sick pay for nannies - what entitlement do you give?

[bossykate]

i would be very grateful to know what other parents do with respect to sick pay for nannies. i am currently drafting the contract for our new nanny and am not quite sure about this aspect.

thanks in advance for your help

oooh - I was just thinking about this as I am drafting the contract for ours too. Sorry can't tell you what we are doing yet but will be very interested in your replies. I have a horrible feeling we'll only be able to offer SSP as we'll have to take days off unpaid to look after kids if nanny is ill, or pay a hundred quid to have them looked after in nursery instead.

hi mp

yes, the current draft of our contract states ssp only... i was just wondering how mean this is compared with what others do...

hi bossyK

I know - I thought it seemed a bit mean too, but there you go. From the two people I have discussed this with previously one did SSP only and one didn't (full pay).

Bump

there's been discussion about this previously I think. I would strongly advise that your contract includes a right to SSP only, with additional pay at your discretion. This means that you can differentiate from a nasty bout of D&V caught from your children and a hangover too bad to come to work. It also means that should the worst happen and the nanny break a leg and be off for months you are not obliged to keep paying. I've always found that case by case works and have actually always paid full pay - the number of sick days has been very small and I've always felt them to be completely justified.

ah that's a good idea MrsW, so rather than say anything else is unpaid which does sound slightly mean you just say it is at employers discretion, which doesn't sound so bad

SSP only in my contract. But, I would only hold to this if either I thought the nanny was well enough to work or circumstances (like a month off work) meant I truly couldn't afford it. If my current nanny (who is truly fantastic -- yippee!!!) was sick, I'd just call into work, explain I had no childcare, and take a holiday myself.

Now, if she couldn't come to work three days a month due to "period pain" I'd stop paying her. Basically, if I would go to my work in her condition, than I expect her to come to work.

Nannies have exactly the same employment rights including SSP as any other (employee whether they are working in an office or otherwise).

Oooh have you found someone suitable then bk? Driver?

UKMickey - I don't think BK (or anyone else) is suggesting anything other than paying SSP (ie legal entitlement) at very least. The question is whether people are paying over and above what the nanny is actually entitled to (that being SSP)

I pay one week full pay, one week half pay, then SSP only. But, she is a marvel and wouldn't want to lose her.

Ooooop's sorry I should have read the whole thread. Many years ago whe I use to work as nany I was very fortunated to be paid my full salary whether I was off sick or not. I think it is down to each particular family whether they can carry the full salary or just pay SSP. (fortunately for my All my previous employers I was not a sicky nanny... Only once I was ill due to appendix removal & back2work as quick as I could because my mummies health was not wonderful & I was very much needed...also I missed my charges/family etc.)

Again from most experienced professional nanies they would expect to be paid their full salary say for the 1st 3-4wks & if ill longer then go on to SSP... but that again if oly nanny has an excellent non sickness record & many ditto years proven behind them.

Though of course SSP would always be the min.

Out of interest, how much is SSP now?

thank you for all the replies

i'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this thread - tons going on at home and at work.

ladymuck - yes thank you we have found someone - she started today - when i get the chance over the next couple of days i will post an update on my previous thread(s). thanks for asking

to the matter in hand.

based on the replies here - i have decided to leave the contract as is, i.e. ssp only - BUT will use my discretion as to actually paying full pay as and when the need arises. i decided that putting "full pay at discretion of employers" created the expectation that full pay would be forthcoming, but leaving the bare minimum didn't - but yet still left me with the option of exercising my discretion to do that if i wanted.

hope that tortured syntax makes sense! lynn truss would have a fit!

thank you so much everyone for your help and apologies once again for the delay in getting back.

sorry - one more thing - i know we have done this before, but i couldn't find it when i searched.

Agree with MrsWobble.