Need to rant - time off for interviews

[loueytbg]

Some of you may be familiar with the saga of my always sick Nanny. Well the good news is that she is leaving at the end of the month (hooray!).

The problem at the moment is that she is taking lots of time off for interviews, often at very short notice. I have put up with it to some extent because I hoped she would get one of the early jobs and we wouldn't have to deal with it for much longer.

However, this morning she has phoned me at work to say she has an interview this evening at 6.30pm which would mean that she would have to leave my house by 5pm. I work in Central London and this would mean having to leave work by 4pm to get home in time. I normally finish at 5.30pm. I have said that I have a meeting which means I can't leave until 5pm (which is a white lie but I have work to do). I can't keep leaving work early.

DH says I'm too soft and we should just tell her she has to go in her own time, but he would say that as he doesn't have to deal with it. I know you are supposed to allow reasonable time off for interviews but what is reasonable? She said this morning that she has put herself forward for 4 new jobs so there could be quite a few interviews coming up...

I'm so fed up with whole situation - I know we only have just over 3 weeks left but it feels like a lifetime at the moment.

allow time off for interviews wtf? Since when?

I'd just tell her she has to do it in her own time - of course the chance is that she may then take time off sick instead so you could end up being screwed either way.

You only need to allow time off for interviews in a redundancy situation if she is going of her own accord then she needs to do it in her own time.

She is being made redundant - its a long story but she is having an operation at the end of May which puts her out of action for 8 weeks and then we are making her redundant after that. She is trying to pack the interviews in now because once she has the op she won't be able to go to interviews as she will be in plaster.

I was always under the impression employers have to allow time off for interviews but this is unpaid or taken as TOIL so you dont need to pay her - this may encourage her to book interviews in her own time.

I suppose in most employments you dont get a choice of interview you get given a date and time (I work in NHS) so hence why employers need to allow you time off to attend (but not paid) whereas for a nanny job more often than not this can be evening or weekend.

equally think if she requires time off during work hours then she should give a min notice time such as 3-5days not hours notice!!

The problem is that (she says) lots of the parents want her to meet the DCs at 1st interview so it has to be before bedtime - ie before 7pm. So even if she wanted to do interviews in her own time, she is stuck. The lady tonight has a "tight timetable" - she put herself forward yesterday and the the agency only phoned her this morning about the interview.

However, she doesn't work Fridays so I can't see why she can't do interviews then. She is trying to pack them all in so she has a chance of getting a job sorted out before the op but I am the one dealing with the fall out.

Most people have to interview in their own time - evenings or weekends - which as a nanny means it's difficult but she definitely shouldn't be arranging interviews which cut into your working time without checking it's okay with you first. She only gets paid time off if she's been with you for 2 years.

Worth checking out

If you have been continuously employed for two years by the date your notice expires, you are allowed a reasonable amount of time off during your notice period to:

• look for another job
• arrange training to help you find another job

How long you can take will depend on your circumstances. If you attend an interview or two and do not take excessive amounts of travelling time, then this is likely to be reasonable.

Whatever the amount of time off you take, your employer only has to pay you up to two-fifths of a week's pay for it. For example, if you work five days a week and you take four days off in total during the whole notice period, your employer only has to pay you for the first two days.

And re: redundancy pay

Starting a new job before your notice has expired

If your new job starts before your redundancy notice expires, try to negotiate with your employer for early release without losing your redundancy pay. Employers are often happy to make these arrangements.

If your employer doesn't agree to let you go early you should give them 'a written counter notice' stating when you would like to finish. Your employer should write back to you and say whether or not you can leave early.

If you leave early without your employer's permission you run the risk of losing some or all of your redundancy pay. Normally this only becomes an issue if your employer has given you a longer redundancy notice period than the statutory minimum.

What i find hard to get is that if she has Friday, Saturday and Sunday to meet new prospective families so why then the hard push to have early finishes and the short notice she is giving you.

I feel she is being cheeky to even be asking for time off for attending interviews. Whilst you are making her redundant, she does not work Fri, Sat, Sun so she has opportunity to arrange interviews for those days. Any parent who is interviewing her surely would be prepared to wait for a suitable date/time to do the interview... In the past I've had parents wait 5 days or more as I've been away on holiday.
If she's going to lots of interviews I would expect she isn't being too choosy about which jobs she applies - her problem of course rather than yours. Though by saying no to requests for leaving early perhaps you will do her a favour and make her be a bit more selective in the jobs she applies for. Initial interviews could be done over the phone... initial meeting may be with or without children, if with children there surely there would be some negotiation over fixing a suitable date/time when your nanny was available to meet the family.

I feel you are being very reasonable in letting her have time off as it is. If it isn't convenient, then say No. She is still Your Employee.

Cripes. I've only ever interviewed in my own time. In over 13 years! It wouldn't even enter my head to ask for time off (after all - I want a good reference including reliability and good work ethic, right to the end ).

I'd tell her you can't allow her anymore time off for interviews. End of. What you must do is look after your own career and reputation.

what will you do about a reference? (both the written one and the one on the phone???)

I've always gone for first interviews after the kids have been to bed and after i finish work! Usually i meet the kids on the second interview unless the interview is at the weekend of course.

I think I must have "mug" imprinted on my forehead. You are all right - and I will have to be harder with her. She is leaving 30 mins early tomorrow for another interview. I will drum into her that she will have to do any more interviews in her own time.

frakkinuts - she has been with us for more than 2 years so she is entitled to redundancy and all that entails

turniphead - I have written a reference already which does not mention punctuality, reliability or sick leave. If I am asked then I will tell any prospective employer about the sick leave she has had and she knows that.

Thank you for making me see sense.

Okay so you have to give time off but only reasonable time. She's not being reasonable! So you are quite right to say 'no more'