How to actually address job creep without jeopardizing job
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Anonymous
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I've been in my current nanny position for 8 months. When we negotiated job specifics, with regards to household duties other than childcare, MB and DB asked that I take out the garbage, recycling and compost bins from the kitchen to the big bins in the driveway if they are full. I said this has never been part of my official job description as a nanny previously, but in past positions if the bins were filled up during my shift I'd take them out, so I agreed.
It started slowly of course, but I'd show up for more and more of my shifts to find the garbage, recycling, and compost bins full. Not just like, oh they were halfway or 2/3 full when I left the previous day and now they're full. No. I'm talking about, I took all the bins out, and when I left at the end of my shift at 6:30pm they were less than 1/3 full, and when I show up at 7:30am the very next day, they're filled to the top! Nine out of my last ten shifts I've arrived to at least one, if not 2 or 3 of the bins completely full, after having emptied that very same bin the day before. I'm already responsible for the care of two young children, doing the dishes, all of their laundry, bathing the children, preparing meals from scratch (with recipes from MB), doing the family's grocery shopping, and wiping down the surfaces of the kitchen and keeping the house tidy every day, so walking in and finding that not one more yogurt container will fit in the recycling bin nor one more banana peel into the compost bin is frustrating to say the least. Is there any way to bring up this topic without upsetting MB and DB? I'm otherwise very happy with my NF. Thank you. |
Anonymous
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I don't think what you're describing falls under "job creep."
You explicitly agreed to this duty when you negotiated job specifics, so it's not job creep. It's just more of a task than you expected. |
Anonymous
| Don't bring it up. They sound like assholes and this is a red flag. I worked for a family that I agreed to empty and load dishwasher for kids dishes and do bottle washing. On MY watch. Before I knew it I was coming in on Monday to tons of bottles with stuck breast milk waiting and mb also began leaving the dinner dishes in the side of the sink I would use so by the time I'd move them I figured I may as well move them to the dishwasher. Should have never done that. It became a constant except ironically when the house keeper would be coming and she didn't want the house to seem too messy for her. |
Anonymous
| They're obviously working you like a slave girl. Hope they're at least paying you VERY well. I'd be lining up my next job. |
Anonymous
| Just out of curiosity, are the bins squishable... Like, can you stomp down the items and make more room? If so, then I'd do that. Just because it's "full" doesn't mean it needs to go out. Pack it down. The compost is different because if you eat fresh you're just going to have a lot of peeling and so forth. I usually set that stuff by the back door and take it with me when I leave for the day and dump it as I walk by. Sometimes a parent will see it all by the door and dump some of it for me but not always. As frustrating as this is. It's probably not the hill I'd die on unless I already hated the job and was looking for another one. |
Anonymous
| They are just inconsiderate. Either do it or find a new position. Fwiw our nanny is officially responsible for baby laundry and baby food (I make about half and she makes half) and picking up after her. I swear the lady takes out the compost every day when there are 3 strawberry hills in it and the recycling when here are 2 magazines in there. For my part I clean the kitchen before I go to bed so she comes home to a clean space with none of my or baby dinner dishes dirty. |
Anonymous
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Holy shit, is this my NF?
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Anonymous
| They do sound inconsiderate and like they are taking advantage of you. I wouldn't mention it, unless you have another job lined up. It would probably create some awkward tension/resentment. I wouldn't want to work in that environment. So my advice is to just deal with it, or look for another job and lay out your responsibilities even more clearly. I am in the same position and I just deal with it. Yeah, it's annoying, but it has to be done. |
Anonymous
I kind of agree. I guess you could tell them that this is a bigger job than you expected and ask them to take out the trash half the time or something. Just out of curiosity, how are they producing 2/3 of the trash, compost, and recycling if you are doing all of the cooking and grocery shopping? I would say that nearly all of our garbage is from food. What are they doing at night that make so much trash? |
Anonymous
OP here. I didn't explain how the conversation went very well, I apologize for that. As I said, during initial negotiations MB and DB asked me to take out the bins if they are full. I told them that that had never been part of my official job description as a nanny, but also said that in previous positions if the bins got filled up during my shift I would usually take them out. MB immediately said "yes, that's what we meant, if they are filled during your shift." So at that point I agreed. I just looked over my contract to see how it's worded there and it's fairly vague. There is a section in the job description that says "to be completed if time allows," and underneath it says "empty out trash, recycling, compost bins if they are full." The issue with that wording is that when I show up for my 11 hour day, and the bins are full, I can't get through my day preparing meals for everyone, and so forth, without emptying the bins -- otherwise there would be garbage and decaying food matter left out on the counter which is pretty gross to even consider! So it's not a matter of "if time allows" because I have to make time for it no matter what, which usually means leaving the baby and toddler alone while I take the refuse outside. To the pp who suggested stomping the bins down, that sometimes works for the garbage but rarely is effective for the recycling or compost. To the above pp there are a few reasons they seem to fill up the bins so quickly. One is that the bins are all fairly small; the kitchen has a perfect little trash drawer thing, but I think it was meant to hold one or maybe two bins, not three. The biggest reason the recycling bin is always full is because MB and DB receive many packages in the mail, which they open in the evening. They do take the biggest boxes (which wouldn't fit into the kitchen bin no matter how hard they might try) directly outside themselves, but the small and medium sized cardboard boxes are always getting jammed into the kitchen bin, which fills it up quickly, along with the days newspapers and magazines. The recycling bin is the one that most often goes from empty at 6:30pm to completely full at 7:30am and cardboard boxes and newspapers are the biggest reason. As for the compost bin, the family eats dinner after I leave and MB and DB eat breakfast before I arrive. MB does like to cook; I do a lot of meal prepping but she will still frequently make other dishes, salad, etc, that create compost waste, and there is the inevitable kid waste after dinner as well. MB and DB also frequently entertain guests, both for dinner and also sometimes with wine and cheese/ dessert plates after the kids are in bed. Even with all that I have to agree it seems odd that the bin gets filled so quickly, but it does. I hope that explains things a little better, especially with regard to why I consider this job creep, because when we first discussed taking the bins out, MB specifically said she meant only if they were filled during my shift, which isn't what is happening now. While I agree this isn't a hill I want to die on, I was hoping there might be a constructive way to bring this up; unfortunately it seems there is not. |
Anonymous
| Maybe put it to them as what they would like you to do with the kids when you take it out. If they are full during the beginning of your shift it's not like you can wait for nap to take them out. Ask where they prefer you leave the kids while you do that since you are worried about toddlers safety or whatever. It may be a roundabout way of bringing it up. I get them, they are used to everything magically getting emptied when they are not there and they may not realize it's just one of you and the kids. |
Anonymous
| 16:49 here. If this is a big problem that you're either unwilling or unable to work around (totally fair, not judging that) then just have a blunt conversation. "Jill, when I agreed to take care of the trash it was with the understanding I wouldn't come in to full bins every morning. However, despite the fact I empty them every day, I still have to empty them every morning before I can start my day. Most of it is mail and dinner scraps that accumulated after I leave. Is there any way we can work together so no one is getting stuck with full bins every single day?" |
Anonymous
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Of course you can ask. Just do it the way you would ask anyone to do something they don't really want to do:
1) Describe the situation: "Hey. I agreed to take out the trash if it filled while I was here, but lately, the trash has been full every morning when I come in to work." 2) Tell them why this is a problem for you: "This means that I either have to take it out and leave your children alone inside, or I have to leave food and other garbage on the counter until I can take it out at naptime, which is kind of gross." 3) Ask them to do what you want them to do: "Can you please take it out at night or before you leave for work in the morning?" 4) Tell them why it would benefit them: "I would just feel a lot more comfortable that way, and it would be safer for your girls if I don't have to leave them alone at all." Don't be sarcastic or passive aggressive. Don't apologize or look at your shoes. I also think an alternative is to just empty the garbage at naptime every day and leave it completely empty. Then you walk in with it 2/3 full and fill it up the other 1/3 during your day. |
Anonymous
+1 This is greatly worded! Would go this route. Just wondering, OP, how many people are there in this house or how small are these bins? Just wondering because I'm kind of impressed how they fill it up in a night |