Nanny sick - what to do about sick leave, sick pay etc?

[r3dh3d]

I've been hugely lucky with nannies to date and not one of them has had a single day sick. (Well, they've been a bit under the weather but they've chosen to still work for which I have been hugely grateful.)

Current Nanny isn't so gung-ho and is off ill today. Which is fair enough but I just put in her contract something about "statutory sick pay" and now I don't know what that actually means. And if she was the sort of person where it would just be a day or so here and there I'd just pay her and forget about it. But I'm starting to get a vibe that either she's a hypochondriac or she has a whole heap of health issues, so I need to plan for this being a long/repeat thing. Hopefully not, but if I need to be keeping records best start now.

Is sick pay like maternity pay, ie the govt pays and you pass it on? Or is it entirely borne by the employer? And are there any regs for how much and for how long? And, if it goes on longer, what you do about certificates? And, worst case, what do you do if she's off for weeks or even months? At some point you have to let her go, right? How does that work?

Oh no, r3dh3d. Your contract says only SSP, right? If so, that's good. Personally, I would give her the day off and take a holiday from work if I could. But, if it got to be an issue, say at least one day every month, I would have to hold back and give her only SSP. I believe SSP kick in after the third day absent from work, and that it isn't very much. I also think the government will reimburse you for this cost. That means the nanny gets no pay for her first 3 days absent and that ought to cure a tendancy for pulling sickies. However, I would only fall back on the minimum SSP if I thought she was taking the mick. As a general rule, if I would go to work, I expect her to do the same.

How long have you had her? Is she still in a probationary period? Is the contract fixed term?