Posts Tagged ‘Nanny work’
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
In California there’s been quite a bit of talk and some hysteria over a proposed bill, The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights or California 889. The bill essentially requires domestic workers to be paid minimum wage and time and one-half based on the same rules as other workers. It also requires employers to give their employee a paycheck stub that reports hours worked, pay, and deductions.
The provision that’s causing some hysteria and panic amongst families is the provision that requires the employer to give the nanny a 10 minute break every 4 hours and a 30 minute break every 5 hours. People are saying they’ll have to hire two nannies to cover the time off. Does that really make sense? Don’t nannies get breaks now when the child is napping or watching TV? How is this different from a mom talking on the phone and keeping an eye on her child at the same time? Or, mom grabbing lunch while keeping an eye on their child. Surely, the law doesn’t intend a break where the nanny leaves the child alone. Personally, I think this reaction has to do more with people claiming “nanny state” than reality.
The part of the bill that will cause some pain will impact mainly seniors that have caregivers and senior care agencies. This is because of the rules requiring live-in caregivers to have 8 hours off to sleep in a 24 hour shift and rules regarding pay. This could be painful to seniors since it could drive up the cost of caregivers.
From what I’ve heard a similar-sounding law in NY state has had little impact on how nanny employers and employees work. For those interested here’s a link to an interview our nanny Claudia and I gave to NBC Los Angeles.
Tags: nannies, Nanny Salary, nanny tax, nanny taxes, Nanny work
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Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
eNannySource recently ran a contest to find the best story of hiring a nanny from us and another contest to find the best story from a nanny about her job search. The nanny and family each won a Flip Video camera.
Jessica Rose Stine of Aledo, TX won the family contest with her touching story of her hiring of Nora from our site. She knew Nora was the right nanny for the job from the moment Nora held her baby in her arms and immediately fell asleep. Instant bliss!
Our nanny winner is Kailie Ware of Edmunds, WA. Kailie complimented us greatly by telling us about how easy to use we are and the number of families she had to choose from. Thanks, Kailie!
Congratulations to both winners and thanks to all the nannies and families that sent in their stories and photos. It was tough choosing the winners!
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, nanny services, Nanny work
Posted in hiring a nanny | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
Every parent has great concern and anxiety over screening nannies for their newborn or infant. Having owned a brick and mortar nanny agency for many years I was able to see the qualities that help parents feel comfortable making this big decision.
It’s particularly important to follow safe nanny hiring steps for this age group. This can be time consuming, so for some families where money isn’t the main issue using a nanny referral service can be well worth the extra money. Good nanny agencies are experts at nanny screening and understand very well the parent’s anxiety and can help make you feel more comfortable.
For those that want to use an online nanny referral service here are the steps that have been used for years and work very well.
- Only interview candidates with prior experience with infants and newborns.
- Do a careful phone interview first. Have the nanny’s complete resume or nanny job application (available in our Hiring Pro Toolkit) on hand prior to the interview, if possible.
- In the phone interview use a good interview form (available in our Hiring Pro Toolkit) and take notes.
- Look at her resume/application (available in our Hiring Pro Toolkit) for prior jobs with this age group and ask her questions about why she liked working with those children. Listen for genuine enthusiasm and care for her charges. Can you feel her warmth?
- If the phone interview is satisfactory set up an in-person interview. My preference is with the child present so that you can see her reaction to your baby and the baby’s reaction to her.
- Ask her numerous questions about those nanny jobs with very young children.
- Check references using a reference check form (available in our Hiring Pro Toolkit).
- Reference checking is the “secret weapon” in the nanny hiring process. It’s usually mom-to-mom and very personal. That mom will empathize with you and try to help you with information about the nanny.
- Did the reference checking confirm your feelings about the nanny or did the references raise issues?
- It sounds trite, but trust your instincts.
- If it’s all positive and you want to hire her do a nanny background check for your peace of mind.
- Use a family and nanny hiring agreement to put in writing all the points. Our Hiring Pro Toolkit has a free International Nanny Association agreement included.
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, nanny interview, nanny services, Nanny work
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Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
We are having a second baby.
Do we need to pay our nanny more?
Should we hire a new nanny?
Adding a new child to your family may not be as big a change as that first child, however it is still a transition that a family needs to adapt to, and that includes the nanny! As soon as you feel comfortable sharing your big news of the new baby with family and friends, make sure you sit down and discuss it with your nanny. Make sure you discuss the following:
- Ask her how she feels about this new change
- Ask her what questions she has about what this change will mean for her.
- Inform her of your plan and again check in with the nanny about her thoughts and feelings.
Before you sit down and let your nanny know about your new baby on the way. Sit down with your partner and discuss what the plan is going to be. Are you going to hire a new nanny or give your current nanny a raise? There are some factors to consider. What’s the age difference between your children? Will one person be able to help care for a newborn and your other child? Does your older child have activities that they need to be driven to? Will you be home for a bit as well? If you feel as though your nanny will be able to take care of both children and you are even planning to stay home for a bit at the beginning, then you will want to give your nanny a raise. If you feel as though you need additional help, then you will need to begin the search for an additional nanny. Sometimes families only need an additional nanny through the first few months, sometimes the first few years. You will need to decide what is right for your family.
Most nannies will expect to have their nanny salary increased due to the increased workload and responsibility. Not increasing her nanny pay could create resentment on her part and that’s never good in a nanny/family relationship.
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, nanny, Nanny Salary, Nanny work
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Monday, September 27th, 2010
Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
This question is a very common question that I get from new moms. There are many layers to the nanny interview process and many layers of screening candidates that needs to take place. Your children really don’t need to be present until the very end of the process. Exposing your children needlessly to nannies who may or may not be their next nanny can leave them feeling anxious and uneasy. At first, you may choose to screen nanny candidates out via e-mail. Then you may choose to interview potential nannies over the phone where you continue to narrow your search. After that step, you may choose to Skype with them or meet them at a local coffee shop to see how you feel about them in person. Once you are pretty sure this candidate is “the one” you can invite them to your house for an in-person interview where they can meet the kids. When you have this meeting, take care not to tell the children this may be their next nanny. Children may either attach themselves immediately or push this potential nanny candidate away if they know that this person may be their next nanny. Instead, have the nanny have a try-out day and tell the kids “Susan” is helping us out today. Watch how the children interact with her and see if it’s a good fit!
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, nanny, nanny interview, nanny services, Nanny work
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Thursday, August 12th, 2010
By Dr. Lindsay Heller The Nanny Doctor
By now you may be well into your search for the perfect nanny. You have made a list of your needs and perhaps you have even consulted with other families with live-in or live-out nannies.
Many families enter their nanny search knowing already what type of nanny they need. However, with so many great child care options available to families these days, it’s harder to make a choice. A quick survey of families in your area may reveal that live-out nannies are more common than live-in nannies. However, if your family needs a live-in nanny, then there are a few important things you need to consider.
1. Do you have enough space?
If you plan to hire a live-in nanny, you will need to provide a dedicated bedroom. If your live-in nanny will be caring for an infant, she may sleep in the nursery with the baby on occasion, but she will still need her own bedroom as well.
2. Are you prepared to feed an extra mouth?
Since your nanny will be living with you, then you will be required to provide meals and snacks. Consider the expense of extra groceries when preparing a budget.
3. Do you have an extra vehicle?
Not every nanny owns a car. If you expect your live-in nanny to drive the kids to school or run the occasional errand, then you may need to provide her with a car. Or perhaps you can lend her your own car. Either way, you need to make sure your nanny has a valid driver’s license and is covered by your auto insurance.
4. What about vacations?
Like all bosses, you need to consider time off for your employee. Be sure to work in a minimum of one week’s paid vacation and all major holidays off with pay into your plans.
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, Nanny work
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Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
By, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
Nanny agencies are professionals in their field. They have years of experience in seeking out nanny candidates. Many families benefit from the help of nanny agencies. Their wealth of wisdom and experience can save you a lot of time. Here are some things you should know about nanny agencies:
1) Not every nanny agency is the same. There aren’t any governing bodies of agencies so that means that anyone can set up shop as an agency. You need to be smart and ask other parents about their experiences with an agency. Make sure the agency has been around for a reasonable amount of time and is well established in the community.
2) Some agencies have a fee you must pay before starting a search, while others do not. Ask about this on your first phone call.
3) Ask what the agency’s fee is. These range from anywhere from 5-18% of the annual nanny salary.
4) Ask about their “replacement policy.” If you hire your nanny and it turns out it wasn’t the right fit, most nanny agencies will help you find a new nanny for no additional fee as long as it is within their designated window of time.
5) A good nanny agency will save you hours and hours of time! They will have already interviewed nanny candidates and will only present you with candidates that match your family’s unique needs.
6) A nanny agency will conduct a nanny background check and check references as part of their overall fee.
7) Many families attempt to go about conducting a search on their own, only to struggle and spend so much time looking for a nanny, feel fed up and then end up coming to an agency in the end.
8) A good agency “knows the nanny market” – they know what candidates have been out there looking for a job for years as well as what candidates have the greatest references.
9) An agency will provide you with support during the process of finding a nanny and help with issues that arise after placement. They can answer any questions you may have and guide you through the process.
10) A good agency prides themselves on finding the right nanny for families and will do whatever it takes to match you up!
Tags: hire a nanny, Nanny Background check, Nanny Salary, Nanny work
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Friday, July 16th, 2010
By, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
Your nanny cares for your child with love and sensitivity on a daily basis. Her birthday is the perfect opportunity to show her how much you care about her and appreciate how much nanny work she does for your family. Unfortunately, so many families don’t take notice of this special day in the life of their nanny and miss out on an opportunity to let her know she is important. Here are some quick tips for celebrating your nanny’s birthday:
1) Take note of when her birthday is and plan ahead of time to celebrate it!
2) Get your children involved. Ask them to create a drawing for her or art project. Let your children know why you are doing something for your nanny and how much you love and appreciate them. Encourage your children to talk about why they love her so much and what she means to them. Write their words down on the back of the artwork in quotes for the nanny to read.
3) Are your children too young for artwork? Send flowers to your nanny on her birthday from your baby with a note about how much you appreciate her!
4) As far as gifts go, there is quite a range of what is acceptable. The bottom line is you should do what is comfortable and feels right for your family. While some families are able to give huge cash gifts, other families may be able to give a nanny $100 or $50. You may also choose to give her a paid day off – which can be great because it doesn’t affect your budget. You can also think outside of the box – think about your friends…do they own their own businesses? Perhaps you know a friend who is a massage therapist and you can get a deal on a massage and pass on a gift certificate to your nanny.
5) Try to avoid buying something extravagant. What may be beautiful or special to you may not be useful for your nanny. Instead of a designer scarf, get her a gift card from a local grocery store or a gift card for a restaurant. These kinds of gifts can go a long ways and also extend to your nanny’s family which can be an extremely valuable gift. Offer to purchase her bus pass for a year, listen to her, has she been complaining about a dishwasher that keeps breaking down? If it’s within your budget, these are the kind of gifts that can be really appreciated by your nanny.
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, Nanny work
Posted in hiring a nanny | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
By, Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
As a professional nanny consultant, I hear from nannies and families all over the world about their struggles and daily challenges. The topic of a nanny not being a “self-starter” tends to be quite a common issue, however this topic is a bit more complex than it may seem on the surface. As with all nanny-family relationship issues, we need to look at both parties’ potential part in the problem. Take a look at this article on evaluating nanny success.
Examine how you are communicating your expectations and needs to your nanny. It is not enough sometimes to just tell your nanny to do something.
There are many factors that could affect communication. Ask yourself is there a language barrier issue? Is there a cultural misunderstanding? Are you not being clear in setting the expectations? Are you assuming that they “should know this because they are a nanny”?
These are common contributing factors to the problem of your nanny not following through on one of your requests. The best way to communicate your expectations to your nanny is in a thorough, purposeful manner. This may mean:
1) Demonstrating how you expect a task to be completed
2) Writing out directions regarding your expectations
3) Sitting down and setting aside some time to discuss why it didn’t work, or why it wasn’t exactly how you had requested.
If you troubleshoot and determine that there isn’t a language problem, it isn’t a cultural misunderstanding, you have set clear expectations, not made any assumptions, then it may be an employee behavioral problem. Your nanny may have an idea of how they are going to do something and have rigid beliefs that they have a better way of doing something. This is when you need to sit down and have a talk and explain to her that things cannot continue this way. Assess the current situation. State that you have requested she do xyz, and ask why she hasn’t been able to do xyz. Listen to your nanny, there may be a real reason why xyz is not happening. However, if there isn’t really an answer probe a little further and ask her what you can do to ensure that xyz happens. In other words, find out how you can set her up for success!
Tags: hire a nanny, nannies, nanny services, Nanny work
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