Sick Days? Vacation Days? What to pay for...


Let's face it. We hire a nanny to provide the best and most flexible care for our families. It makes our life easier too. Or should. But it is expensive - after our mortgages the full time nanny is probably the biggest expense in our household.

Most nannies don't receive a full compliment of employment benefits as they would working in industry. However, there is a minimum threshold of benefits necessary to keep your nanny happy and to keep your conscience quiet!

Everyone gets sick on occasion and we all need periodic vacations. Most employers offer their nanny sick and/or vacation days.

A recent trend in nanny compesation is to offer Flex Days in lieu of paid vacation and sick days. The Flex Days are paid days to be used at the nanny's discretion. Typically there are 10 - 15 days, and they can cover sick days, personal days, and vacation (pre-scheduled according to your agreement).

More information on nanny salary and compensation can be found at the 4nannies.com website.

The Snow is Coming...



Forecasters are calling for a major snow event on the East Coast for later this weekend. Does your nanny commute to your home (live out or come and go)? If so, how do you deal with weather emergencies in your work agreement?

Our pro-forma work agreement offers the following suggested wording:



BAD WEATHER DAYS

It is understood that certain days throughout the winter months will likely be inclement and it may not be safe to drive to work. On days where it is anticipated that you may have difficulty getting to work, you agree to spend the night at our house. A separate bedroom and bath will be available to you. You are also welcome to spend any night with us when the weather becomes inclement during the day and you have any concern about arriving home safely. In the event that you are unable to get to work due to unanticipated inclement weather, those days will be [paid] [unpaid].

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Of course, this doesn't work for everyone. What about the nanny who has her own family to care for? Or the day when you are really really late because the weather caught you by surprise? The single-parent home where the parent is on-call for emergencies? The myriad possibilites boggle the mind. The nature of the agreement isn't really what is important. What matters is that the nanny and family have had a discussion on how to deal with these circumstances in advance of a crisis and memoralized the agreement in the written work agreement. Communication and mutual good will are the two most important important factors to a successful, long term nanny:family relationship.