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Letting Nanny Go
How much
notice should I give my Nanny ?
What should I do if she's made a serious mistake ?
Why did my
Nanny leave with no notice?
I need to fire my Nanny, but I don't know what to say ?
Before I fire my Nanny, should I contact the agency that
placed her ?
How much notice
should I give my Nanny ?
This obviously depends on the circumstances surrounding the firing. If
you agreed in your contract to give your Nanny two weeks notice and you
are letting her go for innocuous reasons like you two just don't click,
then I would give her the two weeks you agreed to. You may find that this
is too uncomfortable a setting in which case you can do what many other
parents do, pay her two weeks salary and let her go. If she's been with
you for over a year the "right" thing to do is offer her severance, one
week's pay for every year she's been with you.
Let's just say that you know you will no longer need your Nanny in a month
or two, then you should give her that much notice so she can start looking
for a new job. Some parents are worried that they will lose their Nanny
right away and will be left without childcare. This is a possibility,
however, you should do the "right" thing again, and put yourself in your
Nanny's shoes. This is her livelihood. If she's a live-in, it's also her
home. The more time you can give her to make other arrangements the
better.
What should
I do if she's made a serious mistake ?
If she has made a serious mistake that has compromised your trust in her
and you have hard and fast proof, then let her go immediately. This isn't
to say that if you suspect abuse but don't have any proof that you should
keep her until you do have proof. Never jeopardize your child's safety by
"waiting" to see if she does anything on hidden video for instance. If you
feel your child is in danger under her care, remove her from you house
immediately.
If however, your Nanny has made a mistake that you feel can be forgiven,
there is nothing wrong with giving someone a second chance. Ask her for
her side of the story and then you will have to follow your own gut
instincts. If the mistake means you can never trust her again, then you
really have no other choice but to let her go.
Why did my Nanny leave
with no notice?
This is a question you should try to get an answer to if possible. If
you can track her down and she will talk with you, getting a reason for
her disappearance will only help you learn from this experience and apply
what you've learned with future nannies. Some nannies have learned through
experience that when they give notice to their employers they are
immediately let go. So, if they are live-ins or are just unhappy where
they are, many times they will find a new job and have it all lined up
before they give you notice. They are not doing it to harm you, it is
strictly self-preservation that was learned the hard way. One way to try
to combat this situation is to make things very clear to her in the hiring
phase. "If you are unhappy here and want to move on, please do not feel
that I will be hurt or upset. I will totally understand. I just hope that
you will respect us enough to give us at least 2 weeks notice so we can
make other arrangements." It may not make any difference but then again,
it may.
I need
to fire my Nanny, but I don't know what to say ?
If you're like me and try to avoid conflict in any way you can, then
firing someone is probably one of the worst encounters for you. Parents
that have been through this ordeal say it's best to keep it short and
simple. Start with an apology and end with your reason. "I'm sorry Ann,
this just doesn't seem to be working out." If you have concrete reasons
that you feel you need to give her just be prepared for her defenses to
kick in. She may ask what the problem is and will try to provide reasons
for her behavior. Before the reasons start coming you can explain that
you'd like her to stay on the two weeks that you both agreed and that you
will provide her with a reference if she wants. If however, you know that
you can not with a good conscience give this girl a reference, don't
offer. If she doesn't need the money that badly, don't be surprised if
she's gone the next day. There is nothing more uncomfortable than working
for someone that wants you gone. Judging from her attitude, you may decide
you want her to leave right away. You may not trust a disgruntled employee
to care for your children. In this instance, you should pay her the time
owed her and let her go.
Before I fire my Nanny, should I contact the agency that placed her ?
If you are terminating your Nanny within the "replacement period" offered
by your agency, then a call to the agency explaining your unhappiness is
probably the best route. They may try to talk you into mediation first. If
you think that the problems between you and your Nanny may be worked out,
then the agency may help problem solve. If however, you're beyond
mediation and beyond the replacement time period allowed by the agency,
there is no reason to contact the agency first. In some cases it may even
come back to bite you because the agency owner will look at your "soon to
be unemployed" nanny as a recruit for new placement and may contact her,
spilling the beans about her future termination.
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