Pregnant nanny scenario-hypothetical

[superzero]

I'm currently looking to employ a part-time nanny.My favourite so far has been married for 3 years, in early 30s with no children..yet.
I'm looking for someone who will stay with the family for at least 3 years until my youngest starts school.
I have made it clear at the first interview that it is a 3 year position which she seemed happy with.
Obviously if she has plans to have her own family she's not going to mention it at an interview and I can't ask her either so I am assuming, rightly or wrongly , that there is a chance she might want to have her own children in the next 3 years.If that happened, what are my commitments as her employer and what are the financial implications?

You are liable to pay SMP assuming she has worked for you for long enough (ie she doesn't start the job pregnant). You have to accommodate her maternity leave, so up to 52 weeks, and pay holiday accrued during that time.

She is entitled to paid time off for antenatal care and a risk assessment. If it turns out that she can't do the work due to complications or the demands of the job (although most nanny jobs don't fall into this category) then you would have to suspend her on full pay until maternity leave kicks in.

SMP is refunded by the Govt at 92% for all employers - assuming nanny is your only employee you qualify for small employer relief so 100% plus compensation for NICs. That percentage changes yearly and is currently 3%.

You don't have to accept any request to bring her child to work with her but that's obviously something you'd need to consider whether you're happy with or not.

I don't think you're wrong to assume this is a possibility and prepare yourself accordingly. It's something any nanny employer should think through as pregnancy happens even in unpredictable circumstances.

I think the main difficulty is that you have to keep her job open while she's on maternity leave. So you can only advertise for a temporary replacement (which may limit the applicants who are interested).

My nanny has had maternity. It worked out fine.the government cover the cost of smp. I will have to pay about a month of holiday. So I would calculate the cost to be low. The effect of maternity is different to put a cost on.uncertainty of finish. Reduced ability to support general tasks. Not able to push buggy up hill. Can they manage the same? When will they want to return and will they bring baby?
I am wrestling with return to work and how it is managed at moment.open minded

Yes, good point about ability to do the job when pregnant - I met a nanny who had been pregnant whilst looking after toddlers. She had developed SPD and had found it very hard to do the job as she couldn't even walk far, let alone run after or pick up a toddler. Not sure what an employer does in those circumstances...

Both my first two nannies get pregnant, and had some issues while pregnant. Nanny 1, always a bit work shy to be honest, called in sick. We were a nanny share and curiously she was more often sick on the days when the other mum did not work - if I was suspicious I would say that this was because she knew the other mum would take my child for all or part of her day off.

By the time nanny 2 became pregnant, the nanny share had ended and she looked after my two. Dc2 was at nursery and DC1 at school. Nanny managed to crawl into work and deposit the children at school. On bad days one of her/my mum friends from school would pick upDc2 and feed him lunch while nanny rested. She would then collect DC1 and feed them both till one of us got home. TBH she kept it quiet about how hard she found the job while PG or I would have taken a half day and worked from home sometimes to give her more of a break. I made her stay at work long enough to claim SMP though, as she needed the cash.

Nannies cannot afford childcare costs for the hours they work. Whether nanny comes back to work with her child is therefore the employers decision. You will know whether she is likely to have free childcare, and therefore you are almost certainly not looking for temp cover. I found SMP was refunded very promptly.

I am perfectly happy with a nanny leaving to have her child. You get a nice long time to get your own children used to the idea of her leaving and to find a replacement.

We are on nanny 3 now: DC1 is ten years old. Nanny 3 is recently married and in her late 20s. This will suit me very well. I am able to move to much cheaper childcare really, now the children are older, but am too soft as we adore the nanny, and also could do without the hassle until it is forced on me.