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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Would you as a child minder want to murder me?

37 replies

Honeydragon · 05/01/2011 10:03

Managed to find a wonderful child minder... she is awesome. Left dd with her yesterday for 3 hours, dd due to do a full day friday and I start work Monday.

Work only finally confirmed my hours after chasing and chasing them yesterday. They then called at 5pm last night having changed them again and have requested overtime and shift changes in my first 3 weeks back.

Result is I can't afford to go back to work. I am going to have to resign today and work out what notice I owe them if any. I am devastated. But the only way we can manage financially is if I try to build up my work portfolio I do at home in the evenings / night and leave my day job.

Legally what do I have to pay her? And will she hate me for ever more??

Please tell me that this does occasionally happen.

OP posts:

Original poster

Honeydragon · 05/01/2011 16:39

I spoke to her, she told me it was fine and that she understood (she is well aware what the company I work for can be like). She isn't billing me. So my next question is what do I get to say thank you at this time of year, after xmas blowouts and diets starting?

Chocolates

flowers?

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 05/01/2011 17:09

Wine?

kkey21 · 05/01/2011 17:22

Flowers sounds lovely.....
Poor you and what a lovely Cm.

LisasCat · 05/01/2011 17:22

I may be missing something in all this, I don't fully understand the changes, but your employers sound like utter arseholes. In fact, it sounds like they're trying to 'manage you out', which was the phrase my boss used to use when he put staff on the worst possible shifts and gave them the crappy tasks to 'persuade' them to resign.

If it was me, I'd go back to work while you have the childminder booked, on the shifts you agreed before, and tell them that the new shift pattern can't come into force for 28 days. DD can go to childminder, you can earn one month's salary which can also be your notice period if you really can't force them to 'see the error of their ways'. I mean, what are they going to do if you walk in there on the days and shifts you had expected to be working, and then leave when you need to? It'll take them a month to sort out the paperwork to issue you with a written warning!

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/01/2011 17:57

if you want to work then worth seeing if cm can get a variation

Original poster

Honeydragon · 05/01/2011 18:42

Tbh part of me is relieved to go if this is the hassle I get before I start, the variation order would only work if I could 100% be guaranteed a day - I am just totally amazed at cm, she is more than entitled to something under contract but she told she's been there done that and knows what it's like. Hence wanting to get something nice, good point about the wine, a nice bottle never goes amiss.

OP posts:

looneytune · 05/01/2011 18:52

Aww, that's nice to get her something. Flowers or wine would be lovely I'm sure. As for the variation, I have one in place which allows ANY of my existing children to do ANY days as long as I never have more than 4 at a time. And this was agreed when a lot were still 2, some very young 2 year olds so it can be done. But as you've resigned then it's irrelevant anyway. I hope you manage to sort something else out, that company sounds rubbish and someone else said what I thought, sounds like they wanted to cut back so made it very difficult for you to stay! :(

UniS · 05/01/2011 19:02

congratulations Honey on telling your employer to stuff it. Its not so bad being a SAHP .

Original poster

Honeydragon · 05/01/2011 19:27

I shall be spending tomorrow signing up for all the free activities I couldn't do now, and using afternoon naps and bedtime to organise work from home

They have said that when things are better for me they want me back do at least if it all goes wrong I've not burned any bridges.

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Tanith · 05/01/2011 21:45

No, my love, I wouldn't want to murder you at all. I'd want to sit down with you and look at the possibilities of you taking your employer to a tribunal for constructive dismissal, though.

I hate employers who do this to their new mums and they get away with it far too often.

Ripeberry · 08/01/2011 20:15

Sorry it's not worked out for you, but 'managing out' is a ploy used too often by companies. I never went back to my old place of work as they told me that if I came back I would not be in the same department and would be 'demoted'
Glad I never went back as well!
Hope you find a better job and with luck, maybe this CM will still have spaces

Original poster

Honeydragon · 09/01/2011 22:04

Thought I'd pop back... thank you for all being so lovely. The cm explained that she had taken on dd as an "extra" as I could fit her into available hours. She already has a replacement, another of my colleagues. , she took the call the day after I had to cancel.

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