Paid Sick Leave - how much is reasonable?

[ColaPip]

Our contract provides for discretionary paid sick leave. It also says that any paid sick leave is not a precedent for paying it in the future.

Our nanny works part time (20 hrs per week) and has had at least 8 sick days (possibly 11, need to check) in the past year - all paid.

My job is less flexible than it was, so I'm having to pay for after school care on the days she's sick.

I'm interested to know how many sick days other people pay for each year?

As you already have to pay her SSP I'd leave it at that. Will be a good proportion of her salary.

If you make it like SSP then you wouldn't need to pay it until she has been off for 3 days. Individual days here and there wouldn't be paid

I know a nanny who has 3 days written in. 8 in one year is OTT, I've had none last year, one year before that and 2 (consecutive) the previous year.

8 days is too much. She is taking you for a ride.

8 days in a year and either does 2 10hrs days or 3/4 4/5hr days like after school

Either way 8 days is far too many

What were the illness’s?

Stop paying full pay and I guarantee nanny will have less sick days off

Thanks all. FYI - she works 5hrs per day Mon-Fri and sickness has been mostly stomach/D&V bugs and migraines.
I've decided to do 5 paid sick days (on the basis that she's had 2 already this year!) which I feel is pretty generous.

shes had 2 and only 2nd working week in jan

maybe you need a new nanny

Is it generally one/two days at a time? If it is I'd be less inclined to pay than say a week off for something more serious. I agree with being off with D&V but is there anyway she can work with a migraine? Have a quiet movie day if the kids are old enough for this to work?

but is there anyway she can work with a migraine?

Have you ever had a migraine?

Yes I suffer from them frequently. But being a nanny is not a job where you can take tons of sick leave, not dis similar to being a parent. You have to suck it up

If you don't pay they tend to turn up we found. (Other than SSP which only kicks in after 3 days off sick I believe so they have to suffer 3 days with no pay at all to get the SSP.

I’m a childminder (not taken a sick day in years) so I’m well aware of the commitment needed to such a job. However I know my sister in law suffers debilitating migraines and wouldn’t even be able to drive it to work. She loses her vision, vomits and is generally very unwell needing to sleep it off. I appreciate she isn’t a nanny and luckily can work from home and make up time when she’s better but the nanny may be similar where it just wouldn’t be possible to come in to work.