Question: Should a Nanny Care for a Sick Child?
Yesterday, I received this question from one of our nannies in Toronto. I thought I would open up the question to my valued readers for your opinions, and provide a forum to discuss this. The question is:
If a child has flu-like symptoms, should a nanny take care of the child as usual or should the parents opt to stay home with the child? Some parents are unable to miss work and therefore it may be difficult to stay home with a child. However, as a nanny, my job depends on my being healthy enough to care for someone's child. If I contract something, then I am forced to stay home sick and suffer the financial loss of those days, yet I wouldn't have gotten sick if I hadn't cared for the sick child. If I am forced to stay home sick, the parents will have to find alternative childcare. So, should I stay home while the child is sick as a preventative measure, making the parents stay home from work, or should I go into work and care for the child and risk getting sick myself?
What do you think? If you are a parent, how you would handle this situation? If you are a nanny, what would you do?
Post your comments here. Next week, we’ll post our recommendations based on the comments.
Thanks for your input!
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