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Original poster

Coronavirus- can nanny still work?

390 replies

ChloeR81 · 18/03/2020 17:43

Hi, hope I’m not duplicating a thread but I couldn’t find one.

I have a lovely nanny who comes 2 days a week. Where do we stand regarding isolation etc? Can she refuse to come to work when we’re all well? At what point would she be able to not come to work, e.g. what level of official lockdown etc.

Want to be totally fair to her and follow the rules, but equally if I don’t have childcare I can’t work and earn money to pay her. Thanks, it’s so difficult to navigate

OP posts:
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LottieBees19 · 25/03/2020 20:03

@bringonspring
If I resign I will loose 7 years redundancy pay for a start , plus I wouldn’t be entitled to any financial help as I would have made myself unemployed! One of my employers is not even working now, they are out cycling everyday. I work for millionaires , who have two homes.
But it’s not just about me, I have several nanny friends in the same position. It’s up to the employer to lay us off.

Bringonspring · 25/03/2020 20:08

Ok, so you have proposed financials over the virus just as your employers are.

grandmasterstitch · 25/03/2020 22:29

This is all interesting to me. My nanny family are calling tomorrow to chat about our plan for the next few weeks. I'm isolating until Monday anyway. Neither are key workers and both are working from home. And their children are older (one year 4 and the other year 6)

mumyof3 · 25/03/2020 23:40

Hi!
few days before lock down i had to be isolated as one of my children was sick. My employer keep asking if i am coming back after two weeks(lock down is on now).
I don't know what to do as i am afraid what if other member of my family get sick towards the end of 2 weeks recent isolation? Does that mean i have to be in new 14 days isolation?
I am also scared that my health is in danger(even i travel with my own car) as their children are quiet often sick. I am afraid i will pass ilness to my family...
i have to mention that ine parent is key worker but other work from home
any sugestions?

WhatHappenedThen · 26/03/2020 07:02

mumyof3

It sounds like you need to stay at your own home to me. It's strange that your employers want you to come into work when one of them works from home.

Goodvluck.

mumyof3 · 26/03/2020 09:47

Thank you

Leanne086 · 26/03/2020 14:52

Hi, I’ve just agreed to go into work for my family as they are both key workers. I have children of my own so it wasn’t an easy decision. BUT after agreeing this I’ve realised that one parent is working from home apart from every third week. Am I within my rights to say that if they are working from home then I shouldnt be asked to go in? I obviously feel with having my own children that the less I need to work the better.

WhatHappenedThen · 26/03/2020 15:57

Leanne086.

I wouldn’t go in in that case. What are their actual jobs?

ZydecoLaydee · 26/03/2020 15:58

I’m struggling so much with what to do about our nanny. She’s currently self-isolating for 14 days due to symptoms that disappeared after day 2. I would like her to come back after her 14 days. Both DH and I are key workers, but DH can work from home (scientist crunching numbers for SAGE), so people are suggesting because of that she shouldn’t come in? I am, heartbreakingly, living away from DH and DCs to protect them. Do I tell DH to manage or ask her to come back?

WhatHappenedThen · 26/03/2020 17:42

ZydecoLaywee. I wouldn’t have her come in.

Bringonspring · 26/03/2020 18:53

I would tell her to come in, she can’t work from home.

Pidgythe2nd · 27/03/2020 13:54

So many responses on here and other threads along the lines of the parent is working from home, so no need for the nanny to go in?!
WORKING from home. Clue is in the name. 99% of parents are not sitting around. It’s practically impossible for us to work from home whilst supervising 3 young children.
It’s dangerous to not supervise and actually work.
What this will mean is that people (including me) will end up taking unpaid leave and having to let nannies go. It’s not even clear that employers will get the grant for any furloughed employees so a huge financial risk.

Reddottys12 · 28/03/2020 13:10

@Pidgythe2nd Thank you for saying that! That’s what I kept thinking while reading the comments. It is near on impossible for my DH and I to work while looking after our children. I will have to take leave/unpaid leave to manage which means our income will be massively reduced. My concern is that we can’t do this long term. I think it’s very naive of people to think that if you’re not an ‘essential worker’, your work is not essential. My work is essential to keep my house and food on the table. We are not high earners, we don’t have an unlimited pot of money. I also think people have jumped on the ‘essential work’ band wagon because of the initial wording on the gov website - which they have since edited.

I’m trying to keep up with developments but have no clue what to do. We love our nanny, she has chosen to self isolate because she’s concerned. We can potentially do SSP (new legislation allows SSP if you choose to isolate and are not unwell) but I believe there is a limit on how long you can claim.

Thereafter I suppose it’s the retention scheme - if we qualify as domestic employers! Or potentially unpaid leave but I know she won’t want to do that.

Very torn as I want to look after her but also very fearful of our own future.

Reddottys12 · 28/03/2020 13:16

P.s. my comment about essential workers was only referring to the the term ‘essential work’. Not at all about key workers! They are in a completely different league and of course need the help more than the rest of us!!

MostlyAmbridgeandcoffee · 28/03/2020 13:18

We’ve interpreted the guidance as meaning unless our jobs were essential then nanny does not need to come in and we still pay her (though hoping to benefit from the 80 percent furlough reimbursement eventually). We are not keyworkers and are both working full time from home and just juggling childcare.

Bringonspring · 28/03/2020 14:34

We have taken the pidgythe2nd. Ours is working.

cloudchaos · 28/03/2020 15:03

My husband and I are taking it in turns to work and watch the children each day. We would rather minimise all of our risk in her not being here at the moment. It's exhausting but we are just about coping.

Pidgythe2nd · 28/03/2020 15:17

@Bringonspring sorry, not sure what you meant?

@cloudchaos this doesn’t sound sustainable to me if you’re just about coping in week 1. We’ve done the same in that we’ve taken turns when one of us isn’t in a call. The issues come for when we are both required on a call at the same time, but also we’re getting behind on things. It isn’t sustainable for any length of time with deadlines and expectations. I’m delegating and pushing back left right and centre, but it’s not feasible to continue like this. I’m finding it very stressful and exhausting for one.
I personally think the risk to us and the nanny is very small. We’re self isolating, she is... I personally can’t see a major issue in her coming here. It expands our ‘family group’ by 2 (nanny & partner). We’d most likely already have got it and spread it, as controls were far more lax, before Boris’ speech.

cloudchaos · 28/03/2020 15:23

Yes it doesn't feel very sustainable. We are all exhausted. We might rethink things after the 3 weeks. But our nanny lives with her husband who is a key worker and mixing with lots of other people so we believe there's a risk she could bring something into the home. At the moment I'd rather not risk it and be operating shifts with my DH.

cloudchaos · 28/03/2020 15:25

I would also say @Pidgythe2nd that maybe you need to speak to your employer about what is realistic right now. I've a 2 and 4 year old and I've told them that basically I will do my best but won't be as productive as usual and they've got to accept that basically. So far they have been okay about it.

Hugglespuffed · 28/03/2020 17:36

To be fair though, most parents are going through this right now. Everyone is having to be flexible and juggle working and childcare. It is an unprecedented situation. I don't see why your nannies health should be less important than other employees. You have a duty of care as an employer so make sure your employee is safe. It doesn't matter whether they are only coming from home to home, the advice is stay at home unless absolutely essential. You aren't essential workers. Offer her the 80% pay and let her stay home.

Bringonspring · 28/03/2020 18:19

Oh heavens not again, it’s not essential it’s if you can’t work from home. A nanny can’t work from home. Builders can’t work from home, hence why they can still work also.

During the recession it was estimated that there was an additional 10k suicides because of the financial crisis. You have to balance the potential risk vs economics also. If you actually looks at the stats for a family under 40 without underlaying health conditions you have more chance of dying from a whole array of other things, being knocked down by a car, cancer, etc.

Those who are above 70 and also those who have underpaying health conditions it is far more risky and should take precautions.

On your argument is it fair that a nurse has to go to work?

If the house holds have mixed but don’t mix with anyone else (eg not getting public transport I don’t get the issue)

How do people think all these benefits are going to be paid? Though there was another thread asking why the government can’t just print money....maybe it’s the same people on this thread thinking it’s just as easy to stop the whole economy from working.

If the stats changed and said fit and healthy individuals and children were at harm then I would take a different approach. Currently they don’t say that

Reddottys12 · 28/03/2020 19:03

@Bringonspring I have to agree. Boris Johnson said that people must continue to work where they can. The economic fallout would be so much more devastating otherwise.

Hugglespuffed · 28/03/2020 19:19

Okay, fair enough. I'm not going to argue with you. We will have to agree to disagree then.

Pidgythe2nd · 28/03/2020 21:03

@Hugglespuffed it’s all very well you saying pay the 80% and let her stay at home.
We’d all like to get paid for doing nothing!

There is currently no guarantee that the money will be refunded to nanny employers, and it seems there are also tax implications which will further leave nanny employers out of pocket.

Not sure you are fully grasping the idea that parents are not just sitting at home waiting to look after their children...we are being paid to work. If I cannot work, I won’t get paid and If this continues for more than a month or so, I won’t be able to pay my nanny.

Even if I could, why should I continue paying someone not coming to work for what I feel is minimal risk and truthfully, compared to some other jobs, is a minimal risk.
If we can claim the 80% back then it’s a different situation, but doesn’t change how let down I’m starting to feel about the whole situation.

So many comments about ‘pay them’, and ‘do the right thing’.... It’s really starting to annoy me. Who decided what the right thing is? I’m tending to agree with posters above in that we need to keep the economy going whilst keeping risks to a minimum... everyone needs to do their bit!