Giving your nanny a break during the coronavirus lockdown?

Owing to the current coronavirus pandemic, several parents are in dire need of childcare assistance.

However, these parents are not certain about the duration they will need the help of a nanny as schools remain closed indefinitely amidst prevailing coronavirus lockdowns and social distancing regulations.

Additional coverage vs other commitments

You are likely to require your nanny to provide additional coverage if you are a healthcare professional, a first responder or you have to work extra hours. Similarly, your nanny may be required to do extra hours as the kids are now home 24/7.

All in all, it is prudent to note that your nanny’s availability is now dependent on her other commitments. It could be another job or her family; you need to consider allowing your nanny to care for her other commitments.

While at it, you can enable her by assisting her with means of reaching out to her family such as taking care of her kids and homeschooling.

Also, if your nanny is putting up with extra work hours, you need to reflect that in her paycheck.

Temporary nannies

To allow some flexibility, you can opt for short-term contacts with your caregivers. When bringing a new nanny onboard, you can agree on a short contract that you both can renew as need arises.

This way it becomes easier to adjust accordingly with the changing work conditions or get back normalcy for both parties when you no longer need the additional services of a nanny.

Also, having a temporary nanny also ensures you have childcare when you need it. Be it for a few weeks or days, a temporary nanny comes in and meets your childcare needs by delivering attentive and customized care, as agreed in the contract, when you need it most.

A temporary nanny will come in handy when you have released your regular childcare provider on leave or when you need some extra hands to help take care of the children as the schools remain closed.