Nanny leaving and wants to break her notice period

[hemhem]

Has anyone dealt with this before? Nanny announced today she wants to leave this week!! Her contract has a 4 week notice period but she has been offered a job overseas and needs to leave on Monday to start with them. I've told her we can't accommodate this but she says we have to as her new employer are demanding it.

@ Amberflames yes she can sue if she is not paid for work performed. You cannot just deduct your alleged damages. It doesn’t work that way.

I'm really sorry this happened and I can see what an incredibly difficult situation it's left you in. I don’t know what I'd do if my son's nursery suddenly closed! (Well, it did during covid, but luckily I was working from home so could cope in the short term!).

The thing is, though, although it is rubbish for you, would you really expect her to miss out on a life opportunity for this? It's not fair, I know, but I've been in a similar position to her. I left a job I'd just started at for an amazing unexpected job (more than twice the salary and about 10x more prestigious). I felt really awful about letting my employer down, but I knew I'd regret missing out on this opportunity so much more. What might be a short term inconvenience for you might be the chance of a lifetime to her.

I'm not saying she's right, and it's certainly unfair. You have every right to be angry. But ultimately there's not a huge amount you can do. By all means, if asked for a reference in the future, mention that she did not serve her notice period. But honestly, this is just a risk that comes with childcare, unfair as it is.

Hope you manage to sort it. I've only skimmed the thread - did you say if you could work from home in the short term? Any family to help out?

This thread has made me realise this could be a really useful part of a nanny recruitment process. See if you can convince a candidate to skip out on their notice period. If they will you know they won’t hesitate to screw you over in the future.

No family that can help out in the short term and not able to work from home.

DHs job is site based and involves a lot of travel. Mine is partly lab based partly office based but difficult to do remotely.

We know one other local family with a nanny, they have 4 children. They are not our friends but the two nannies are friends with each other. I would feel massively cheeky even asking them as I have only met the mum twice.

I know its only 3 or 4 weeks in the grand scheme of things but I have a lot coming up at work, things which have been 6-9months of planning to take place during the next 3 weeks and have big commercial implications if we fail to win the contracts we're tendering for. I'm a company director so can't hand it over easily. It does look like we really don't have much choice or control over what the nanny does though, so I'm just going to focus my efforts on finding cover as at least that's constructive. Its so disappointing.

That does sound so difficult. I'm really sorry. Social media seems to be a good way of finding available nannies or childminders. Hope it all works out okay.

Does UHI have a childcare course; any help from student placements? Not too far to travel.

Just googled UHI. Maybe contact the Child Development Dept and see if you can work something out for a few weeks, with a student.

Definitely advertise it as a temp live in Nanny Job on childcare.co.U.K. I would have loved to have come & helped you out & seen your part of the country on a temp basis, possibly going permanent if it worked out for both of us & happy to find live out accommodation if it went permanent. I'd only do 'live in' as a temp position. Unless there was separate accommodation (granny flat or whatever) then I'd consider it as a permanent arrangement.

However, I'm in a job I love.

I bet you'll get lots of replies though if you advertise nationwide.

Best of luck.

Oh and as for your nanny, that's a shitty thing to do to a family. She'll learn though, as others have said, a employing family expecting you to do the dirty on the family that currently employs you, will not be good to work for & wouldn't hesitate to get rid of you if you aren't prepared to work for free at the drop of a hat, frequently.

Next time, You need a clause in your next contract which says that you will make deductions from final salary for extra costs incurred (or agency fees) as a result of the nanny failing to work her notice period.
We always paid 4 weekly on a Monday.
Several friends of mine were ‘bitten’ this way.

I would say to your nanny that you onbciously cannot stop her leaving, but if she would like a good reference in the future, she needs to work out her proper notice period. You can’t give an untruthful reference, but you can just say that ‘xx worked for us as a nanny from xxx to xxx’ - which in nanny terms IS a bad reference.

My PP should say ie agency fees.

Ah, that's really tough OP and very unprofessional of her.

However, in your shoes I would simply have to let it go. For your children's sake you might still get them to make a card, have the rest of the week as normal and say goodbye to her nicely. (Certainly I wouldn't be giving presents though!). Keep it civil and wave her off.

Advertise for temporary live-in nanny. You may have to pay a fair whack but as you are providing accomodation it might be more affordable than you think.

If you have some very important stuff coming up at work your DH may have to take some leave to bridge the gap between nannies.

@surreygirl1987 if the family wanted op nanny that much they could have waited 3w

No one expects a perm nanny job to start asap and lewve current family without a nanny

If the nanny is prepared to do to op family , then the new family should be wary that nanny could do the same to them

It’s unprofessional !!!

@hemhem as you have space I would contact agencies to see if they have any temp nannies happy to live in

@blondeshavemorefun

If the nanny is prepared to do to op family , then the new family should be wary that nanny could do the same to them

Of course! But any family should always be aware that this could happen anyway, even if it's never happened before. I'm not disputing the fact that it's unprofessional.

@drpet49

Sue her for breach of contract. Will make the silly woman think twice about doing this to other family in the future.

your joking, of course ?

your joking, of course ?

Why? If the OP had the time why wouldn’t she consider this?

Its not as easy as 'sue her'. She has been a loved and trusted part of our team and our home for a long time. I want my kids to be able to see her again at some point and don't want to burn bridges, plus the time and legal costs are really disproportionate to the damages that could be awarded.

@alexdgr8 it’s you’re rather than your and if you’re a nanny I would always think twice about doing that.
You may end up with an employer like me who treats people very well and expects the same in return and who also has time and money to deal with stuff. As I’ve said previously it’s always been dealt with in my contract but if it wasn’t I wouldn’t think twice about taking someone to court for the extra costs i’d incurred.

I agree in the short term that there’s not much you can do, but it’s really disappointing both from your perspective and the kids. I’d fine in hard in the future not to give a reference that was factual but… chilly.

I'd be really disappointed too! That is seriously not okay. Unless she had an emergency then I think notice periods should be stuck to!
I tend to give plenty of notice anyway.
I hope you find a lovely replacement