My Nanny Just Quit! What Do I Do Now? 😣

Did your nanny just quit? Or did you have to let them go?

First things first, don’t panic!

Next, check out my latest video where I cover what you should do immediately after your nanny quits or if you have to let them go.

Pro Tip: Hand your nanny their last paycheck when they drop off your house key. Don’t withhold the final payment no matter how the relationship ended!

If you live in the Puget Sound region and need urgent child care, check out our Last Minute Care Service. Fill out a short form and your child care need is instantly sent via text message to over 400 nannies and sitters that provide temporary, back up care.

Click the button to watch the video and hang in there!

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A transcript of the video can be found below: 

Hi everyone. Laura from Nanny Parent Connection here.

Many families ask me: how do I handle my nanny quitting or how do I handle terminating my nanny?

It’s a difficult topic. I’m going to walk you through some steps you should immediately take in both scenarios. 

Scenario #1: Your nanny suddenly quits

So hopefully, your nanny will give you the minimum of two to four weeks of notice.

It’s a good idea to ask your nanny for honest feedback about why they are leaving (also known as an exit interview), so you can understand if there’s anything you should or could be doing differently with your next nanny. 

People move on from jobs, try not to take it personally. 

It’s important to work extra hard at communication and ensuring your last few weeks with a nanny end on a positive note.

And assuming your nanny is leaving on good terms with your family, it would be a smart idea to ask them if there is anyone they might know in their nanny network who might be interested in the position.

Make sure to get any personal belongings back from the nanny, such as the house key, any credit cards, car seats things of that sort.

You will also want to make sure that your nanny has all of their own personal belongings from your home as well.

It’s important to pay your nanny their final paycheck on time. Don’t withhold their paycheck for any reason!

Also, I know it’s probably your first instinct but don’t panic, there are a lot of resources for backup child care out there.

If you’re in the Seattle/Tacoma area, check out our amazing Last Minute Care Service.

Many larger companies also contract with child care providers as part of a company benefit.

Make sure to update your job description as soon as possible.

Consider asking other families or nannies for feedback on your job description. They may be able to help you optimize your job description in order to attract more nanny candidates and to fill the position more quickly.

They could provide feedback on realistic expectations, pay rate, compensation package, etc.

And if you’re really in a time crunch, consider a nanny search service, such as Nanny Parent Connection’s Concierge Service.

We run nanny searches all over the country and have literally found new nannies for families in less than a day.

Scenario #2: You need to let your nanny go

If you need to terminate your current nanny, you might consider starting the job search before you give them notice.

Many families actually take this approach, but a word of caution!

There’s always the chance that your current nanny will see you advertising the position or see your position being advertised online, and they may recognize it, and there’s always that chance that feelings will then be hurt. 

If this happens and your nanny finds out you’re running a replacement search behind their back, you may lose out on the opportunity for your nanny to stay on while you run the search.

As a result, I always say honesty is the best policy, so I recommend having a conversation with your nanny and giving them at least two to four weeks of notice.

Your nanny will likely need to look for another nanny position as well.

If you are unable to give your nanny advanced notice, you should consider giving them two to four weeks worth of severance pay.

Again, try to keep things positive with your nanny and offer to give them constructive feedback if they would like it.

I do recommend putting the termination terms in writing even if you have a verbal conversation with your nanny.

Make sure to include any specific dates that any misconduct occurred if possible, or if this was not the case, your reasoning for letting them go.

If safety or misconduct is an issue you may need to terminate your nanny immediately.

If this is the case, severance pay is typically not offered. Make sure to get any family property back from your nanny including a house key, credit cards, etc.

And also, make sure you arrange to return your nanny’s personal belongings, any clothes, shoes, items they have at your home back to your nanny as well. 

Again, you should never withhold the nanny’s final paycheck from them.

And again, try not to panic, I know it’s hard even if you need child care as soon as possible. Remember there are options.

Make sure to check for backup care options in your area.

Next, you’ll want to update your job description, so it’s ready to go to advertise the position.

Again, I recommend asking for feedback, maybe via social media, friends, neighbors, etc.

You can ask nannies or families if they have any recommendations to help optimize your nanny job description, so that you can fill the role more quickly.

Remember the types of feedback that they could share might be on the pay range, the job duties, realistic expectations, or compensation package.

And also, if you are on a time crunch consider reaching out to a nanny search service such as Nanny Parent Connection’s Concierge Service.

Alright everyone, I hope that helps you to navigate the difficult scenario of your nanny quitting, or needing to terminate your nanny, and gives you an idea of what some best practices might be.

I hope you found this video helpful.

If you like this video please click the like button, subscribe, or ring the bell so that you can be notified when more of these videos come out in the future.

And if you want to avoid your nanny quitting on you, make sure you check out this video here “My top 10 tips for how to keep your nanny”, and if you do need to run a nanny search, make sure you check out my tips here for “How to run a successful nanny search”.

Thank you everyone, bye!