Category: parents

Sickness during pregnancy

As nannying is an industry dominated by women it’s inevitable that each year nanny employers will find themselves dealing with a pregnant employee. However delighted you may be for your nanny on a personal level it’s entirely understandable that you might be feeling anxious about your new responsibilities as an employer. We have previously looking at managing pregnant employees and what might happen about your nanny returning to work, so let’s look at some less likely scenarios – when your nanny suffers from some kind of pregnancy related illness.

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Second interviews, trials and settling in sessions – to pay or not to pay

First interviews are very rarely paid in the nanny industry. The exception would be paying expenses or a weekend long interview, which doubles up as a trial.

Some parents will offer to pay for the time taken for a second interview. Whether you do or not is your choice, but if you didn’t give your children the chance to meet your nanny at a first interview then she’s probably expecting to come back for a second interview, and many nannies won’t accept a job where they’ve not met the children first. Shortlisting candidates is fairly standard, especially in a competitive market, and second interviews are sufficiently common that they count as part of the normal recruitment process. A second interview should remain fairly short, although you might ask your nanny to play with your children or join in the evening routine.

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Pensions for nannies

There’s been a lot of buzz in the news lately about new pension rules for nannies that are coming in on June 1. Here’s a quick FAQ!

Is it coming in for everyone on June 1?

No. When it comes in for you will depend on your staging date. You can find that out by entering your PAYE reference on the Pensions Regulator website. Nannies can find a PAYE reference on their P60.

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Spotlight on qualifications

Although nannies do not have to be qualified, studying for a qualification shows commitment to a career in childcare and proves that a nanny has knowledge of good professional practice with a range of ages. There are many different qualifications that a nanny may have, and these are offered at different levels which correspond to the difficulty of the qualification, not the number of hours taken to achieve it. Here are the most common qualifications for nannies, including the new Early Years Educator courses which started this autumn. You can find more details on these and other qualifications on here.

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Spotlight on Holidays

As employees nannies are entitled to paid holiday and the amount is specified in the contract. It can be expressed as weeks, days or hours depending on the nanny’s employment pattern – see here for more.

Previously the norm was to give 4 weeks plus Bank Holidays, but recently the trend has been to state 5.6 weeks (28 days) including Bank Holidays, which usually works out to the same amount but fairer to part-time workers who may not be actively working on Bank Holidays but are still entitled to the same proportion of holiday as full-time employees. Holiday in a nanny share can be complicated to arrange but it’s important that the nanny gets their full holiday entitlement so both families must communicate clearly.

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Spotlight on Christmas – gift or bonus?

Most people like to give their nanny a token of appreciation over the festive season. This can range from a bottle of wine or basket of toiletries to a week’s wage as a bonus. When deciding what to give your nanny there are two important things to consider –the budget for this gift and future gifts, and tax.

Any kind of cash bonus is taxable. It needs to be declared to HMRC and appear on the payslip, along with the tax and NI deductions. This is worth bearing in mind if the intention is to give a nanny an amount other than their weekly wage, as adding £100 will not translate to giving them an extra £100 spending money. Even if the bonus is in the form of cash or a cheque inside their Christmas card tax and NI still need to be paid on the value of it. Vouchers are also treated as cash.

Some employers find cash impersonal, although it is a safe option, and prefer to give a gift. Some gifts are taxable, particularly if they can be resold, but others are exempt as they are considered a trivial benefit. Seek advice from a payroll agency or by calling the HMRC employer helpline, then request confirmation in writing from your local employment office.

Above all remember that gift-giving should be a pleasure, not a chore (remember this when buying for Aunt Mabel too), and it is far worse to not give anything than get it wrong, particularly if you keep the receipt!

Spotlight on NWOCs (nannies with own children)

Gone are the days when nannies stayed with families until they were old and grey, forfeiting families of their own, and for many families gone are the days when they could comfortably afford to have a stay at home parent. Nannies are understandably reluctant to pay someone else to do what they are qualified to do, so look for nanny jobs where families are happy for them to bring their own child along.

There are many advantages to this kind of arrangement for employers. A nanny who can bring their own child may be happy to accept odd hours such as before and after school and full time in the holidays, enabling them to balance time along with their child and earning a wage. A nanny whose child is the same age as her charges provides a playmate, which can be particularly valuable for only children and appreciated by parents who would like their child to be around other children but for whatever reason don’t want out of home care. Finally nannies who are allowed to bring their own child are often doubly motivated to provide stimulating activities and promote good social skills, as it benefits their child too. If you get the logistics right it can be a very stable arrangement, which reduces the time you spend worrying about childcare.

There are downsides: you may need extra equipment such as a double buggy or extra high chair, it’s an extra cost to feed another child, if nanny’s child is younger you may need to keep baby-proofing for longer and there’s added potential for bugs and breakages. Your children also won’t be the full focus of your nanny, even if she puts her own child second most of the time. To compensate for this many nannies who want to bring their on children are happy to accept a reduced rate of pay, meaning you can have an experienced nanny for less.

Having a nanny bring their own child can be a really positive and beneficial arrangement all round. The important thing is to make sure that everyone is a good fit – parenting styles and boundaries need to be aligned from the get go – but a good match can last for years.

Spotlight on Compassionate Leave

Recently we have received a couple of questions on our Facebook page from nannies who have sadly been bereaved and wanted to know what their rights were and what was normal for employers to offer.

As employees nannies are entitled to time off for dependants, which is unpaid, and exists to enable them to deal with emergencies such as arranging or going to funerals. Any member of their immediate family or someone living in their household is a dependant, but this can also extend to anyone who relies on your nanny for help in emergencies.

It is rare for nanny contracts to have a section which deals specifically with compassionate leave, although employment experts say that mentioning bereavement leave specifically in contracts has a positive impact on employer-employee relationships. In the absence of contractual arrangements paid time off is at the employer’s discretion, and you are expected to be reasonable and consistent in your handling of bereavement. Although paid time off will be appreciated as it removes concerns over finances from the equation it is more important to be sensitive and understanding to your nanny’s needs.

Time off around the death is of course only one aspect of bereavement. Grief can have a profound impact and significantly affect a nanny’s ability to do their job. A nanny who is suffering from grief may visit their GP and be signed off work. This is treated as normal sick leave and not compassionate leave. ACAS produce a comprehensive guide for employers on dealing with bereavement at work if you require further guidance.

A live in nanny’s space

Live in nannies offer great flexibility and be cheaper than a live out nanny, but do you have enough space for another adult living in your home?

Unlike an au pair a live in nanny is not part of the family. She (or he) will probably want to clock off at finishing time and spend their weekends independent of you. This means she may want to prepare her own meals at different times to you, use the bathroom after a leisurely lie in on a Saturday morning or have friends over. It also means she’s likely to be spending a significant amount of time in her room so it needs to be somewhere relatively spacious and comfortable.

If you’re reading this and panicking because you don’t like in a mansion, don’t worry. There are some simple things you can using your existing space to better advantage.

Bathrooms

If you only have one family bathroom then your nanny will have to share. If you have a room with an en suite consider giving that room to your nanny (unless it’s the only room that can fit a double bed), as you’re less likely to be disturbed and they can be more private. Otherwise you nanny can share a bathroom with the children but you need to uphold your end of the bargain and only use your bathroom, which if your en suite only has a shower may wear thin after a while.

Nanny’s bedroom

Be creative with your use of the space. You can get all kinds of bed/storage solutions – remember that you nanny will be bringing everything she needs for every season with her. Unlike au pairs she probably won’t need a desk, but she’ll appreciate a comfy chair. Most nannies these days have a laptop or tablet and watch their favourote shows or films on catch-up or using netflix so there’s no need to find space for a TV. A full length mirror is usually appreciated, and if you don’t want things stuck to the walls provide a pin-board. Keep decoration and linen fairly neutral so your nanny can easily put her personal stamp on her room.

The living room

However nice you make your nanny’s bedroom she won’t want to stay in it all the time. If your children have a playroom then offer her that space to use in the evenings, if not then set out your expectations about the living room. It’s reasonable for you to want to have some couple/family time too.

The kitchen

This can be the trickiest room in the house to share. Nannies often eat with their charges, but at weekends you need to decide whether you’re offering your nanny the option to eat with you or not. If not then it’s important to let her know when it’s okay for her to use the kitchen, particularly if you prefer to take over the entire room to prepare elaborate meals! Allocate your nanny a shelf in the fridge or freezer for her food, or better yet put a mini fridge into her room. You can also provider her with a kettle to make a cup of tea or coffee so she doesn’t need to come down in her PJs if she fancies a cuppa.

Before making the decision to have a live in nanny, first thing about how you’ll use the space to accommodate someone else living in your home. When you get the right person it can be a brilliant choice!

Snow plans for families

Bad weather is going to hit most of the UK this month, and as we all know that can cause disruption to all sorts of arrangements. Planning ahead is key to minimising impact on you and your family. If you’re a nanny check out snow plans for nannies!

  • Prepare for schools to be closed. Most will take a safe rather than sorry approach. If you usually have a nanny before and after school check whether they’re free to work the whole day for extra pay.
  • Try to leave work early or at least on time. Remember that your nanny needs to get home too and it will be darker and colder by the time she leaves.
  • Offer your nanny a bed for the night if it’s looking risky. They may not take you up on it but if they do
  • Make sure you’ve got enough food, supplies and blankets. We don’t think you’ll be snowed in for days or that your heating will break down at the most inconvenient time but it’s better safe than sorry. There’s nothing worse than having to go out for milk or a pack of nappies in snow when it could have been prevented.