Extra dudites for our nanny when the children are away..

[AuntLucyInPeru]

We're off next week Tues - Fri with the children, and our nanny isn't coming with us, and doesn't have any holiday leave left this year so we need to pay her. Can anyone come up with 35 hours of reasonable things we can ask her to do (not cleaning or gardening - we have a cleaner for that so the place will be pretty much spotless when we leave..) that it's reasonable to ask her to do?

Batman of COURSE it happens outside nannying- most other jobs for instance. You wouldn't just get the week off working in your office because your boss was away!!

I'm imagining that the nanny has probably taken all her leave entitlement for the year and her employer rightly does not want to get into the habit of giving her extra free time- it does them all a grave disservice. Nannying is not slavery nor is it a cinch. It's just a normal job like any other. I fail to see why people objecting to the OP's OP think the nanny should be treated differently from any other worker.

Nbee84 - our nanny has had two paid days off over and above her annual leave this year, and a couple of hundred in bonuses over and above the general wrapped birthday/Christmas gifts we exchange. She'll prob end up with around another day off 'free' next week once she's done the bits on the list. I don't give paid extra leave to the other employees in our office-based business, (unless they're doing something charitable, like a sponsored parachute jump or similar).

Nanny duties are fine and acceptable, (though I'm a bit dubious about machine washing soft toys and dishwashing plastic ones for children past the age of needing a stairgate) - going into the office for an hour to relieve the receptionist is NOT ok.

Does her insurance cover her in your office as a non-official office employee if anything goes horribly wrong? If she receives an injury, loses you business, breaks something?

We just gave our nanny the time off when we went away. She would do slightly longer hours sometimes the day or so before we went, off her own back, and do jobs like re-organising the kids wardrobes or to boxes or whatever.

TheHamish - our nanny already uses our house and internet to research her next 'post' - she's leaving the job in a couple of weeks to go off on a years' travelling and uses nap-times to surf for travel bookings, and sometimes takes my daughter with her to stores to but the bits she needs for her backpack. Of course she eats our food, drinks tea, charges her appliances, listens to the radio. It would be bloody odd if she didn't! All of which is open between us, fine, and entirely above board - I couldn't give a stuff really providing she's also doing a good job at her childcare duties. She is also using the playroom to store some of her stuff until it gets packed up to go home.

why on earth are you asking op?

your list from lasy night was fairly extensive, you seem to have loads for her to do

can I ask, has she been with you long? have you had many nannies?

last not lasy

If she's using nap times to surf the internet there's no bloody wonder there's a mountain of household stuff that needs doing!!!!

SSD - Was just making chat and looking for some feedback from other nannies/employers on what it would be 'off' to ask her to do whilst we were away (got a bit more feedback than I bargained for in some cases but hey-ho, that's the joy of mumsnet!). The list was built after I got a few good suggestions on here, came up with a few more myself after wandering round the kids rooms when I got home from work last night. Have employed nannies for 3 years, current one has been with us a year.

So this post is basically "I already have a list of things for her to do, but I think she can fit more into the time so please suggest other duties" - yet you're happy for her to spend nap times on the computer? Why haven't you got her washing toys/ washing the cats/ sweeping your chimneys while the kids are asleep?

I don't mind her surfing the internet in nap times - a 10hr day is a long time just focussing on kids and I certainly take breaks during my working day, so I would expect her to do the same (talking of which I really need to stop messing about here and get on with some real work).. BUT as other employees don't get to go home 'paid' when their boss is away for a few days, I hadn't expected that nannies did. Live and learn, eh!

I think you should stop worrying about what other employees do, the relationship between you and you nanny is a bit different to other working relationships, just concentrate on what suits you and the nanny and leave it there,

If you say to your nanny, we will be away, please come in (or does she live-in?) and do (child related jobs) then thats fine, if you say go and answer the phone for an hour as I do it, then she may be a bit miffed, she's a nanny, not a receptionist. But then again if she is happy to do this, then fine again.

Is she your second nanny?

No, the relationship between parent and nanny is no different to any other working relationship. The relationship between nanny and children might be, not the employer-nanny one. That is the mistake many people make. You are not doing your nanny a favour by employing her, neither is she doing you a favour by working for you.

why do people always try to compare the role of a nanny with other jobs?

"BUT as other employees don't get to go home 'paid' when their boss is away for a few days, I hadn't expected that nannies did."

There are perks in every job but they do differ. As you've already said, your office workers get an hour lunch break...... why doesn't your nanny? (if you're comparing like with like) She would probably enjoy her lunch sitting in a coffee shop with friends rather than sitting in your home looking after your child over "lunch".

It is clearly ridiculous to compare two different jobs. Nannies don't generally get paid lunch breaks away from their role but they fairly often do get extra days (paid) off if the family goes on holiday.

dont agree with you there duchess, have you ever been a nanny?

FWIW op, I think you are being given an unreasonably hard time on here. I don't have time to formulate a bullet proof response but YANBU, though you didn't actually ask that!!

Thanks Misty - I deliberately didn't post in AIBU because I was feeling chatty rather than combative - but I seem to have caught a few people in feisty moods today!

I am constantly amazed at how many responders on these nanny threads think nanny employers are "tight" to expect nannies to take on extra duties when children are at school/away etc.

Nannies are extremely well paid individuals and in most cases have really rather favourable terms and conditions. In no other line of work would an employee get significant extra time off because their normal duties were completed, they would be reassigned to other duties.

OP, our nanny gets 8 weeks paid leave each year. There are a further two weeks a year when I have time off work and am at home with the kids. In those two extra weeks, and in the morning when our kids are all at nursery and or school, I get our nanny to chip in with lots of different household duties (including, shock horror, general cleaning). MN always tells me it is wrong to expect a nanny to clean the house etc but luckily our nanny is a reasonable human being. She is paid £26 grand a year, gets a free breakfast and lunch, has long holidays and is treated with respect and warmth - we treat her well and in return she treats us well and agrees that when she is being paid to work she should work, even if there are no children to look after, no children's meals to prepare etc. I think you would be totally reasonable to ask her to do all the things in your list.

AubergineKenobi, does your nanny work a 60 hr week? with no lunch or tea breaks? that normal nanny hours, not very favourable to me.

I bloody love mumsnet! I bet most posters are the mildest of women in daily life and save up a days worth of 'come and have a go if u think u hard enough' for the threads

If your nanny gets lots of perks, is well paid, not run ragged etc, I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask her to do some catching up - she will be less pressured anyway, and be able to have a proper lunch break, even start work later in the morning if she feels like it.

I would suggest some baking for school bake sales, or parties, to go in the freezer.

I wouldn't be scrabbling round to fill every last minute of a week of 10 hour days, but genuine child-related tasks that will actually make her general nannying weeks less pressured.

Maybe you can ask your nanny what she thinks would be useful to do. She may well have some good ideas of what she thinks needs doing. Ask her to write down a list of what she plans to do. At least she would then have some say in what she does outside usual nannying duties.

If she doesn't come up with reasonable suggestions then maybe she can make up the hours by baby sitting at a later date or take unpaid leave.

If she is leaving soon anyway I would get my money's worth out of her.

ssd - obviously it depends on the children but I would challenge the idea that nannies don't generally have good terms and conditions. OK they don't have totally responsibility free breaks but that is not uncommon across many careers.

I look at our nanny and I love the idea of her day. Once the school run is over she has three childfree hours where I do expect her to clean etc but now for 15 hours a week! There is plenty of time for her to sit down, have a cup of tea, even do her own errands or read a book. She collects our youngest at lunchtime and often meets a nanny friend for a sociable lunch where although she is working she is also having fun. They may well hangout 'til 3.30 or she may take my youngest on errands (including her own) or she can choose an activity which suits her: if she is feeling energetic it may be swimming, if she is feeling ill she might even opt for the CBeebies. What luxury to have that choice at work! School pick-up 'til I get home at 6.30pm is hectic but still she can take personal calls and shape activities according to moods etc. There are many flexibilities in a nanny's job that do not exist in most other jobs. This does not mean nannies do not work hard but it is silly to deny the perks.