One of the key issues we see with parents who hire a nanny is that they don’t view their arrangement like a standard employment situation.
Because a nanny works in your home, not at the office, parents can be disinclined to provide a contract, set rules and guidelines, and refer back to them on a regular basis. This is often because in the home environment parents prefer the ‘softly softly’ approach, hoping to leave the traditional headaches of the office at the front door.
However, as with any employee nannies thrive in a structured environment and do their best job when clear boundaries and goals are established. If anything they need it more, as they work often work in a sole charge environment without the support of peers to help them along.
Setting a good foundation
To start off on the right foot you need to provide your nanny with a very clear employment contract and job description. Make sure you outline all of the required duties of the role very clearly, and set time frames/ limits for when they should be done. A basic fridge timetable can be an excellent supplement to this, a very clear and easy way to say ‘this is what we expect to be done when.’
On day one it’s crucial to sit down with your nanny and let her know what is important to you. Aside from excellent care for the children, help around the house is an area you should address at this stage. If it’s important to you that the nanny knows if you like the kitchen floor mopped every day, the toys wiped down once a week or the pillowcases ironed. Everyone has different expectations and your nanny will not know what is going to make you happy unless you tell her.
Follow through
Once your nanny has been in the role for a couple of weeks, schedule some time to sit down together and review progress. It’s important to do this even if the nanny’s done a great job- everyone responds well to positive feedback!
Go through all of the nannies duties together and highlight strengths and any weaknesses, this is your chance to let the nanny know you take her and her job seriously. Set goals for the next couple of weeks and challenge your nanny to raise the bar- you’ll be surprised how well a target driven approach motivates your nanny and helps her maintain focus on the job.
How to manage a problem with your nanny
It’s important to keep in mind that many nannies are young and not used to managing a household so mistakes may be made. Which brings us to the next point- if there is a problem, talk about it.
As an employer you are the manager so it’s your responsibility to bring any issue up. It’s easy to manage a nanny, they are typically hard working, care driven people who want to do a good job, and are receptive to feedback.
A simple management strategy is to lead with a good point, discuss the problem area in the middle, and finish on a good point- the sandwich approach. Doing this tells your nanny you still value her work, and gives you the chance to communicate in a positive way what needs to be improved on.
By: Rachel J Ogg
About the Author:
One of the founders of KiwiOz Childcare, Rachel Ogg has over ten years experience in the childcare recruitment industry.
KiwiOz is one of the most trusted nanny agencies worldwide, renowned for it’s friendly consultants, top candidates and excellent service.
With offices in London, Sydney and Auckland KiwiOz has helped over 5,000 busy families source experienced, qualified nannies for their little ones.
Find out more about nannies and babysitters, Rachel and KiwiOz at: http://www.kiwiozchildcare.com.au
