The Importance of Being On Time for Nannies and Parents

Respecting Professional Boundaries

To maintain a good working relationship both nannies and parents need to be on time. With an occasional emergency, hurricane or snow storm, or train delay as an exception, parents cannot get to work on time if their nanny arrives to work late, and nannies resent when parents don’t call them to tell them they will be late or fail to pay them extra when they arrive home late regularly.

To keep nanny jobs and earn raises nannies must be reliable and arrive to work on time. During their annual job performance review, parents will consider if their nannies arrive to work on time.

Employers need to respect their employees time as well. Parents should always call as soon as they know they will be arriving home late and always pay their nannies for the inconvenience of having to work late. In America, when live-out nannies work over 40-hours per week their overtime pay should be calculated as time-and-a-half their regular hourly rate. Live-in nannies should also earn time-and-a-half overtime in just a few states. Click here to see the reference.

Employers and employees always have to have a little flexibility in their schedules realizing that unforeseen circumstances may make nannies and parents late on rare occasions. But, to respect professional boundaries, nannies and parents must make an effort to be on time when coming to work and arriving home from work on a daily basis.

Nannies:

1. Arrive on time or early to work so the parents can get to work on time. Remember if you aren’t on time, they cannot be reliable for their jobs either.

2. Give parents as much notice as possible if you know you must come to work late or leave work early.

3. Call immediately to let parents know if you are running late.

Parents:

1. Give nannies as much advance warning when you know you need them to come to work early or work late.

2. Text and call as soon as you know you may be late.

3. Always pay nannies when they work late and compensate them the overtime rate whenever they work overtime.