How do you schedule a review?

[Anonymous]

We have our first formal review with our nanny coming up in January. I would like for both of us to be able to be there, and for the children to not be there. That would mean she would either have to come back later in the evening, or come on a weekend day. How do other people handle the scheduling?

[Anonymous]

Don't you talk to her on a regular basis ? Like every day or every week ?
Why doing a review ?

[Anonymous]

I agreed to come in a half hour early and grandma came over to watch the little guys.

We didn't have much to discuss so it worked for us.

Is that an option for you?

[Anonymous]

Can a neighbor or friend watch them for 45 minutes? Reviews generally take like 10 minutes or so. Mayyyyyyybe a half hour.

[Anonymous]

I came in a half hour early while the child (year old) was playing in his play pen in the adjoining room. If your children are older, I would hire another sitter or get a neighbor to take them for a half-hour. Older children should never be privy to their nanny's review and evaluation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agreed to come in a half hour early and grandma came over to watch the little guys.

We didn't have much to discuss so it worked for us.

Is that an option for you?

My husband leaves for work an hour before she comes; we could maybe make this work in the afternoon, but it's hard to get the kids (there are three of them, 4 and under) to leave him alone when he comes in. We are military, and just moved here over the summer, so all of our childcare options are paying someone. The morning might work better; maybe she can come early one day and DH can leave a little late and we can overlap. I know someone who could come in the morning. There's a teen down the street who might be able to do the afternoon, too.

Why are we doing a review? Yes, I do talk to her, but with three little kids running around it is hard for either one of us to really talk about things. We are also expecting a new baby in February, and she finishes her early childhood ed degree in January, so the plan is to also talk about a raise and how we (parents and nanny) want to do things for the first few months after the baby comes.

When we hired her, we had been two months without a nanny after our move, and I was so far behind at work that we couldn't do much of a tranistion period. We do have a few things to discuss.

[Anonymous]

I've always had mine after the children are in bed usually on a Friday evening around 10 pm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have our first formal review with our nanny coming up in January. I would like for both of us to be able to be there, and for the children to not be there. That would mean she would either have to come back later in the evening, or come on a weekend day. How do other people handle the scheduling?

Get a babysitter....

[Anonymous]

Parents and nannies who speak normally on a daily basis do not need reviews.

[Anonymous]

You could also have someone come over to house and the 3 of you meet at nearby coffee shop if there is somewhere you can be reasonably private. Because it will be hard for the 2 of you to pull away from kids when you just get home. So have her leave kids with sitter and meet you 2 somewhere out of house. This works better in afternoon.

[Anonymous]

Gee....How formal will this review be....??!

I don't see the need for a formal review.

In my nanny jobs, I usually talk to the parents when they get home for about ten minutes or so.

I give them a recap of our day, ask any questions I may have (while my mind is still fresh), and if anyone of us has any concerns or issues, then we just address them then.

We don't wait until a formal review date.

It's not like I work for a corporation or anything.

In the nanny profession, our type of work is more intimate since it is in someone's private home and caring for someone's most prized possession.

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny too and while I do all the things you mentioned I also have formal reviews.

It is possible to do both.

Formal reviews are a good time to discuss significant changes to the work agreement, wages, job description, discipline, letting nanny go etc anything that requires a talking out.

Things that are not appropriate to discuss with the child present or in the 5 to 10 minutes after parents return from work are best left to formal review.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents and nannies who speak normally on a daily basis do not need reviews.

Wrong. I speak with my boss multiple times a day, but I still have a review twice a year (one informal, one formal).

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny too and while I do all the things you mentioned I also have formal reviews.

It is possible to do both.

Formal reviews are a good time to discuss significant changes to the work agreement, wages, job description, discipline, letting nanny go etc anything that requires a talking out.

Things that are not appropriate to discuss with the child present or in the 5 to 10 minutes after parents return from work are best left to formal review.

+1. MB here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a nanny too and while I do all the things you mentioned I also have formal reviews.

It is possible to do both.

Formal reviews are a good time to discuss significant changes to the work agreement, wages, job description, discipline, letting nanny go etc anything that requires a talking out.

Things that are not appropriate to discuss with the child present or in the 5 to 10 minutes after parents return from work are best left to formal review.

+1. MB here.

OP here. Exactly. Also, my husband, who is very involved in child care when he is here, would like to be there, and he leaves before she gets there in the morning and comes home either just as she is leaving or right after.

I think morning will work better for us because I have a regular backup sitter who can come mornings. I talked to DH, and he can go in late one day, and she can come in a little early to give us a half hour or so. We aren't going to fire her, so that's not an issue, but there are definitely a couple of "style" things that I think would come across as harsh if I just sort of said, "please stop doing x" on her way in or out one day. And, of course, there's the new baby to talk about.