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Regardless whether you are part-time or full-time, having a work agreement in place is important and can make sure neither party is being taken advantage of. Many nannies can attest that as a nanny your relationship with your employer is unique and different than corporate world. Nanny and employer relationships can develop a strong bond which in turn can blur the lines of professionalism and friendship. Having a contract as a nanny will not only lay out all job duties, benefits, and expectations, but it can also protect you legally.
Presenting a contract can be scary and you may feel that you are asking for too much, but the odds are that you aren't asking for enough. If you've downloaded our free nanny contract you will see that it's not as scary as it sounds! There are so many items that can be included in a nanny contract to help protect you as a nanny as well as lay out any expectations of the job. Having a work agreement will leave out any unknowns, which can make both the nanny and employer feel more secure with the employment.
Along with laying down expectations, having a signed contract means that both parties have agreed on everything listed in the contract prior to employment. Having a working agreement means you are hoping for the best but planning for the worst, because unfortunately we cannot predict the future! If a legal dispute were to happen then both parties would be protected with the signed agreement.
Here are a few clauses that should be definitely be included in your agreement:
Guaranteed Hours: Your guaranteed hours are determined prior to employment, so there will be no guessing game as to whether your day ends at 5 PM or 6 PM. You will typically put in this clause how hours cannot be banked (moving hours around to ensure the family is receiving the guaranteed hours required).
Pay and Overtime: Your hourly pay and overtime will be listed here as well as limits to overtime per week. Having this will allow a family to understand that you have a max amount of hours you would be available per week.
Benefits: Vacation days, sick days, holidays, maternity leave, jury duty, mileage reimbursement, bereavement leave, and health insurance reimbursement are just a few of the benefits you can add into your contract.
Specific Job Duties: From assisting with laundry to preparing meals, every duty required while working will be listed here. This list can be referred to during your yearly review, in which case if a family wants to add more duties than listed you will be able to ask for a raise in order to compensate for more duties added to the position. Having a list of clear duties will also avoid any confusion as to whose laundry you should be doing!
Emergencies: Having a guideline to emergencies is important because it can help both the nanny and family know what protocol should be taken if an emergency should arise during employment.
Reimbursement for courses: If you plan on attending any conferences or training geared towards nannies, you can request that it be reimbursed, whether it's 50% or 100%. Doing so will allow you as a nanny to further your education with training as well as remove any confusion when it comes to assistance with that.
Termination of Employment: Whether you are leaving the position or you risk being terminated, it's important to put a clause in listing that both parties have to give a certain amount of notice. If your employer is terminating the employment but does not give you notice, then it's a good idea to put a severance clause in as well to ensure that you are not being left in the dust.