YOUR vacation is not your Nanny’s

Throughout the year, especially during the summer, it is very common for families to take trips together. Those families who have nannies often choose to bring them along as additional help. This can be a wonderful idea if approached correctly, but can be an issue that causes strife if the nanny feels taken advantage of, or if the parents do not feel that the nanny is contributing enough on the trip. This is why it is essential to sit down and discuss expectations before each trip.

Most of the time the concept of travel is discussed before hiring a nanny and rules are stated in the nanny agreement. Even if this is the case, there should still be a conversation before the vacation. It is important that both people see the trip as a business agreement. Just like any other job, a nanny on a family vacation is a work trip so there are several topics that should be agreed upon: money, hours, housing, and expectations.

Money is the first topic of discussion. It is important that both the nanny and the family feel that their needs are being met and that the nanny is properly compensated. All expenses, hotel, food and travel (gas, plane ticket, etc) should be paid for by the family as well as the nanny’s normal salary. Some people choose to add a stipend for sight-seeing or an additional bonus for agreeing to be away from home. This is at your discretion.

Most nannies have set daytime hours. On vacation these hours are likely to change and may include evenings and/or weekends. The family should sit down with the nanny and discuss what their expected hours will be and if this is acceptable to her. If she agrees to work these hours, and the hours are equal to her normal work week and on week days only, then the salary for that week can stay the same. If there are additional days and/or hours then there should be an hourly overtime pay discussed, or another option is a daily rate that would provide extra compensation but might be easier to keep track of than hourly pay.

Housing can be a tricky issue. It is expensive to pay for an extra hotel room, but it is also necessary. The nanny needs to feel that she has some time off and isn’t working 24/7. She also needs her privacy. As stated earlier, this is a business trip so just like any other job, an employee should not be asked to stay in the same room with their employer.

Lastly, expectations should be agreed upon. The nanny needs to understand what is being asked of her on the trip and what duties she is responsible for. This should help with frustrations so that the family does not feel that the nanny is only there for vacation and is not helping, and so the nanny knows what to get accomplished each day before she receives her time off.

Going on a trip with the family can be so much fun for a nanny and can be a huge help for the family! If all of the above is discussed and agreed upon before the trip than it should be a wonderful experience for both people.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 1st, 2012 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Raleigh Nanny & Babysitting Blog, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.