Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I would never work with this OP.

9.37 here. You may not, but there are plenty of us (myself included) who would be happy to work with this family, depending on rate and benefits of course. Given that OP has never had this issue in 9 years of employing nannies, I think that speaks well of her as an employer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I would never work with this OP.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the nanny thinks OP isn't paying enough.

Anonymous wrote:I think she is not a good fit for you.

I think you should try to find a nanny.

Reason #1- I think if you tried to work it out, you might make an angry nanny who takes it out on your kids (not directly but in some way.)

Reason #2- There are people who are mature enough to handle 9 hours of kid-free times. There are people who aren't. I think you just got someone who is not mature enough to act responsibility. You are not going to change a lifetime of bad habits by having one talk.

Anonymous wrote:I would write out a list that is explicit.

Not just "sweep kitchen floor" but "Sweep kitchen floor and make sure there is no food or crumbs on floor."

Not just "Do laundry" but "Do Kylie's laundry on Mondays, Kourtney's laundry on Wednesdays, and Khloe's laundry on Fridays."

Then tell her you'd like to sit down and go over how things are going. (Either pay overtime or get home early before she's scheduled to leave.) Tell her "The first week went really great - you totally hit it out of the park and did everything wonderfully. But beginning the second week we've noticed you've been using those kid-free nine hours to do your own errands during time we're paying you, and you're now leaving chunks of bread and carrot sticks on the kitchen floor. What happened from Week One to Week Two? Do you think you can see yourself getting back to your Week One Standard?"

Anonymous wrote:I think you should try being more specific with her about what it is that you want accomplished during those hours. You've listed a lot of things here and hopefully you both can have a realistic discussion of what you'd like to see done on a daily/weekly basis.

Also, try to be realistic about the amount of time she has to work with. 9 hours/week in a 5 day week is just under 2 hours per day. If she is doing preschool drop off and pick-up, she could very well only have an hour each day to get done what you're asking. She's not going to be able to do kid laundry, prep your meals, run errands, and vacuum your house in an hour a day.

Anonymous wrote:I would write out a list that is explicit.

Not just "sweep kitchen floor" but "Sweep kitchen floor and make sure there is no food or crumbs on floor."

Not just "Do laundry" but "Do Kylie's laundry on Mondays, Kourtney's laundry on Wednesdays, and Khloe's laundry on Fridays."

Then tell her you'd like to sit down and go over how things are going. (Either pay overtime or get home early before she's scheduled to leave.) Tell her "The first week went really great - you totally hit it out of the park and did everything wonderfully. But beginning the second week we've noticed you've been using those kid-free nine hours to do your own errands during time we're paying you, and you're now leaving chunks of bread and carrot sticks on the kitchen floor. What happened from Week One to Week Two? Do you think you can see yourself getting back to your Week One Standard?"