Forcing Nanny To Quit Other Job

[Anonymous]

I know the title makes me sound horrible but I am bery annoyed with our nanny. She let it slip that she started working as a part-time night nurse. I know she needs income ( we are part-time) but her job means that she will be up for 24 hours to complete not hours and the night nurse job. I feel uncomfortable leaving my infant in her care if she has been up the night before she needs to be here. She will work 10-6 and be at my house at 9 - 3. I worry how this will affect her ability to properly care for my child. She had said she can handle both. I told her either quites her night nurse job or we will have to let go. Am I being unreasonable or harsh?

[Anonymous]

She made the mistake of telling you about her other job.

You can only judge any employee in any field based on actual job performance - you have no right telling her what she can or cannot do on her off hours.

She would be a fool to stay with you and give up being a night nurse as night nurses make so much more than nannies.

[Anonymous]

I hope she quits. She is an employee, not your slave, and you cannot tell her what she may, or may not do, in her off time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She made the mistake of telling you about her other job.

You can only judge any employee in any field based on actual job performance - you have no right telling her what she can or cannot do on her off hours.

She would be a fool to stay with you and give up being a night nurse as night nurses make so much more than nannies.

Not OP, but it's going to be really hard to accurately judge her job performance if she is home with a baby all day. It's not like the baby can tell mom that nanny just lay on the sofa all day and let her stare at the ceiling.

[Anonymous]

Have you actually seen an issue in her care? As a former night nanny, it is tough on your social life, but with that schedule I would be fine. First, I was rarely up the entire night during my overnight shifts. 10-6, I would typically come in, get bottles for the night organized, stay up until feed 1, then there is at least 2 hours until next feed and for that segment I would rest/doze, then after feed 2 I would wash overnight bottles and prep bottle for the day, handle final wakeup and then head out. I would get off at 6, sleep for an hour, shower and show up for a day shift. After my day shift, I would go home and go immediately to bed for my real sleep (e.g., 4-9 pm for your nanny), then wake and change and head to my overnight gig. On weekends I would catch up on sleep and stock up on convenience food (I did a lot of freezer meals since there was not time to cook midweek), then start over.

[Anonymous]

I second OP. I would be concerned about my nanny caring for my child when she has not had sleep the prior night. Most newborns don't sleep every night. Sometimes they are up for hours. Most night nurse jobs do not allow the nanny to sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know the title makes me sound horrible but I am bery annoyed with our nanny. She let it slip that she started working as a part-time night nurse. I know she needs income ( we are part-time) but her job means that she will be up for 24 hours to complete not hours and the night nurse job. I feel uncomfortable leaving my infant in her care if she has been up the night before she needs to be here. She will work 10-6 and be at my house at 9 - 3. I worry how this will affect her ability to properly care for my child. She had said she can handle both. I told her either quites her night nurse job or we will have to let go. Am I being unreasonable or harsh?

Then offer to pay her enough so she doesn't need to work a night job. Problem solved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the title makes me sound horrible but I am bery annoyed with our nanny. She let it slip that she started working as a part-time night nurse. I know she needs income ( we are part-time) but her job means that she will be up for 24 hours to complete not hours and the night nurse job. I feel uncomfortable leaving my infant in her care if she has been up the night before she needs to be here. She will work 10-6 and be at my house at 9 - 3. I worry how this will affect her ability to properly care for my child. She had said she can handle both. I told her either quites her night nurse job or we will have to let go. Am I being unreasonable or harsh?

Then offer to pay her enough so she doesn't need to work a night job. Problem solved!

This.

As an MB I have to echo that you don't have the right to tell any employee what they can do on their off hours but especially a part-time employee. She should never have told you about her second job. You only have the right to judge her performance at the job she has with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you actually seen an issue in her care? As a former night nanny, it is tough on your social life, but with that schedule I would be fine. First, I was rarely up the entire night during my overnight shifts. 10-6, I would typically come in, get bottles for the night organized, stay up until feed 1, then there is at least 2 hours until next feed and for that segment I would rest/doze, then after feed 2 I would wash overnight bottles and prep bottle for the day, handle final wakeup and then head out. I would get off at 6, sleep for an hour, shower and show up for a day shift. After my day shift, I would go home and go immediately to bed for my real sleep (e.g., 4-9 pm for your nanny), then wake and change and head to my overnight gig. On weekends I would catch up on sleep and stock up on convenience food (I did a lot of freezer meals since there was not time to cook midweek), then start over.

This is 100% accurate. Night nannies do NOT stay up all night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you actually seen an issue in her care? As a former night nanny, it is tough on your social life, but with that schedule I would be fine. First, I was rarely up the entire night during my overnight shifts. 10-6, I would typically come in, get bottles for the night organized, stay up until feed 1, then there is at least 2 hours until next feed and for that segment I would rest/doze, then after feed 2 I would wash overnight bottles and prep bottle for the day, handle final wakeup and then head out. I would get off at 6, sleep for an hour, shower and show up for a day shift. After my day shift, I would go home and go immediately to bed for my real sleep (e.g., 4-9 pm for your nanny), then wake and change and head to my overnight gig. On weekends I would catch up on sleep and stock up on convenience food (I did a lot of freezer meals since there was not time to cook midweek), then start over.

This is 100% accurate. Night nannies do NOT stay up all night.

False . I had two night nanny job where I was required to stay up for my full 10 hour shift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you actually seen an issue in her care? As a former night nanny, it is tough on your social life, but with that schedule I would be fine. First, I was rarely up the entire night during my overnight shifts. 10-6, I would typically come in, get bottles for the night organized, stay up until feed 1, then there is at least 2 hours until next feed and for that segment I would rest/doze, then after feed 2 I would wash overnight bottles and prep bottle for the day, handle final wakeup and then head out. I would get off at 6, sleep for an hour, shower and show up for a day shift. After my day shift, I would go home and go immediately to bed for my real sleep (e.g., 4-9 pm for your nanny), then wake and change and head to my overnight gig. On weekends I would catch up on sleep and stock up on convenience food (I did a lot of freezer meals since there was not time to cook midweek), then start over.

This is 100% accurate. Night nannies do NOT stay up all night.

False . I had two night nanny job where I was required to stay up for my full 10 hour shift.

Okaaaaaay. This is like someone saying "Nannies do not scrub the toilet" and someone responding that they had a job where they had to scrub the toilet. Yes, it happens but thatbis not the default. In OP's situation, the point is that she is making some assumptions with a lot of missing info and she is going to be looking for a new nanny very soon.

[Anonymous]

the OP said she was working as a night nurse- not a night nanny. Working as a night nurse would mean that she is up all night.
If she is qualified as a nurse, and needs money, why on earth did she take a part-time nanny job???
OP- I wouldn't be comfortable with this situation, but I also know that it is HARD to find a part-time nanny.

[Anonymous]

OP, guess what? I was my own night nanny. She will sleep at night. She's not going to sit up and watch the baby all night. So she gets 4 hours of broken sleep a night? Many mom's do it, and then take care of their kids the next day. Same thing.

Also, she'd probably quit you and keep being a night nanny as I bet it pays more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the OP said she was working as a night nurse- not a night nanny. Working as a night nurse would mean that she is up all night.
If she is qualified as a nurse, and needs money, why on earth did she take a part-time nanny job???
OP- I wouldn't be comfortable with this situation, but I also know that it is HARD to find a part-time nanny.

"Night nurse" is still widely used to inaccurately describe any overnight newborn caregiver. It's a big leap to assume that OP is correctly stating that her part time nanny is an RN who does overnight shifts, vs. that OP doesn't know much about it and is using the term incorrectly, given that it is widely used incorrectly even by nannies.

[Anonymous]

I would be concerned as well OP.

A good night's rest is essential for being on your toes w/an infant.

However I would be okay if the nighttime gig actually allowed her to sleep when the baby sleeps.

And if your child requires a nap during the Nanny's shift, I would encourage her to get some rest as well either next to the child's crib or right next to the baby monitor.

This is of course if she is a good Nanny.
Someone you truly want to keep!