Winter Weather

I have to be at work and my nanny is calling in to tell me she doesn’t feel safe driving on the roads. What should we do?

I know this conversation has happened all over the Triangle this morning. Luckily, not with our clients and nannies- but I know for some, this morning started with a hard conversation about reliability and risk. As an agency that outfits many essential workers with nannies, we've had to develop systems to help ensure our clients and nannies are safe and supported during bad weather.With over 1500 clients in the Triangle, we wanted to share some helpful insight from lessons learned over the years.

Communicate, set expectations, and plan ahead so everyone is safe.

All of our employment templates have a weather clause. If yours doesn't, please take some time so make an adjustment to the documents you're implementing. When you know winter weather is on the way, discuss this with your employers or caregivers. Offer a safe place for your nanny to stay in the event that they don't live in your home. That way, if your kids are snowed in, your nanny is as well. We help set an expectation with our clients to either pay an overnight fee –or—offer to go get their nannies and bring them to work. Weeven have clients who invite their nannies + their significant others to get snowed in with them. Many of us grew up with snow being special and kind of magical. Really embrace a snow day and allow more space for unstructured days, movies, comfort foods, and outdoor time.

Remember that you are essential to your employers being able to go to work.

We see nannies all over the US refer to themselves the same way a teacher would during a snow day. However, nannies are an integral part of the family they work for, and as a nanny, you have very different responsibilities from that of a teacher. My Girl Friday’s nannies make anywhere from $16-35+/hr, are offered vacation packages, sick days, bonuses, guaranteed hours, and through our system- the perks of back-up coverage and the ability to make extra $ by working on-call shifts. You do not work in a school, you work in a private household. Likely, your employers will still have to work despite snow and ice so that responsibility is transferred to you. In taking on the role of being a nanny, there needs to be some acknowledgement of this responsibility. Be up front in interviews with potential employers and discuss expectations around bad weather. With over 1500 families in our network, we've seen a fairly even split here. Half of our clients can enjoy a snow day with their kids and half still have to leave home and go to work despite the weather. Know what you're getting into as you apply for the positions you're looking at and make sure the expectations align with what you want out of your job.

No one should ever ask you to put your life in danger.

If you truly feel unsafe driving, let your employer know. Weather rarely happens suddenly. Thank goodness for technology. We usually know days or even weeks in advance that there will be a snow storm. However, there have been rare occasions of sudden weather and it is truly important to remember that lives are more important than jobs. Communicate with your employers during these times and be firm. "I don't feel safe coming into work in this weather. I'll communicate with you regularly during this time to determine when it is safe to be on the roads again." Most employers are very understanding of this and will accommodate you.

A reminder employers everywhere: if you don’t feel safe going to get your nanny, you shouldn’t ask her to come to you.

In 2014 we had a big snow. A sudden, sticky, fluffy, disastrous snow that began 2 hours before the predicted time and many across the Triangle were caught off guard and got stuck in traffic trying to get home. One of our nannies called us and said, “My boss wants me to come into work this evening, I told him I don’t feel safe driving and asked if he’d come get me, and he said no. He doesn’t want to put the kids in the car on dangerous roads.” Not OK. The double standard here is unacceptable. Don't ask someone else to take a risk you're unwilling to take. Be reasonable about this and choose your words carefully and thoughtfully as you communicate about expectations during weather.