Received Sunday, November 18, 2007
I've been with my current family for 10 months, and everything is wonderful except for my compensation when they decide to up and go away on a vacation and leave me without work for the week. I have had other nanny positions, and whenever this has happened in the past I am always paid as I would have been paid had I come to work. After all, I am ready and willing to work, but they are the ones who decide to go away. I should not be punished in salary for this. I am a good nanny, so when the family is away I agree to watch over the house (visit it every day, bring in the mail,feed animals, water plants, get groceries, catch up on laundry, etc). What bothers me in my current situation is that I work 60 hours per week. However,when they decide to go away, or when I used my one "paid vacation week", they pay me for 40 hours,instead of my usual 60. This ends up hurting me in terms of paying my bills. I can't control if they decide to go away or not. I have tried to talk to them about this on several occasions but they do not see this from my point of view. I am their first nanny, as their only child is almost 1 year old. I would love to hear from nannies and parents about the normal holiday/vacation compensation pay that works for them.
Signed,
A Nanny that can't pay her bills this week because my
family I work for decided to go on vacation.
When I was a nanny, I got paid for ANY vacation or day off the parents took, as if was not my fault.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took my own vacation, I got half my pay. I would have gotten more, but they paid another nanny while I was gone. They, understandably, couldn't pay two times my salary. (I didn't think I should be paid for my own vacation, but the family was wonderful and thought that I should.)
The only times I wasn't paid was when the mothers work caught on fire and she was unemployed for a few months. Again, understandable and out of everyones control.
It isn't right for you to be out of pay because they want a vacation.
When I was a nanny I alway got paid when they went on vacation. I didn't take vacation time except during Christmas and I got a weeks paid as a bonus.
ReplyDeleteTell them if they are not willing to pay you for that week you need to move on to a different family because you have bills to pay.
Keep us posted.
this is something that should have been brought up befor even accepting the position. I can only offer that when your 1 yr mark comes up that you decide to make a work agreement with them- either they will accept it or they won't (this is also the time you should get a raise of at least $1 an hr and put that in agreement as well), in the meantime I would start looking for another job with that 1 yr mark as my new employment date goal just in case.
ReplyDeleteI would bring it up with them one last time... tell them what you said here: you can't pay your bills.
ReplyDeleteWIth one family I worked for, it was arranged that there would be 2 weeks of vacation, one of my choice, and one of theirs, and that was paid. Then, if they could give me at least 30 days notice that they were taking a trip, they would pay me to housesit/take care of their dog, but not my full weekly nanny salary. If they couldn't give me at least 30 days notice, I was paid my full nanny salary.
If they still don't get it, look for another job. If that is the case, they obviously have no respect for you at all. Also, this came up with another past employer of mine, and she tried to use the "well, its not my fault you don't manage your money better" line.... it's none of our employer's businesses how we manage our money. The bottom line is that if they ditch you, they should also pay you.
As a parent who has employed nannies in the past, I find this shocking. You should be paid for any time the family decides that they are not using your services because they decided to go away. It is completely disrespectful to deprive you of your salary. You have bills and responsibilities just as they do.
ReplyDeleteAs another poster mentioned, get everything in writing in a contract prior to employment. Any employer who values your time will be more than happy to lay everything out on paper.
Aunty Rhea,
ReplyDeleteYou were completely taken advantage of! 100 percent. People take vacations. If the parents cannot cover the nannies vacation, tough nuts- the parent stays home. You don't ever accept half pay. If you don't stand up for yourself as being worth something, you expect them to set your price? A full time nanny should be paid 52 weeks of the year, and any nanny who agreed to something other than that has no confidence in her professionalism. I don't know anyone who doesn't pay their nanny every week, whether they have inlaws home or go away or whatever. If your nanny needs a leave of absence or something spontaneous comes up, you negotiate that on the spot, but I don't have a single friend that would risk losing her nanny over this sort of nonsense. And no one has any truly spectacular nannies. Just nannies they are used to and have become a part of the family. We might bitch about their sick days or time off, but we still pay them. Why? We NEED them to be there for us.
Signed,
Mediocre Employer of Average Plus Nanny
Upon Taking my current position as a nanny, I was told I would be paid when the family went on vacation my full pay. and if i was sick i would get paid 6 sick days a year, and any time they stayed home due to illness i would get paid for that day also as, i did not expect to take that day off. the only i do not expect pay is during the 3 week vacation i take with my family every year. and i tell them way in advance so if they want they may schedule there own family vacation for that same time. I too havent got paid for any of these times and am quite disapointed, saying something to the family isnt really a option cause i dont want to lose my job that i love so much.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine not paying my nanny when we are on vacation. Our nanny gets paid, the same way we do, every week. Before we had a nanny our children were in daycare. When we went on vacation we were still expected to pay tuition because the teachers still had to be paid and for two weeks out of every summer the day care facility shut down, and we paid those weeks in addition to paying for temporary child care.
ReplyDeleteOP, there is no way in HELL you should be housesitting for them or doing them ANY favors if they are not paying you while they are away. If this wasn't discussed or agreed upon before you accepted the job, then it's one thing for them to not pay you when they go away (though if you are salaried I'd say that is unfair), but either they pay you or they can't expect ANY of your services. Period. If they are on vacation and not paying YOU, how can they reasonably expect you to be available to help them out free during that week???? YOU should be unavailab;e to them, as they are to you. Unless they want to pay you for your time. I agree that your one year mark is the time to lay out your job requirements, and if they won't accept them, those are people you don't want to work for anymore.
ReplyDeleteThis child is not even one year old, and you have had reason to have brought this up to them several times in less than a year? How often do they go away?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just me, but I think I might consider looking for a more appreciative employer. You seem to be going above and beyond what anyone shold expect from their nanny.
maybe you previous commenters are not reading the post right. it says she gets paid for 40 hours during a vacation week even though she normally works a 60 hour work week. that is a loss of 20 hours worth of pay that they need to compensate her for. OP you should sit down and talk with them one more time and explain that not everyone can afford a 20 hour reduction in pay when they are on vacation. do they get a pay reduction for vacations, i highly doubt it. good luck to you, i hope everyhting works out, otherwise i might start looking for a new job!
ReplyDeletenynanny, you're right, I missed that she was getting REDUCED pay instead of no pay. On the one hand since less work is required, that could be considered fair enough IF it was agreed upon at the beginning. However, most salaried employees, if they are given a paid week off, get a paid week off at their usual pay rate, not a week off with 2/3 pay. So there is a great need for clarification and discussion here!
ReplyDeleteWhen I hired my nanny, I was clear we were hiring for a salaried professional position, not an hourly babysitting position. That means she gets paid 52 weeks a year for a set start time and quitting time regardless of whether we go away unexpectedly or don't need her a day here and there or let her go early. If I am delayed less than an hour (which has happened 4 times so far this year because of bad weather and accident delays), I do not pay extra, but if I know I will need her to work over and above her set schedule, we pay an hourly salary. The way we arrange my nanny's two weeks vacation is we chose one week based on our schedules and she choses the other based on hers.
ReplyDeleteWe paid our nannies exactly as 10:43 says: weekly salary for certain hours. If we used less than those hours, due to a sick child or coming home early, we still paid it. If we went over those hours, we paid hourly overtime. And we paid full salary when we went on vacation or nanny went on vacation. I get paid full salary when I take vacation. Yes, I paid double some weeks. It was worth it to me for my child to be with a stellar caregiver. OP, you are being taken advantage of. You should be paid your full salary for their chosen time off. If they want to pay you housesitting in addition to that, work out a seperate deal. You are their child's nanny, not their household servant.
ReplyDeleteIf you have explained it to them before, and explained that ALL your other positions paid the way you wish, (which emphasizes you are the experienced one in this agreement, as you are their first nanny experience) and they still don't see it, it is because they don't WANT to see it. You sound great and I hope you find a better position with employers who value your dedication.
Dear Nanny,
ReplyDeleteYou are working for tight ass employers who do not value you. This is not an accident. They are intentionally jipping you. I have never ever ever heard of paying a nanny or any full time employee for a fraction of their salary.
We appreciate our nanny, but we need her to be at work. She doesn't take beyond the allotted and arranged time, so we always send her with some travlers checks or an envelope with some extra money when it comes to holidays and vacations- (for example to contribute to her thanksgiving dinner or for spending money to the last vacation she took which was to seattle). It isn't a huge sum, but enough to let her know she is a valued employee.
I don't care if they are penny pinchers in every other aspect of their lives, people should seriously consider how they treat their nannies. If they aren't inspired towards generosity- they have the wrong nanny.
Op.....if I were you, I'd spend this week looking for new employers! Your current ones are idiots!!
ReplyDeleteLook at it this way- you have a full week to interview for new nanny jobs.
ReplyDeletei have to agree with everyone.
ReplyDeleteBeing a nanny is a job. Regardless of how much you grow, love become attached at the end of the day it is a job.
It is not fair for the fmaily to not pay you, or to pay half time or not pay you to look after the house. Why? Because if it was at their job you know that they have vacation time, they have holidays, if for some reason the company is closed for the day, there is pay. And the most impoartant one...you dont see them going in after hours to clean or watch where they work. And if they even would...they would sure be paid.
Is your salary based on a 40 hour work week or 60 hour work week? I know you usually work 60 hours but if 20 of these hours are paid as overtime, then you are technically in a 40 hour work week so your employers will only pay for that amount when they vacation.
ReplyDeleteIf you are in a 60 hour work week, then you've been wronged. If you are in a 40 hour work week, then you have to start planning for times when the money stream might not be so steady.
As 3:28 said, if your work week was supposed to be 40 hours, the extra 20 are overtime. If that is the case, and you have been working 60 every week, when you renew your contract, ask that it be for a 60 week, and tell them if you are not paid for 60 hours 52 weeks a year, you cannot guarantee your availability for the extra 20 hours.
ReplyDeleteIt may be that they really don't know that it is standard for nannies to receive their full salary 52 weeks a year. GL
You need to talk to them again. Tell them you can't afford for them to decide how much you make and that you have made yourself available for those 60 hours. If they can not afford or do not want to pay you your full wage then simply tell them you will need to find another position where the hours are garaunteed. Be totally civil about it. Tell them that you understand their side but that you can not afford to not have a steady income and that if you have to take a different position you do not want their to be any bad blood between you. Give them at least one month's notice to find a replacement.
ReplyDeleteOP, if you are paid a set salary for 40 hours per week and OT (your hourly rate x 1.5) for the 20 hours beyond your set 40 that you work, AND you get your 40 hour salary 52 weeks per year, then you simply need to save up some of that OT money for the weeks you don't work 20 hours extra.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, if you are not paid OT for those 20 hours, you need to address that first. Nannies are covered by fair labor practices laws, which mandate OT pay after 40 hours.
Now, IMO the best resolution to your problem is to ask for a salary increase that will fairly compensate you for a 60 hour week, and that you will recieve 52 weeks a year.
I am a math geek, so here's my $$ breakdown, based on my assumptions and my salary numbers.
Now: 40 hours at salary of $400 plus 20 hours at OT rate of $15 per hour = $700 per week. Vacation week = $400
OR, illegal pay method: 40 hours at $400 plus NON-OT at $10 for 20 hours = $600 per week. Vacation week = $400
Better method: 60 hours at $600 - $700 per week, 52 weeks per year.
Good luck discussing this during your 1 year review.
Interesting Chick,
ReplyDeleteSo nanny are covered by fair labor practice? I thought they weren't.
So why the heck so many parents have nannies working ungodly hours???
Again with the extension of slavery.
Incidentally Chick, the brilliant math mind- are you a nanny or a parent?
can you send a link about the fair labor practices?
um-
ReplyDelete60 hours a week = $600 = $10 an hour, = GET A REAL JOB. I don't mind nannying but I wouldnt put up with the bullshit for less than $20 an hour. And don't be afraid to let your bosses know it.
Thank you so much for all your advice. I will need to have a sit-down with my bosses (again) and re-do my contract. I've realized the current one is too vague.
ReplyDeletechick-I do not make time and a half. They pay me $12/hour for hours 1-40 and then $13/hour for hours 41-60. Well, I should say, they are supposed to pay me, however, increasingly so lately they are 'forgetting' to pay me and I have to nag them to get my pay. This also is setting my acct into overdraft.
As far as how I manage my money, in my opinion, that's no one's business but mine and my husband's. We have a system that works for us and pays our bills, but when my bosses pull this stuff, we get screwed.
Regarding the above post on holiday bonus....you better believe I'm expecting a bonus this year, as is every other nanny.
OP -
ReplyDeleteYou are so getting screwed. Don't you think you are better than that? You seem to be a really hard worker - please find something better. They don't deserve you!
sf, my goodness, please don't get so upset! I used $10 per hour as a wage to make the math simple and obvious.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know until she posted how much the OP makes, and I am not going to share *my* salary here.
If you are in San Francisco, I assume you know that your wages are inflated based on the COL there. Nannies in smaller markets do make $10 per hour, especially if they haven't got much experience.
OP, it sounds like the time is right for a talk with your employers. Lay out the facts for them on hourly employees and OT, and ask that they either make you salaried for 60 hours 52 weeks per year, OR that they pay legal OT for the extra hours you work.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you're located, but if you're in a major market and have nanny experience, you might want to research salaries before you make your pay proposal.
In your place I would ask for between $800 and $900 per week, since with your base pay plus actual OT they should be paying $840 for 60 hours.
Again, good luck!
Anonymous at 1:09,
ReplyDeleteI'm a nanny, and have been informed by numerous people who are paid to figure nanny taxes and who run payroll services for nannies that a nanny paid HOURLY is entitled to OT for every hour she works over 40 hours per week, just like a bookstore clerk, or a McD's cashier.
Many parents make nanny a salaried employee so that they can pay, for example, $500 for 50 hours of work, rather than $10 per hour for 50 hours, which equals $400 plus $150 OT.
Of course, LO and LI nannies are also subject to different pay standards. LI nannies do not get OT.
Here's a link: http://www.4nannytaxes.com/news/flsa.cfm
or you can just google "nanny pay standards and overtime"
OP: So you're being paid $12 for hours 1-40 and $13 for hours 41-60.
ReplyDeleteVerdict:
For vacation, they should only pay for 40 hours of work.
BUT, you should have been paid $18 for hours 41-60. Definitely sit down with your employers and let them know how much they should be paying you.
P.S. to 1:09,
ReplyDeleteForgot to answer this one!
Why do parents work nannies so many hours? Well, I think that many nannies don't know they have the right to OT as LO nannies, and that many parents are equally uninformed.
Plus, if nanny is an illegal, or is being paid illegally, what is she going to do? Go complain to the IRS?
Parents who hire undocumented workers and/or pay under the tabel have a lot to lose, but so do nannies that work for them.
Ultimately, I wopuld love to see ALL nannies have the info they need to know their rights and their obligations as far as legal pay is concerned.
If no nanny will work under the table, parent will either have to pay legally or find other childcare options.
If no parents would pay under the table, nannies would either have to pay their taxes like ALL professional people do, or find another job.
I'd also love to see the fair tax passed, but I am not holding my breath. :-)
This is completely different with each family, as should be expected. If you go work at McDonalds, you won't be getting ANY paid vacation. It's just like any other job, you have to go over the terms of employement (contracts work nicely) before you start, this way there is no confusion. Unless you plan on asking your boss for vacation compensation, find a less cheapskate family!!
ReplyDeleteI can see what the family is saying. They are paying extra for hours after 40 so they consider those overtime. There are plenty of jobs where you consistently work overtime (and get paid for it) but vacation is based on regular pay. It basically comes down to whether they are considering you to be a salary employee or an hourly one. You need to negotiate this as what they are doing is not unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteconfront your boss.. there should be communication.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel unconfortable, thats you fault basically!
they are wrong and there is no excuse for what they are doing!
Period!
Nannies should be paid for any vacation time a family takes. The nanny is not choosing to take this vacation, there for she should recieve her regular pay. Why should the nanny be made to suffer, while the family is enjoying their time off. Nannies have a right to a paycheck they can depend on too.
ReplyDeleteThe only type of nanny I know that would put up with this is the kind that knows she cannot get another job. Maybe she is a pedophile, maybe she has a lengthy criminal record, maybe there are craigslist warning against her or maybe she just never worked as a nanny before and you were the only family too stupid not to get that you were speaking to cousin Jose and not "John J. Pemmerton, esq".
ReplyDeleteIn which case, you (greedy family) are not getting as good a deal as you think you are and eventually you are your children will pay the price.
Wow! Lauren, I am certianly no pedophile, or criminal, or transexual. I am just an easygoing person, and this translates into people taking advantage of me.
ReplyDeleteI have a dual-cert in Special Education and Childhood Studies from a private college. After teaching for a year I decided that it wasn't for me (ppwk and politics). This leads me to where I am now. Being a nanny for the past 5 years.
Thanks for the laugh so early in the morning!
When I worked full time, no matter how many overtime hours I picked up, I was paid for 40 hours per week when on vacation. I think it is crazy to expect your employer to pay you for hours you won't be working. Maybe you need to learn how to budget your money better if you can't afford to be paid less than 60 hours.
ReplyDeleteYou have to sit them down and speak to them on a professional level. Draw up some kind of informal document after you make a year so that in future there would be no misunderstandings. State all that you expect to recieve. ALL, EVERYTHING!!! Don't leave anything out because that would be your mistake and when the two of you come to an aggreement, remember you would be illegible to step to them with further grieviances. Parents usually don't like to be botheres with monetary issues, so nip it all in one shot, come to an agreement and put it on paper.
ReplyDelete8:41-When they returned last week they informed me that they now feel that they do not have to pay me at all for when they decide to go away. Not even the 40 hours anymore. After I did come and do work around the house for them last week they decided that I had to write them a check for the direct deposit money that went through for last week.....Either way you look at it, I'm getting screwed, and looking for something else.
ReplyDeleteTime to leave. Asking for the money back that they have already paid you is very poor behavior.
ReplyDeleteThese also sound like the kind of employers that you might want to tell that you are leaving only when you are ready to start your new job. I hate to be that way because I think it is always best to be very up front and fair in every direction, but I suspect you may be out of a job as soon as you tell them you are leaving. Obviously they do not value you very much because I think most people would expect you to be very upset at the least, and leave your job at worst. Why would they take the chance of losing you over a few hundred dollars here and there?
OP, that is outrageous! What jerks! How dare they not pay you what they owe you in the 1st place, and then try to take back what they did pay ... especially after you took care of their house for them? Just for the house sitting alone (which I used to do when they went on trips) I would get a min. of $50.00 extra per day ... water plants, feed cat & fish, turn on lights in the eve. (I would come once in the morning, and once in the eve., stay for about an hour or so, to make the house look "lived in"), and I usually got a huge tip when they got back. It's what they felt they needed to pay for peace of mind!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mom, do NOT give notice to these people. This is actually the one in a million scenerio that deserves it. I wish you the best and hope your next job is prosperous. I'm so sorry for you.
You know what? I'd tell them to piss off and keep that money! Let them take the time to sue you in small claims court ... they would l-o-s-e! .... and that's only if they took time away from their precious job to do it!
ReplyDeleteGet out now, and good luck to you, I hope you find something 100 x's better, you seem like a nice person. Don't let people take advantage of you!
Wow, what a bunch of jerks! While I don't agree that they should pay you for sixty hours, they do owe you for forty! I agree that you need to find a better job. As a parent, I adore my nanny. She has such a wonderful influence on my child, and really does a great job. But I would never dream of not paying her when we take a vacation. We pay her for a full weeks hours (she's part time), but don't expect her to do anything around our house while we're gone. Her job is to watch our child, not clean. Please, find someone who appreciates you. If you're working sixty hours and can't afford to work less, you are being underpaid. I apologize if I came off as rude before. And they do not deserve a notice. Just make sure you secure another position first!
ReplyDeleteOh my god OP, I hoope you didn't already give them back their money?! I agree, make them take you to small claims court. Better yet, file a complaint against THEM with the DOL for them having NOT paid you the time and a half they were supposed to for all those OT hours you put in for them at negative $5/hr. They'll most likely be ordered to pay it retroactively. Talk to a lawyer on this one. If you call around enough you might find someone who can handle it for you on contingmncy. If you're in the San Francisco area, I know of someone.
ReplyDeleteOr if you already gave them the check, put a stop payment on it and just disappear. They will be SO SCREWED if they think they'll find another GOOD nanny for what they were paying you.
Please update us!
One family I worked for asked me to go on vacation with them to nanny that week while we were there... and then right before we got on the plane said...
ReplyDelete"oh by the way, you are not getting paid this week because we bought your plane ticket."
Dumb broad just decided that last minute! So here I was working a whole week... away from DH and my life that I put on hold to help them out on a vacation!!
They didn't even pay for anything during the vacation... meals, ect.
What a joke... needless to say... I found a new job 2 months after we got back.
*** I was a one month notice giver... 2 weeks is just too short to find a new nanny. ***
For heaven's sake 8:44, why would you stand for that? Seems to me you didn't appreciate you own worth, why else would your employer do that? And you further soldified your lack of worth by sticking around and then giving one month notice-thinking of your employers like they are better than you. They deserve respect, but you don't? Wake up. Why do you think the Jamaican nannies have their employers shaking in their prada boots? With one terse look, they can constipate their employer and leave her guessing all day what she did wrong. Said employer will try and make up for imagined transgression by kissing jamaican ass all afternoon. Token gifts are always helpful.
ReplyDeleteYou know those packs of Jamaican nannies at the park. Find one. Infiltrate it. Learn how to handle your boss. Jamaican nannies don't get screwed. They are shrewd and know how to play the game.
Learn a lesson.
to say thank you is to admit appreciation, never ever- not ever do you want to say Thank You for anything.
ReplyDeleteLeave em guessing.
Your employer should spend a minimum of 17 minutes per day thinking about how to please you.
Gee taj, you paint such an attractive picture of yourself and your Jamaican nanny friends. I'm sure everybody will be logging off and rushing out to search for a Jamaican nanny immediately upon reading your very informative post.
ReplyDeletethey are more mentors than friends...
ReplyDeletetaj,
ReplyDeleteYou need new mentors. These women sound nasty and deplorable.
Be above that. You'll be happier and feel better about yourself in the end.
It feels much better to treat people kindly and earn their true and deserved respect than it does to take advantage, "scare" them, or simply "get what you can" out of everybody.
remember, self respect can't be bought...even with all of the ill gotten money in the world.
8:44, I wish you would have just walked right outr of the airport, leaving them w/the cost of your ticket and NO NANNY. During or AFTER their vacation. I'm astounded you gave them any notice at all. I wouldn't have, and any future employer would likely understand your reason for not giving any in that situation.
ReplyDelete8:44 Poster Here...
ReplyDeleteI DO have self respect and that is why I gave them notice...
1. I did not want to leave without aquiring another job.
2. I wanted to leave with a good reference.
3. I am not the type of person to "screw anyone over."
Just part of my morals and principals. I was very honest with the family about how I felt and why I was leaving and I still got a letter of recomendation from them. I am not a bridge burner and I feel that is why I got far in the business before I became a SAHM.
I do have to agree with cali mom on this one.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very hard thing to do to make a decision on the spur of the moment, but that's exactly what you should have done.
I hate it when people try to walk over others (employer/employee)
My former employer was not nice at all and when I decided to leave. I was actually poached away by agent who recommended me to her new client- before I knew it the wheels were in motion.
I knew it would be a lot of drama me getting out of there, and I told my 'to be' employers that I wanted to give one month's notice- it took less than a week to change my mind. The longer I stayed the more I knew it was going to be hell telling her I was leaving.
It was very clear to me that if I gave her 1 month she would try to get rid of me before then. I was a live-in...always very tricky.
I told her exactly 2 weeks before and all hell broke loose.
She slammed the baby beside me the morning and slammed the door shut on her way out.
This was after crying the night before begging me to stay, telling me she knew she took me for granted, and promising me the world and guaranteeing me a job for the next few years...um, no thank you.
I worked the last 2 weeks as usual; was there for the 2 interviews and showed potential nannies the routine, and she waited unil the last day to tell me off. lol. I stood there looking at her listening to how I left HER kids 'HIGH AND DRY' Say what!
They are not my kids. I sacrificed all I could and needed to look out for me.
Yes 8:44 there are some parents no matter what happens you can still leave without burning bridges. She burned mine for me, and fortunately I don't need it. mY WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF and I have many other references.
Unfortunately thats the way life is.
I worked part time briefly for a very wealthy family and they were terrible about vacations to their full-time nannies. Since I was there to see more than three nannies come and go, I figured out what this family did. They always went out of the country for a month every summer and didn't take the nanny. They would tell the nanny a few weeks before oh by the way we're going on vacation so we won't need you. Invariably, the nanny would ask to be paid and they would refuse. Since they had an assistant there was no housesitting work for her to do. Invariably, the nanny would realize she can't go without a paycheck for a month so she would quit. Then they would just hire a new nanny when they got back and they just saved themselves a month's pay. And I quickly figured out why they go through nannies almost yearly--because of their vacation. Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteA nanny should be paid for vacations that were not her choice to make. Offer to housesit, however if there is no housesitting work for you to do, insist on being paid or quit, and tell your agency if you're with one. However, I don't think you should be paid overtime. A normal 40-hour week is adequate.