The growing national movement towards aging in place is challenging many families. As noted recently in the New York Times, "Aging in community is important for preserving the quality of life for older adults and providing stability to neighborhoods."
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Topics:
elder care,
senior home care
"Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude." ~ Ralph Marston
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Topics:
nanny bonus,
nanny background screening
April 2015 Update
The survey referenced below is now closed and published. HWS encourages you to review the results.
The INA reports the following:
Key findings include:
- Average hourly rate USD$18.66, $1/hour increase from 2012
- 49% have had a salary increase in prior 12 months, up from 38% in 2012
- Education and experience correlate with higher hourly wage
- 60% received an annual bonus in 2013, up from 53% in 2011
- INA Credentialed nannies average $19.96 per hour
- 64% are paid legally
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Topics:
nanny salary,
nanny benefits
I recently attended Nannypalooza in Philadelphia where I was asked by a nanny in attendance if I could coach her on how to speak to her employer about being paid on the books. Immediately several other nannies joined the conversation, sharing that this is one of the most difficult conversations to initiate with their employers.
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Topics:
nanny off the books,
nanny job satisfaction,
nanny taxes
Department of Labor Discusses Joint Employment, Changes in the Senior Caregiver Companionship Exemption and Announces Increased Enforcement
The Private Care Association, the voice of private duty home care, met in earlier this month in Orlando, FL and invited the US Department of Labor to discuss Joint Employment and Changes in the Companionship Exemption with its members. A guest appearance was made by Michael Hancock, Assistant Administrator for Policy, Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor and Melissa Murphy, Senior Attorney, Office of the Solicitor U.S. Department of Labor. Mr. Hancock and Ms. Murphy addressed an anxious crowd of almost 200 independent homecare staffing agencies to discus joint employment, the expiration of the Companionship Exemption for home health agencies and stepped up enforcement by the DOL in 2015 related to the enforcement of the Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA).
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Topics:
elder care,
aging in place,
senior care,
nanny background screening
When families hire a nanny, they enter the relationship with the best of intentions to establish a mutually rewarding long term relationship between the nanny and the family. You have gone to a lot of effort to locate this nanny, what actions can you take as the nanny employer to insure your mutual satisfaction? What are the keys to nanny job satisfaction?
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Topics:
nanny job satisfaction,
nanny retention
Nannies and senior caregivers who work in a private home, receive instructions and directions from the family employer and are paid by the family (either directly or via a household payroll company) are employees in the eyes of the IRS and US Department of Labor. As employees, many aspects of compensation and payroll are governed by payroll and labor law, no different than employees in a department store, factory or othr workplaces. Tax and labor law that covers household employees are often unique, and all too often neither the family nor the caregiver know the important details. Household payroll literacy on the part of a nanny or senior caregiver is important as they negotiate pay and benefits with their employers, many of whom don't understand these key points themselves.
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Topics:
household employee taxes,
household payroll literacy,
nanny employment practices,
domestic employer legal responsibilities
It is National Nanny Recognition Week - a time to recognize and acknowledge the positive contributions a nanny makes in the lives of the children she cares for. HomeWork Solutions is awed by the love, commitment, continuous learning, effort and passion of these women, professionally dedicated to the wellbeing of our children and to make this world a better one!
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Topics:
nannypalooza,
national nanny recognition week
Do you hire, manage and issue payroll to a beneficiary’s caregiver(s) in your capacity as a trustee? If so it is important to understand the legal and tax obligations this type of employment creates for both the trust and you personally.
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Topics:
Special Needs Trust,
caregiver payroll,
worker misclassification,
household payroll,
workers compensation household employees