AIBU Nanny Travel costs

[intheshedyes]

Hello all,

We hired a new part time nanny who does the morning and after school runs. Two of my children need a train to get to school so pay my nanny travel costs from going to take them to school in the morning and then when she is bringing them back home.

In the mornings, my nanny rides her bike and parks her bike near our closest station. She asked me that once she drops the children to school, can she use the top up travel card, to come back to the station and pick up her bike to drive home.

AIBU to say no. I don't want to pay too much travel as it is!

Like everyone else, it's down to the employee to get themselves up and from their work/the starting place of their work. Nothing else, travel wise, is at their cost.

I'm another who didn't claim, but that was because I didn't often have to travel and the distances were short and by car. The amounts would have been small and it felt petty to claim.
But a daily train journey? Nope. Absolutely should be paid by the employer.

You are really lucky go find somebody who eill just Dona split shift like this. You should certainly pay her fare

OP you might not claim travel expenses but if you could kindly share with us what your salary is and what you are actually paying your Nanny to take your children to school on public transport... I’m guessing you earn more than her or you’d not be able to afford to pay her. She’s probably earning a fraction of what you do, perhaps you can afford to let the odd £20 go as it’s pennies compared to what you bring home?

I’m also puzzled by why it matters where the Nanny lives? If she lives near the station she’s going to have to travel (cost to her) to get to your home to collect your children, then travel to the school. If she lives near you she has to travel to the station (cost to her) to take your children there, then travel home. If she lives near the school she has to travel (cost to her) to collect the children and travel again to take them to school. Either way, there’s slot of travelling for her to do something that YOU have asked her to do. So you should cover all costs, regardless of whether or not YOU claim travel expenses for YOUR job.

@CeeceeBloomingdale

Think of your home as your nanny's normal place of work. She should pay to get there once at the start of the day and once at the end of the day to get home. Everything in between is work related and should be covered, regardless of where she lives.

Doesn't this depend on the contract OP has with her? If I worked in a school doing breakfast club, and after school club, so I had to go there and back twice a day, and knew this when I took the job, the school wouldn't become responsible for my travel to wherever I choose to spend my time in between the hours I'm employed each day?

If the OP has contracted the nanny for separate morning and afternoon hours it is not unreasonable for the nanny to be responsible for getting there and back twice a day?

You should be paying for all travel expenses.

I am a bit confused about the whole bike/ train set up but, is the reason the nanny needs to return to yours because she needs to collect her bike? If so, and if she lives near the school would it be a simple solution to buy her a second bike for her to use during the day?

@BewareTheBeardedDragon but if she did not take her bike she would incur cost of travelling to op house to pick up children so it is swings and roundabouts. At £14 an hour I am surprised it is worth her while. Where does she look after the dc after school?

@intheshedyes

I think some of the posts have been pragmatic. Being called tight, no common sense, stupid, fool, is very offensive.

The people who I have spoken to do not pay for their nanny's travel fares, even when they take their children out to various of places.

I have been a nanny for over 10 years. Expenses that occur due to taking the children out should be covered by the employer. I find it sad that your nanny asked you and instead of saying ' oh my gosh, you are right, sorry, of course you shouldnt be out of pocket for taking my kids to school' you keep creating threads and asking people until you find someone who agress with you. If you look hard enough you will find nanny empoyers who do all sorts of sad/ unfair/ illegal things..doesnt mean you should follow their lead. Please treat your nanny fairly.

@AhNowTed

OP you're suggesting that if I (as I regularly do) travel to London or Manchester or whatever for meetings on behalf of my employer, that I pay my own fare or mileage.

Or that my employer pays my fare there, but I have to pay the return.

That is the logical outcome of your frankly ludicrous stance.

If you lived in Manchester would you still expect your employer to pay for you to return to London though? Even though you didn't need to?

I agree with the principle that employer pays for work related travel, but where you live can make a difference.

[quote LIZS]@BewareTheBeardedDragon but if she did not take her bike she would incur cost of travelling to op house to pick up children so it is swings and roundabouts. At £14 an hour I am surprised it is worth her while. Where does she look after the dc after school? [/quote]
Well yes, but surely that was her responsibility to decide upon before taking the job?

@intheshedyes

I think some of the posts have been pragmatic. Being called tight, no common sense, stupid, fool, is very offensive.

The people who I have spoken to do not pay for their nanny's travel fares, even when they take their children out to various of places.

Well you are making yourself look even more foolish now if it had truly never occurred to you that you should claim expenses for your work related travel costs (ex commute of course). I mean it is unfathomable that you honestly thought everybody who travelled for the purpose of their work was paying for it themselves.

The people who I have spoken to do not pay for their nanny's travel fares, even when they take their children out to various of places.

If this is true then it's appalling and they should be paying. They're you're employee, at work, incurring expenses as a result. Isn't it usual to have a petty cash box or kitty for things like this? To be fair I only know 2 families with nannies and that's what they do.

Lochroy You have no idea if I have a learning need which makes processing language much more difficult for me.

Clearly know now that IBU. Calling an OP idiotic, no common sense, tight, stupid is very offensive and I very doubt that the posters who use these terms will say this to someone's face. Recently on Mumsnet, I've seen a bullying culture, where the posters are rubbing their hands with glee and ganging up on the posters with vile things to say.

They are nicer ways to say that someone is not on without jumping into insults.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

The nanny isn't travelling "to" work. The travel is the work.

If the OP was doing this herself she would be paying fares. She has contracted this out to the nanny and thinks she doesn't have to pay. Bizarre.

I wondered when you were going to pull out the ‘I’m being bullied!’ card.

@intheshedyes

Lochroy You have no idea if I have a learning need which makes processing language much more difficult for me.

Clearly know now that IBU. Calling an OP idiotic, no common sense, tight, stupid is very offensive and I very doubt that the posters who use these terms will say this to someone's face. Recently on Mumsnet, I've seen a bullying culture, where the posters are rubbing their hands with glee and ganging up on the posters with vile things to say.

They are nicer ways to say that someone is not on without jumping into insults.

I would definitely say it to somebody’s face if I found out they were treating an employee so badly.

🤣 bizarre in your thinking - of course you pay, you are being beyond reasonable, Glad you are going to do it,

Oops, UNreasonable

Calling you tight because you thought you didn’t have to meet your employees expenses is not a ‘vile thing to say’. It’s the truth and yes, I would be prepared to say it to your face.

I might be really dense because I’ve read all of this thread and I still don’t understand it - who lives where etc! Is this right:-

Nanny lives near school, OP doesn’t.
Nanny leaves home and rides bike to school station. Leaves bike at station and gets train to OP station.

Gets kids (not sure how they get from OP home to station?) , takes them on the train from OP station to school station.
Nanny is now free for the rest of the day, until school pick up.
Nanny picks up kids from school and takes them on train to OP station, and somehow gets them home.

Nanny wants OP to buy her a travel card so she can travel around all day while she isn’t working.
Is that right?

[quote AhNowTed]@BewareTheBeardedDragon

The nanny isn't travelling "to" work. The travel is the work.

If the OP was doing this herself she would be paying fares. She has contracted this out to the nanny and thinks she doesn't have to pay. Bizarre.[/quote]
Yes - when you put it this way I see the point.

Sorry OP that I wasn't clear, I was also referring to your earlier post where you said being called stupid was offensive, but given you have asked, what IMHO is a stupid question (n.b. The question not you) then I'm trying to work out how on earth, or indeed on what planet, could you expecting your nanny to pay her own work related costs be acceptable.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon Of course but OP said she pays her the full rate so I'm assuming it's not split shifts.

Also it's not the same for the nanny as your analogy as she would have no need to go to the employers home, her normal place of work, before picking up the children from school. Travelling to the school for pick up IS her work.

@intheshedyes

I think some of the posts have been pragmatic. Being called tight, no common sense, stupid, fool, is very offensive.

The people who I have spoken to do not pay for their nanny's travel fares, even when they take their children out to various of places.

So if you asked your nanny to take the children out somewhere that would involve travel ,admission fees,snacks etc you would expect her to fund her own costs ?

@Chloemol

The Banny dies two journeys, so you lay for both. You can’t expect her to take your kids to school for you and on,t pay half a journey each time

eh

The people who I have spoken to do not pay for their nanny's travel fares, even when they take their children out to various of places.

People are stiffing their nannies. Shocker. Perhaps think about the company you keep if these are the people you spend time with.

If you ask her to travel, you pay her. Standard business practice.