Help Tinies! My Nanny’s Pregnant!

My nanny’s pregnant! Get me out of here… 

This is always an emotive subject and is made more difficult by the personal relationship between a nanny and a family. 

From the nanny’s point of view, I get that this is a very exciting time and absolutely agree that pregnant nannies should be treated no differently from any other employee in the UK. 

From the parent’s point of view, I also see that this could be a complete shock, which often turns to panic and concern over disruption to your childcare and worry over the costs. 

Handy tips for parents with a pregnant nanny 

As a simple guide, I thought I would quickly summarise for you some useful pieces of advice. 

• Communicate: This applies to the nanny probably more than the parent. Although by law you don’t have to divulge your pregnancy until the 15th week before your baby is due, I would strongly recommend you tell them before that. After your 12-week scan is a good time.
• Know your rights and obligations: As an employer of a pregnant nanny, you do have to follow a few legal procedures and recognise the employee’s rights. The government has produced a very good booklet for employers (and one for employees too).

• Plan ahead: Talk about when the nanny wants to go on maternity leave, and how long for. Make arrangements for temporary childcare whilst she is on maternity leave. And have informal discussions about whether the nanny wants to come back to work after her maternity leave, and how she will plan to do that with her own baby.

• Get payroll involved: If you have been paying your nanny through a payroll company, then get advice from them about SMP (which you will have to pay) and if you can reclaim back 100% of that SMP from the government (which you often can).

Helpful Resources

Government Guide to Statutory Maternity Pay and Leave – Employer Guide