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Tealady
15-05-2011, 01:56 PM
I have a mindee starting mid-June. Contracts signed deposit is paid (4 weeks up front) and retainer kicked in this week. Hours agreed 9.15 to 5.15 Mon-Fri excl Thur.

When negotiating contract, Mum said that she works from home but 1-2 days a week would be longer days as she would need to travel or go into office in London. I said that they would need to be pre-booked but this would be fine.

Had an email from Mum as we are planning LO's settling in and she said that her company has been taken over, her role has changed and she will need to review her routine and the hours she places LO with me.

I'm not bothered about early starts as I do these with my schoolie but I'm not keen on late finishes. Could bare 1-2 a week but no more. So I'm wondering what happens if she says she needs me 7.00 to 7.00 as she can no longer work from home? I wouldn't want to do that, so if I say no the contract will have to be cancelled. Deposits are unrefundable if Parent's cancel before it starts but who is cancelling here?

The Juggler
15-05-2011, 03:04 PM
Hon, I would say find out first before you worry to much. See if you can have a meeting as soon as possible and find out what she needs. Tell her you are only prepared to work between the hours of x and x and be firm.

If this will not work for her, and she needs to look elsewhere she is terminating the agreed contract and saying she will not longer need the space. If you had started the contract and then she needed the changes you would not be obliged to accommodate them and if she needed to go elsewhere she would need to give you a month's notice.

However, in the circumstances I would try to be as flexi as possible to keep her. It might be that she can have someone else collect for her and in any case, new company or not they need to be flexible to her childcare needs. Employers have to be careful about changign terms of female workers on maternity leave.

miffy
15-05-2011, 04:27 PM
Like Juggler says, you may be worrying over nothing.

But as far as the contract goes, I would say it's mum who is cancelling the contract if she no longer requires what you've agreed as you're willing to work those hours.

Hopefully it won't come to this and you'll be able to work something out. She has been straight with you so far, this is probably as much of an annoyance to her as it is to you.

Miffy xx