The Importance of Guaranteed Hours
Nannies, much like any other workers, need to be able to rely on a steady income that they can predict, and need to be paid for 52 weeks a year. Guaranteed hours means that any time the parents do not require the nanny, whether it be due to the parents having an extra day off work one week or an extra week of vacation per year, the nanny is still paid what they were promised in terms of guaranteed hours. This is because the nanny is able and willing to work, and through no fault of their own, will not be working in that given time frame. We strongly recommend providing guaranteed hours for your employee, and it is the industry standard as well.
For example: an employee is entitled to a minimum of 2 weeks paid vacation per year, which is the equivalent to 4% of their gross earnings. If the family has 4 weeks of paid vacation per year, they can request that the nanny take their two weeks in conjunction with them if they do not wish to have the nanny work while they are away. For the remaining two weeks of the family's paid vacation per year, the nanny will be paid as well, regardless of whether they are working or not.