Can I ask all the nannies on here a question?

[ILoveOurNanny]

If your employer told you that they had been made redundant, but were going to keep you on for a couple of months while they looked for a new job, would you start looking for another job straight away?

DH's job is looking very shaky. And mine isn't hugely secure, though I think I'm more likely to end up taking a pay cut rather than being made redundant. We adore our nanny - she's been with us for just over a year, she's like part of the family. The children love her, we love her, and I'd be devestated if we had to make her redundant.

If dh were to lose his job, we could manage to pay her out of our savings for at least a couple of months, possibly more. Plus, having childcare sorted out would obviously mean dh was available to focus on job hunting, which would be harder if he were looking after ds and doing the school run for dd. And assuming he did find work after a couple of months, we'd be very upset if we'd made her redundant then had to find someone else.

We'd obviously have to tell her straight away. We've discussed it, and would be very honest, explaining we will do everything we can to keep her on as long as possible - but in truth, my salary isn't really high enough to pay for a nanny, the mortgage and other bills.

I wouldn't blame her if at that point she decided to look for another job, and I think we'd have to accept there's a good chance she would do - I think she's very fond of us, but a job is a job after all.

I suppose what I'm asking is, in her situation would you jump ship immediately or would you give us the benefit of the doubt and stick around for a while? I can't imagine the nanny job market is all that great at the moment, but I imagine she'd be in with a pretty good chance if she went for an interview, given what a great nanny she is. Any advice on what to say if the worst does happen would be very welcome - this, more than anything, is keeping me awake at night at the moment.

I'd look but probably only half-heartedly. You need to consider that if you make her redundant then you can't employ another nanny for a certain length of time without offering her the job first (which for you doesn't sound like it'd be a problem). It depends what you honestly think your DH's job prospects are and how quickly he'd find something else.

How long as she been with you?
If she has been with you a while, and built up a relationship with you and the children I would imagine she would be less likely to look around for a new job. There is a definate lack of nanny jobs around atm, and she may be happy to stay so I doubt she would leave immediatly.
Is there any chance she suspects about DHs jobs? If so, she may have started looking already. Also, does she have a mortgage/rent/family to support and therefore be more likely to leave due to worries about her own finances if out of work.

If it was me, I would continue with the family for as long as possible. I wouldn't want to put extra stress on them by me leaving and I love my job, and would stay even if had to take small pay cut.

I would offer her the job again like a shot. In fact, I'd pay her a handsome bonus (assuming that we could afford it!) to entice her back. She would, without a doubt, be my first choice candidate - I don't want anyone else to look after my children (even dh!)

i personally if i loved my family (which i do now) would prefer to stay with them, so guess if mb said on monday they MIGHT have to make me redundant, but not def, I would prob ring all my agencies (who always ring to headhunt me anyway) and ask what is around, and if a job really appealed to me ( i am a really fussy nanny ) then i would go for an interview and if i really liked the job i would have another chat with mb to see how the land lies iyswim

guess it depends on how long you can afford to keep her

ie if you kept her for say 3mths after dh lost his job, and then he hadnt found anything to then giver her notice - it would be 4/5mths from now if she had a month/2months notice

is dh def going to go back to work? reason i ask is a friends dh lost his job,kept her on for 3mths and then he decided he liked being a sahd and now does it full time

yes

I would also ring all my agencies to see what they had on offer

basically i have a mortgage too and ultimately i do have to look after myself.

i would never normally start another job without 2 months notice though (I have worked for lovely people who treeat me well, and i would like to give them time to find someone suitable to look after my charges, all of whom i have loved to bits!)

I have 6 weeks notice in my contract anyway so could never just up and leave.

my last 2 bosses have been happy to wait 2 / 3 months respectiively, for me to start

I was in a similar situation recently - my boss's contract was coming to an end and she wasn't sure if she'd continue working or not. Obviously I would have preferred to stay where I was but I also have bills to pay, so I called some agencies and looked on gumtree etc. Luckily my boss found a new job pretty quickley, but if she hadn't I'd have done exactly as Blondes has said.

If I was the nanny concerned, then Yes I would start looking at jobs being listed on NannyJob and I would contact the agency I use to let them know that I may be available in a few months time.
As a male nanny it can be quite hard for me to find work, thus I would start looking at what jobs there are locally. But I would not be actively applying for jobs, as I would expect to be given notice under the terms of contract. Certainly won't be jumping ship.
Nannies I feel are quite loyal to their employers generally, they appreciate being kept informed of the situation. Also some things might be changed in the nannying style, to help stretch a limited outings/activities budget.

Good luck with discussing the situation with your nanny.

Well, fingers crossed it won't become an issue - have just had a long chat with dh, and it turns out things aren't necessarily as desperate as I thought. I don't want to discuss it with her until it becomes an actual, rather than hypothetical problem.

But I definitely think honesty is the best policy. The point about having to offer the job back to her as and when we recruit is quite reassuring - my stupid morals would have made me hesitant to poach her back if she'd found another job, but if I have to offer the job back, I would do so with great delight, and hope she wanted to come back to us. With luck, if we've been open with her, she'd consider it.

I agree that until DH is given his notice that he is being made redundant, you should not raise the issue with your nanny.

WOW!

You obviously have a fabulous relationship with your Nanny. This is quite rare and beautiful and without a doubt, you deserve for it to continue.

I am both a Mummy and Nanny with many years experience and I can only imagine that your Nanny is as happy as you are and, as a result, you must have some very smiley children!!(smile)

I am sure, with your shared values and respect and your genuine appreciation of her, any little challenges you face, will be managed with the childrens interests at heart.

Sadly, some times, good things do come to an end. BUT, I DO hope you have many more happy chapters with your Nanny!! (grin)

if there is always hope that dh will def get a job then if you have to make nanny redundant then maybe she can temp for 2mths and then come back to you

not sure if you have to offer your ex nanny her job back, as you would have had proper reasons for making her redundant - so if a new job was got,then sure looking for a new nanny wouldnt be a problem iyswim

I would stay loyal to the family, although I would also check out what's on offer, but I would wait and see what happens regarding the family's job situation. If the worst came to the worst and I had to leave my job, I think I would be secure in knowing that the family would provide a very very nice reference, which I think is incredibly important. I wouldn't want to jump-the-gun and leave prematurely, especially if the kids have developed a close relationship with me. I was actually made redundant in February, and it was discussed beforehand that I could be out of a job, but I stayed with the family.

This has happened to me.
My boss told me in February that she was being made redundant and they could afford to pay me until end of march. I didn't want to go and said I would stay if she could find new work. I contacted agencies and told them I was looking for jobs starting April just to cover my bases.
I left at the end of March and in that time my boss hadn't been able to find work so I think in this day and age people have to be realistic. I have a mountain of bills to pay myself each month and can't afford to be out of work. As much as I would have liked to stay she wasn't really facing up to her chances. She kept saying she would be able to find a new job but depending on what career you're in it's not that easy. She still hasn't found anything and wouldn't have been able to pay me anyway.
In your situation if you can afford to pay the nanny out of your savings then that's great but what are the real chances of your husband being able to move straight into a new job.
I don't know what your husband does but so many people are going for the same jobs it's tough out there.
The only thing I can suggest is to sit down with your nanny and make a time limit. Decide how long you can afford to keep her and when would be a cut off date and then at least she knows where she stands.