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[quote=nannydebsays][quote=Anonymous]New nanny has nine hours of her 40 hour work week without kids (three hours three days a week). During her first week, she was proactive and rearranged some toys and straightened up a bookshelf. Before she started, we discussed that she would use the time for family meal prep, errands as needed, and helping with light housekeeping: vacuuming and dusting of main level and kids rooms (no bathrooms, no scrubbing floors - just vacuum, help dust). Like I said, week one was fine. By week two, she was using her "free" time to run her own errands and apparently accomplish little no nothing at our house - not even keeping up with kids' laundry, something that has never been a problem in the nine years we've employed nannies, despite there being at least one child home all the time. This is the first year when there are hours with no children at all.

Help me hit the reset button with this nanny, without coming down on her like a ton of bricks. If I had nine hours of kid free time during the week, holy smokes would I be organized, clean, and on top of the short list of tasks she has. I think part of the problem is that we are a mismatch on what we consider "clean". For her, chunks of bread on the floor and carrot sticks under the counter (literally) aren't a big deal. I sweep after every meal. She thinks our house is immaculate when it is apparent to even my husband - someone who will NEVER be accused of being a clean freak - that the house needed a good cleaning (we have been cleaning ourselves but I skipped the last weekend knowing we'd have someone coming on Friday).

I would appreciate any advice from BTDT parents. This is honestly the first nanny I've had that seems to have a significantly lower housekeeping standard than I do, and a much lower work ethic as well. She seems to think she is a hard worker, yet is not completing the same work that other nannies have managed just fine with kids around, never mind the tasks she's supposed to be doing during her "free" hours.

To be clear, we don't leave a disaster to be cleaned up. We've done kids laundry this weekend, our kitchen is scrubbed, our fridge is stocked. Help me politely light a fire under this woman so she figures out that part of her job is DOING HER JOB. [/quote]

I think you need to meet with her ASAP and review the contract duties she agreed to perform. Make the discussion a "poop sandwich", by complimenting her on something, then discussing your expectations, then offering praise of some kind. I would ask her, during the expectations discussion, if she is someone who is internally motivated, and just needs to know what has to be done each week and each month and will manage her time wisely and get that stuff done, or if she needs more external motivation, such as a check list for the week that she can create based on her job description.

Then schedule a second meeting for 4 weeks from now and review how things have gone. If there is no appreciable improvement, put her on probation, start your search for someone new, and let her go if she doesn't shape up within 2 weeks.[/quote]

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