Should I pay Nanny for sick days?

[TerrysNo3]

Our Nanny started with us at the beginning of November, shes great and we really like her but since she started she had one day off last year, a day where she asked to go home for a nap because she wasn't well (I was working from home and DS2 was sleeping for some of it) and last week she had 2 days off with a sprained wrist.

She messaged me at 6am last week to say she wasn't coming in as she didn't think she could do her job and she also said she was happy to take it as unpaid. I was really annoyed, mainly because DH and I are so busy at work and we thought having a Nanny would make this problem less likely. And as parents we never really take sick days so we're not that sympathetic in that respect

Her contract says she should receive SSP but I am not sure what to do. I don't want to penalise her for being unwell but I am worried if I pay her she will be less incentivised to turn up if she's under the weather?

We can afford to pay her but also we had to find alternative childcare when she was off so it would be costing us twice. I don't want to be a horrible employer as (apart from the slight unreliability thus far) she is pretty good.

WWYD? Please tell me!! Pay day is tomorrow

I have it in the contract with my nanny that I will pay the first 5 days of sickness in any given calendar year and thereafter will revert to SSP.

She's either taking the piss because you're generous or she's a bit mardy (wtf going home for a nap?!) and you're not compatible for a close employer/employee relationship.

Have words, tell her she only gets SSP going forward and will need to monitor her absence and are what happens.

Woah I've taken probably 2 days off in the last 6 years. She took an afternoon off to go have a nap? That's crazy, I'm a nanny and I find that outrageous.

I wanted to be a good and fair employer so paid sick leave for a new starter for a lot of one and two day 'sick' days spread out over 3 months. I realised in the end she had taken 1/3 of the total time worked off on various coincidental 'sicknesses'.

The agency who had found her for me were really surprised I didn't know that lots of sickness in the early days is a massive indicator that the job won't stick as it were.

I thought I was being kind and understanding. But actually I was being taken for a mug.

In short, I'd pay the sick days this time, but make it clear that you won't be able to do this for any more days.

I'd also check you were abiding by your contract.

Sorry but if it's in her contract with you that you pay her sick pay then you have to pay it regardless,

I had a nanny like yours. I gave her three warnings for no shows and eventually fired her. She had two families that she worked for.and was.always there for the other family but never for is sadly..

I have two weeks at full pay sick pay in my contract. I do have excellent references that say I rarely take time off sick and in occasion go to work when I really should have stayed in bed.

I've had 11 days off in 30 years, 2 days when I had a tooth abscess and didn't sleep a wink all weekend and couldn't drive to work.
2 days when I put my back out and couldn't move, went to work on day three and lay on the floor of the sitting room while the boys (2 year old twins) played (and climbed all over my back which was bliss!) MB did breakfast and got the dressed, the neighbour popped in at lunch time to put the boys in their high chairs and then popped back to get them out and put them to bed and the DB came home to get them up and worked from home until tea time and I went home (lived next door!) the twin massage worked well and it was much better the following week but we still took it easy for another week, lots of carpet picnics for meals and playing in the garden.
Same family - 3 days after I passed out in the shower, fell out of the door, rubbed a 12 inch carpet burn into my side on the thin strip of plastic on the edge of the tray. It was agony and took 3.5 months to fully heal, MB was able to take time off and came in every day with meals and dressed my wound (she changed my dressing until it was better, bless her)
The other 4 are days my employers have sent me back home the second I walked through the door!
I've worked with chest/ear infections, fractured arm (did it on holiday so didn't go back to work for 10 days after it happened and it was strapped up, it didn't hurt) coughs and colds caught from the children, even tummy bugs if the children have passed it on to me and not to MB and DB.

However, I always advise people looking for a nanny to have SSP only then if their nanny doesn't take the piss they can pay her in full or not pay her if she is off for the slightest sniffle. If you have to take a day unpaid, use up your valuable holiday or have to get an emergency nanny, it gets so expensive.