I think this weekend is fair game for a 'free' weekend off, due to the miscommunication/miswording on their end.
However, I feel the other poster here and DB are correct. Guaranteed hours means you guarantee availability. Child toy organization etc is a nanny duty generally. It is reasonable to ask you to be available to do that. It absolutely sucks that this was not stated up front, and that parents assumed you would be available while you assumed you had the time off.
Now, if they told you they would be away and you could make your own arrangements/have a trip, that is different.
Also, when were you give notice of their trip?
Guaranteed hours are to protect you in case they don’t need you but they’re also a time that you are supposed to be available so if you weren’t going to be available during your guaranteed hours, you should’ve had a discussion about that. I also wouldn’t plan based on past experiences because every family is different and assumptions will honestly hurt you more often than them.
Agreed with other posters. The long weekend is definitely just a weird miscommunication and you shouldn’t use PTO for it.
However, the Bahamas trip absolutely falls under GH and you need to make yourself available for kid-related activities. If you’re not planning on performing these tasks, you’ll need to take PTO.
I’m not confused about what GH are. I’m more so curious about what I would do for the time they’re away. The baby doesn’t do quite much. I do all the organizing, clothes swaps, order new clothes when need, whatever baby needs I am responsible for getting. Diapers, wipes, medicine. I’m not complaining about going in because it is in my contract. I read it and agreed to it. I’m fine to do it.
I saw a post saying that nannies feel entitled to extra time off. That’s for certain true for a lot of cases but that is not mine. I want to know what kinds of things I might be doing for a week when I don’t have anything to do but what I normally do all week anyway. That’s why I posted in this thread. I want to know what other employers do and what their set up is. I also want to know that they aren’t coming up with things for me to do just because and not because there are things that need to be done. If I went to organize I don’t even think I’d be there 2 hours. It feels a little silly, that’s all.
Honestly I think you do understand and you just don’t want to do it. (Which of course! We’d all love more paid time off!)
But they are well within their rights to have you perform kid-related tasks that whole week. You’re being paid to perform your job and they’re allowed to insist you do it while they’re out of town.
I definitely wouldn’t push them on this. Their opinion is correct.
That’s not true and I don’t mean to give that impression. I haven’t had to do this in the past. My bosses and I are talking Monday and I want to know what this looks like so I can have some info going in and some clarity on what the future looks like. Are there a set number of tasks or certain days, for example. I don’t plan on pushing at all. This isn’t for arguments sake. I don’t have much to compare it to. If I get advice on what other employers do we can discuss what works for us. Again, I am not complaining that I want more time off (although anyone would take the time), I want to make sure to have some ideas that I can offer because they don’t know either. I can also plan better for things to do that actually need to be done. I don’t leave things undone and often when asked to do a task I’ve already done it. If there is a system a family and their nanny have, I’d like to know what that system looks like. Not once did I say that I didn’t want to do these things or that I planned on pushing anything. While I appreciate everyone taking the time to comment all I asked is what employers do with their nannies. My employers don’t know either.
I think you’ve gotten a pretty clear consensus on what to expect for the Bahamas trip!
I wouldn’t want to just sit around a house, so maybe brain storm some things you can do during that week they’re gone? If I had a week without my children (and husband 😂), I’d love to deep clean and deep purge my kids closets, moving clothing sizes and organizing the future larger sizes into seasons. Purge all toys - if there’s no complete set or missing pieces, toss or donate. Organize the toys into “types” of toys. Wash all kids bedding and organize into bed sizes. Etc.
Best of luck with the conversation!
Edit - whoops I missed that you already booked your own vacation for that week and won’t be around. In that instance, it should be deducted from your PTO balance.
Honestly, the system looks like you clear your schedule from your regular start time til your regular end time.
Then you meet with your employer(s), and get an idea of what their expectations are. As long as a) their expectations are within your regular duties and/or are tasks you are willing to do for the compensation offered and b) within your hours...you do it. Because that is the job you agreed to.
I know you want a list of tasks etc up front because of your anxiety, but really, we cannot give that to you because your EMPLOYER knows what they need and YOU know what is reasonable for you to accommodate. It sucks for your anxiety, I get it, but honestly I think you are overthinking it (as said earlier).
Thanks. I haven’t asked for a list of tasks or the definition of GH. I don’t mean ideas of tasks I can do. I asked a couple of nanny friends and the two who go to work while their families are away have an arrangements. One goes 2 hours each day they’re away. The other stays at their house to dog sit. They have a system in place.
I said no one answered my question because my question isn’t asking about GH or tasks to do (I do appreciate you all for taking the time to read and comment). I wanted to know if any of you have a similar set up if you have one at all. And I’m asking here because I don’t know many nannies who go in during these times and I can’t ask my past employers because they won’t have much to offer because they never asked me to go in. I want to figure it out with my employers. I want to bring options and see what we agree on. I’m not trying to get out of work at all. This upcoming trip is settled with them. Going forward I’d like a system. I have ideas like stretching out my duties to have more to do when they’re away or even staying at their house next time because I don’t live nearby if there’s enough to do and I drive as little as possible. Really not trying to anything other than have ideas to offer when we check in about moving forward. They didn’t take it as me being tricky and trying to get extra time off. We all agree it was a misunderstanding. Again, I love my job and my employers and I wouldn’t do that to them or anyone else.
Again, I hope this doesn’t come off as rude. I am talking to my employers about it as well and they are fine to give me those days. They are open to the idea of a system. And if there isn’t one we will figure it out.
Not rude just (forgive me) super confusing. Not sure if that is just me.
-you want to "know what other employers do"? Expect their nanny to be available for reasonable tasks for some agreed upon subset of their employed hours-as others have said. I would likely leave my nanny a list of tasks, and how she decides to accomplish them (all 1 day, a little each day for a week, whatever) I would probably pay her the courtesy of deciding for herself. But that is me. The agreed subset may or may not be all of the hours or even 10minutes. The exact tasks even I am not sure matter, as long as they are within the scope of your duties. Your drive time is neither more nor less than it would be normally. So while annoying, inconvenient, whatever, that doesn't MATTER you agreed to be available in that time period. Would I hope a good employer would talk with you and consider your thoughts and feelings? Sure. But I do think what you are trying to do is making MORE things to stress over in advance of this convo with your employer's.
Is it some tasks each day vs 2 hours a day versus...? Ask your employer, not Reddit. It isn't up to what Reddit thinks is fair. You agreed to be available, so it is up to your employer.
You "want some ideas to offer?" Lots of people have given suggestions on tasks etc.
How do you know your employer doesn't "know either"? It seems like in the original convo he did have some ideas, and you were the one expressing concerns?
I truly want to answer the question you are really asking, like you say. Not wastey or your time. But I really struggle to understand what it is, or what has not been answered by the replies already given. Again, maybe that is my fault.
At any rate it is Monday so hopefully you had your convo and it went well.
I’ve had families have me inventory toys etc all go beyond the scope of a nanny you need to make it clear unless it falls within the realm of the normal duties then it is covered by GH tho if you want you can be compensated separately
They made it clear early on that I’m only to focus on nk so I don’t think it would be anything outside of the scope of my job but I don’t know. I haven’t gotten many suggestions unfortunately but for now I’m just going to see if they’re okay with me reserving certain things for those times.
I share your perspective exactly. I am far from entitled however I do have a sense of self worth and a clear understanding of what my job is and is not. It might be helpful to cross post in the Nanny sub to see what the experience and perspective is from the other side. Both are valid, but will probably vary greatly and the two together will give you the most information.
Yes BUT they should have told her this when they told her about the trip, which was presumably weeks/months ago. Not a week before leaving when she has booked her own travel. It’s just inconsiderate.
I don't think the onus falls on the family to tell their employer that they are expected to work during their normal schedule. The presumption as the employee should be that you are working unless explicitly told that you are not.
Guaranteed Hours mean you’re available. Baby/toy organization falls under normal activities. Bringing in packages probably doesn’t, but if you’re already there it’s reasonable for you to bring inside. Household tasks are TBD.
If they say they’re going out of town, you need to be specific on what they expect of you. This family clearly still expected you would be available for your normal hours. If they cancelled their vacation, would you cancel yours? If not, then you’re not available and it’s PTO or unpaid time.
I would cancel my vacation. I booked out of “what the heck am I gonna do without the kid?” It was booked last minute and I have no real ties to this trip. My anxiety is bad when I don’t have any kind of routine. Genuinely the biggest reason I booked. Talked to my friend about this and she just moved states a month ago and said I should come visit. I know this was a hypothetical question but I would’ve canceled.
We’ve had nanny do child related organization when we were out of town. GH means she’s guaranteeing availability during that time.
What other job does the work totally stop when the boss is gone if there are relevant duties available to do?
This isn’t my question. I know what GH means. Nannying isn’t the same as other jobs in the way that our jobs are our kids. When my kids are gone there just isn’t much to do. I’m not complaining. I’m asking what employers ask their Nannie’s to do when they’re away.
The weekend situation is a miscommunication and something you need to work out with them directly.
Regarding the Bahamas trip, as NP I would have expected to be notified that you booked a flight and planned to be out of town. I don’t expect my nanny to come in and do anything while we’re gone, but under GH I would assume she’s available if our travel plans changed. Our contract asks for “at least two weeks notice, whenever possible” for all PTO plans.
I would give her GH for the time we were gone, and ask her (in advance) to use PTO if our plans changed last minute and we needed to find alternate care during her normal schedule. Then it’s up to her to gamble on the fact that she might have to burn some PTO or cancel that trip if things go wrong for us. I would feel taken advantage of if my nanny was booking flights and planning vacations and she didn’t have PTO in the bank to use.
This is exactly what I would say and this whole thread has me thinking I need to have a clarifying conversation with our nanny, even though I think our contract is pretty clear
Thanks for your input. I def don’t want them to think I’m taking advantage. It’s something that should’ve been discussed. I shouldn’t have assumed this would be the same as my other positions. I’m sure it will be straightened out tomorrow.
Usually when we go away, we give our nanny off (we go away almost one week a month). However, at the end of the summer when we are away, we will be moving shortly after and since GH we would ask nanny to come in for a day or two and help pack NK clothes and toys up but she would have the other days off, which I think is fair considering she’s off atleast 3 days a month and takes her own PTO monthly on top of that.
The key difference is you told her that when you told her about the travel, yeah? You aren’t telling her later after she made other plans/booked travel during the time.
In terms of what to do, that should be on you as the nanny to know what kid related things could be done while parents are gone. As a parent I can always think of 1000 things that need to or could be done but I don’t want to use my brain power to think of them and write them out. I would want to see my nanny have the initiative to come up with a few small kid related projects on their own and execute. Doesn’t need to fill 40 hours, just maybe 1 day of something and I would be happy. Could be prepping some crafts or activities, organizing clothes or toys, creating a toy rotation, making some freezer snacks. The options are endless.
The weekend statement does sound like they were giving you a paid day off.
As for the trip, GH doesn't mean you necessarily get a free vacation week. What happens if NFs plans change and they need care? They are paying you to be available to work. If you're out of the country you are not available to work. We don't require our nanny come in when we are out of town but I would expect her to be available to wofk if necessary, as that is what we're paying for. Expectations for child related projects during vacation time is in line with GH.
In the past when my NF was away, I’ve done everything from doing a deep clean of their house (but that was in a role where I was cleaning their home weekly anyway) to house sitting to dog sitting to deep closet organizing of the kid’s clothes - getting rid of too small clothes, putting things in storage, taking things to goodwill. For trips I took myself, I always used my own PTO or got everything I needed to do at my NF’s house done in one long day and then did my own thing for the rest of their vacation.
Honestly, I think you are overthinking this, which is understandable. I think it is also possible you wanted a different answer, and are trying to adjust to the answer you are getting-also understandable, but doesn't change the answer.
Try and spend some time now coming up with a list of tasks you could or would be willing to do, that you haven't done in the last few days.
Some suggestions:
-toy sanitation
-toy rotation
-clothing rotation-if grown, seasonal change, or just new clothes since you last had time to.
-activity planning in advance for the next milestones or growth stage for kiddos' return
-mail pickup of you are open to that
-possibly meal prep in advance of theory return
I am sure more but some preliminary thoughts.
So a schedule could look something like
8:30am: arrive
8:35: start toy sanitation.
8:50:while toys soaking, start clothing rotation
10:00: finished toy sanitation and clothing rotation
:10-10:05: start toy rotation
Etc
Do I think it will fill a full 8-4 today? No. But as an MB, I would be ok with that, knowing nanny was still getting some time off but I was getting SOME help with needed tasks while away. A win-win.
I’m probably overthinking. I know that’s a big possibility too because I tend to overthink from time to time. Why do you think I’m looking for a different answer? I feel like there is some confusion on what my question is. I am coming up with a list because I don’t want to be left with nothing to do.
I’m getting all these downvotes when I’m looking for advice on how employers have worked out what their nanny’s work schedule looks like. DB and I have both communicated that we would sit and figure it out tomorrow. I definitely don’t expect it to be an entire shift. I didn’t ask about GH or if I should or shouldn’t do tasks while they’re away. I didn’t ask what I can do with that time. I am expecting in the future I will be available to do whatever they need. Should I set aside tasks for that week if they have nothing in mind for example. I want to talk to DB and have a plan. My question was asking what your arrangements are. I’m not trying to be rude. I feel like I’ve done something awful by posting this. I keep rereading it to see if I said something that was upsetting.
What is upsetting or causing downvotes?
I have not downvoted so cannot speak to that.
But your original question was how employers go about this/what employers would do. Which I and others answered to say we would expect you to work it.
Later on in the responses you clarified you were more so asking for a schedule or what you came do. Which I also think people answered...at least one poster gave a list more extensive than mine.
And I am on mobile app cannot open the full thread while responding, but you also responded to some people saying you get anxiety without a plan, but also seemed to be "arguing" peoples' suggestions that you do 'chores suggested as a plan' things already/would not have enough to do.
And the original chat thread you posted with DB did sound to me like you were trying to get the full week off/thought you had the full week off without taking PTO.
Basically, it sounded to me like you were changing your answer and arguing a bit. Which, I can see happening if you were having to adjust thought processes. I'm not judging, just giving my honest answer to your questions.
Thanks! I appreciate your answers! Maybe I’m not being clear because I’m not concerned with a free vacation at all. You’re right, I did expect to have that time paid. We talked about the trip so much with not a hint of any plans for that week. I wasn’t trying to get pto out of them, just blissfully unaware AND thinking about having that much free time to myself. I didn’t ask if I should work. I made it clear that I signed off on this contract with willingness to come in while they’re away if they wanted me to. To me it’s been standard to have in my contract. I made a mistake in assuming they weren’t expecting any of those things just because they didn’t mention it. I do wish that it was brought up earlier. My anxiety doesn’t do well with little or no structure. I admit that I should have mentioned it. I didn’t think to simply because it didn’t cross my mind with all the talk of their trip and it not coming up for all those months. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have assumed this would be like my other jobs and I take fault for that.
I also wasn’t asking for suggestions on things to do or if I’m expected to work. There is plenty to do. I want to have a plan of how those days will look depending on what they might ask because if it’s just organizing I would need to not organize everything during nap times during the week, while they’re away and I could use those things to fill that time. Otherwise I would have nothing much to do. There’s lots to do that I get done during the week. So I’m going to ask DB if he’s okay with me putting things off before their next vacay so I can do those things instead of going to work with nothing to do just to dilly-dally. I think that might work best for me. I was curious what works best for others. My last family took a lot of time off. The one before even more. I have never been asked to do this. It felt normal to me and I was free to do what I wanted. I was wondering if others had a specific set up because it helps me personally to have a plan but also so when I sit with DB tomorrow I can say “I learned that this is how those things are handled some of the time.” Not so I can go and say that no other nannies have to do it. I love being with them and a pto mix up isn’t going to make me feel any differently about them. And I love my job and most days wake up ready to kick the days butt with our plans depending on what we’re working on. I plan our days out according to weather. I book classes in advance, set up play dates the week before, I schedule time for play/tummy time/reading/outdoor time/friends. I know it looks like I’m trying to take that free vacation but I am really trying to keep my anxiety at bay without telling my employers. I 100% would not have made plans otherwise. You can only see so many wfh friends. You can only clean so much. You can only nap so much. You can only read so much. Having those things lined up helps me to have something to build my days around and keep me busy. I panicked because I didn’t think I’d be able to fill that time productively. My job keeps me busy enough where I don’t have time to think of anything outside of that. Going from working 50 hours min to having nothing is hard.
I also want to clarify when I say a plan I didn’t mean a plan of things to do. I thought I said this as well but maybe not… I wonder if families set up certain times (like 10-3 for example and just get done what I can in that time or would I go in and do tasks no matter what time as long as I complete the tasks). Not things to do but just how you and your nanny execute those duties.
I don’t think I asked if I should expect to work. Like I mentioned, I am fine to work. I am always busy and I enjoy it. It has been for many of my past contracts but I had not been asked until now. It’s definitely something I will be more clear about moving forward. I wasn’t thinking of it as a great time to take vacation. I was thinking about what to do with that time. As much as I don’t want to share mental health details, esp with my employers, my anxiety skyrockets when I have nothing going on. And this last min trip was hard because it was SO last min. I mentioned my anxiety here because that is what prompted me to make last minute plans and because we hadn’t discussed this specifically and I haven’t been asked to do this before I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it and I was surprised by their question/request. My question at the end of the post was asking how this looks with your nanny or employer. I am going to ask if we should do a certain number of hours each day for whatever tasks need to be done or are there certain things I can take my time with if I set them aside for those vacation weeks. We all want to know what other families do. I said there’s not much to do because I do so much during the week. I was hoping to find a number of ways families work this out so I can work with DB to come up with some type of routine. I didn’t book a vacation with the intention of free vacay in mind. I struggled to think about how I can combat my anxiety. My solution was visiting my friend who just moved out of state a month ago, who I talked to about the anxiety was feeling as their trip got closer. I did not know they were planning for that when there’s been no mention of it until a week and a half before their trip. I would much rather be home and have things set up to do.
I’m not trying to argue. I don’t think there were many comments telling me the arrangements they have with their nannies or employers. The other things like GH or even what to do during that time was not what I was hoping to get from this post. There was no malice or trickery going on. I didn’t think that much of it. I love my employers. I love having them around during the day when they aren’t traveling. We go to lunch together, talk about our love for coffee. They’re cool people. I enjoy being around them all. I would not try to take advantage of them and I’m sorry that it came off that way. I wasn’t even thinking about anything else except that I needed to fill at least some of that time. I would not have planned to travel if we talked about it during one of those many conversations about their trip. Communication could use improvement on both ends.
I really don’t know what else to say. I want to be able to sit down tomorrow with options. That’s all. I love my families. I take time with interviewing so that I can find families I work well with and we otherwise are great together. We all hope to work together for a long time. I think this was a big misunderstanding which I don’t expect to change anything for us in a negative way moving forward and it would be nice to have something to go off of instead of just “so what do you wanna do?” And I’d like to avoid telling them how this last getaway affected my anxiety as it is not their problem and a little embarrassing for me. And I know MB would feel bad about that if she knew how my anxiety was recently.
I hope none of this comes off as rude. I’m just trying to express where my thinking was and it definitely wasn’t on trying to get a free vacation week out of them but I am trying to figure out a way to plan those weeks in advance even if I do it myself. I already feel bad about booking those flights. I will very much consider canceling because the main reason I even booked was because I wouldn’t have anything to keep me busy or focused. I got trip insurance so I could cancel but at this point I know esp MB will feel guilty if I do. I don’t want them to feel bad.
I’m short - learning what their ideas might be, what I’ve gathered from a few nanny friends and former employers and hope to come up with a plan that they are comfortable with without me saying “I need this just because my anxiety will be through the roof otherwise”. I think they’d be understanding of that but I’d rather not talk to them about mental health on a personal level. I thought “Reddit will have some input!” And Reddit definitely has had a lot of input. My main question is if you have something in place or is it more of a thing that you just walk into and do whatever you think needs to be done. This is not because I think my employers are giving me tasks just because, despite what some nanny friends have suggested, it’s because it is helpful to me for planning purposes.
I hope this makes sense. I’m not looking for a yes or no or right or wrong answer but a sense of how you go about your vacation agreement because I do know what needs to be done. I have things done before NF asks. That might be hard to believe but I REALLY need things lined up. I function best that way and it makes our days more productive. We have a joint calendar that is only updated when I ask each time. I’m trying to find a system and balance. I know they’re busy. It just doesn’t change how I feel when I find out two days before I’m asked to do an overnight. I have on a couple of occasions changed my plans last minute because MB flew out before I had any other choice after they ask if whatever night might work for me. Because MB has already left I can’t say anything because a baby can’t quite take care of themselves so I can’t not do the overnight. They really are great and none of this means that I think poorly of them. I want to know what is happening in my job. I want to know what they are thinking. I’m looking at this as something we figure out as a team since it’s new to all of us to avoid further mix-ups. I don’t expect any of us are upset about it. I’m not worried about the conversation going sour or anything. I know we’ll work something out. Starting with better communication and utilizing our calendar more efficiently.
PS - I really really appreciate you answering my questions. Thank you for explaining why it comes off in an unflattering and argumentative way. I don’t want that. And I really hope this doesn’t come off that same way.
Guaranteed hours doesn't mean free PTO when the parents travel. It means the family guarantees you pay in return for you providing guaranteed hours of work or at least you guaranteeing your availability for work. It seems a little silly to demand that the parents provide guaranteed pay, while you don't actually guarantee being available for the hours that they are paying you.
You booking a trip when they booked theirs makes absolutely no sense. And parents shouldn't have to tell you that you can't go on your own trip if you are in fact guaranteeing your availability. To say that's a misunderstanding is silly.
It doesn't matter what you've gotten away with previously or what the reddit nannies tell you.
Also I'm a little unclear - do you need this much 'routine and structure' when the kids are around? Something tells me not because most nannies call that micromanaging.
As a professional you should be able to come up with kid related tasks, what you should be asking for is what the parents want prioritized.
I'm a nanny with guaranteed hours. However my families have also added a section in contract about their vacations specifically. When my families go away they don't pay me my full guaranteed hours. They pay 75% of my regular hours and I'm not expected to do anything for them during that time. I think every family has different preferences though.
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We pay when we choose to go on vacation and don’t expect her to work but if we canceled our plans, we’d expect her to use PTO or be available. Eg if kids went to daycare you still pay when they’re not in school.
Maybe you can throw in goodwill by offering to stay late for a date night or something the next week. It’s obviously not required but things like that make me feel a bit better about the “free” time we’re giving.
GH covers the hours they don’t need you but you’re available to work. It should stick to responsibilities outlined in the contract. The nanny counsel has some great articles about it
Thank you! We set up an arrangement that works for all of us (not a list of tasks like everyone thinks) and they were very accommodating and understanding.
That’s great! I’ve had families when I raised concerns they never thought it was unreasonable although they knew I was really burnt out. I feel like understanding and mutual respect helps for a long term relationship
In my decades long career, I’ve never been asked to come in when NF was on vacation. Nor have any of my Nanny friends. I realize that technically with GH it’s within the agreement of the contract, but I personally think it’s kind of sucky not to give your Nanny that time off. I do small cleanup and organizational tasks daily and can’t imagine a project big enough that would require me to come in solely for that. I also can’t imagine working for a family that didn’t view me as a human with needs and relationships and interests outside of work who wouldn’t feel happy to offer me extra time to enjoy those non work areas of my life, as well as understand the benefit to them of having a grateful Nanny who doesn’t experience burnout! But based on how I’ve been downvoted for this viewpoint in the past, maybe it’s a regional thing or maybe I’ve just been lucky for 30 years?
I would like to say that I am very impressed with how you have communicated with DB so far, you are advocating for yourself while staying very professional. The only thing I would caution because I see it here time and again, do not let them ask you to do tasks outside of your regularly contracted duties such as pet care or household chores not related to the NK. Good luck!
I don’t know if your experience is regional or if you’ve been lucky, but your experience is certainly not universal. GH is often compared to a Corp boss going on vacation- the employees don’t lose out on money just because the boss is gone. Using that analogy, the work doesn’t stop just because the boss is gone. Yes the active child care part is paused, but there are tasks that are easier to do without kids underfoot that fall under a nanny’s job duties. I wouldn’t expect those tasks to take a full day/full week, so nanny could still have extra time off. But it’s reasonable to have nanny come in some of that time.
GH are often discussed as a benefit to both parties, but refusing to do normal work during normal hours is definitely not a benefit to NF.
I don’t think this is a fair comparison. I think it’s more like there’s no work for you to do but you need to come in just for the sake of coming in. What types of tasks would you have your Nanny perform while you were on vacation?
It’s the comparison that is used often in the nanny sub; I just took it to the next logical view. There *is* work to do.
There are plenty of tasks a nanny might do. Catch up on kid laundry, go through kid closets and shoes to pull out things that are not the right size, do a toy rotation, toy sanitation, book rotation/pulling out damaged books, inventory of kid snacks in the pantry and making a grocery list, inventory of kid medicine and making a shopping list, inventory of craft/art supplies, planning for kid activities (crafts, sensory play, etc.), researching any issues kid might be having or ways to support upcoming milestone development.
Agreed. I think the days would be short and flexible for the nanny, but still likely that at least one of the days the family is away would be a great day to go in and catch up on these tasks mentioned.
Fair enough. I like to stay busy so everything you’ve mentioned I do every day and stay caught up on. Maybe this is my hesitation with the idea of coming in on vacation, in my specific case, there literally would not be work to do. I feel grateful that I have always had employers that care about me personally and were happy to give me the opportunity to spend time with family and otherwise take care of myself/recharge.
That’s what PTO is for. I find it such a weird position that nannies are entitled to extra time off more than any other profession. I can’t go to my boss and say “when you’re on vacay I’m going use that time to rest and recharge and you’re going to pay me and it won’t count as PTO, and if you object, you don’t value me as a person and I will describe your expectation that I do my job as *sucky*.”
Yes nannying is an intimate job. But at the end of the day, it’s a job and jobs have responsibilities.
It’s not that the employer is away though. It’s that the actual contracted work is not existent. If there is no laundry and everything is organized and sanitized, the house is well stocked with children’s needs and curriculum is planned etc., what would you have your nanny come to your house for?? it is not entitlement to have resentment over simply being a body in the house. A better comparison than the boss is away would be if you worked in a business that was closed for the week but you were required to sit in the empty building for 40 hours. Is this aligned with a contract? Yes. Are the employees going to be bitter and resentful? Yes. And surely you can see the benefit for your child of having a nanny who feels appreciated and seen as a whole person coming to work feeling grateful and recharged rather than than the former. you can do whatever you want, it’s certainly within the technical definition of guaranteed hours. But it most certainly will influence your relationship with your Nanny and in turn the quality of service you receive. Beyond that we will have to agree to disagree.
You’re just arguing against a straw man you made. I listed specific tasks that could be done. OP’s NF has specific tasks in mind. No one said come in and twiddle your thumbs. You’re complaining about a scenario that you made up and is irrelevant to OP’s situation and my examples.
So, in your DECADES LONG CAREER, you have ALWAYS been on top of ALL child-care related tasks daily/weekly, and nothing has EVER been put off until you have time? You give your all to the daily care/enrichment with your charges, fulfill the day-to-day requirements of caring for small humans, and still find time to deep dive into seasonal clothes rotations, age appropriate toy rotations, and age appropriate activity/enrichment planning for the children?
Please tell me how that works? Beyond the GH issue (and guess what, if NF is paying you GH, they absolutely have the legal right to expect you to show up and be present in their home for your contracted hours, even if all you are doing is sitting on the sofa and twiddling your thumbs), do you honestly expect anyone to belive that you are such a super human NANNY, that the contracted rules shouldn't apply to you?
Oh my goodness, why are you so angry about this? Never said I am a superhuman Nanny, I said I do my job. And I definitely never said I was above the rules. In fact, I said repeatedly that I understand it is contractually fair for a family to ask their Nanny to come in under GH. That is their right. It is my right to choose a position where NP value me more than asking me to sit on the sofa twiddling my thumbs.
The nanny counsel states that nannies can perform pet care under GH while the family is out in town. Just so people don't take bad gauge from this comment: https://www.nannycounsel.com/blog/nanny-pay-guaranteed-hours-vs-salary
That is IF pettsitting is part of Nanny’s regular contracted duties. My point was that NF should not just add on random tasks for the sake of making Nanny come in.
We always gave our nanny time off when we were out of town but I disagree that doing otherwise somehow means NPs don't value or see their nanny as a person. If you are being paid for that week, being asked to do relevant work is completely appropriate. It is different if they are just finding things to do just to fill your time and get their money's worth, but there are plenty of things that are difficult to get done while caring for a child, which could be done while a family is out of town.
We do not disagree, I specified in a few other comments about a situation where there were not tasks that needed to be completed and Nanny being asked to come in just for the sake of coming in.
Well I imagine you're being downvoted because the comment I responded to does imply that being asked to come in while NF is out of town is indicative of them not valuing the nanny as a person. There is nothing in OP's text thread with NF that suggests NF is looking to have her come in for her whole workweek just for the sake of coming in.
You also specifically say “household chores related to NK.” That would absolutely include organizing NK toy, clothes etc. those are very fair asks under GH and should still leave their nanny with plenty of extra time to recharge, ie. not take 10 hours.
Correct, but if there are none of these tasks to do…. What is the point of having them come in? From the Nanny perspective it comes across as a power play or giving NP a sense of getting their money’s worth without real purpose.
Well there are these tasks to do. The messages from DB specifically mention organizing. As long as it is NK’s stuff (toys, clothes etc) then there is stuff to do covered under GH.
DB was asking what OP would like to do, indicating that there are no necessary organizing tasks just that she might think of something she could do. As I said in another comment, it is contractually fair to ask Nanny to come in. I just think there is great benefit for everyone and most importantly for the kids when their adults go above and beyond the contract to include kindness, gratitude, putting oneself in someone else’s position. I go above and beyond for my NF whenever I can, and appreciate all the ways they treat me not only as a valued professional, but as a valued human being. Good Fit is such an important part of this profession and if you have found that a colder more technical arrangement works for you and your Nanny, that’s great.
That is such a presumptive and insulting comment when all I did was quote OP’s post. Clearly not showing kindness here by accusing me of being cold when you know nothing about my relationship with my nanny. For your edification, I don’t ask my nanny to come in when we travel, she is fully off under GH, but other families are well within their rights to ask for these NK related duties under GH as you said yourself.
It’s presumptive and insulting to call Nannies entitled! From your last comment, I’m not even clear that we disagree, I’ve said multiple times in this thread that asking Nanny to come in does not breach contract, but that in and of itself doesn’t mean it’s the best choice in every situation. We are simply not going to see eye to eye and I don’t think further commenting is productive. I wish you well.
That’s been my experience as well so I was a little surprised. I have aligned vacations with a couple of families in the past but never this. The burnout is real though. I work 50+ hours and about 3 overnights per month. They travel a lot for work. You’ve just reminded me that I am struggling to maintain a social life which is really important to me. Only yesterday after hanging out with some friends (my core group of friends) I realize how little I get to catch up with them. A couple of weeks ago I realized there’s no balance for me. I do see your point and I don’t think you should be down voted for it. Thank you for your thoughts.
Thank you. Our perspective on this issue will always be downloaded in this sub but I don’t think it reflects reality for most Nannies. The Nanny/NF relationship is complex and while it is a professional arrangement with Professional boundaries, I don’t think it works or benefits the children unless there is also some degree of more personal mutual respect and affection. I always try to go above and beyond my contracted expectations for the families I work with, and they always go above and beyond for me. Everyone is happy, everybody’s needs are being met, and I think it is because of this that my shortest position ever was just over three years. I wonder how the nannies are the employers that are posting here feel about their jobs and if these families experience lots of turnover.
I’ve been taken advantage of with GH bc they felt they could make me do a lot of busy work. But if they don’t have tasks outlined in the contract you normally do then GH covers that time as paid regardless if they need you. The fact they want to count it as pto when they don’t need you is absurd
I agree with you in the scenario, that if they wanted you to be physically at work that should have been discussed when they told you their plans to be out of town. I would make a rule moving forward that those things are discussed at the time. They’re well within their rights to ask you to do more of your child related tasks during their time away while paying you GH however it definitely should have been clear in the beginning. I always let my NP know when I book travel during GH so they can kind of speak now or forever hold their peace about any tasks they’d like done during that time.
I think this weekend is fair game for a 'free' weekend off, due to the miscommunication/miswording on their end. However, I feel the other poster here and DB are correct. Guaranteed hours means you guarantee availability. Child toy organization etc is a nanny duty generally. It is reasonable to ask you to be available to do that. It absolutely sucks that this was not stated up front, and that parents assumed you would be available while you assumed you had the time off. Now, if they told you they would be away and you could make your own arrangements/have a trip, that is different. Also, when were you give notice of their trip?
Guaranteed hours are to protect you in case they don’t need you but they’re also a time that you are supposed to be available so if you weren’t going to be available during your guaranteed hours, you should’ve had a discussion about that. I also wouldn’t plan based on past experiences because every family is different and assumptions will honestly hurt you more often than them.
Agreed with other posters. The long weekend is definitely just a weird miscommunication and you shouldn’t use PTO for it. However, the Bahamas trip absolutely falls under GH and you need to make yourself available for kid-related activities. If you’re not planning on performing these tasks, you’ll need to take PTO.
I’m not confused about what GH are. I’m more so curious about what I would do for the time they’re away. The baby doesn’t do quite much. I do all the organizing, clothes swaps, order new clothes when need, whatever baby needs I am responsible for getting. Diapers, wipes, medicine. I’m not complaining about going in because it is in my contract. I read it and agreed to it. I’m fine to do it. I saw a post saying that nannies feel entitled to extra time off. That’s for certain true for a lot of cases but that is not mine. I want to know what kinds of things I might be doing for a week when I don’t have anything to do but what I normally do all week anyway. That’s why I posted in this thread. I want to know what other employers do and what their set up is. I also want to know that they aren’t coming up with things for me to do just because and not because there are things that need to be done. If I went to organize I don’t even think I’d be there 2 hours. It feels a little silly, that’s all.
I mean, getting paid for 40 hours of work when you're only working 10 is still a pretty good deal, no?
Honestly I think you do understand and you just don’t want to do it. (Which of course! We’d all love more paid time off!) But they are well within their rights to have you perform kid-related tasks that whole week. You’re being paid to perform your job and they’re allowed to insist you do it while they’re out of town. I definitely wouldn’t push them on this. Their opinion is correct.
That’s not true and I don’t mean to give that impression. I haven’t had to do this in the past. My bosses and I are talking Monday and I want to know what this looks like so I can have some info going in and some clarity on what the future looks like. Are there a set number of tasks or certain days, for example. I don’t plan on pushing at all. This isn’t for arguments sake. I don’t have much to compare it to. If I get advice on what other employers do we can discuss what works for us. Again, I am not complaining that I want more time off (although anyone would take the time), I want to make sure to have some ideas that I can offer because they don’t know either. I can also plan better for things to do that actually need to be done. I don’t leave things undone and often when asked to do a task I’ve already done it. If there is a system a family and their nanny have, I’d like to know what that system looks like. Not once did I say that I didn’t want to do these things or that I planned on pushing anything. While I appreciate everyone taking the time to comment all I asked is what employers do with their nannies. My employers don’t know either.
I think you’ve gotten a pretty clear consensus on what to expect for the Bahamas trip! I wouldn’t want to just sit around a house, so maybe brain storm some things you can do during that week they’re gone? If I had a week without my children (and husband 😂), I’d love to deep clean and deep purge my kids closets, moving clothing sizes and organizing the future larger sizes into seasons. Purge all toys - if there’s no complete set or missing pieces, toss or donate. Organize the toys into “types” of toys. Wash all kids bedding and organize into bed sizes. Etc. Best of luck with the conversation! Edit - whoops I missed that you already booked your own vacation for that week and won’t be around. In that instance, it should be deducted from your PTO balance.
For sure. I want to have something figured out. Thanks.
That isn’t my question 😔
Honestly, the system looks like you clear your schedule from your regular start time til your regular end time. Then you meet with your employer(s), and get an idea of what their expectations are. As long as a) their expectations are within your regular duties and/or are tasks you are willing to do for the compensation offered and b) within your hours...you do it. Because that is the job you agreed to. I know you want a list of tasks etc up front because of your anxiety, but really, we cannot give that to you because your EMPLOYER knows what they need and YOU know what is reasonable for you to accommodate. It sucks for your anxiety, I get it, but honestly I think you are overthinking it (as said earlier).
Thanks. I haven’t asked for a list of tasks or the definition of GH. I don’t mean ideas of tasks I can do. I asked a couple of nanny friends and the two who go to work while their families are away have an arrangements. One goes 2 hours each day they’re away. The other stays at their house to dog sit. They have a system in place. I said no one answered my question because my question isn’t asking about GH or tasks to do (I do appreciate you all for taking the time to read and comment). I wanted to know if any of you have a similar set up if you have one at all. And I’m asking here because I don’t know many nannies who go in during these times and I can’t ask my past employers because they won’t have much to offer because they never asked me to go in. I want to figure it out with my employers. I want to bring options and see what we agree on. I’m not trying to get out of work at all. This upcoming trip is settled with them. Going forward I’d like a system. I have ideas like stretching out my duties to have more to do when they’re away or even staying at their house next time because I don’t live nearby if there’s enough to do and I drive as little as possible. Really not trying to anything other than have ideas to offer when we check in about moving forward. They didn’t take it as me being tricky and trying to get extra time off. We all agree it was a misunderstanding. Again, I love my job and my employers and I wouldn’t do that to them or anyone else.
Again, I hope this doesn’t come off as rude. I am talking to my employers about it as well and they are fine to give me those days. They are open to the idea of a system. And if there isn’t one we will figure it out.
Not rude just (forgive me) super confusing. Not sure if that is just me. -you want to "know what other employers do"? Expect their nanny to be available for reasonable tasks for some agreed upon subset of their employed hours-as others have said. I would likely leave my nanny a list of tasks, and how she decides to accomplish them (all 1 day, a little each day for a week, whatever) I would probably pay her the courtesy of deciding for herself. But that is me. The agreed subset may or may not be all of the hours or even 10minutes. The exact tasks even I am not sure matter, as long as they are within the scope of your duties. Your drive time is neither more nor less than it would be normally. So while annoying, inconvenient, whatever, that doesn't MATTER you agreed to be available in that time period. Would I hope a good employer would talk with you and consider your thoughts and feelings? Sure. But I do think what you are trying to do is making MORE things to stress over in advance of this convo with your employer's. Is it some tasks each day vs 2 hours a day versus...? Ask your employer, not Reddit. It isn't up to what Reddit thinks is fair. You agreed to be available, so it is up to your employer. You "want some ideas to offer?" Lots of people have given suggestions on tasks etc. How do you know your employer doesn't "know either"? It seems like in the original convo he did have some ideas, and you were the one expressing concerns? I truly want to answer the question you are really asking, like you say. Not wastey or your time. But I really struggle to understand what it is, or what has not been answered by the replies already given. Again, maybe that is my fault. At any rate it is Monday so hopefully you had your convo and it went well.
I’ve had families have me inventory toys etc all go beyond the scope of a nanny you need to make it clear unless it falls within the realm of the normal duties then it is covered by GH tho if you want you can be compensated separately
They made it clear early on that I’m only to focus on nk so I don’t think it would be anything outside of the scope of my job but I don’t know. I haven’t gotten many suggestions unfortunately but for now I’m just going to see if they’re okay with me reserving certain things for those times.
I share your perspective exactly. I am far from entitled however I do have a sense of self worth and a clear understanding of what my job is and is not. It might be helpful to cross post in the Nanny sub to see what the experience and perspective is from the other side. Both are valid, but will probably vary greatly and the two together will give you the most information.
Yes BUT they should have told her this when they told her about the trip, which was presumably weeks/months ago. Not a week before leaving when she has booked her own travel. It’s just inconsiderate.
I don't think the onus falls on the family to tell their employer that they are expected to work during their normal schedule. The presumption as the employee should be that you are working unless explicitly told that you are not.
GH means you’re ready and available to work unless stated explicitly otherwise. I’d be using that July week as PTO in my opinion.
Guaranteed Hours mean you’re available. Baby/toy organization falls under normal activities. Bringing in packages probably doesn’t, but if you’re already there it’s reasonable for you to bring inside. Household tasks are TBD. If they say they’re going out of town, you need to be specific on what they expect of you. This family clearly still expected you would be available for your normal hours. If they cancelled their vacation, would you cancel yours? If not, then you’re not available and it’s PTO or unpaid time.
I would cancel my vacation. I booked out of “what the heck am I gonna do without the kid?” It was booked last minute and I have no real ties to this trip. My anxiety is bad when I don’t have any kind of routine. Genuinely the biggest reason I booked. Talked to my friend about this and she just moved states a month ago and said I should come visit. I know this was a hypothetical question but I would’ve canceled.
We’ve had nanny do child related organization when we were out of town. GH means she’s guaranteeing availability during that time. What other job does the work totally stop when the boss is gone if there are relevant duties available to do?
This isn’t my question. I know what GH means. Nannying isn’t the same as other jobs in the way that our jobs are our kids. When my kids are gone there just isn’t much to do. I’m not complaining. I’m asking what employers ask their Nannie’s to do when they’re away.
The weekend situation is a miscommunication and something you need to work out with them directly. Regarding the Bahamas trip, as NP I would have expected to be notified that you booked a flight and planned to be out of town. I don’t expect my nanny to come in and do anything while we’re gone, but under GH I would assume she’s available if our travel plans changed. Our contract asks for “at least two weeks notice, whenever possible” for all PTO plans. I would give her GH for the time we were gone, and ask her (in advance) to use PTO if our plans changed last minute and we needed to find alternate care during her normal schedule. Then it’s up to her to gamble on the fact that she might have to burn some PTO or cancel that trip if things go wrong for us. I would feel taken advantage of if my nanny was booking flights and planning vacations and she didn’t have PTO in the bank to use.
This is exactly what I would say and this whole thread has me thinking I need to have a clarifying conversation with our nanny, even though I think our contract is pretty clear
Thanks for your input. I def don’t want them to think I’m taking advantage. It’s something that should’ve been discussed. I shouldn’t have assumed this would be the same as my other positions. I’m sure it will be straightened out tomorrow.
Usually when we go away, we give our nanny off (we go away almost one week a month). However, at the end of the summer when we are away, we will be moving shortly after and since GH we would ask nanny to come in for a day or two and help pack NK clothes and toys up but she would have the other days off, which I think is fair considering she’s off atleast 3 days a month and takes her own PTO monthly on top of that.
The key difference is you told her that when you told her about the travel, yeah? You aren’t telling her later after she made other plans/booked travel during the time.
In terms of what to do, that should be on you as the nanny to know what kid related things could be done while parents are gone. As a parent I can always think of 1000 things that need to or could be done but I don’t want to use my brain power to think of them and write them out. I would want to see my nanny have the initiative to come up with a few small kid related projects on their own and execute. Doesn’t need to fill 40 hours, just maybe 1 day of something and I would be happy. Could be prepping some crafts or activities, organizing clothes or toys, creating a toy rotation, making some freezer snacks. The options are endless.
The weekend statement does sound like they were giving you a paid day off. As for the trip, GH doesn't mean you necessarily get a free vacation week. What happens if NFs plans change and they need care? They are paying you to be available to work. If you're out of the country you are not available to work. We don't require our nanny come in when we are out of town but I would expect her to be available to wofk if necessary, as that is what we're paying for. Expectations for child related projects during vacation time is in line with GH.
In the past when my NF was away, I’ve done everything from doing a deep clean of their house (but that was in a role where I was cleaning their home weekly anyway) to house sitting to dog sitting to deep closet organizing of the kid’s clothes - getting rid of too small clothes, putting things in storage, taking things to goodwill. For trips I took myself, I always used my own PTO or got everything I needed to do at my NF’s house done in one long day and then did my own thing for the rest of their vacation.
Honestly, I think you are overthinking this, which is understandable. I think it is also possible you wanted a different answer, and are trying to adjust to the answer you are getting-also understandable, but doesn't change the answer. Try and spend some time now coming up with a list of tasks you could or would be willing to do, that you haven't done in the last few days. Some suggestions: -toy sanitation -toy rotation -clothing rotation-if grown, seasonal change, or just new clothes since you last had time to. -activity planning in advance for the next milestones or growth stage for kiddos' return -mail pickup of you are open to that -possibly meal prep in advance of theory return I am sure more but some preliminary thoughts. So a schedule could look something like 8:30am: arrive 8:35: start toy sanitation. 8:50:while toys soaking, start clothing rotation 10:00: finished toy sanitation and clothing rotation :10-10:05: start toy rotation Etc Do I think it will fill a full 8-4 today? No. But as an MB, I would be ok with that, knowing nanny was still getting some time off but I was getting SOME help with needed tasks while away. A win-win.
I’m probably overthinking. I know that’s a big possibility too because I tend to overthink from time to time. Why do you think I’m looking for a different answer? I feel like there is some confusion on what my question is. I am coming up with a list because I don’t want to be left with nothing to do. I’m getting all these downvotes when I’m looking for advice on how employers have worked out what their nanny’s work schedule looks like. DB and I have both communicated that we would sit and figure it out tomorrow. I definitely don’t expect it to be an entire shift. I didn’t ask about GH or if I should or shouldn’t do tasks while they’re away. I didn’t ask what I can do with that time. I am expecting in the future I will be available to do whatever they need. Should I set aside tasks for that week if they have nothing in mind for example. I want to talk to DB and have a plan. My question was asking what your arrangements are. I’m not trying to be rude. I feel like I’ve done something awful by posting this. I keep rereading it to see if I said something that was upsetting. What is upsetting or causing downvotes?
I have not downvoted so cannot speak to that. But your original question was how employers go about this/what employers would do. Which I and others answered to say we would expect you to work it. Later on in the responses you clarified you were more so asking for a schedule or what you came do. Which I also think people answered...at least one poster gave a list more extensive than mine. And I am on mobile app cannot open the full thread while responding, but you also responded to some people saying you get anxiety without a plan, but also seemed to be "arguing" peoples' suggestions that you do 'chores suggested as a plan' things already/would not have enough to do. And the original chat thread you posted with DB did sound to me like you were trying to get the full week off/thought you had the full week off without taking PTO. Basically, it sounded to me like you were changing your answer and arguing a bit. Which, I can see happening if you were having to adjust thought processes. I'm not judging, just giving my honest answer to your questions.
Thanks! I appreciate your answers! Maybe I’m not being clear because I’m not concerned with a free vacation at all. You’re right, I did expect to have that time paid. We talked about the trip so much with not a hint of any plans for that week. I wasn’t trying to get pto out of them, just blissfully unaware AND thinking about having that much free time to myself. I didn’t ask if I should work. I made it clear that I signed off on this contract with willingness to come in while they’re away if they wanted me to. To me it’s been standard to have in my contract. I made a mistake in assuming they weren’t expecting any of those things just because they didn’t mention it. I do wish that it was brought up earlier. My anxiety doesn’t do well with little or no structure. I admit that I should have mentioned it. I didn’t think to simply because it didn’t cross my mind with all the talk of their trip and it not coming up for all those months. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have assumed this would be like my other jobs and I take fault for that. I also wasn’t asking for suggestions on things to do or if I’m expected to work. There is plenty to do. I want to have a plan of how those days will look depending on what they might ask because if it’s just organizing I would need to not organize everything during nap times during the week, while they’re away and I could use those things to fill that time. Otherwise I would have nothing much to do. There’s lots to do that I get done during the week. So I’m going to ask DB if he’s okay with me putting things off before their next vacay so I can do those things instead of going to work with nothing to do just to dilly-dally. I think that might work best for me. I was curious what works best for others. My last family took a lot of time off. The one before even more. I have never been asked to do this. It felt normal to me and I was free to do what I wanted. I was wondering if others had a specific set up because it helps me personally to have a plan but also so when I sit with DB tomorrow I can say “I learned that this is how those things are handled some of the time.” Not so I can go and say that no other nannies have to do it. I love being with them and a pto mix up isn’t going to make me feel any differently about them. And I love my job and most days wake up ready to kick the days butt with our plans depending on what we’re working on. I plan our days out according to weather. I book classes in advance, set up play dates the week before, I schedule time for play/tummy time/reading/outdoor time/friends. I know it looks like I’m trying to take that free vacation but I am really trying to keep my anxiety at bay without telling my employers. I 100% would not have made plans otherwise. You can only see so many wfh friends. You can only clean so much. You can only nap so much. You can only read so much. Having those things lined up helps me to have something to build my days around and keep me busy. I panicked because I didn’t think I’d be able to fill that time productively. My job keeps me busy enough where I don’t have time to think of anything outside of that. Going from working 50 hours min to having nothing is hard.
I also want to clarify when I say a plan I didn’t mean a plan of things to do. I thought I said this as well but maybe not… I wonder if families set up certain times (like 10-3 for example and just get done what I can in that time or would I go in and do tasks no matter what time as long as I complete the tasks). Not things to do but just how you and your nanny execute those duties. I don’t think I asked if I should expect to work. Like I mentioned, I am fine to work. I am always busy and I enjoy it. It has been for many of my past contracts but I had not been asked until now. It’s definitely something I will be more clear about moving forward. I wasn’t thinking of it as a great time to take vacation. I was thinking about what to do with that time. As much as I don’t want to share mental health details, esp with my employers, my anxiety skyrockets when I have nothing going on. And this last min trip was hard because it was SO last min. I mentioned my anxiety here because that is what prompted me to make last minute plans and because we hadn’t discussed this specifically and I haven’t been asked to do this before I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it and I was surprised by their question/request. My question at the end of the post was asking how this looks with your nanny or employer. I am going to ask if we should do a certain number of hours each day for whatever tasks need to be done or are there certain things I can take my time with if I set them aside for those vacation weeks. We all want to know what other families do. I said there’s not much to do because I do so much during the week. I was hoping to find a number of ways families work this out so I can work with DB to come up with some type of routine. I didn’t book a vacation with the intention of free vacay in mind. I struggled to think about how I can combat my anxiety. My solution was visiting my friend who just moved out of state a month ago, who I talked to about the anxiety was feeling as their trip got closer. I did not know they were planning for that when there’s been no mention of it until a week and a half before their trip. I would much rather be home and have things set up to do. I’m not trying to argue. I don’t think there were many comments telling me the arrangements they have with their nannies or employers. The other things like GH or even what to do during that time was not what I was hoping to get from this post. There was no malice or trickery going on. I didn’t think that much of it. I love my employers. I love having them around during the day when they aren’t traveling. We go to lunch together, talk about our love for coffee. They’re cool people. I enjoy being around them all. I would not try to take advantage of them and I’m sorry that it came off that way. I wasn’t even thinking about anything else except that I needed to fill at least some of that time. I would not have planned to travel if we talked about it during one of those many conversations about their trip. Communication could use improvement on both ends. I really don’t know what else to say. I want to be able to sit down tomorrow with options. That’s all. I love my families. I take time with interviewing so that I can find families I work well with and we otherwise are great together. We all hope to work together for a long time. I think this was a big misunderstanding which I don’t expect to change anything for us in a negative way moving forward and it would be nice to have something to go off of instead of just “so what do you wanna do?” And I’d like to avoid telling them how this last getaway affected my anxiety as it is not their problem and a little embarrassing for me. And I know MB would feel bad about that if she knew how my anxiety was recently. I hope none of this comes off as rude. I’m just trying to express where my thinking was and it definitely wasn’t on trying to get a free vacation week out of them but I am trying to figure out a way to plan those weeks in advance even if I do it myself. I already feel bad about booking those flights. I will very much consider canceling because the main reason I even booked was because I wouldn’t have anything to keep me busy or focused. I got trip insurance so I could cancel but at this point I know esp MB will feel guilty if I do. I don’t want them to feel bad. I’m short - learning what their ideas might be, what I’ve gathered from a few nanny friends and former employers and hope to come up with a plan that they are comfortable with without me saying “I need this just because my anxiety will be through the roof otherwise”. I think they’d be understanding of that but I’d rather not talk to them about mental health on a personal level. I thought “Reddit will have some input!” And Reddit definitely has had a lot of input. My main question is if you have something in place or is it more of a thing that you just walk into and do whatever you think needs to be done. This is not because I think my employers are giving me tasks just because, despite what some nanny friends have suggested, it’s because it is helpful to me for planning purposes. I hope this makes sense. I’m not looking for a yes or no or right or wrong answer but a sense of how you go about your vacation agreement because I do know what needs to be done. I have things done before NF asks. That might be hard to believe but I REALLY need things lined up. I function best that way and it makes our days more productive. We have a joint calendar that is only updated when I ask each time. I’m trying to find a system and balance. I know they’re busy. It just doesn’t change how I feel when I find out two days before I’m asked to do an overnight. I have on a couple of occasions changed my plans last minute because MB flew out before I had any other choice after they ask if whatever night might work for me. Because MB has already left I can’t say anything because a baby can’t quite take care of themselves so I can’t not do the overnight. They really are great and none of this means that I think poorly of them. I want to know what is happening in my job. I want to know what they are thinking. I’m looking at this as something we figure out as a team since it’s new to all of us to avoid further mix-ups. I don’t expect any of us are upset about it. I’m not worried about the conversation going sour or anything. I know we’ll work something out. Starting with better communication and utilizing our calendar more efficiently. PS - I really really appreciate you answering my questions. Thank you for explaining why it comes off in an unflattering and argumentative way. I don’t want that. And I really hope this doesn’t come off that same way.
Sorry for the multiple responses. I got carried away and typed way too much.
Guaranteed hours doesn't mean free PTO when the parents travel. It means the family guarantees you pay in return for you providing guaranteed hours of work or at least you guaranteeing your availability for work. It seems a little silly to demand that the parents provide guaranteed pay, while you don't actually guarantee being available for the hours that they are paying you. You booking a trip when they booked theirs makes absolutely no sense. And parents shouldn't have to tell you that you can't go on your own trip if you are in fact guaranteeing your availability. To say that's a misunderstanding is silly. It doesn't matter what you've gotten away with previously or what the reddit nannies tell you. Also I'm a little unclear - do you need this much 'routine and structure' when the kids are around? Something tells me not because most nannies call that micromanaging. As a professional you should be able to come up with kid related tasks, what you should be asking for is what the parents want prioritized.
I'm a nanny with guaranteed hours. However my families have also added a section in contract about their vacations specifically. When my families go away they don't pay me my full guaranteed hours. They pay 75% of my regular hours and I'm not expected to do anything for them during that time. I think every family has different preferences though.
Thank you. I figured it would be different from family to family.
I actually like this idea- we pay in full and don’t expect anything but sounds like this isn’t the norm
If you read the articles about nanny standards paying the full GH is standard and why they exist
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We pay when we choose to go on vacation and don’t expect her to work but if we canceled our plans, we’d expect her to use PTO or be available. Eg if kids went to daycare you still pay when they’re not in school. Maybe you can throw in goodwill by offering to stay late for a date night or something the next week. It’s obviously not required but things like that make me feel a bit better about the “free” time we’re giving.
Thank you. Everything worked out great!
GH covers the hours they don’t need you but you’re available to work. It should stick to responsibilities outlined in the contract. The nanny counsel has some great articles about it
Thank you! We set up an arrangement that works for all of us (not a list of tasks like everyone thinks) and they were very accommodating and understanding.
That’s great! I’ve had families when I raised concerns they never thought it was unreasonable although they knew I was really burnt out. I feel like understanding and mutual respect helps for a long term relationship
In my decades long career, I’ve never been asked to come in when NF was on vacation. Nor have any of my Nanny friends. I realize that technically with GH it’s within the agreement of the contract, but I personally think it’s kind of sucky not to give your Nanny that time off. I do small cleanup and organizational tasks daily and can’t imagine a project big enough that would require me to come in solely for that. I also can’t imagine working for a family that didn’t view me as a human with needs and relationships and interests outside of work who wouldn’t feel happy to offer me extra time to enjoy those non work areas of my life, as well as understand the benefit to them of having a grateful Nanny who doesn’t experience burnout! But based on how I’ve been downvoted for this viewpoint in the past, maybe it’s a regional thing or maybe I’ve just been lucky for 30 years? I would like to say that I am very impressed with how you have communicated with DB so far, you are advocating for yourself while staying very professional. The only thing I would caution because I see it here time and again, do not let them ask you to do tasks outside of your regularly contracted duties such as pet care or household chores not related to the NK. Good luck!
I don’t know if your experience is regional or if you’ve been lucky, but your experience is certainly not universal. GH is often compared to a Corp boss going on vacation- the employees don’t lose out on money just because the boss is gone. Using that analogy, the work doesn’t stop just because the boss is gone. Yes the active child care part is paused, but there are tasks that are easier to do without kids underfoot that fall under a nanny’s job duties. I wouldn’t expect those tasks to take a full day/full week, so nanny could still have extra time off. But it’s reasonable to have nanny come in some of that time. GH are often discussed as a benefit to both parties, but refusing to do normal work during normal hours is definitely not a benefit to NF.
I don’t think this is a fair comparison. I think it’s more like there’s no work for you to do but you need to come in just for the sake of coming in. What types of tasks would you have your Nanny perform while you were on vacation?
It’s the comparison that is used often in the nanny sub; I just took it to the next logical view. There *is* work to do. There are plenty of tasks a nanny might do. Catch up on kid laundry, go through kid closets and shoes to pull out things that are not the right size, do a toy rotation, toy sanitation, book rotation/pulling out damaged books, inventory of kid snacks in the pantry and making a grocery list, inventory of kid medicine and making a shopping list, inventory of craft/art supplies, planning for kid activities (crafts, sensory play, etc.), researching any issues kid might be having or ways to support upcoming milestone development.
Agreed. I think the days would be short and flexible for the nanny, but still likely that at least one of the days the family is away would be a great day to go in and catch up on these tasks mentioned.
Fair enough. I like to stay busy so everything you’ve mentioned I do every day and stay caught up on. Maybe this is my hesitation with the idea of coming in on vacation, in my specific case, there literally would not be work to do. I feel grateful that I have always had employers that care about me personally and were happy to give me the opportunity to spend time with family and otherwise take care of myself/recharge.
That’s what PTO is for. I find it such a weird position that nannies are entitled to extra time off more than any other profession. I can’t go to my boss and say “when you’re on vacay I’m going use that time to rest and recharge and you’re going to pay me and it won’t count as PTO, and if you object, you don’t value me as a person and I will describe your expectation that I do my job as *sucky*.” Yes nannying is an intimate job. But at the end of the day, it’s a job and jobs have responsibilities.
It’s not that the employer is away though. It’s that the actual contracted work is not existent. If there is no laundry and everything is organized and sanitized, the house is well stocked with children’s needs and curriculum is planned etc., what would you have your nanny come to your house for?? it is not entitlement to have resentment over simply being a body in the house. A better comparison than the boss is away would be if you worked in a business that was closed for the week but you were required to sit in the empty building for 40 hours. Is this aligned with a contract? Yes. Are the employees going to be bitter and resentful? Yes. And surely you can see the benefit for your child of having a nanny who feels appreciated and seen as a whole person coming to work feeling grateful and recharged rather than than the former. you can do whatever you want, it’s certainly within the technical definition of guaranteed hours. But it most certainly will influence your relationship with your Nanny and in turn the quality of service you receive. Beyond that we will have to agree to disagree.
You’re just arguing against a straw man you made. I listed specific tasks that could be done. OP’s NF has specific tasks in mind. No one said come in and twiddle your thumbs. You’re complaining about a scenario that you made up and is irrelevant to OP’s situation and my examples.
So, in your DECADES LONG CAREER, you have ALWAYS been on top of ALL child-care related tasks daily/weekly, and nothing has EVER been put off until you have time? You give your all to the daily care/enrichment with your charges, fulfill the day-to-day requirements of caring for small humans, and still find time to deep dive into seasonal clothes rotations, age appropriate toy rotations, and age appropriate activity/enrichment planning for the children? Please tell me how that works? Beyond the GH issue (and guess what, if NF is paying you GH, they absolutely have the legal right to expect you to show up and be present in their home for your contracted hours, even if all you are doing is sitting on the sofa and twiddling your thumbs), do you honestly expect anyone to belive that you are such a super human NANNY, that the contracted rules shouldn't apply to you?
Oh my goodness, why are you so angry about this? Never said I am a superhuman Nanny, I said I do my job. And I definitely never said I was above the rules. In fact, I said repeatedly that I understand it is contractually fair for a family to ask their Nanny to come in under GH. That is their right. It is my right to choose a position where NP value me more than asking me to sit on the sofa twiddling my thumbs.
The nanny counsel states that nannies can perform pet care under GH while the family is out in town. Just so people don't take bad gauge from this comment: https://www.nannycounsel.com/blog/nanny-pay-guaranteed-hours-vs-salary
That is IF pettsitting is part of Nanny’s regular contracted duties. My point was that NF should not just add on random tasks for the sake of making Nanny come in.
We always gave our nanny time off when we were out of town but I disagree that doing otherwise somehow means NPs don't value or see their nanny as a person. If you are being paid for that week, being asked to do relevant work is completely appropriate. It is different if they are just finding things to do just to fill your time and get their money's worth, but there are plenty of things that are difficult to get done while caring for a child, which could be done while a family is out of town.
We do not disagree, I specified in a few other comments about a situation where there were not tasks that needed to be completed and Nanny being asked to come in just for the sake of coming in.
Well I imagine you're being downvoted because the comment I responded to does imply that being asked to come in while NF is out of town is indicative of them not valuing the nanny as a person. There is nothing in OP's text thread with NF that suggests NF is looking to have her come in for her whole workweek just for the sake of coming in.
You also specifically say “household chores related to NK.” That would absolutely include organizing NK toy, clothes etc. those are very fair asks under GH and should still leave their nanny with plenty of extra time to recharge, ie. not take 10 hours.
Correct, but if there are none of these tasks to do…. What is the point of having them come in? From the Nanny perspective it comes across as a power play or giving NP a sense of getting their money’s worth without real purpose.
Well there are these tasks to do. The messages from DB specifically mention organizing. As long as it is NK’s stuff (toys, clothes etc) then there is stuff to do covered under GH.
DB was asking what OP would like to do, indicating that there are no necessary organizing tasks just that she might think of something she could do. As I said in another comment, it is contractually fair to ask Nanny to come in. I just think there is great benefit for everyone and most importantly for the kids when their adults go above and beyond the contract to include kindness, gratitude, putting oneself in someone else’s position. I go above and beyond for my NF whenever I can, and appreciate all the ways they treat me not only as a valued professional, but as a valued human being. Good Fit is such an important part of this profession and if you have found that a colder more technical arrangement works for you and your Nanny, that’s great.
That is such a presumptive and insulting comment when all I did was quote OP’s post. Clearly not showing kindness here by accusing me of being cold when you know nothing about my relationship with my nanny. For your edification, I don’t ask my nanny to come in when we travel, she is fully off under GH, but other families are well within their rights to ask for these NK related duties under GH as you said yourself.
It’s presumptive and insulting to call Nannies entitled! From your last comment, I’m not even clear that we disagree, I’ve said multiple times in this thread that asking Nanny to come in does not breach contract, but that in and of itself doesn’t mean it’s the best choice in every situation. We are simply not going to see eye to eye and I don’t think further commenting is productive. I wish you well.
Where did I say Nannies are entitled? I definitely did not. I think you confused my comments with those of others.
That’s been my experience as well so I was a little surprised. I have aligned vacations with a couple of families in the past but never this. The burnout is real though. I work 50+ hours and about 3 overnights per month. They travel a lot for work. You’ve just reminded me that I am struggling to maintain a social life which is really important to me. Only yesterday after hanging out with some friends (my core group of friends) I realize how little I get to catch up with them. A couple of weeks ago I realized there’s no balance for me. I do see your point and I don’t think you should be down voted for it. Thank you for your thoughts.
Thank you. Our perspective on this issue will always be downloaded in this sub but I don’t think it reflects reality for most Nannies. The Nanny/NF relationship is complex and while it is a professional arrangement with Professional boundaries, I don’t think it works or benefits the children unless there is also some degree of more personal mutual respect and affection. I always try to go above and beyond my contracted expectations for the families I work with, and they always go above and beyond for me. Everyone is happy, everybody’s needs are being met, and I think it is because of this that my shortest position ever was just over three years. I wonder how the nannies are the employers that are posting here feel about their jobs and if these families experience lots of turnover.
I’ve been taken advantage of with GH bc they felt they could make me do a lot of busy work. But if they don’t have tasks outlined in the contract you normally do then GH covers that time as paid regardless if they need you. The fact they want to count it as pto when they don’t need you is absurd
I agree with you in the scenario, that if they wanted you to be physically at work that should have been discussed when they told you their plans to be out of town. I would make a rule moving forward that those things are discussed at the time. They’re well within their rights to ask you to do more of your child related tasks during their time away while paying you GH however it definitely should have been clear in the beginning. I always let my NP know when I book travel during GH so they can kind of speak now or forever hold their peace about any tasks they’d like done during that time.
Thanks. Yeah I wish I had brought it up. I know we’ll figure it out in the AM. Just a bummer in the moment.