Should I pay?

[BlossomOnTrees]

Employed a nanny and she was meant to start a month ago but circumstances meant I had to withhold the position for about 6 weeks. She said she was not OK to wait for this long and would have to withdraw her offer of help. But she also wants paying for the time she has waited saying that although she has done no actual work for me, we still verbally entered a contract. So she is now asking for 2 weeks worth of pay. Is this right? I understand her frustration but there was always a job at the end so it's not like I cancelled the role entirely?

@BlossomOnTrees

It was a week after interview that I told her. Hadn't started the formal process of contracts as yet as wanted to give it a trial run first. Nothing was signed.

You shouldn't be hiring a nanny- you clearly have no grasp that it's someones actual job. A trail period with no contract? Despicable.

Probationary period within contract is acceptable.

You need actual legal advice on this not the advice of mumsnet and the moral army.

Many parents with disabled children use a nanny. It is sometimes the only way to make it work if the child needs one-to-one or two-to-one care.

As others said you made a verbal offer with a start date

You can’t then change it for 6w later to suit you

She would have had bills etc to pay

She only wants 2w pay. I would pay and be grateful that’s all she wants

I would want the full 6

The way you have treated her is not nice and tbh not a great way to start a new position

Did you actually properly offer her the job at interview? This seems quite strange to me as normally there is a trial day or couple of days to see if job suits everyone gets on etc.

I have been a nanny for 15 years and to be honest it depends what you said in interview if she was waiting for months and turned down lots of work stopped interviewing and you turned around and changed start date then yes I think you should have paid her something.

To me unless you have officially been offered a job and in contract talks then I would expect nothing and I think she is a bit cheeky to be asking.