Advice needed

[satsumagirl]

Hello there. Would really appreciate a second opinion about our nanny.

She started in late August and does three days a week. We made it clear at the interview that DH and I work long and irregular hours and would need some extra help on top of her weekly hours. We pay for all overtime at an enhanced rate and agree it with her. Always give as much notice as possible, unless it's an emergency. Am very careful about not overloading her with extra hours.

The children like her and I am confident she is looking after them well, but her attitude to a few things is worrying me a little. For example, a few weeks ago she was sick with stomach bug and had to take a day off. It was a Monday. Fine, but she started getting ill on the Friday and didn't tell me until she called me at 520am on the Monday morning. I am self employed and then lost a lot of money that day as couldn't go to work. Also had to shell out for emergency childcare for the next day which in the end had to cancel as she came back to work the day after.

I have spoken to her about this and think she recognises that she must tell me earlier if she is ill so I can organise cover. DH works away for a lot of the week and we have no family nearby so very reliant on nanny.

Now been asked by a client to work one evening next month. Nanny is already babysitting the night after (also work) but asked her if she can help put that evening too. She said ,'I can't do two lates in a row as I get up so early.' She starts at 7am and lives nearby.

We have been very lucky with our previous nannies as they always helped out wherever they could. Again I was always considerate of not asking them to do too many extra hours but we are actually asking our current nanny to do less as I feel a bit like we are fitting in with her, not the other way round. I am disappointed and worried as am so reliant on a nanny as DH can't help out as much as he would like to as he is away most of week.

This is turning into an essay, sorry! I suppose I need to broach this with her but not sure of best way to do this. Want to keep her on side as he children like her but I am concerned by her attitude.

What time are you asking her to stay late until? I don't think she's too unreasonable in what she says to be honest. She must need a decent amount of sleep to be safe and productive for your children. Let alone have a life out side of working for you.

You need to have a back up. It's unreasonable to expect her to cover ever eventuality for you.

Being told about illness on Monday must have been inconvenient. Two seprate things though.

What hours does she do 7-?

Yes we like to help out and work extra hours if we can but how much overtime are you asking?

Could she stay over at yours so can go to bed early if you are back late and then have lie in /get up 655am

You do need to have a back up. Ask her if she has any nanny friends who would happily bs ?

Illness. Maybe she thought she would be better Monday. Maybe she was sick 5am Monday

Nannies do get ill and if tired overworked they can catch bugs etc

She got ill on Friday so had the reasonable expectation that she would be fine come Monday.
If it is bad enough for a nanny to say they are not coming in then it must have been very bad - most of us nannies will come in even if we feel a bit rough, we really dislike letting our employers down. 5:20am - maybe she woke to find that she was vomiting too much to come in to work, yet was fine when going to bed.

She will do late notice overtime and will agree to doing overtime with several days or more notice. She may not be available every time you need. Not wanting to do two nights running seems a bit of an excuse but she does need downtime between work.

Could you increase the contracted hours to help avoid this in future, such as by always including a particular evening shift. Could you find alternative backup care for those occasions she cannot do, such as using a babysitter from an agency?

I was asking her to stay until 830pm. She lives 5 minutes away by car. I'm going to find other people who can help babysit.

8.30pm is not late. It's not as though you want till 11.30pm then back at 7am.

Exactly. Never asked her to stay that late. Across a whole month I only ask her to stay late maybe 4 nights if that. Overtime is always paid and I give her as much notice as possible- often weeks in advance.

Surely it's subjective. 8.30 is late to you but I don't know many people who work until 8.30 and back in at 7am. Her commute is irrelevant.

Sorry isnt late to you.

Isn't there some sort of employment law that states you have to have at least 12hrs between a shift? I.e. Finish at 8:30pm, can't start again til 8:30am? Or am I making that up..?
The sickness thing, I agree with a previous poster. She may have thought she would be fine come Monday. In most other jobs a 5:20am notice of not being able to work that day would be acceptable.
For the two evenings situation, perhaps she already had plans that she didn't want to tell you about? You did provide plenty of notice so I would have thought she wouldn't have minded. Unless she feels it's happened too regularly. It's all relative I guess.

Chow chow...
No law that I know of as I raised this with my employers. I often finished at midnight & started again at 7am. It is solely up to the employer just in the same way the the working directive is an absolute joke too.

OP - as a registered Ofsted nanny (I assume she is) she is obliged to stay away from you/your children if she is vomitting.

There is a law that says a person should have 11 hours off between shifts. It's on the GOV.UK website.

However, if you agree to work more hours in your contract then it's up to the individual. Nannies work long hours, we know this when we go into a job, most nanny employers have to work 10 hours a day, then they have their commute, then hand over time and then add in a few minutes for train delays, some nannies can end up working 65+ hours a week. I'm quite fortunate in my current role, I generally work 8-6:30, so a 52.5 hour week, next week MB is in the US and DB has arrangements he cannot get out of, I will be doing 7:30-11(ish) Tuesday and Thursday, Wednesday 7:30-8, usual Monday and Friday, 65 hours. I will get overtime pay and I will do it because they don't ask often, babysitting is only when they have to work late.

My last job I started at 6:15 and finished at 7. By taking on a nanny job you are agreeing to opt out of the working hours directive, It's difficult to get a nanny job for under 48 unless it is part time or maybe one employer works from home so they have no commute.

I wouldn't do two or more lates regularly. I rarely work late more than once a week.

You say she doesn't want to do two lates in a row as she has to get up early then say she starts at 7 and lives close by, she could still be getting up at 5:30/45 to be ready to go to work. (I get up at 6:45 because I don't like to rush about in the mornings) she then gets home at 9pm, cooks and eats supper, watches tv or relaxes for an hour bed at 11pm to get up again at 5:45, less than 7 hours sleep. I could do that regularly and I only need 6/7 hours sleep a night.

should say I rarely work late more than once a month

I think these things need to work both ways. Bit of give and take. I don't think you are being excessive by asking her to work late (and I don't class 8.30 as late) and then be in at 7. If it were me, I would do it unless I already had other plans as I knew before accepting the job that this was part of the role.

As I say, give and take, so if she had a genuine reason to need to leave early, that you would do everything you could to enable that to happen for her but in return she should work the extra hours to help you out. That's how I worked when I was a nanny and it always worked for me (it still works now I'm a childminder too).

Not that late then - but guess if normally does 7-7 she's ready to finish then

What age children do you have? When do they wake up and go to bed ?

I don't mind starting at 7 but nice to get there and have a cuppa in peace before kids wake up

If you knew you needed extra hours on top of her weekly hours why didn't you advertise job with the Longer hours instead of over time

Overtime shouldn't have to be done iyswim

Def look for another babysitter to give you options

Don't assume nanny will always be free /want to work late some evenings

Maybe time for a general chat if started in Aug - ask her how she thinks things are going etc