Reducing nanny hours - arrgg?

[flashbunny73]

We have a great nanny who has been with us for 4 years. We have 2 children who both love her. We are very lucky to have her and she is just fantastic. I have been working 4-5 days per week for the past 4 years with the exception of my maternity leave. During maternity leave she agreed to reduce her hours to 1.5 days per week (she usually does 2.5 days per week).

My industry is going through a bad time and I am struggling to find work (I am self employed). The outlook looks grim atleast until January. I have luckily secured 40 days work over the next 4 months (ie average of 2.5 days work per week). My son also goes to nursery 1 day per week and then we have the nanny 2.5 days per week. He really enjoys nursery so I am reluctant to drop it.

Given I dont have as much work to do I would like to take the opportunity to spend more time with my DS and DD. In the last 6 months the nanny has bought a new house and has an increased mortgage (we account for about 60% of her income).

I would really like to reduce her hours to 1.5 to 2 days per week but I dont want to a) piss her off, b) lose her or c) give her financial trouble. I have been trying to smooth the situation by asking her to do cleaning, fill in at the nursery etc.. She is aware of my work situation.

How do I go about this? Am I being fair?? Has anyone else had this dilemma?

I am pretty sure you cannot unilaterally reduce her hours/pay to any significant degree without taking on board that if she does not agree, you will have to make her redundant and pay her redundancy pay, which is what happens when the job somebody applied for/agreed to ceases to exist. There is also a set period during which you cannot then employ someone else to do essentially the original job. Your nanny payroll company will probably be able to advise on the detailed legal position.

i agree that you cant just reduce her hours as you can afford her,as means will be a new job with new hours and thus you are making her redundant, so would pay her 4yrs redundancy plus then when you need a nanny you will have to offer it back to her before anyone else

I would ask her. She may prefer to work 2 days rather than 2.5 as then she can secure work for another three full days. If you could also be flexible with days to fit around another job, then it may work really well for her.

Otherwise, yes you would need to make her redundant.

Tbh I think redundancy would be a last resort. We pay her 50% more compared to her other jobs and where we live work is not that easy to come by.

50% more?? Why

Because she is so good. She has had 2 pay rises in 4 years. I rather pay top whack and have the best nanny i can afford!!

Top whack yes. And lucky nanny. But 50% more is a lot !!!

Would be like me earning £18gross

Glad you appreciate her :)

Where we live childcare is badly paid (IMO) and most are on minimum wage. Our nanny is smart and lovely and streets ahead of the other people we interviewed. Why try to 'screw' the person looking after your children? I try to make the job as attractive as possible to her so she stays!

Are you looking to reduce her hours because you can't afford her as a result of your work reduction, or because you want to take the opportunity to hang out with your kids.

If you can afford to continue her pay but want to dspend more time with your children, why not give her other duties to do in those hours whilst you are with children? Perhaps:

• Cooking (even if for adults)
• nusery / tidying
• errands
• etc.

It might be a good way to keep her at the same pay, enable you to see more of the children, and still have her in place and happy when your workload increases again.

Similar scenario here, mostly due to DtS wanting to spend more time at preschool.

I fudged it a bit so nanny does a school pick up or two, which gets her mileage to compensate for some lost hours (route is on her way to us anyhow), and have booked in some extra days over school holidays so the first few months will even out. Nanny is happy with new arrangement.

As a fellow self employed person I should probably tell you to invest your child free time in pitching/networking/business development, which will most likely secure you some more work time! But I understand wanting to spend all unearning hours with your kids.

Out of interest, does anyone know how you stand contractually if;
A) being self employed my regular work drops and I need to reduce hours further?
B) the kids continue to voice a strong preference for other childcare and I want to reduce hours because of their wishes/needs?

I do have a tax agency/contract but am just pondering likely scenarios that might come up this autumn!

Your 4yo is entitled to his 15hrs of education so I would day drop the nursery day and keep nanny on current hours.

Send elder DS to pre-school (for free) 3 mornings a week so he gets the social interaction. You and the nanny do 2.5 days each?

If your DS is already 4 is he not going into Reception in September?

12 - then you need to offer the reduced hours first and if she refuses then you make her redundant - if changing childcare to another form then it's redundantcy

If you have had nanny over 2yrs then rules to follow and how much you pay her redundancy