What's the Standard: PTO

Today on #WTS I wanted to talk about Paid Time Off, what’s the law, what other #PTO benefits are standard and what PTO is popular in the industry and can make a job offer more enticing to many nannies. I am also going to touch on how PTO is used properly and how to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

So, first, what is the legal minimum PTO(sick and personal paid time off) you can offer a nanny? In Washington State, the law requires employees to accrue 1 hour of PTO for every 40 hours WORKED.

This means that if your nanny would normally work 20 hours per week, she earns an hour for every 2 weeks where they work a full schedule. Do you have to use an accrual method? No, you can absolutely front load the mandated PTO, I usually do the math for a 40 hour position assuming that out of 52 weeks, a nanny will work 48 full weeks worth of hours. Which would be 48hours front loaded for PTO. If you choose to use a fewer number of weeks to figure out the hours, be sure to keep track, just in case your nanny works more OT than expected or takes fewer days off.

What happens to those hours at the end of the year? Well, they roll over to be used next year. You can cap the number of hours that roll over, but your nanny can not be forced to give those hours up.

What happens at the end of the employment relationship if your nanny still has accrued PTO? The law says it does not have to be paid out, but the industry standard is to pay out unused accrued PTO.

All of this needs to be laid out in your contract, even if you decide to simply follow the legal minimum.

Now, let’s talk about industry standards for PTO. In the nanny industry, vacation and sick PTO are listed separately. Why? Well, as nannies we work work with children that are always exposed to germs. We are coughed on, sneezed on, used as tissues, and spend long periods snuggling with little ones that might not feel 100%. So, we are often sick or fighting a cold that we got from the kids we care for. Many nannies have started requiring to have paid time off if the children are sick, this is very much a personal choice, but I can’t say that it is industry standard at this time. So, part of the five and take of having your nanny come to work when your little ones are sick, is acknowledging that your nanny is most likely going to get sick. My contract says that if I work while the kids land/or family are sick any time off taken at that time will not count against my PTO. My best advice as always is to talk to your nanny in depth about your needs and how they feel about working with sick kids. Limits to talk about include; Fever, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Hand Foot and Mouth, Strep, Flu.

Let’s move on to the fun stuff! VACATION TIME! Industry standard is 2 weeks of vacation time, this is a minimum and often a nanny with many years of experience will require more PTO. Additional PTO is often offered in lieu of a higher wage, but the wage and PTO should be compensatory.

Vacation policies need to be specified in the contract.

- what is the minimum time increments at which vacation can be used? What is the maximum number of days that can be used at one time?

- what is the notice policy? Text or email? How many days notice?

- are there any times during the year when vacation is not available?

- can vacation pay be used for sick days if out of sick PTO?

- what happens to unused vacation hours at the end of the year? At the end of the contract?

Paid Holidays: 7-10 Paid holiday are standard in the industry. Paid Holidays occur when the holiday or observed day fall on the nanny’s regular work day.

Standard Holidays:

New Year’s Day(sometimes NYE as well)

July 4th

Thanksgiving(often Black Friday as well)

Christmas(often Christmas Eve as well)

Memorial Day

Labor Day

MLK Day

Presidents Day

Veterans Day

These days are all flexible and often families will offer their’s or the nanny’s religious holidays instead of Christmas.

When a nanny is asked to work on a Paid Holiday, they will often require time+1/2 or Double time. For me it depends on the holiday and why I am being asked to work.

Now the really fun stuff, what other PTO is commonly offered in our industry?

I think the most popular is Professional Development. Many families offer to pay for an educational opportunity or give paid days off to attend. This can be helpful for families if they have specific care needs; autism, allergies, special diets, preferred discipline philosophy, expecting a newborn. There are professional development opportunities across the spectrum of skills and needs. I usually choose to attend several conferences, when my employer pays for my attendance, I will give them the chance to choose a few sessions they would like me to attend.

Mental Health PTO, some families specifically offer hours for mental health breaks or to attend doctor appointments. Not super common, but always appreciated.

Paid Birthday off, this is always a great little bonus day off when offered, I usually choose to work my birthday and have a special day with my nanny kids, but being offered the Friday following my birthday off is not uncommon.

Bereavement Pay: While this isn’t an industry standard, it definitely lets your nanny know that you value them.

Jury Duty Pay: Definitely not a standard, but should be offered if your nanny pushes to be excused and is denied.

The biggest think to consider when it comes to PTO and your employment relationship, is having backup care plans before your nanny needs to use their PTO. We don’t want to leave you without care, and will often help you in advance make a list of back up providers. The safest bet is to always register with a back up care agency. They can often have a provider at your home in a couple short hours.

Important Links:

https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/leave/paid-sick-leave/

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