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Parents are starting to return to their offices for work leaving questions about childcare during the pandemic. If you’re considering bringing back or employing a nanny for the first time, follow these four tips to help create a safe work environment for your caregiver.
As states gradually re-open and many parents are – or soon will be – returning to their offices to work instead of telecommuting from home. That leaves the question of childcare and you may be considering bringing back your nanny or employing an in-home caregiver for the first time. It may be a safer choice than sending your children to a daycare facility.
Here are four helpful tips from the National Domestic Worker Alliance on employing a nanny during the pandemic.
Household employer checklist
1. Communication
- Open and ongoing about the risk of exposure
- Be honest about where you go and who you see
- Flexible plans for where and how care is provided
2. Collective safety
- Find and facilitate the safest transportation option
- Household temperature checks on a regular basis
- Commit to social distancing and masks in public
- Provide hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, and disinfectant
3. Make a fair work agreement
- Create or amend a written work agreement
- Commit to fair pay and paid time off
- Adjust compensation to account for extra work hours and/or risk level
4. Plan for the worst-case scenario
- Provide information on local access to health care, testing, and other emergency resources
- Suspend work with pay if anyone is exposed to, experiences symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19
Download this checklist as a PDF
Additional resources
Also, check out:
- How to Successfully Work from Home with a Nanny
- Screening an Employee’s Temperature Upon Return to Work
- Creating a Return to Work Plan for Your Nanny
- COVID-19 Scenarios and Benefits Available to Your Nanny
- FAQs: Employing Household Workers During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Top 10 Questions from Household Employers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
GTM can help
One of the most important aspects of hiring a household employee like a nanny is legal pay. The current pandemic has brought this into crystal clear focus as domestic workers paid off the books were not eligible for unemployment if they lost their job because of the health crisis. Illegally paid workers were also left out of paid sick and family leave provisions provided by the Families First Coronavirus Act. Keeping up with nanny taxes and payroll can be confusing and time-consuming. But that’s no excuse for paying an employee under the table. Especially when GTM Payroll Services makes it easy. We’ll pay your employee the right way, withhold and remit the proper taxes, and handle all of the tedious paperwork. Get a complimentary, no-obligation consultation with a household employment expert by calling (800) 929-9213.
Hiring a nanny?
Download Your Guide to Hiring a Nanny. In this guide, we lay out the steps on how to hire a nanny the right way and maintain a strong relationship with your employee.
