I am a live-in caregiver. I have been at the client's house for 8 months without any days off to go home. I am getting burnt out however I am not able to have any days off until 1 year. My boss says after one year I am allowed 2 weeks off. Can she do that?
What are my rights for getting time off? I work privately and my taxes are being withdrawn. I live in Connecticut.
No I get a set daily pay.
Otherwise, don’t get your hopes up.
Honestly, most ppl would just state their terms and leave.
Please walk away. Save yourself and, report the employer. You are being abused. I could continue but that's the bottom line.
At those "off-duty" hours, are you allowed to leave the premises?
If this misunderstanding (boss breaking the law) ends in a dispute with her firing you there are things you can do. You say taxes are being withdrawn
(taxes withheld). Check to see if the taxes are being paid quarterly to the IRS on your behalf. Call Social Security to see if payments to your account have been posted. You may need an attorney to sort this out.
In the meantime, do not just walk away, quit, or abandon your client who needs care. If you must leave for your health, call APS to investigate with a home visit. It is clear that your boss has misinterpreted the rules/laws.
And what a shame for your client, because good caregivers are hard to find!
Adding this:
I do not know of a client/patient needing daily caregiving that would not have any needs in the middle of the night. Who takes care of your client overnight?
Proceed as if you are not afraid to lose your job because you are in the right.
Listen to MACinCT.
Align yourself with others in your community who are caregivers. See a lawyer. Talk to others, do not keep all this to yourself. The next person who does your job will be likewise fooled, exploited, and told lies.
If you can qualify, work for an agency that takes care of the withholding of taxes for you. If you don't qualify, don't worry about that part.
This breaks my heart this has happened to you. People try to work, make a living, and this happens. There are employed people living in their cars at places like Walmart parking lots during these hard times. Our community tries to help them with food and gift cards, via fb and other neighborhood social media.
Your employer has much more to lose than you (fines, conviction of a crime) so do not allow this intimidation to continue. You can negotiate still. Do not give up.
Where did you work prior to this assignment? Do you actually have a home nearby to return to on your times off, or do you have a home in another state or country? It does not matter if you prefer not to answer.
See All Answers