There are a lot of threads on this and didn’t want this ‘gem’ to be lost.
It’s from a Nanny Agency (not mine, I don’t use an agency), but it rings true to me. Having seen the ‘hysteria’ on some online nanny groups (& now the chat about what they should watch next on Netflix now they are either refusing to work, or have been furloughed) I think this would be wise for them to read. (Long...sorry, but sensible, impartial advice).
We love our nanny, don’t want to lose her, but WE CANNOT WORK FROM HOME with 3 young children, so if she doesn’t come in, I will take unpaid leave and we cannot pay her.
‘ If every employer of a Nanny, (obviously only one if both parents present) were to stand down from their employment because they are needing to care for their own children in the absence of their Nanny, we will be in a very poor situation at the end of all of this. Many high end employers are not able to work with their children running free around the house and like the rest of us are probably finding it very stressful having to be confined to the home. They will be mostly playing into their employers hands when they ask to be furloughed themselves and if refused (which i understand is happening a lot due to limited cash flow in companies) they have no option but to resign. When we all return to normal it is not going to be a case that every office, restaurant, bar, cafe, shop etc is simply going to open their doors as usual. Depending on the length of time this goes on for it we may have reached an economic crisis where at the end of it many Nannies will find themselves with no choice but to head back to a Nursery environment to continue with their career in childcare. This will be due to the high salaries that employers need to earn to be able to afford a Nanny. When speaking with Ofsted, Morton Michel and other childcare organisations Nannies are in a privileged position being able to still go to one place of work (unfortunately if a Nanny holds two part time jobs in one week they are required to choose which family to continue working for), the place of work that they have been going to for x number of months / years. If both parents are working from home and not leaving their property for anything other than food provisions and their once daily exercise with members of their household only, it is the family that are taking the biggest risk allowing their Nanny to continue coming into the house to work. They are taking this risk because they don't have a choice not to work) The Nanny is being trusted to simply travel from their own property to their employers property and back again.
Appreciating the government stance of ‘stay at home’ unless absolutely necessary – where necessary does include ‘travelling to and from your place of work, only where absolutely your work cannot be done from home, in addition to being mindful of safe social distancing as much as possible’. Over the past week there have been numerous conflicting pieces of advice about what nannies should do. The decision about should a nanny go to work or not is a decision which must be reached between the employer and employee, with each party taking responsibility for their own welfare. Employers have a duty of care to their employees.
We cannot stress enough please do not simply stop going to work! If you make the decision to not go to work without discussing and agreeing with your employer, you are running the risk of being in breach of contract and you are unlikely to be paid. You must communicate with your employer & agree a plan of action. Try and get agreement in writing - ideally with an email or letter. We are encouraging serious discussions to be had between you and the family to ascertain what measures of social distancing are being followed and ascertaining if your journey to work is essential, avoiding the use of public transport.
If the employer decides that you are required to go to work, and you do not feel comfortable doing so you can request to take unpaid or annual leave. This requires written agreement between parties. Should you come to an agreement with your employer to be furloughed, your employer is required to continue to pay you 80% (capped at £2’500 gross per month) of your wage and you should stay at home for a determined period of furlough. It is our understanding that furloughing is arranged in blocks of three weeks at a time and the maximum time the government are refunding for is currently three months although this may be extended. Your employer is required to have the cash flow to do this as they will not be refunded by the HMRC until the system is set up. The HMRC are setting systems up at the moment to facilitate this and payments will be refunded directly to the family, timescales expected to be around end of April to early May 2020, though the timescales may change.
If a nanny does furlough, the family need to confirm in writing the particulars of how the employment will continue, for example holiday will still be accrued, pension payments will still need to be paid etc. The payroll company will be able to assist with information on processing the changes and reclaiming the rebate from HMRC in due course.’