Many people have household employees, including regular nannies, to care for their kids. It's already hard enough to keep track of taxation laws, and now, if you live in California, there's a new law under proposal that includes, in part, the requirement to have documented 30-minute lunch breaks and two 10-minute breaks per full day.
While I respect the idea of wanting to make sure nannies aren't over-worked, this seems a little crazy. Who is going to watch the kids during those breaks? Should the parents come home from work? A work-at-home parent could easily relieve a nanny, but what about one who has a 45-mile commute? I've worked caring for children, and in general, there's enough down time anyway - it's not like most nannies are literally on their feet all day long.
It's interesting that the APNA - Association of Premier Nanny Agencies is actually against this law, due to the burdensome regulations it places. Ironically, even some domestic workers in California are worried about this too, since the requirement of overtime pay or the issues of breaks may actually cost them their jobs if families decide it's easier to be placed in a daycare setting.
It's sad that laws like this even have to be passed. I've had part-time nannies, which I realize is a different issue, since they're only here half the day, but even then they've always known I can take care of things if they need me to (especially diapering, since I use cloth). But I'm sure there are households out there who take advantage of in-home workers.
What do you think?
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