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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm 8:45 (the long winded one) and I want to be clear that I'm not taking a stand either way.  I personally think there are a lot of differences between any industry.  So I think we should all be careful about thinking that some other career path has it so good.  Anyone that says that office jobs as a rule get health insurance, schedule flexibility, hour long lunch breaks, and that their bosses always follow the laws and their job descriptions is just flat wrong - that's all I was saying.  Grass is always greener, I suppose.  [/quote]

I think that is exactly OP and PPs points. Its very hard to compare the two, so the "well at my job blah blah blah" argument doesn't hold water. It isn't the same. There are things that nannies do that you could never do in an office job (yoga pants, or pj pants to work?) and there are things that are expected in an office job that simply do not translate. Busting your hump stepping outside your job duties is not going to get a nanny much if anything at all, so parents should let go of that idea and appreciate your nanny doing the job she agreed to do. Doing your job, and just your job doesn't make her a bad nanny. Expecting you to abide by her hours, does not make her inflexible, and you should be GRATEFUL when she agrees to stay late or come early (because you asked, not just showed up late) not butt hurt when she says no. [/quote]

I was responding directly to the PP that I quoted who said "sometimes its okay for MBs to get home late whenever they please, and if we say something, "they're paying for flexibility."  Etc. Etc.  It bugs me when people talk in generalizations like this.  As I said, IT IS NOT OK for an MB to get home late whenever they please.  If your MB thinks it IS ok, then you need to find yourself a new job.  So you can sit on here and complain about how MBs expect you to act like professionals but then don't reciprocate - if that's what you're experiencing in every single job, then maybe you're not going to be a good fit for nannying or maybe you're just having awful luck.  Because it's not the way it works in my world and it should not be.  I agree with you that basics like timeliness and general adherence to the contract should be non-negotiables on both sides.

Now all that said, I will say that if I compared the following two nannies, guess which one I would pay more, offer more flexibility, recommend to all my friends, and basically fall all over myself to keep?

Nanny A - Is on time every day, takes the kids to preschool and picks them up on time, does exactly the activities I ask her to do in the afternoons, takes the kids to the playground by the house if every day if I haven't told her what else to do, picks up the kids toys, spends the time while the kids are in preschool on her iPhone because she's done all the duties I ask of her.

Nanny B - Is on time every day, takes the kids to preschool and picks them up on time, does the activities I ask her to do in the afternoons, picks up the kids toys, asks me if there's anything else she can do since she is finding she has an extra two hours of free time every day while the kids are in school, takes the initiative to occasionally organize the playroom and plan crafts and or outings to museums or something for the next day, starts to throw in the kids' laundry when she has free time, once a month or so surprises me with dinner made by her and the kids in time for when I arrive home, notices I have "milk" written on the grocery list and texts me to see if she can pick some up, etc.

If you're not going to be a nanny B, that's fine - you're still doing the job you're paid for.  And I completely agree that MBs shouldn't expect nannies to suddenly turn into housekeepers if that's not in the agreement.  I'm not saying that.  But I still think that, just like in any job, the person that goes a little further will eventually get rewarded, even if it's just in internally knowing you did a great job and presenting yourself well for the next one when you leave the person that's not appreciating you.  [/quote]

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