Team Nanny vs. Team Parent: The great Covid-19 divide in the private nanny market

Published: 01/05/2020

The unique and unprecedented lockdown situation has put huge pressure on the economy and society as a whole. Childcare in particular has become a challenge for many.

 Nurseries, childminders and schools have been closed since the start of the lockdown. Working parents have had to cope with caring for their children while working from home - a very challenging task even for the most energetic and organised among us. Meanwhile, the debate continued to rage over whether nannies (who typically work for one family) can and should continue to work – a question that has been dividing the nanny community, as well as nannies and parents. 

 There have been so many different interpretations of the government guidelines and what they mean for nannies, that there has been no consensus on the right approach to this critical issue. 

 On the one hand, nannies cannot work from their home, so they should be able to continue to work and commute there and back. But the government has also said that employers should ensure a two metre distance where they can, which of course is impossible for nannies who are caring for children. This is open to interpretation as the government hasn’t stated that people should not go to work if their employers are unable to guarantee the two metre distance. 

It’s no wonder there has been so much controversy and debate around this topic! 

And that’s why at myTamarin we decided to look at facts and figures instead, to get to the bottom of what what’s really been going on by surveying over 200 nannies and parents in the UK.

The government has since (on 1st May 2020) provided long-awaited clarification that nannies / people who travel to someone’s house to look after children can continue to work, providing they take precautions in line with Public Health England guidance. This doesn't however change what's already played out for nannies and the families they work for since the start of the lockdown. What's more, many of the concerns already raised by nannies and parents are still very valid despite the latest guidance.

 

The great nanny-parent divide: should nannies still be working?

When we look at the responses to whether or not nannies should still be working, it’s very apparent that this is not a black and white situation.

About 30% of all nannies are supportive of continuing to work, as long as parents need them. Moreover, among those nannies who actually continue to work, the percentage is even higher - almost 50% are supportive, including Ana who said: The parents work from home, they actually work, so they couldn’t look after the children or help them with homeschooling at the same time. 

On the other hand, about 20% of nannies don’t think they should be working during the CV-19 outbreak at all, including Maria, who’s nearly 50: It's like the plague, it can kill you and nothing has ever happened like this in my lifetime, and Jurgita, who thinks help from nannies is not really needed when parents are at home: Parents don’t need a nanny at present. I feel parents just don’t want to look after their own kids.

About half of the nannies believe they should continue to work as long as at least one parent is a key worker. On the one hand, the willingness of nannies to help key workers is certainly commendable, but on the other, there is a concern that working for key workers might put nannies at more risk.

When it comes to parents, the majority of parents (65%) stated that nannies should continue to work. As Jamie says: Because it helps the economy to go ahead. 

Francesca adds: We can’t work remotely and take care of a 2 year old. One parent would have to quit their job to take care of the child. Unless the country is in a state to backstop the economy shutting down, people need to keep working (and therefore so does childcare).

As a result of having no childcare, it's likely I'll lose my job, worries Gemma. Nannies are essential to allowing other workers, particularly mothers, to continue working.  

This is an important point, recognised also by Claire Cain Miller in her recent article in The New York Times. Raising children is a round-the-clock responsibility, she says, and there is fear that parents of young children — especially mothers, if they’re doing more child care and home schooling — will be penalised even more.

sould-nannies-continue-to-work-during-the-cv19-pandemic


The biggest concerns: own health, family health or financial health?

Interestingly, parents and nannies are aligned on one thing. Both groups are more concerned about the health of their respective families than their own health.

Nannies are significantly more concerned about their financial well-being than their health, whereas parents are only slightly more concerned about their finances compared to their health.

biggest-concerns-for-parents-and-nannies-during-cv19

When we asked the nannies who continued to work if they were concerned about the health risks, 50% reported that they were not concerned at all, or at least no more so than during normal times. This number is significant, and given that 40% of nannies continue to work, and it means that 20%+ of all nannies are not concerned about their health at all. 

 

So, what is actually happening? Are nannies continuing to work?

 40% of nannies continue to work; 25% have been put on furlough leave; 30% have been let go; and 5% made the decision to leave their job.

are-nannies-continuing-to-work-during-cv19

Almost a third of nannies found themselves without a job and without pay, in part because there is a disagreement between parents and nannies whether nannies are allowed to work or not. That’s a significant cost for nannies.  

80% of the nannies who continue to work, are still living out. This is somewhat surprising given the greater risk involved in commuting between two homes. However, it’s not surprising given the proportion of live-in to live-out nannies is about 1:4. This just means that the ratio of the types of nannies still working has remained roughly the same as before the pandemic.   

Of the 25% of parents who furloughed their nanny, 15% have since engaged temporary help. Notably, early on in the debate an MP stated nanny employers could put their nannies on furlough, but only if they didn’t employ another childcarer.

This guidance is in line with what the government has intended to achieve with the job retention scheme - to protect the jobs that would otherwise be lost due to lack of work, or inability to pay. Clearly, if a parent engages another nanny, both the existence of work and the ability to pay are not at issue. 

One could argue that this is a different job, i.e. not the same as that of the furloughed nanny, because it’s a temporary job with potentially different hours and responsibilities. In which case, it is again an open question whether offering that temporary job is in line with the government’s guidelines.

Perhaps a slightly less controversial case is one of a parent who still needs childcare after furloughing their permanent nanny due to her needing to shield as a vulnerable person (due to age or other circumstances).

 

How is the lack of childcare impacting parents?

Meanwhile, in the absence of help from nannies, most parents’ ability to work has been severely impacted. On a scale of 1-10 (where 10 = my ability to work has been wiped out completely), the majority of parents (60%) report 8 or more, which means almost two thirds of parents either cannot work at all, or their ability to produce any work has been severely reduced.

When asked to elaborate, Kamilla said: When our nanny was self isolating I had to take family leave. Without childcare, you can’t look after an infant and toddler and work... an infant and toddler are a full time job. Meanwhile, Chiara had to reduce her hours and take a pay cut. 

Employers (of parents) are not adjusting their expectations, and furlough leave doesn’t work for everybody, adds Sophia. The reality is that in many sectors, the working lives go on. And especially people in senior positions have responsibilities towards their staff and cannot just disappear. 

Another parent has suggested that nannies are essentially key workers, because they enable employers to continue to work, and to contribute positively to the society at large. Many nanny employers indeed generate work (and pay) for dozens, sometimes hundreds of other people.  

has-parents-ability-to-work-been-impacted-by-cv19

Interestingly, around 15% of parents said their work has not been impacted at all. Further digging into the data suggests these are mostly parents who didn’t work before the outbreak. There are however a handful of multi-taskers amongst them who report being able to work from home while also looking after their children, but their children, they admit, are mostly older and hence much more self-sufficient than babies, toddlers and children in their early years.

 

Has it been ‘all change’ for nannies? 

We asked nannies who continued to work if the nature of their job had changed and this is what they said:

  • 10% of nannies agreed to change from live-out to live-in. 
  • A third of nannies reported a change in their duties, generally due to more home schooling or household work (e.g., cleaning) needing to be done. 
  • 50% of nannies feel their job is now harder — they are feeling more pressure because the parents are at home, they are no longer in sole charge, the space in which they are working is more crowded, or they can’t go out as much as before (if at all).

All of these changes are challenging for nannies and parents and both parties need to be flexible. It’s particularly difficult when nannies are used to being in sole charge of the children, because children naturally play up when their parents are around. And on top of that, no-one likes to have their boss looking over their shoulder!   


To be or not to be furloughed?

When we asked nannies who continue to work if they thought they should have been furloughed, the majority, 65% of nannies, stated they don’t think they should be furloughed. 

Instead, Benny says she’s happy to work so her nanny parents can work. Lizzie concurs: If they are busy and need to work they also need a nanny. And finally, Clara — similarly to many parents — thinks that she should continue to work because it helps the economy to go ahead.

In contrast, a common view among nannies who think they should be furloughed is that parents are at home so they can care for their own children. 

For most parents with young children however that’s a mission impossible. Even if we work in shifts with my husband, with two young children who require 24/7 attention, we simply don’t get our work done, explained Nadia. 

Tamara added: Nannies play an important role in the current situation, as well. Should an employer need her service to be able to work, either as a key worker or from home, the nanny should support the family needs and keep working. If we don’t get our work done, the economy is directly affected as well.

should-nannies-be-put-on-furlough

Of those nannies who had been furloughed, 68% of them said they would continue to work if they hadn’t been furloughed and 32% said they would have quit their job

Most nannies don’t have a choice, just like Luciana: I have a mortgage to pay and I don’t have the luxury of savings, or Fozia, who is heavily pregnant: While on maternity leave I will be on a very low income already so I can't afford to be on no income prior to this time. There is a lot that we need to buy for our baby too so we just wouldn't manage from one salary.  

When nannies asked parents directly to be furloughed, their response was mixed. Some parents were in agreement, some were not, and others even fired their nannies as a consequence. 

This has been the harsh reality for some nannies. One nanny told us: My employer wasn’t understanding at all about the situation and was really cross that she couldn't persuade me with money. It was stressful and I felt under a lot of pressure from her and her partner to come into work. And then when she didn't get her own way she sacked me! While another said: The minute I mentioned furlough the attitude of my employer changed, they confiscated the car and house key from me.

From the parent perspective, Tom responded with: The furlough seems illogical for nannies. My nanny was the one who obviously didn’t want to come to work due to health fears of her own. Which is fair enough due to public transport exposure. But once furlough was announced this only reduced her incentive to come to work. And put me in a horrible ethical dilemma as an employer. 

The ethical debate is a tricky one that many are struggling to navigate. Some parents, like Christina, are more black and white about the situation: If a nanny’s personal circumstances (living arrangements / commute / health, etc.) allow her to work there is no reason for the government to be paying salary - feels like some people are exploiting the furlough system for a staycation at the taxpayers expense.

 

Is there a recipe for success that works for both parents and nannies?

We are witnessing that nannies and parents generally feel more comfortable if the nanny doesn’t need to travel to or from work using public transport. Whereas prior to Covid-19 a 50-minute commute by public transport was considered to be the norm, parents are now actively looking to hire nannies who live within walking distance, or can cycle to work. And nannies are generally responding well to this.

Where this hasn’t been possible, we’ve seen examples of parents driving to pick their nannies up in the morning and drop them back home in the evening. Some have even offered to rent a car for their nanny so they don’t need to use public transport.

When it comes to safety, some nannies are concerned about the lack of safety precautions in the home. More specifically we heard that some parents are not washing their hands after returning home, are mixing with other people in social settings, are bringing in tradesmen and cleaners, or are taking the children out to parks. So, it seems they can and should be able to do better.

On the other hand, the majority of nannies report that parents have taken additional safety precautions, e.g., moving outside of London, minimising outings to necessary grocery shopping or relying on food/grocery delivery, more frequently cleaning their home, as well as working from home.


So, what is next?

Parents beware! 40% of nannies who continue to work (either willingly or not) report that they will be looking for a new job when the pandemic is over. In contrast, among those nannies who were furloughed, less than 5% will be looking for a new family. 

 However, whether any new jobs will be available on the other side of the pandemic is a completely different question. Some parents have already lost their jobs, and this has had a direct impact on nannies too. Natasha, for example, reports that her contract was terminated because one of her bosses was made redundant due to Covid-19. It was a very sad situation altogether she said as she wasn’t even able to say goodbye to the children.

will-nannies-be-looking-for-a-new-job-after-cv19

Nannies’ intent to look for a new job is very much linked to their perception of whether they have been treated fairly or not by their employers. 100% of the furloughed nannies said they had been, while that is true only for 60% of nannies who are still working

have-nannies-been-treated-well-during-cv19

When digging into this question to understand why nannies felt they hadn’t been treated fairly, we heard some very specific examples. Sarah, for example, said: I was told if I am put on furlough, my boss can't work and he will lose his job and therefore I will lose mine. I feel like I've been bullied to go to work through the whole crisis. Maja offered to take unpaid leave but was told to come into work, or she would lose her job.  

Veronica was asked if she would stay on through the pandemic but felt her employers didn’t ask her how she really felt about the situation and haven’t checked back with her since it all started. 

Meanwhile, Nina is not even sure she will get paid for all the over time she’s now doing: The decision to come to the countryside was more or less a decision from the parents and I had to make a split decision. Also my hours have changed significantly, and this was not discussed at all!

 

And the final verdict is...?

The results of this study clearly demonstrate the differences in opinion and divide amongst nannies and nanny employers, on whether nannies should continue to work during Covid-19. This suggests that when the government announced the closure of schools, nurseries and childminders, they should have also made the situation with regard to nannies clearer at the same time. 

In the absence of more specific guidance from the government, each situation has been addressed individually, which has worked out for some, but not for others. 

It’s clear from the additional context provided by nannies and parents that coming to a decision both parties are comfortable with is what has made the difference between a great experience, a bad experience and at worst, a horror story. 

  

The demographics of the study

More than 200 nannies and nanny employers participated in this comprehensive survey led by Zarja Cibej, CEO of myTamarin in April 2020. This is an insight into the demographics of the participants:

Nannies

Median age: 30 - 39 

Years of experience in childcare: 10+ years

Nationality: 50% British, 43% EU, 7% non-EU

 

Parents

Median income: £200,000+

Years of employing a nanny: 3-5 years

Median age: 30 -39

Nationality: 70% British, 20% EU and 10% non-EU

For any questions, further data breakdowns (subject to data sensitivities and applicable laws), or for comments please contact myTamarin at hello@mytamarin.com.


If you are parent looking for nanny, sign up here.

If you're a nanny looking for a job, sign up here.

Similar articles

The Childcare Glossary

So many options, so many different terms! With our childcare glossary, you’ll be able to find out about the options available to you, make comparisons, and select the childcare that is right for your family with confidence.

Read post
Close