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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Do you pay sick pay to your nanny?

68 replies

ragtaggle · 12/01/2005 16:52

Do those of you who employ nannies pay sick pay? And if so, how much? I know that statutory sick pay means nothing for the first three days but wondered if anyone has negotiated a certain accepted number of sick days into their contracts.

My nanny has taken 8 sick days in ten months and I've paid full whack each time.(Even though contract says ssp only)Am I mad?

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Uwila · 20/01/2005 17:23

Nobody on this thread is talking about an employee getting no sick pay at all. It is about the first two days before SSP kicks in. And, there are plenty of people in this country who don't get this. I agree that nannies should be treated fairly, but the suggestions here are actually elevating the nanny above many others. What about people who work contract? They get nothing. Is that acceptable? They don't get paid holiday. They don't even get paid for bank holidays. Let alone when they are sick.

Also, this thread began with a topic of concern that the nanny wasn't really sick. a whole different ball game in my view.

CD, most working parents do not and can not expect to be working with the kind of budget that allow for such contingencies.

Marina · 20/01/2005 17:28

Wholeheartedly agree with Pamina. We too have paid a fortune in nursery fees for our children over the years but feel the carers we have got to know were almost all worth every single penny and more. Really nice men and women who have enriched our children's lives. Don't be disheartened SSd.
No experience of using nannies but would hope and aspire to be an employer of CD's calibre if I ever did

CountessDracula · 20/01/2005 17:36

Uwila, if you are a contractor you are self employed. You are your own Employer and as such responsible for your own terms and conditions! It is your choice to be self employed if you are.

I have NEVER had a job that didn't pay at least 10 days sick pay a year. FFS I had glandular fever last year, I was off sick for 60 days and got paid full whack for the lot!

This 2 or 3 days before SSP kicks in is all well and good, but that would be 2/5ths of my nanny's salary. How will she pay her rent and bills? If she is genuinely ill she should be paid. And what is SSP? They don't pay your salary do they? Only some measly amount. It is fine for long term sickness as then housing benefit etc would also apply but not short term

CountessDracula · 20/01/2005 17:39

It's only £58 per month to put away enough to cover a replacement nanny @ £70 a day for 10 days. That is a drop in the ocean in the scheme of a nanny's pay these days!

Pamina3 · 20/01/2005 17:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CountessDracula · 20/01/2005 17:43

SSP is £60 a week. Uwila could you survive on that? Does your employer pay you when you are sick?

Uwila · 20/01/2005 17:49

CD, I think the point of this thread has been lost. As noted previously (more than once), I pay her if she is sick. Full pay. I stay home. But, I have written in the contract that I don't just in case I get a less than honest nanny who says she's sick when she's really not. It gives me an out if I should need to encourage her to show up at work. My current nanny will never test this ground.

I still think parents who can not afford it should not be REQUIRED to pay beyond that wich is set out in the relevant employment laws. I think nannies should be treated fairly, but not necessarily have more rights than other employees.

Furthermore,I'd like to comment that having a nanny is not really a choice of luxury. It is the only available childcare that permits some of us to show up at work on time. This is not optional in my life. I must go to work. This is my choice. This is my desire. This is my need. And this is my right. If nannies require a standard of living that exceeds that of their employers, then it is time for government to stop taxing me twice so that I can pay her appropriately.

Uwila · 20/01/2005 17:54

Uh, not everybody works contract by choice. And not all contractors are wealthy.

CD, my salary and benefits package are not up for discussion on this or any other thread. But, I can say from reading your posts that I have a sneaking suspision it is a fraction of yours. I mean really, you hire a bloke to walk your dog.

ssd · 20/01/2005 18:07

Uwila, I can understand what you are saying about working contract, but instead of looking at this purely from a financial angle,how would you feel if you worked for an employer who paid you if you were sick and treated you as a valuable worker,or an employer who didn't feel it was necessary to pay you and treated you accordingly? Don't you think as an employee this would colour your view of your job?We are all human with bills etc. etc. and if you don't treat your nanny/au pair as well as you can then I'm afraid the one to suffer will be your child,as the childcarers enthusiasm will suffer and the child won't get the carer she deserves.
And as to the original question, if you felt someone was "at it" and pulling sickies and generally not responsible enough for you to trust, why the hell are you leaving your children with such a person in the first place?

Uwila · 20/01/2005 18:17

ssd, I think your points are good and generally agree with you. I am only arguing for people who really can't afford it. I just think it shouldn't be required of everyone. I'm certainly not as wealthy as I'd like to be, but I do very much like my nanny, and try to share whatever perks with her when I can. But, I don't bind myself to them by putting them in the contract.

Also, you don't always know you are going to have these problems until they exist. If I thought a nanny was going to be dishonest, of course I wouldn't hire her. But, sometimes you realise these things after you've emplyed them. It's just a safety net for me really.

And yes, of course, a good nanny has choices and can work for people who can afford to pay her better than I can. So it is a fact of life for me that I could lose her one days and have to start over with another one. That's just something I have to accept when and if it happens.

ssd · 20/01/2005 18:21

Uwila, I'm sorry if my post sounds like I'm getting at you personally.I'm not and I apologise if it comes across like that........
Of course how you or anyone else treats their childcarers is entirely up to them.
I just feel sometimes parents forget if there is any resentment at all from the nanny/au pair towards the parents the child is the one who inevitably suffers in the long run

ssd · 20/01/2005 18:26

Uwila, if your nanny is happy working for you, you'll probably find she will stick with you.

Sometimes feeling valued and appreciated is more important than a large salary and a good nanny knows this.

So I wouldn't worry about losing her to a better off family too much.

CountessDracula · 20/01/2005 19:49

Asking if you could survive on £60 a week is not asking you to declare your salary to everyone on mumsnet!

You may well think I earn more than you but you may also note that I am putting dd into nursery as I can't afford a nanny so you may wish to rethink that one.

As for paying for the dog to be walked - is that unusual? Many people round here make a good living walking dogs. DH was considering it if he got made redundant in fact. Better than letting the dog fester at home all day when I at clients.

princesspeahead · 20/01/2005 21:10

Uwila, I actually don't know anyone who is an employee and who gets the statutory minimum sick pay (ie first 2 days nothing, 60pw after that). Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are people who suffer under those sorts of employers, but they sure as hell don't work in the public sector (biggest employer in the country) and that little band of employers is certainly not a club I aspire to joining. And I don't understand why you are arguing for people "who really can't afford it" - if you can't afford it, look for alternative childcare, don't expect your nanny to subsidise your life choices.

Similarly if you can't afford a dogwalker, yet work fulltime and long hours - don't get a dog.

soapbox · 20/01/2005 21:19

I think it all comes down to how much you value the job that the person is doing and I think you have to reward them accordingly.

I place a high value on my childrens' nanny and I also have what I consider to be an appropriate level of obligation to her as her employer.

I always pay sick pay (even when she was off ill for a week 3 weeks after starting work with us) even although I had to hire a temporary nanny to cover for her. I also give her 5 weeks paid holiday a year, 10 days of which are at her choosing (10 days at ours and 5 days over christmas and new year).

I pay her a bonus at Christmas (not that I get one myself) and reward her with flowers, wine and other thank-you's at regular intervals

She is the lynch pin that makes our lives work and hte person who nurtures our children when we can't be there for them. That is worth a lot of money in my book!

And like some of the others I pay my cleaner for holidays and sickness too

I really do believe there is a very fine line between getting a 'good deal' with an employee and exploitation. I know which side of the line I want to be on!

ssd · 21/01/2005 07:56

The right one, soapbox!

Hanlou007 · 21/01/2005 12:57

Well said soapbox....i was a nanny for many years and got fed up with people thinking we just do the job for the love of it...

mishmash · 30/01/2005 15:44

Glad I found this thread - am off the check my nanny's contract - she has been with us almost two years and has agreed to remain for another - she has never taken a sickie, but after Christmas she chose to live out so we will see.

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