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[quote=Anonymous]Nanny here. First of all, kudos to you for putting in the effort to make sure your nanny is comfortable and happy in your home. Here are my answers to your questions:

1. What is the best way to keep the lines of communication open? Does a weekly sit down help?
 -I like to keep a log of daily activities so that I can talk to my employer when she gets home everyday briefly. If something is pressing or I'm confused then I text her right away and she seems receptive to that, even if she can't answer right away. This keeps our relationship healthy because it feels like we are working as a team and I don't feel like she is just dumping her kid with me and checking out. I have as much independence as I need but I also like sharing pictures with her (AND ONLY HER) or telling her happy things pertaining to the child's milestones that have happened over text during the day. Weekly sit downs would help until you get into a groove and then hopefully they won't be necessary.

2. How do you keep track of hours? Does your nanny record them and report them to you or is that an employer responsibility? 
-My employer texts or emails me the schedule ahead of time and then we keep track of the actual hours in the aforementioned journal. We keep the journal in a drawer by the front door so recording the time is the first or last thing I do when I arrive or leave the house.

3. What are ways to create the best work environment? Are there any little perks that make a work environment particularly appealing? 
-Being open and honest about things and making a nanny feel comfortable is the best perk I could ask for. It's awkward to be in someone else's home at first, so assuring her that she can do whatever she needs to do in order to take care of the child is pertinent. For instance, if she can't find something out of the ordinary that she needs like tweezers, make sure she knows that she can look for it in the appropriate places and doesn't have to worry about intruding. If you don't want her in your room (I have gone into my employers' room maybe 4 times in 3 years, no joke) then say "If you can't find something then feel free to look around for it, but you should never need to go into our room." They know that I sometimes go to a certain coffee shop with my charges, so they periodically give me gift cards to there or offer to pay for my lunch if I am taking the kids somewhere. I don't expect to eat their food or have them pay for my meals unless it is a special day, so this is meaningful. Birthday gifts, December holiday gifts, and random praise all go a long way.

4. How do you handle petty cash? Do you just stick an envelope in a drawer somewhere and periodically refresh it?
-I pay for things and save the receipts, give them to my employer (I put them in an envelope in the notebook) and then she reimburses me every pay period. I have personally found that petty cash is harder to monitor. [/quote]

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