Light Housework Request for a Nanny
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mfs525
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In my search for a nanny I requested she be responsible for "light housework". When I hired her I did not define what this was. She is willing to do the laundry for my daughter and clean my daughters bottles, clean her dishes and put away her toys.
However, I have asked her to empty the dishwasher (1x a week) and fold 1 load of laundry (1x a week). She refuses to do these tasks stating this is not included in "light housework". She watches one child, my daughter who generally takes two 1.5 hour naps a day. I pay her the going rate and she works for me 20 hours a week. Have any others experienced this? Is my request for light housework reasonable? Or do other nannies ONLY do stuff for the baby? |
Anonymous
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Your nanny is right, only stuff pertaining
to the baby. |
Anonymous
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Unless you were clear from the start....
Except in very rare circumstances, I'd never do my boss's laundry. I do load/unload the dishwasher when i have time. |
Anonymous
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In my opinion she did agree to light housekeeping and your requests don't seem unreasonable to me. As a nanny I already feel my job includes all cleaning and laundry related to the child, so when I see a job post requesting light housekeeping I expect the family wants me to do more. If you were asking her to clean the whole house that would be one thing, but the tasks you want her to do take only take maybe 30 minutes a week.
I guess you have to decide if toys is a dealbreaker for you |
Anonymous
| this* |
Anonymous
| Cleaning up after the child and doing their laundry is a standard nanny duty. By agreeing to "light housework," your nanny explicitly agreed to do more. Dishwasher and folding some clothes are about as light as housework gets. So, ideally, you would have had a meeting of the minds on expectations before she started, but, you are the one being most consistent with what was agreed upon. |
Anonymous
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"Cleaning up after the child and doing their laundry is a standard nanny duty. By agreeing to "light housework," your nanny explicitly agreed to do more. Dishwasher and folding some clothes are about as light as housework gets. So, ideally, you would have had a meeting of the minds on expectations before she started, but, you are the one being most consistent with what was agreed upon."
+1 |
Anonymous
| Just for 20 hrs? That is to much! |
Anonymous
| MB here. Unfortunately this should have been defined in your contract so you could have both agreed before she started working. See if there are other things you can have her do that pertain to your child, that will free you to have more time to empty your dishwasher or fold your clean laundry. Have her go through your child's clothing that no longer fits, put aside toys broken or no longer played with, research cheap/free activities to do in the area, etc. |
Anonymous
| You should have defined tasks up front but our nanny does unload and load the dishwasher, vacuum, and do an occasional load of sheets and towels as part of her "light housekeeping." |
Anonymous
| Cut your losses and find a new nanny who will help out as agreed. If she is refusing to do basic tasks like laundry and dishes- she will end up grating on your nerves and push back on everything else. My nanny is great with the kids and does more than you would like done happily. |
Anonymous
| I don't think you are asking for too much. Maybe her fear is that this will be a slippery slope since the contract was not clear. I would be thrilled if my contract were updated to stipulate only these tasks were expected. With that assurance I could do the things you are asking without worrying the list will keep growing. I advise being firm that you absolutely need these things done and also that you respect her boundaries by amending the contract with clear language. I think these are called negative covenants in legalese. |
Anonymous
This. She's probably worried that you've been vague as to what exactly light housekeeping is, and now you are pulling duties out of your arse. Who knows what else you'll try to put under the umbrella. Decide what you actually want, amend the contract, and assure her there will be no more additions. If there are, be prepared to amend her pay as well. |
Anonymous
This time specify what you consider light housework. |
Anonymous
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I don't think this is too much to ask for, but your nanny could be worried that you will continue asking for more and more if she agrees to the arrangement. I'm always 100% happy to do housework pertaining to my charges, and I would consider a post that includes light housework to maybe mean sweeping, mopping, emptying the dishwasher, etc.
I would try to meet her in the middle. Tell her you really do need to sit down and define light housework. Ask her if she can compromise with you by maybe folding laundry but leaving it in a basket downstairs instead of putting clothes away. Also tell her that you aren't going to make her do more and more work as you grow comfortable with the arrangement and stick to that promise. I currently am working a job where the mom asked me the other day to just put the kids in front of the TV while I scrubbed her whole house and prepared dinner. That's not my job, and it's something I'm sure your nanny worries about getting into as well. |