Nanny sickness issue - how to manage?!

[springdrinks]

We have employed a lovely nanny for 3.5 years, DS loves her a lot. However, she's never been great about sickness (generally 8-10 days off per year) but this year it has got much worse.

So far she has had 4 days off for odds and ends of cold etc but in the last 3 months has had 2 weeks off with what appears to be a serious medical problem which leaves her unable to drive. She has to drive to be able to get to out house so just can't work. We'd managed with the last sickness absence, but she has phoned in sick again today and said that it is the same issue as a couple of months ago. She said she was going to go to the dr this week to try and change medication, but she wouldn't be back this week and the dr may instruct her not to work until he sees whether the new medication is working properly so she can't confirm taht she'll be back next week.

DS is at pre-school so we have some cover at the moment, but I am concerned that she will have real difficulties looking after him in the summer holidays and that we just can't rely on her. DS starts school at the beginning of September so we'd already agreed with her that she will be redundant from then.

So questions...
Is it worth booking alternative childcare for DS for hte summer holidays now, when I can actually get him into holiday clubs etc, or should I see how it goes? I'd prefer not to spend double money on childcare unless I have to, but it looks like I'm going to have to...

We paid her SSP for the last lot of sickness this year, I know she has bills to pay etc (and her contract is SSP only) but am I being reasonable to pay only SSP again?

How the hell do I deal with references!

I would just pay SSP. You may not be aware though that as of April this year employers can no longer reclaim SSP from HMRC so it will be a real cost to you.

Good Luck sorting it all out.

YANBU to only pay SSP. (I know this isn't AIBU but asked)

You can decide to formally discipline her regarding sickness or you can just dismiss her.

Regarding reference you can just give her a basic one of start date and end date. You do not need to elaborate. If she chooses to tell a new employer about her sickness then you can confirm it and elaborate on her skills as a nanny if you wish.

Thank you very much. I want to be fair to our nanny and she has been good for such a long time, but it is all pretty awful at the moment.

I'll suggest that she raises the issue of her sickness with her new employer and i can concentrate on how good she was as a nanny!

If you will be using a holiday club in the summer and not another nanny, then could you make nanny redundant before the holidays? With correct notice etc.
Then you aren't paying for two forms of childcare and you know you can reliably go to work without worrying about nanny sick days.

Just a thought - is it just the driving to work that's the problem, or cannot she not work at all?
When I broke my foot, I couldn't get the tube in for a couple of weeks, so just had to fork out for a taxi every day.
Once she has been off for more than 7 days, she can ask the GP for a fit note (new type of sick note). If its just the getting to work that's the problem and she's not too sick to work, I don't see why you should be even paying out SSP. You'll be paying out redundancy pay too come September.

OP can't just dismiss her Dotty.

Could you bring her redundancy forward? Not sure if that would effect her redundancy pay out.

I don't think moving her redundancy date forward would make much of a difference to the payout and am seriously debating doing this. I'm slightly nervous about it as I would like her to keep in touch with DS, and I know she has bills/commitments etc and she won't be able to get a new job over the summer holidays.

I'd really like to get some proper idea of whether she is going to be able to commit and concentrate on work for the last few weeks or whether she would prefer to finish now and take her redundancy payment. Would it be okay to ask her about it?

not being able to drive is a significant part of the problem, but there is no direct public transport and it would simply not be manageable to travel the distance without a car (20 miles cross country before 8am!). Her GP has currently said she's signed off sick so I don't think I can go behind that.

That is a lot of days off sick :(

Ssp is more then fair

Bringing redundancy forward won't change the package as is done on whole years so you will be paying her 3yrs worth

Legally you should be able to do this esp if using other childcare - tho may mean you pay double for notice period while using clubs

If your nanny can't do her job then you must give her notice.

Yes we all have bills to pay but that's life and sounds heartless but not your problem

Intrigued what makes her ill so that she can't drive but possible medicine from gp means she might be able to - epileptic? Migraines? Back problems?

Is she likely to get better and drive in next few weeks

8-10 days off sick a year is pretty high! And then with this current issue....I think you need to look at alternate childcare.

Agree with Blondes (I often do). Am also intrigued as to what the issue is. Does it tally in with her previous 30 days off sick (over the last three and a half years)?

I had 2 days off sick in all my nannying days so it does sound a lot to me but if she has a medical problem, a physical one? then that isn't really her fault.

Bottom line is you need someone to care for your child and if she can't do it then you have to find someone who can and waiting to see if it is her is daft. I know you want her to keep in touch but that doesn't always follow. I am still in contact with two families I worked with but it has tailed off over the years, 14 and 17 years since I left so fair enough!