Written by Brooke Strickland for Nannies Plus
Once you have been matched with the right nanny or family assistant for your family team, it is important to get all the details of their employment down in writing.
This ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding job details: job description, pay and benefits, paid time off, house rules, and more. The best way to do this is with a work agreement (sometimes referred to as a “nanny contract”). Here are some of the most important things to include in this essential document.
Schedule:
Label the days and hours during the week that your nanny or family assistant is required to work, beginning with their start date. Outline total hours for the week, including details about overtime and guaranteed hours, which should cover your nanny or family assistant’s base schedule.
Duties:
Include a general overview of what your nanny or family assistant is expected to do while on the job. Be sure to elaborate on tasks that may need a more detailed explanation, including specific schedules or instructions that need to be followed in your absence. For example, do you want the nanny to follow your child’s nap schedule? Provide information about that. Or, if you have the nanny pick the kids up from school and bring them to after-school activities, make sure to include the times and locations of those activities as well. Your children, home, and your needs may change over time. The work agreement is a living document, so you can revisit and modify it as needed and agreed upon with your employee!
Pay and benefits:
Your nanny or family assistant’s hourly rate should be clearly specified. Have a discussion about payment schedule and be sure to include those details, as well as overtime pay rates. If you plan to offer a health insurance stipend, reimbursement for gas mileage or transportation costs, or any other regular payment outside of the hourly pay, detail that information in the work agreement as well. Your nanny or family assistant should also know that you are going to pay them legally. That means all taxes will be withheld from their paycheck. If you are not sure how to get started on that part of the process, there are a variety of household payroll specialists out there that can help. We recommend HomeWork Solutions.
Paid time off (PTO) and holidays:
Make sure that you detail all paid and unpaid holidays in your nanny contract. Be sure to include paid time off (PTO) or other vacation options as part of the employment package, too!
Establishing all of the details in writing with your nanny or family assistant at the beginning of employment is the best way to avoid confusion later down the road.
If you have recently hired a nanny or family assistant, take some time to write up an agreement soon. And if you are just now considering the idea of hiring someone to join your family team in San Francisco, Marin, or the East Bay, let Nannies Plus help find the perfect match, and provide you with a detailed best practices work agreement template when the time comes to make an offer! Contact us today for details!
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