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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

A quick question about nanny holidays....

18 replies

orangina · 12/01/2009 15:52

We have a daily nanny who comes in to look after the children for 4+ days a week (monday to thursday 8-6 and friday 9-1). She has 4 weeks holiday a year (+ bank holidays) which are agreed to be 2 weeks at her convenience and 2 weeks at our convenience. We have had no problems so far re: agreeing holidays etc in advance.

We are going away for 6 working days (monday to monday inclusive) at the end of the month, and as it is the end of her working year, all of her holiday entitlement is used up and so she will just have paid time off while we are away.

I was wondering if you thought it was reasonable for me to ask her to work a full friday before we go away and a full friday the week after we get back, as she is getting effectively 5 full days and 1 part day off on full pay. It would amount to an additional 12 hours of work (6 hours each friday). Would it be cheeky to ask her to do this work as part of her existing salary?

Part of me thinks this is reasonable, as she is getting so much time off, but then part of me worries that it was OUR decision to go on holiday, not hers....

Any thoughts? Thanks!

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Ebb · 12/01/2009 16:03

I would ask - she can only say no! You could always ask her to do a day when you are away spring cleaning childrens bedrooms/playroom/clothes/toys etc or bulk cooking for the freezer. I've done this before if employers have been going away.

NAB3lovelychildren · 12/01/2009 16:06

I agree, you should ask and tbh I think she should agree. Also having her do jobs that would normally be hers but get less chance when the children are there, should be tackled. She is still working. She is still getting paid. It is just that you aren't there.

MissGT · 12/01/2009 16:06

You can but ask! I am a nanny and I'd prob agree to it as I was getting a lot off additional time off in lieu. If she has another job for Friday afternoons or has already made plans you might run into trouble but from my POV it's worth asking!

Original poster

orangina · 12/01/2009 16:13

Great, thanks so much. I have already agreed with her that she come in earlier on in the day that we return to do a little bit of ironing, receive a grocery delivery, crank up the heating etc. I was going to just ask her about the fridays and say she was free to say no (but at the same time hoping that she wouldn't say no.....!)

Thank you all!

OP posts:

overweightnoverdrawn · 13/01/2009 16:23

But how can she say no if you ask her . You are realying on her good will to say yes even after you have agreed to coming in early the other day .

Original poster

orangina · 13/01/2009 16:40

When I say earlier in the day, it just means coming in before we get home from holidays, on a day that she is being paid to work from 8-6. But do you really think if I ask her something, she won't ever be able to feel she can say no?

(I am now concerned)

OP posts:

overweightnoverdrawn · 13/01/2009 17:09

She cant say no to your face . Its different when you work in an office but she looks after your treasured posessions the things you love most in the world . Somtimes things are not about money . Sometimes they are about wishing someone well and treating them to some extra time off .

Blondeshavemorefun · 13/01/2009 17:18

it is your choice to go away extra, therefore even though the nanny will get extra time off, i dont think it is fair that you ask her to come in

my family go away a lot more than the holidays we agreed, and i get the time off, and would never work the extra hours - though to be fair, i prob couldnt as i plan things on my days off, or work for other famillies temp wise

she may decide to go on holiday/weekend away herself

nannyL · 13/01/2009 19:04

personally i dont think you should expect her to.

you can ask, she migth say yes, but not sure i would! she is availiable to work the time you are on holiday... you are choosing not to want her there...

in march the legal holiday requirements change so not sure if come march she will have all the holiday she is legally entitled to anyway....

im my contract i get 3 weeks my choice, 2 weeks my bosses choice + bank holidays...

my bosses have already chosen 6 weeks for me and i will still choose my 3, they certainly dont ask me to come in at times im not paid and not avaliable to work to make up for them not being there when i am avaliable to them!

(if of course they need me for a my day off (i work 4 days) then if i can come in i will (eg for grandads funeral))...

but i really dont think its fair to expect her to come in extra as YOU decide to go on holiday

GreenBlack · 13/01/2009 19:33

NannyL, the OP is NOT "expecting" her to come in. She is hoping she would say e, but has specifically stated that the nanny is free to say no.

She cant say no to your face .

That surely depends entirely on the relationship between OP and the nanny. And on the contract.

However,

She is still working. She is still getting paid. It is just that you aren't there.

I don't think it's as simple as that, because you't contemplating asking her to come in at a time when she normally doesn't work, outside the contracted hours. I'd feel better if I asked her to come in while you are away but during her normal working hours when she is in fact being paid, ie Mon-Thurs and Fri am.

tankie · 13/01/2009 20:52

I think it's fine for her to come in to work during her normal hours and get on top of the children's laundry/do some batch cooking/sort through their toys etc.

I think it would be unfair for you to ask her to work extra days though - it's your choice to go away, and she may well feel obliged to agree (and seethe about it privately).

nannyj · 13/01/2009 21:30

Personally if my boss asked me something and i didn't really want to do i would still say yes out of obligation and seethe secretly. But to be honest if it was my contracted work week then it wouldn't bother me to come in at all.

foxinsocks · 13/01/2009 21:46

I think it's fine to ask tbh

I think you know what the relationship is like with her. I would probably phrase it like

'We've managed to squeeze in a holiday at the end of this month. I know we've used up our holiday allocation for the year but I'm quite happy for you to have this off paid and not count as holiday for you. Would you mind terribly if you worked a full day for the 2 fridays before and after the week though. Please do tell me if it isn't convenient as I know they aren't your normal hours so would completely understand if you couldn't cover those hours at this short notice' or something like that

I think our nanny got more holidays this year than were contracted (same holidays as yours gets) because dh gets more holiday than I do. I think, in return, the nanny has been very good at me coming back late from work! I think the extra time off is always appreciated and I'm sure she will regard the 2 extra friday afternoons off as a great price for a week's holiday tbh!

foxinsocks · 13/01/2009 21:48

2 extra friday afternoon's work I meant not off!

nbee84 · 13/01/2009 21:56

As a nanny I'm sure I wouldn't mind being asked to do this. I may feel obliged to say yes to the Friday afternoons but wouldn't feel peeved about it for too long as I would be getting an extra weeks holiday when I wasn't expecting it.

Original poster

orangina · 14/01/2009 15:40

Thanks everyone for all your input. I was going to have this conversation to her face... if I sent her an email instead, do you think she would find it easier to say no if she wanted to? Or will it just look as though I'm a coward?

OP posts:

woodstock3 · 17/01/2009 21:42

i've had this with my nanny as she has four weeks off and i get six. what we usually do is just give her the extra time off as paid holiday anyway.
i just look on it as goodwill in the bank - i wouldn't ask her to work any extra days in lieu but i do think (and in fairness, so does she) that if i am giving her more holiday than her contract strictly allows, it makes her more likely to be flexible when i'm asking her for a favour in the future (eg to work different hours than usual one day/do a bit of PAID overtime/stay in one morning for a delivery) and more forgiving if we screw up occasionally, like getting home late one night.
we can't afford some of the perks that other nannies get like gym memberships and big bonuses so this is something we can do that oils the wheels. unless you REALLY need her for the preceding friday in which case i'd ask her in the way foxinsocks suggest, i'd just leave it at what it is - goodwill stored up for when you might need it....

Blondeshavemorefun · 18/01/2009 11:16

woodstock3 - you sound a very normal,lovely employer (just like mine)

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