be a relaxed time with significantly fewer hours and plenty of freedom over her schedule but to expect to be able to just go off and do her own thing for the whole time would be a bit outrageous.

AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered · 04/07/2018 18:53

If she's working a being paid, and it's not her annual leave, then of course she should be working! If she doesn't she's a massive CF! ShockConfused

Phillipa12 · 04/07/2018 18:56

If these two weeks are not annual leave then yes her bosses can expect her to go in and work, she would not have to work contracted hours but if there are jobs that need doing that fall under her job description then she should be doing them.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 04/07/2018 18:57

Depends on what her contract says about her annual leave and her ordinary duties.

If this is part of her annual leave that the family decide when she takes they are being unreasonable. If it’s additional to that and batch cooking for the children’s meals is part of her job description then she’s not got a leg to stand on.

YearOfYouRemember · 04/07/2018 18:59

It's quite normal to do a few bits. Not taking the piss at all Hmm. If it is their choice to go away she'll be getting paid so she should do the decent thing. Maybe they'll get themselves a better nanny who doesn't see doing a few bits while on full pay as taking the piss Hmm.

JessieMcJessie · 04/07/2018 19:00

I get the sense that you don’t really understand your friend’s working and holiday arrangement OP. Breaking it down:
Your friend will be entitled to a number of days’ paid holiday. Some nannies can take these whenever they like (with notice). Others are contractually obliges to take their own holiday when the family are away. Some choose to take their own holiday when the family are away, even if they don’t have to.
When the family are away, will your friend be taking those days as holiday? Or will she take her holiday at some other time?

If she is not taking the days as holiday she is definitely not entitled to be sunning herself elsewhere just because the family are not there. That’s what her holiday is for.

KoshaMangsho · 04/07/2018 19:00

She’s being paid. She has to work. I don’t see the problem.

Presumably batch cooking, tidying and sorting are part of her regular duties. If the family are paying her then they are right, and can ask her to come in to work.
Because your boss is on leave you can’t go on leave, unless you actually claim annual leave yourself.
HTH.

FatSally · 04/07/2018 19:00

If the nanny's not actually on annual leave then the employers are entitled to expect her to keep doing her normal duties, obviously minus the dc being there.

If I was the employer I'd be more than just hinting, I'd be giving her lists of the things I expected done every day.

KoshaMangsho · 04/07/2018 19:02

I have a nanny (DH and I both work and we have two young children). I wouldn’t have ‘hinted.’ I would have said ‘I am going on holiday. I would expect you to do your nanny duties as we are paying you. These are XYZ. However if you want you can take your annual leave at the same time in which case we will pay you but you won’t have to work. But that means you lose some of your annual leave which you could have taken at another time.’ How is this hard to understand??!

ReadingRiot · 04/07/2018 19:04

It depends if these weeks come out of her holiday allowance

AcrossthePond55 · 04/07/2018 19:07

Is her 'pay' during this time specified as 'annual leave/holiday pay' or however one wants to title it?

If so, then they are being unreasonable. Or if they want her to come in, then the period of time she goes in should be counted as 'wages' not 'leave' and she should be able to use that time later for holiday pay.

Original poster
pezza15 · 04/07/2018 19:07

She won’t be on annual leave herself - she takes her leave separate to theirs.

OP posts:
underneaththeash · 04/07/2018 19:08

Yes, completely normal. She's being paid for a job and needs to actually do it. We never hinted, our nannies had a list of child-related jobs to do whilst we were away.

Pengggwn · 04/07/2018 19:09

Then why on earth does she expect two weeks paid holiday?

Rudi44 · 04/07/2018 19:10

Of course if this isn’t her annual leave she should expect to work. It’s her that is taking the piss to assuming she would get extra paid holiday

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