Changing a nanny or housekeeper's hours or duties
A recurring change to hours, pay or core duties should be treated as a real employment change, not an informal favour that quietly becomes permanent. Discuss the proposal, check the existing contract, agree the detail where possible, put agreed changes in writing and review how the new arrangement works.
Can you change a nanny or housekeeper's contracted hours or duties?
Usually, changes to contractual hours, pay or core duties should be discussed and agreed rather than imposed. Acas advises employers to consult about proposed contract changes, and GOV.UK says that once changes to written employment particulars are agreed, the employee must be told in writing within one month. This is general information, not personalised legal advice.
A one-off request is different from a recurring change to the job. The more permanent or material the change, the more important it is to stop relying on informal custom and record the new arrangement clearly.
A six-step process for changing the role
Use this as a practical household-employer workflow. The legal position can depend on the contract and circumstances.
Common household changes that need a proper reset
The correct response depends on whether the change is temporary, recurring or fundamental to the role.
Adding an earlier start or later finish every week
Recalculate the normal working pattern and check whether pay, breaks, childcare logistics or overtime treatment also need to change.
Moving from three days to five days
Agree the new schedule and revisit annual leave and other entitlements that depend on the working pattern.
Adding family cooking, driving or pet care
Decide whether the extra work fits the existing hours and what existing duties will reduce or disappear.
A new baby or larger property changes the workload
Reset the priority and scope. Do not assume the employee can perform the original role plus the new workload within the same time.
Regular work at another property is introduced
Clarify location, travel time, expenses and the duties expected at each place rather than allowing an occasional request to become an undefined second workplace.
Short-term family circumstances require a temporary arrangement
State the start and end date and what happens afterwards so a temporary change does not quietly become permanent.
Recalculate the consequences, not just the rota
A change in hours or duties can affect more than the weekly timetable.
Check the gross-pay arrangement
If weekly hours, responsibilities or working pattern change, confirm how gross pay will work under the new arrangement before it starts.
Check leave against the new pattern
Statutory holiday entitlement depends on the working pattern. Use current GOV.UK guidance or the FDS holiday guide for the applicable calculation.
Check rest and overtime treatment
A schedule that expands at the edges can create regular extra hours. Record what counts as ordinary time and any agreed overtime treatment.
Check whether the job title still fits
A nanny who is now expected to manage substantial housekeeping, or a housekeeper who now has significant childcare responsibility, may need a different role definition rather than a longer list.
From our work: compare the proposed job with the job FDS originally briefed
Filipino Domestic Services builds a search around a defined position: the role, recurring duties, normal days and hours, location, working arrangement, start date and practical requirements. That gives both the household and candidate a clear description of the work being considered.
When a household later wants different hours or additional duties, that original brief becomes a useful baseline. We can see whether the request is a small operational adjustment or whether the household now needs a materially different role.
For example, adding substantial household management to a childcare-led position can change the balance enough that “nanny” is no longer an accurate description. Likewise, regular extra days or a second property are not simply details if they alter the time, travel or workload the employee accepted.
Our practical approach is therefore to define the new job before judging whether the current employee can or should absorb it. That makes the discussion more honest and reduces the risk of role creep: the household can decide what is changing, what is being removed, whether terms need to change and whether a different staffing structure is actually required.
Using the original brief also helps identify linked consequences, such as a different working pattern, altered workload or a role title that no longer describes the work.
What should the written change record say?
Acas recommends putting agreed contract changes in writing and making the detail clear.
- The old term and the new term, written plainly.
- The effective date.
- Whether the change is temporary or permanent.
- The revised working days, hours or duty list where relevant.
- Any revised gross pay or overtime arrangement.
- Any change to location, accommodation or travel expectation.
- How the household and employee will review the change in practice.
- Where the updated term sits: letter, email, written statement or revised contract document.
What if the employee does not agree?
Do not treat disagreement as permission to rewrite the role unilaterally.
Acas advises employers to consult, listen to concerns and consider alternatives. Even where a flexibility clause exists, Acas says employers should still consult and consider whether the proposed use is reasonable in the circumstances. If agreement cannot be reached, the legal options and risks can be complex. This is general information, not personalised legal advice; obtain appropriate employment advice before attempting to impose a material contractual change.
If the practical problem is that the household's needs have changed, a staffing solution may be simpler than trying to force an old role to carry a new workload. The FDS support page can help separate a changed brief from a placement-performance issue.
Questions about changing domestic staff terms
Can I change my nanny's hours?
A recurring contractual change to hours should normally be discussed and agreed. Check the existing contract, explain the proposed change and record agreed main-term changes in writing. The exact legal position depends on the contract and circumstances, so this is general information rather than personalised legal advice.
Can I add more duties to my housekeeper's role?
Occasional reasonable requests are different from a permanent expansion of the job. If new recurring duties materially change the workload or role, discuss what will be added, what will be removed and whether hours or pay also need to change.
Do contract changes have to be in writing?
Acas says agreed changes to an employee's main terms must be put in writing, and GOV.UK says employees must be told about changes to their written statement within one month. This is general information; check current official guidance for the specific arrangement.
Can I use a flexibility clause to change hours or duties?
A flexibility clause may permit some changes, but Acas says employers should still consult and consider whether the proposed use is reasonable and whether it creates unfair effects. The meaning of a specific clause requires case-specific legal assessment.
What happens to holiday entitlement if working days change?
Holiday should be recalculated against the employee's new working pattern using the current statutory rules. Do not simply carry the old number of days forward if the regular workweek changes.
What if the new arrangement does not work?
Review the change after it has operated in practice. If the role is overloaded, expectations are unclear or the household needs a different staffing structure, reset the brief and use the appropriate performance or post-placement support route rather than continuing an unworkable arrangement.
Sources and scope
Employment-change guidance is grounded in current GOV.UK and Acas material. FDS operational content is based on the current role-brief and support process. This page gives general information only.
Treat a lasting change as a new agreed version of the job
Use the contract owner for the legal framework, support if the change destabilises the placement, and check-ins to review how the new arrangement works.