Nanny redundancy for maternity leave

[Limpetsmum]

How do people manage nanny redundancy if they are no longer needed temporarily (eg for maternity leave).
We have a fantastic nanny but will be making her redundant for 12 months. Would love her to come back but obviously have 'no rights' to her.
She's looking for other work and preferably another nannying job and has mentioned her availability is only temporary as she plans to come back to us.
If she does find another nannying job I suspect a family would want her to stay on - is this just a gamble I have to take?
I can't afford to pay her while on maternity leave or at least not for her full hours.
What have others done in similar situations?

The position of nanny is redundant so you make them redundant, following the usual procedures.

You can't expect them to come back after a year. They might but they might be happy in their new job. It is a gamble you will have to take.

Do you have to take 12 months, would taking less leave make the situation any different, such as making it more viable to keep nanny employed during your leave?

The choices really are; keep the nanny on, come to some arrangement where she takes a reduction in hours/some unpaid leave or make her redundant. If you make her redundant then you have absolutely no rights/guarantees that she will come back, you just have to gamble.

It's happened twice to me and both times I was kept on full hours/full wages. If I hadn't been kept on in the first job I would have just moved on and found something else. In the second job I would have taken some unpaid leave/reduction in hours/temp job in order to be available to them after ML was finished because it was a lovely, lovely job.

In the hope that our nanny will come back to us, I still feel partly responsible for her in terms of her financial situation. I've mentioned that we could give her some days work if she's short of cash depending on what work she finds but ideally our purse strings are tight and we wouldn't be paying for Childcare when not needed.
I know I have 'no rights' to her, but emotionally attached as are the kids!

All you can do is make her redundant and tell her that you really want her to come back when you go back to work. Maybe offering her a pay rise?! How long has she been with you?

I did this once, they could have afforded to keep me on but dad boss was tight and mum boss could do it all without help. I found a 'temp' job for 6 months, at the end of the 6 months they asked me to stay another three, then another 3 then asked me to be permanent, great job, great family, great perks, great money, I was on a temp wage so slightly higher than a permanent wage. They gave me a nice pay rise to stay and as my previous family had already mentioned they would like more children so more maternity leave, I opted to stay with the current family and was there 5 years and through two maternity leaves.

I think you have to make it tempting to come back. Also make time for your nanny to see your child and bond with the new baby, if you could afford one day a week at reduced hours but slightly more pay per hour and she could find a 4 day job to fit around it then she'll still have that bond with your children.

There are other good nannies out there though and you will find one to fit with your family if she decides not to come back. Good luck!

I'm in this position at the moment. I was made redundant in July after 3.5 years after mb decided to take 10 months maternity leave. I had stayed during the last maternity leave of 6 months working 10 hrs/an but struggled juggling jobs. Originally I had no intention to return as I didn't think it was fair to everyone involved though I was told I would always be offered first refusal or be involved in the nanny recruitment process if I didn't. As it stands, I'm not happy in my replacement position so I am looking at going back anyway. I have been lucky that I'm done a few mornings here & there to help out so I've still been involved in the children's lives. I think it's hard to judge what will happen in a year, unless you keep her on you have no guarantees that she will come back as things can change.

Thanks for your replies. Have already offered £1.25 pay rise if comes back to us. But she's looking at nanny share jobs which obviously pay more and we can't compete with that. She is attached to our kids (as they are to her), I just hope she's not too swayed by the money that comes with nanny shares and comes back to us.
I had left her free to do whatever she wanted while we make her redundant as didn't want to restrict her job prospects but maybe I'll suggest a couple of short days a week.
Maybe it's my hormones but get really upset at thought of her leaving - she genuinely feels part of our family and never thought I'd get so attached to her (never mind the kids!)

Don't you think she might gat attached to the kids she will nanny for a year? Or that she might enjoy a life with more money?

Honestly, unless she loves you so much taht she decides to live under a bridge and eat grass for a year, I don't really think you should expect her to come back.

But as a prvious poster said, you never know, she might not like her new job.

Could you offer her part time and she could maybe find another part time job, during your Maternity Leave?

'We wish you'- harsh but probably true!

I don't say that to be harsh, I am really sorry.

One solution could be to find a family that would be happy to do a nannyshare in a year when you go back to work. You could join the nannyshare before the end of the maternity leave, part time maybe?

No need to apologise wewishyou.
I know I'm hoping for too much. I do think we have a good relationship and I was just wondering what others have done in similar situations.
Following my second child we made our first nanny redundant which worked out well as we weren't that keen on each other!
I hadn't planned on getting any help while on mat leave this time round but willing to pay our current nanny for a few hours but we're not 'rich' and so don't have cash to spare.
I guess I'll just have to see how things pan out.