SLEEP TRAINING COURSE! Great news! For those that attended to the Maternity Nurse Training by Babyem this year or last – you may be interested in the OCN Level 3 Sleep Training going to be offered by Babyem in Zurich on the 3rd of September – if interested, please email tanya@rockmybaby.ch
I know when summer holidays start approaching we think.. how are we going to manage working / getting things done when the kids are off school It is that time of year again, summer break. Some of us are going home or on holiday and others are working most of the summer or partly. Lining up summer childcare is a process that normally starts in winter / spring but rarely works out that a single solution to summer child care does the trick. Particularly for those of us who work, even if you do have to employ several of these summer childcare ideas, the sooner you make a plan for summer, the easier life will be. So for those still needing help here are some ideas –
Hope this helps and if you need support with a Nanny / Babysitter or Summer Aupair, don’t hesitate to contact Rockmybaby to discuss your childcare needs on tanya@rockmybaby.ch www.rockmybaby.ch
Blog post provided by Quitt.ch
Terminating the employment relationship with your nanny is in general not a particularly pleasant thing to do. It is however part of the administrative obligations you face when employing a nanny or household staff. Below you can download a correct template for the letter of termination.
There may be diverse reasons for terminating the contract of a nanny, babysitter or domestic help. They may be of professional or private nature. Whatever the reason of terminating the contract of your nanny may be, the letter must be formulated correctly and in accordance to the contractual notice period and with indication of all information necessary. Writing such a termination letter to babysitter is not the easiest thing to do, therefore we provide you with a template, free to download.
Download letter of termination
What you need to consider when terminating the contract of your nanny
We would highly recommend submitting a written notice. If you should decide on sending the letter of termination to your nanny by mail, we do, for evidentiary purposes, recommend sending it by registered mail. If the letter of termination should be handed over to your nanny in person, a written receipt would be the best way of confirmation. The termination of the contract will only come into effect, when your nanny has received the letter.
Furthermore, the current address and name as well as the address and name of your nanny or babysitter have to be specified in the letter of termination, the place and date as well as the contract being terminated on the next possible termination date (based on Art. 335c OR regulating notice periods). Both parties have to sign the letter of termination – the employer and the nanny.
Possible protection against dismissal for a nanny
There are several reasons for protection against dismissal for employees in private households. You may not dismiss your nanny in case of sickness, an accident or pregnancy. The duration of military and civilian services is also covered by that regulation in Art. 336c OR. During these periods, your nanny is protected from termination of the contract. Only after that lock up period, the termination can be legally executed.
Being legally protected and insured as an employer
As an employer during the employer-employee relationship in general and after termination of the same, there is always a risk for a legal dispute between the parties. This might be the case when your nanny doesn’t show up for work or never shows up on time anymore as soon as you have terminated their contract on the next possible date. Therefore we recommend a legal protection insurance for private households employing a nanny. The insurance offers a solid protection against legal disputes with household employees. Thanks to the cooperation with the FORTUNA insurance, quitt.ch offers you a stable, inexpensive solution. Find out more about this insurance option here.
Blog Post by Quitt
Key receipt: You and your nanny on the safe side
During a hand-over of keys between you and your nanny, it is smart and foresighted to have a written document that acknowledges the hand-over and states the approach if the key gets lost. This is where a key receipt is of great help to you.
A key receipt can avoid precarious situations and brings clarity regarding several questions that may occur if a key gets lost. Such questions could include: Which house keys did I give to my nanny? What day was it again? Did one of my children lose one of the keys or was it my nanny? Did I lose them? As the key number is written down on the key receipt, it is clear which exact key was handed over and who will cover the costs in case of a loss of the keys. Therefore, it prevents a big source of misunderstandings and unjustified accusations right from the start.
Key receipt – Reliability for both sides
Our key receipt can be downloaded for free and is available in German, English and French.
Key receipt German
Key receipt English
Key receipt French
Using the provided template is a rapid way to prepare an adequate scripture to document the key hand-over while considering the interests of both sides – the employer and the employee. On the key receipt, the employer and nanny have a choice of two different options of agreement about what to do if the key is lost.
First option: The employer has to cover all expenses that occur if the key gets damaged or lost. If there is any case of gross negligence detectable on side of the employee, he could get held liable and needs to bear a part of the expenses (Art. 321e OR).
Generally speaking, the hand-over of a key brings a big portion of responsibility for the nanny. The risk of a housebreaking after the loss or damage of a key depends on what information is visible on the key. Never sign a key with name or address of the employer. Considering this little hint, it is not necessary to exchange all locks and keys if a single key gets lost. High costs can be avoided by this simple procedure. You will find more information on the legal situation here.
Second option: This is the carefree way. In case the employer has taken out a household insurance with quitt.ch, any costs incurred through the loss or damage of the keys are covered by the household insurance. With this insurance, there will be no trouble in case a key disappears. The nanny as well as the employer can solve the problem without big excitement.
Don’t wait too long with filling out the key receipt. We highly recommend filling out the key receipt right after the signature of the employment contract. This provides the best start for the new employment and supports a good cooperation.
By the way, all employees of quitt.ch have signed this exact key receipt as well!
Preparing for Interview.
We all know how exciting it is to hear that we have been successful in gaining an interview after applying for a position, but planning for this big occasion can cause some nervous anxiety. Here’s some advice for making the most of this exciting opportunity:
Below are a few pointers to keep in mind:
It may very well happen that your domestic helper or nanny is unfit to work for a longer period of time due to a severe illness or pregnancy. In this particular case, must all wages be paid during the entire leave of absence?
Suddenly, there was pain. Off to the hospital a few days later. Diagnosis? Acute appendicitis. The surgery as well as the recovery go smoothly. The only catch? Unfit to work for a longer period of time.
Planed for a long time, finally worked out. The desired offspring is own its way. Anticipation is huge, the kid’s room is fully furnished and equipped. Thus, towards the end of the pregnancy, the doctor orders a strict bed rest. Consequence? Unfit to work for a longer period of time?
Incapacity for work is an issue that addresses employers as well as employees. It might be advisable to both parties to be secured against the above-mentioned cases. In case of prolonged absences due to illness of the employee, according to law the employer is required to pay full wages despite failing labor services (an overview of the different wage scales in Switzerland can be found here). Once the legal obligation of continued sick pay is elapsed, the employee will not be paid anymore. Certainly not an ideal scenario for both parties involved. The solution? A sick pay insurance.
Advantages of a sick pay insurance (KTG) for the employer.
A sick pay insurance has the advantage that the employer is no longer bound to the continued payment of wages required by law. In addition, during the waiting period of 14 days only 80% of the wages need to be paid. Why? The employer bears the risk of continued payment of wages to the insurance company.
The following sample calculation shows the advantage of a sick pay insurance for the employer.
Advantages of a sick pay insurance (KTG) for the employee.
For employees, in our case cleaners, domestic helpers, nannies, caregivers or babysitters, the advantage is very clear. Financial security is ensured even once the employer is no longer bound to the continued payment of wages required by law. In case of illness or pregnancy, 80% of total wages will be paid continuously. Therefore, a secure income will be provided until the employer is able to work again, to the maximum of 730 days.
Shared insurance premium
The premium of the sick pay insurance amounts to a total of 1.52 % of the gross wage. The total amount of the insurance premium is equally shared between the employer as well as the employee, amounting to 0.76 % for each. Even though a sick pay insurance is not compulsory in Switzerland, we highly recommend it.
The wish, to take out a sick pay insurance, can be expressed by both the employer as well as the employee.
You can take out the sick pay insurance by clicking here. Further information about our different kind of insurance solutions can be found here.
Do you have any questions regarding the sick pay insurance? Do not hesitate to contact Quitt for support in your domestic staff payroll needs.
Below blog post by our Partner Quitt (Quitt website) who take care of all your nanny / household staff
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Most of us will have carried out small jobs for relatives, friends and neighbors in return for a minor payment at least once in life – the so-called pocket money jobs such as babysitting. Factually in doing so, a new working relationship is established. Will you have to register the employment with the AHV in accordance to Swiss law?
In most cases, pocket money jobs are considered to be a great way of generating additional income for students and teenagers. These small jobs help students to finance their university fees and enable teenagers to gain valuable work experience. Next to the most popular pocket money job in private households – babysitting – small services such as easy office work, computer tutoring, cleaning windows, gardening work and helping someone move houses are also considered to be pocket money jobs. However, many people are unaware of the fact that as soon as the babysitter is paid, he/she will become an employee and the parents who hire the babysitter will become employer.
New regulation for the AHV contribution obligation
By law all wages earned during any employment in private households must be declared and settled with the compensation offices (AHV). Does this also apply to babysitting? Yes and no!
The Swiss parliament has passed a new law (effective from 1st of January 2015) stating that adolescents (up to the age of 25) carrying out small jobs in private households and earning less than 750 CHF a year are exempt of all AHV contribution obligations. In other words, babysitter below the age of 25 making less than 750 CHF a year do not need to be registered with the compensation office by parents. Before the new law was passed, the age limit was 17.
Obviously 750 CHF per year is not necessarily all that much. Let’s say a babysitter is earning 15 CHF an hour, after only 50 hours of work (alternatively after one hour of work a week) the limit of 750 CHF has already been reached. As soon as this limit of 750 CHF a year is exceeded, babysitters that are not registered and insured correctly are due to legal issues. In such cases it is highly recommended to make sure that the babysitter is employed correctly.
Accident insurance for pocket money jobs
As part of the new regulation, no premium for the accident insurance for babysitting and other pocket money jobs must be paid as long as the employees are below the age of 25 and earning less than 750 CHF a year. In case of an accident during work in private households, the compensatory fund (Ersatzkasse) will cover the costs. Nevertheless, the Ersatzkasse might reclaim the insurance contributions to a maximum of 5 years, meaning that the employer must cover all costs incurred by the accident. In comparison to that, taking out an accident insurance for a babysitting is not only saver but also much cheaper.
Click here for the cheapest accident insurance for babysitters in Switzerland Quitt
