Working from Home

[Anonymous]

Nannies - we have a five month old and are hiring a nanny. We were just turned down by one woman who said that she was concerned that we were occaisionally working from home.

Any tips on how to approach the topic and make it workable for both parties? I don't want to give up the option to work from home. I can often get more done and it cuts my commute time out / gives me more time with my DS. I understand it could be disruptive, but there must be a way to make it work.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Just keep looking. Sometimes someone has ONE bad experience and then they assume all will be the same way.

DH and I work from home sometimes. Hell, some days we BOTH work from home and one of us is working right at the dining room table while the nanny and kids are playing in the living room. Our nanny doesn't blink.

If the kids come show us something or ask we reply/acknowledge and then redirect back to the nanny. We always back each other on discipline.

Just keep looking. You'll find someone great. You do NOT have to shut yourself away on a different floor for 9 hours and tip-toe around.

[Anonymous]

I had a mother who worked from home two days a month and it was so disruptive for my poor charge that I swore I would never have a work-from-home parent again. I would have turned your position down as well, OP.

[Anonymous]

I would find the "occasionally" working from home to be a problem. Any change in routine is a big problem for little ones. When you baby is a little older she will see you walk by and cry for you - thinking you are there for her/him. It simply isn't fair. You do need to sequester yourself in an office or another room for the duration when your child is this young.

I was home with DD and nanny for six months although out of the house a great deal and I could see how much it was disrupting the baby's day. Now I go to my office from 8:30 to 4:40 every weekday and DD happily says good-bye. But when I come home, I am hers.

Our nanny is fantastic but I could sense she was happier when I went to the office, too. She does her job and I do mine.

[Anonymous]

Find activities so that u stay home and nanny and baby happily hang out at fun places all day. I meet a lot of nannies all the time and trust me none of them like a stay at home parent since the kids act out to be spoiled by you. Enroll her in a play Gym, have story time schedules, classes, and more. I would take the job contingent on having places to go. Otherwise it is not worth the stress. Dealt with a work from home dad last week since the nanny was on vacation and really hated that experience: can't imagine being the regular nanny there.

[Anonymous]

I have enough experience and references that I can tell the agency what I want, and it's definitely working out of the home families. Would never consider this job. Find a younger nanny who hasn't been burned by WAHM parents.

[Anonymous]

Agreed, you're going to have to find a nanny who is younger or has less experience so they don't know what they're getting into. I've worked for a few WAHF and every time it has been a disaster- micromanaging parents, a child that would scream bloody murder if they even HEARD their mom or dad walking upstairs or clear their throat- and all bets were off if god forbid, they had to pass through our area. It was a disaster. You can't do things exactly how you want as it feels like you're being watched at all times. Disciplining them within earshot of the parents is scary- what if they don't like the way you do it, or have a problem with the way you just spoke to their child and come to tell you off? Going into the kitchen to cook your lunch is anxiety-inducing- (what if the smell of my food grosses them out?? what if they think I'm abandoning their child to eat my lunch?? what if I have to leave the dishes in the sink for a few minutes because the baby woke up and they think I'm just gonna not clean up??). I don't have any true breaks, because my charge is sleeping, mom or dad come to have a chit chat with me for the full hour. Things like this may not bother a complete extrovert, but you'd never find an introverted nanny to take this job. Keep that in mind when you're meeting candidates. A WAHF job is not for a shy person.

[Anonymous]

I have been a nanny and NCS for 10 years. I have worked successfully for multiple WAH parents. You will find someone. The nannies who are SO turned off by this must not be very flexible or just don't feel confident in judging the character of their potential employers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been a nanny and NCS for 10 years. I have worked successfully for multiple WAH parents. You will find someone. The nannies who are SO turned off by this must not be very flexible or just don't feel confident in judging the character of their potential employers.

Untrue in my case. I hated the disruption and upset in my charge's day, not my own. I enjoyed having MB home occasionally but it was way too hard on my charge.

[Anonymous]

Just go to your offices, OP. Or put your baby in daycare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed, you're going to have to find a nanny who is younger or has less experience so they don't know what they're getting into. I've worked for a few WAHF and every time it has been a disaster- micromanaging parents, a child that would scream bloody murder if they even HEARD their mom or dad walking upstairs or clear their throat- and all bets were off if god forbid, they had to pass through our area. It was a disaster. You can't do things exactly how you want as it feels like you're being watched at all times. Disciplining them within earshot of the parents is scary- what if they don't like the way you do it, or have a problem with the way you just spoke to their child and come to tell you off? Going into the kitchen to cook your lunch is anxiety-inducing- (what if the smell of my food grosses them out?? what if they think I'm abandoning their child to eat my lunch?? what if I have to leave the dishes in the sink for a few minutes because the baby woke up and they think I'm just gonna not clean up??). I don't have any true breaks, because my charge is sleeping, mom or dad come to have a chit chat with me for the full hour. Things like this may not bother a complete extrovert, but you'd never find an introverted nanny to take this job. Keep that in mind when you're meeting candidates. A WAHF job is not for a shy person.

This is so true my dear. You hit the nail on the head. At 27 I still consider myself young and have lots of experience. As an oncall sitter and daycare assistant, I have worked with multiple families from all social/cultural/age/race background. So consider myself pretty outgoing and confident in my own skin. Let me tell you this, I could never take a job M-F full time for a WFHP. It's the worst ! for all those reasons you listed and more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been a nanny and NCS for 10 years. I have worked successfully for multiple WAH parents. You will find someone. The nannies who are SO turned off by this must not be very flexible or just don't feel confident in judging the character of their potential employers.

Untrue in my case. I hated the disruption and upset in my charge's day, not my own. I enjoyed having MB home occasionally but it was way too hard on my charge.

So you saw something happening that was bad for your charge. What did you do to fix it? As a flexible nanny who works exclusively for parents with minimal ego and good communication skills I have addressed this issue many times and we talked it through and came up with a solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been a nanny and NCS for 10 years. I have worked successfully for multiple WAH parents. You will find someone. The nannies who are SO turned off by this must not be very flexible or just don't feel confident in judging the character of their potential employers.

Untrue in my case. I hated the disruption and upset in my charge's day, not my own. I enjoyed having MB home occasionally but it was way too hard on my charge.

So you saw something happening that was bad for your charge. What did you do to fix it? As a flexible nanny who works exclusively for parents with minimal ego and good communication skills I have addressed this issue many times and we talked it through and came up with a solution.

My charge was broken hearted when he would see his mother walk by his room but not come in or hear his mother on the phone and her not come to talk to him. I comforted him of course but it should not have happened. He was only a baby. How do you fix a eight month old's broken heart?
?

[Anonymous]

Here is the truth, MB, only a desperate nanny would take a job with an occasional work from home parent.

[Anonymous]

Nanny here who work with WAHM at present , seriously I promised myself not to work with one in future again. No matter how nice the MB is I feel like someone is watching and listening to me all the time. You can't lay down when you are sick since the MB is home and walk pass by you all the time. I will be done with current job soon and rather stay home without job then take something like this.