Hi we are trying to decide what to do, would be interesting to hear how others would deal with this.
We trial hired a new After-school nanny Just two weeks before lockdown. Since lockdown we have not required her service. And because she’s not full time and we only recently hired her, she’s not eligible for the furlough scheme. We felt the right thing to do was to offer her a small proportion of what she would’ve earned (25%) to keep her, though technically she’s on a zero-hour contract so we didn’t have to do anything, particularly since she was still in trial period. It’s a private arrangement to keep her supported and we hope to have her back as soon as we need her service again.
So 8 weeks into lockdown, I contacted her to see if she would be available to do some nannying work at our home. She told me that she has gone back to her home country so not available. I’m a bit miffed as I felt like paying her to retain her so we could use her service was part of the agreement.
Should we have not paid her at all in our circumstances?
I understand since it’s a private arrangement, she didn’t have an obligation to come work for us. On the other hand I feel like somethings not right. Should we continue to pay her? Or stop paying her and just see where she is afterwards? Any thoughts appreciated
TIA