Nannies/Mother's Help - do they eat lunch from your fridge?

[VictoriaR]

Just about to employ a MH but wondering whether I have to factor feeding another adult at lunchtime x days a week.
TIA

yes of course let her eat a sandwich from your kitchen

My contract says meals and light refreshments will be provided by my boss (I'm a nanny) but I think this is insane and bring my own stuff to work.

Ask your MH what's normal practice for her? Good luck!

While working, I expect all meals to be provided - but I do the actual cooking.
I eat with the children... so what I am making the children, I make extra portion for myself.
Nannies don't get a lunch break, so providing the meal is sort of compensation for that.
If your MH will get an lunch break, then you may decide not to provide lunch. If they are expected to work all day without a break, then I suggest providing lunch.

Yes - it's within our nanny's contract that we will feed her.

My nanny is supposed to get fed out of our fridge. DS is BLW and always eat whatever we eat. She always cooks him healthy home-cooked lunches so we agreed that she either has what he has, or if she wants anything particular that's different and separate, she brings it herself. She's on a specific diet at the moment so tends to bring her own very organised lunch.

She helps herself to tea coffee, diet coke etc, but also brings her own snacks as she is particular about what she has. Works for us.

yes

I also eat breakfast and dinner from the fridge... and snacks / cups of tea etc.

When my nanny friends come round i feed them from my work fridge (and when i go to theirs they feed us)

I have it in my contract that when ever the children eat a meal i can too. (I always eat exactly the same as them)

Sometimes my boss might make something yummy at the weekend and will save a portion for me and the children for during the week.... other times i cook a big casserole / lasagne type thing and make enough for them too.

My bosses also get in my favourite tea etc

my friend who is a nanny takes her own lunch

in my contract that I can eat breakie, lunch and tea there(tho very rare to eat tea)

I do snack

I help myself to anything in fridge, and write on shopping list what I fancy or MB asks me if i want anything when she orders online

When I was a nanny... Mum would leave me a note of what to have. If I fancied anything else, I used to take it with me.

navyeyelasH - out of interest, why do you think that it is 'insane' for your employer to provide meals+such lol? Just curious. Also, I wanted to pick your brain about the whole childminder/nanny thing+how the tax is worked out etc. Does having a self employed status affect your PAYE employee job at all?
Sorry for the hijack!

your employment status is completley irrelavant to your nannies emmplyment status

she and i ate together

don't think it was in her contract

but that's just courtesy, no?

Could someone please post the wording for this? I'd like to put it in a contract for a nanny. It's the kind of thing I expect or try and suggest but find it embarrassing to actually say.

Similarly, I spelt this out for most recent au pair, who was live-in so food was obviously provided. I said in advance that she could eat what she wanted, but must consider the fact that there are 7 people in the house, so not polish everything off. And that she could eat with kids or by herself but not with me and dh, unless we were eating with the kids, ie at weekend lunches. Have also refused specific requests from au pairs, such as to buy bottled water, on the grounds that if it's ok for us to drink tap water then it's also ok for her. If she needed bottled water then she could buy it herself out of salary.

I like the way you've explained that googgly- I assume it went down okay with the au pair in question?

I provided meals for my nanny - well, I mean she foraged for whatever paltry offerings our fridge had. I tried to make sure she could always make at least a sandwich or a baked potato. Don't think it was in the contract, but the agency told me that it's generally considered to be something we provide. That said, ours was always on Weight Watchers anyway so tended to bring her own. When she wasn't on WW, she always left behind packs of biscuits and cakes etc so we could save her from herself, so it kind of went both ways. And sometimes if she decided to eat out without it being something we agreed (and which was more to do with her socialising with other nannies) she would buy DD's lunch out of her own cash!

I would word it (if you really feel you need to put it in the contract - do you?) that reasonable provision will be made for the employees lunchtime nutritional requirements.

To be honest though, it's just something I'd agree with her verbally in a more casual way. These things have a way of working themselves out, and if you're ever in a situation where the cupboard really is bare, you can always say to her to grab herself a sandwich and put it on her expenses. IME they are a pretty honest bunch - I mean, they have to be otherwise they'd lost their jobs! What I'm saying is, it's unlikely they'd take the piss and start reaching for your fillet steak....

No, not worried about the fillet steak, just want to make sure the nanny knows she can have anything in the fridge. As I say, I'm a bit embarrassed about saying it to her.

Just in process of hiring a nanny and this very question came up - she asked if we would provide meals. Discussed it with the other family (it's a nanny share) and we thought it was reasonable that she could help herself to all the basics (tea, coffee, bread, biscuits, pasta etc) and if she forgot her lunch one day, whatever was in our fridge! However, we'll see how it goes and once the babies are on proper meals would be happy for her to eat whatever they are eating. I did think about the fact that she has to work through lunchtime as a reason that we should provide lunch - however, she is getting paid for that hour. I really think it's whatever works for you.

when i worked as a full time nanny, my meals were always provided for me.

If you are working a very long day, you don't necessarily have time to make a lunch before you go and there is no "lunch break" for you to pop to the shops and buy yourself something.

It is also nice for the children to eat the same thing that the nanny is eating from a social point of view.

That's just it, phraedd - perhaps I can write something along the lines that nanny should, where appropriate, share meals with the DCs.

nannyL - eh?

what do u mean by eh?

i was answering the random question in previosue post

I think it is unreasonable to expect a MH or nanny to bring their own lunch.
However,our last nanny ate us out of house and home (but she was lovely-most of the time)so it was ok.I suggest you make it clear as to what is and isn't for her consumption.
A sandwich should really suffice if dc isn't eating proper food-'tis what most of us rely on at work or not isn't it?

you know I was asking in regards to her being a nanny but also registering as a childminder right? I was basically asking if you could work as a childminder but not have it affect the tax on your nanny salary.
cuz I assume you're saying it wouldn't but the phrasing of your answer isn't very clear... but then in my defence, I've had a really stressful day..!

CTHEAR - my contract says

Our nanny will prepare all children's meals, and as we want our nanny to feel part of the family, you are welcome to eat breakfast, lunch or tea and help yourself to drinks/snacks during working hours.

If you go out, we will pay your food/drinks expenses as well as entrances to farms/play centres etc.