by Kellie Geres, Regarding Nannies Development Team
I was going to do an entirely different post today on Nannypalooza wrap up, but in reading some of the comments on yesterday’s post on our Facebook page, I decided today to address an issue I’m sure many are facing.
The east coast is being hit by Hurricane Sandy, and many nannies are finding themselves having to travel to work in possible unsafe conditions – high winds, rain, flooding. Yesterday there were comments from nannies who didn’t understand why they should have to travel to work if the weather is so bad that states are declaring a state of emergency and so on.
Safety should be a priority, but working conditions need to be outlined and understood by both parties.
Some of those employers that are requiring you to come to work may be doctors who will be treating those injured and affected by this storm. Some may be executives at the utility companies, who are required to be onsite to make decisions about power or emergency services.
Others, like mine may be attorneys whose clients are in another state or country, not affected by the storm and require a brief or motion to be filed for an important case. Whatever job your employer does is important enough for them to be at work. The safety of their children is their foremost concern, and they know in your care, the children will be safe and well cared for.
If you are in an area where weather can be an issue for traveling to work, talk it over with your employers from the start. What do you feel should be the deciding factor for you not to have to travel to work? If school is cancelled? If a state of emergency is declared?
Sit down and discuss with your employers your concerns. Should you be out on the road traveling to and from work if it’s not safe? Should they be traveling to work if it’s not safe? If you are required to be at work, make arrangements to stay over. If you can’t make it to work, help them create a backup plan of a close neighbor, neighborhood babysitter – if school is cancelled, that means a few teenage babysitters will be available, or a grandparent if they live close by.
Agreeing to a plan of action ahead of time will help when weather does happen.
Be proactive. Be responsible. Be safe.
What is your plan should the weather be bad? Have your employers been accommodating to inclement weather and travel?
This is a great article! At Annie’s Nannies in Seattle, we have this issue every year when it snows. Seattle shuts down for even a few inches! Will definitely point nannies and families to this post! Check out our blog at http://aniseattle.com/blog/
Oh my goodness. I have to say that I really think that you need think about the issues in your post a little differently.
First of all, you don’t work for “attorney’s”. You work for attorneys. Small detail, perhaps, but if we are striving to have childcare professionals be considered “professionals”, I think that our publications should reflect that.
Moreover, do you really think that you need to outline for us what employment our employers may or may not do? I think that we are aware if our bosses are first responders, service providers, etc. Additionally, the generalization that “their job is important enough for them to be at work” is sweeping, and often incorrect. Sometimes people make poor choices. Sometimes they focus on the wrong things. And sometimes they think that their work is a little more essential than it may be in an emergency situation. Several of the deaths in the last storm where from people in car accidents; I’m sorry, but the day to day buisiness of the average employee is not important enough to justify those deaths. Additionally, putting a “blanket and water” in your car is not going to do much if the road is swept by running water, your car is blown around, or a tree falls on it (which would be the major concerns of a hurricane).
I also think that it is also important to note that if “essential” employers in the medical and service fields make the decision to start families with these professions, THEY need to take into account the complications that may arise from them. It is not the RESPONSIBILITY of the nanny to come up with a back up plan in case of emergencies. Is it certainly a nice gesture, if the nanny has the means and ability to help in this fashion. However, it is the parents’ job to identify back up childcare. Additionally, if school is cancelled in an emergency event, I hardly think that local high schoolers are the way to go. First of all, THEY should be safely home. Second of all, do high schoolers have the maturity to deal with a crisis situation? How many fifteen year olds do you know that would keep their head if phone service was out, shingles were flying off the roof, and a tree crashed through a window?
In almost every situation I’ve ever encountered, parents who value their nanny’s safety and well-being are the parents who end up with the best nannies. They are the ones who are able to get, and keep, top quality childcare providers. And in turn, they are given a peace of mind that their kids are loved, engaged, and protected. A large part of that relationship comes from mutual respect. And that respect comes from an employer who would NEVER expect the nanny to be put in a dangerous position so they can “file a brief”. Jobs are important. Lives are moreso. Safety shouldn’t be “a” priority. Safety should be “the” priority. And if you live in an area that has been declared a State of Emergency, the public transit has been shut down, and your governor has asked you to stay off the streets, nannies should NOT be required to come to work. In any circumstance. Ever.
Thank you for the comment and pointing out the grammar error.
Again, this post came from comments and conversations I was seeing on group message sites. Nannies being told by employers that they needed to come to work and nannies not wanting to take the risk. I saw many nannies heading to work on Monday and being able to leave early. I was proud to see so many nannies step up and say I’m not coming in on Tuesday. Safety is the priority.
That is not in question. What is in question is how do you deal with employers who make you come to work? This was to give those nannies who may not know how to handle the situation some tools to work with. One nanny needed to go into work while mom was on a conference call with a toddler. A trusted neighborhood teenage babysitter could have come into the home and sat with the child for the brief amount of time the nanny was asked to work. That is why I included teenagers. Parents may opt to work from home during this time, but a caregiver is still needed. As such, the suggestion to be prepared to spend the night is an option.
You’re correct that any employer should show mutual respect for their nannies. I wish this was true for all employers.
I agree with you that safety should be the priority. The dangers of being out on the road are numerous during a storm. Nannies need to be able to speak up without fear of losing their job.
~ Kellie
I’m glad that you agree that the safety of everyone, including the nanny, should be the priority. However, while you stated that in your reply, your initial post(whatever job your employer does is important enough for them to be at work), as well as your posts on Facebook (pack an overnight bag and put a blanket in your car) seemed to give a slightly different message.
To be direct, someone who would chose to work from home because of trecherous weather conditions but would insist that her nanny risk her own safety to cover a conference call, should probably look at her priorities. And her nanny should look into a new job. Yes, as nannies, we accept that our job structure is a little different. We often find ourselves constantly straddling the lines between a personal and a professional relationship. At times our love for the children can be slightly taken advantage of, but the hope (arguably, the expectation) is that that love is also recognized by our employers’ general concern for us as individuals. The lines in a nanny/employer relationship always vary, but underneath is the simple fact that no nanny should work for someone who does not value her (or his) basic safety. I do not believe a nanny needs any tools beyond that assertion. In some cases, yes, going out in the storm or going to work with the knowledge that you’ll probably be stranded there is necessary. However, those cases are the minority. And if a nanny feels that not convering a conference call in a hurricane puts her job in jeopardy, she should contact a staffing agency.
I completely agree. I came into work monday to find out that not one, but both my bosses took the day off from work because of the storm. I was clearly expected to work while they worked from home. They let me go at 2:30 but I was pretty livid about risking being on the road that day while both parents were in the home.
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