Anonymous wrote:1. A gym membership is expensive, and probably out of reach for her financially based on average nanny take-home pay. This is likely the only gym equipment she has access to.

2. I see variations on this comment ("Their home is your office") frequently on DCUM. Someone working in your home doesn't mean you don't have the right to set reasonable boundaries (of course you do! And OP, you're perfectly within your right to tell her that you wouldn't feel comfortable with her using your workout machines!)...but the fact is that your nanny is being paid to wipe your child's butt, and comfort your child when he or she cries. Ask yourself if you honestly want your nanny to think of your home as her "office"-- with all of the emotional distance that such a title dictates. Your home is not an office environment, but it is where she works. Farmers work in fields; nannies work in family homes. Most people work in offices. There are different standards of professional etiquette in each. It is uncomfortable at times. Many people have difficulty holding these two facts in mind at once, and revert to their own lived experiences. Your home is not her home, but "office" conduct is often not professionally appropriate for a home setting and vice versa.


To OP, I personally wouldn't want someone messing with my home gym equipment, either. Maybe tell her that you don't feel comfortable with her using the equipment (what if she gets injured using something she's not familiar with while on her break, for instance?). She's likely bored and wants to make more use of her break, so maybe offer her a place to do yoga/meditate, or suggest a green space or coffee shop in your area she might like instead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t with some parents these days. We work in an intimate setting. Being inside someone’s home. Not an office. Hmmm let me think about it haha what a weirdo she is. Wipe my child’s ass but how dare you ask to use my elliptical.

Trashy and entitled response. You work in an intimate setting so it’s even more important to establish strong boundaries. Their home is your office. Why can’t nanny get a gym membership and exercise on her own time? And what’s next? Asking if she can borrow her boss’s handbag for a night out?

But I mean...she can't leave the baby alone in the house to go to this "green space" or coffee shop, right? That's the point, she has some down time from watching the child, and would like to use it productively.

When I was a nanny, I would have loved a place to do yoga, Pilates, or whatever. I'm not into gym equipment.

1. A gym membership is expensive, and probably out of reach for her financially based on average nanny take-home pay. This is likely the only gym equipment she has access to.

2. I see variations on this comment ("Their home is your office") frequently on DCUM. Someone working in your home doesn't mean you don't have the right to set reasonable boundaries (of course you do! And OP, you're perfectly within your right to tell her that you wouldn't feel comfortable with her using your workout machines!)...but the fact is that your nanny is being paid to wipe your child's butt, and comfort your child when he or she cries. Ask yourself if you honestly want your nanny to think of your home as her "office"-- with all of the emotional distance that such a title dictates. Your home is not an office environment, but it is where she works. Farmers work in fields; nannies work in family homes. Most people work in offices. There are different standards of professional etiquette in each. It is uncomfortable at times. Many people have difficulty holding these two facts in mind at once, and revert to their own lived experiences. Your home is not her home, but "office" conduct is often not professionally appropriate for a home setting and vice versa.


To OP, I personally wouldn't want someone messing with my home gym equipment, either. Maybe tell her that you don't feel comfortable with her using the equipment (what if she gets injured using something she's not familiar with while on her break, for instance?). She's likely bored and wants to make more use of her break, so maybe offer her a place to do yoga/meditate, or suggest a green space or coffee shop in your area she might like instead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t with some parents these days. We work in an intimate setting. Being inside someone’s home. Not an office. Hmmm let me think about it haha what a weirdo she is. Wipe my child’s ass but how dare you ask to use my elliptical.

Trashy and entitled response. You work in an intimate setting so it’s even more important to establish strong boundaries. Their home is your office. Why can’t nanny get a gym membership and exercise on her own time? And what’s next? Asking if she can borrow her boss’s handbag for a night out?

I would say no . That’s weird and crossing a professional boundary

All nannies are different; depending what they look in a family when they search for a new position. In my case as a Nanny; if I see a family has a Gym at home; personally I wouldn't ask to use your your. In a fact, if a family are the ones who offered to me like: Hey ana.. feel free to use our gym anytime; I would pass and I would say.. That's so nice of you thank you. But I wouldn’t use it. For respect to my Jon and also because I prefer keep always an eye to my charges; they wake up anytime. I love to work out after work; and pay my own membership. I couldn't imagine wearing my favorite short short and top with all the freedom to sweat, listen music, and sweat so much as I always do in my work; mainly if at least one parent is still working from home.

In my personal opinion.. I wouldn't ask something if I have never been offered. No way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny of a couple of months requested to use our home gym during her lunch break to workout. I told her I’ll think about it, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea. It seems weird to me and I’m surprised she asked. She has a pretty easy schedule and there’s plenty of other times in the week she can workout but I guess she wants to use our gym. WWYD?

As a nanny myself I think this sounds very unprofessional of her.
I wouldn’t mix my personal life with work.She can work out after work .

Agreed. Unless she's a live-in, it makes no sense. If she's a live-in, give her access.

Having a physically fit nanny who can run after your kid is a plus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny of a couple of months requested to use our home gym during her lunch break to workout. I told her I’ll think about it, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea. It seems weird to me and I’m surprised she asked. She has a pretty easy schedule and there’s plenty of other times in the week she can workout but I guess she wants to use our gym. WWYD?

You trust her to take care of your children but not to use your home gym? Beyond comprehension. This should be a huge red flag for her and tell her to find a new job.

OP here. What does this have to do with trust? I hired her to take care of the children. Her using the gym is not part of our agreement and it has nothing to do with the job. She can exercise on her own schedule and pay for it herself.

I hope she reads this and finds a new job. I bet job creep with you is horrendous.

Go back to school. Your arguments make no sense because you don’t know what the words you wrote mean.

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny of a couple of months requested to use our home gym during her lunch break to workout. I told her I’ll think about it, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea. It seems weird to me and I’m surprised she asked. She has a pretty easy schedule and there’s plenty of other times in the week she can workout but I guess she wants to use our gym. WWYD?

As a nanny myself I think this sounds very unprofessional of her.
I wouldn’t mix my personal life with work.She can work out after work .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny of a couple of months requested to use our home gym during her lunch break to workout. I told her I’ll think about it, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea. It seems weird to me and I’m surprised she asked. She has a pretty easy schedule and there’s plenty of other times in the week she can workout but I guess she wants to use our gym. WWYD?

You trust her to take care of your children but not to use your home gym? Beyond comprehension. This should be a huge red flag for her and tell her to find a new job.

OP here. What does this have to do with trust? I hired her to take care of the children. Her using the gym is not part of our agreement and it has nothing to do with the job. She can exercise on her own schedule and pay for it herself.

I hope she reads this and finds a new job. I bet job creep with you is horrendous.

I wouldn’t use it only because if you got hurt they’d be liable or worse, what if you tripped over a barbell/weight got hurt,and couldn’t attend to the child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny of a couple of months requested to use our home gym during her lunch break to workout. I told her I’ll think about it, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea. It seems weird to me and I’m surprised she asked. She has a pretty easy schedule and there’s plenty of other times in the week she can workout but I guess she wants to use our gym. WWYD?

You trust her to take care of your children but not to use your home gym? Beyond comprehension. This should be a huge red flag for her and tell her to find a new job.

OP here. What does this have to do with trust? I hired her to take care of the children. Her using the gym is not part of our agreement and it has nothing to do with the job. She can exercise on her own schedule and pay for it herself.

Anonymous wrote:Our nanny of a couple of months requested to use our home gym during her lunch break to workout. I told her I’ll think about it, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea. It seems weird to me and I’m surprised she asked. She has a pretty easy schedule and there’s plenty of other times in the week she can workout but I guess she wants to use our gym. WWYD?

You trust her to take care of your children but not to use your home gym? Beyond comprehension. This should be a huge red flag for her and tell her to find a new job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Covid-related OP?

Or are we past that by now??

Anyway, it is likely very convenient for your Nanny to use your gym plus she may not be able to afford her own membership at a fitness center.
If she wants to use it - I would likely let her.
Especially if she was an outstanding Nanny.

I mean > if she makes your life easier perhaps you could make hers as well??
As a Nanny I wouldn’t want to just because I would need a cool shower afterward & would feel uncomfortable also asking permission to use their shower.

OP. Not Covid related but want to keep things professional. Nanny is fairly new and good, not outstanding. I thought about the shower thing too, which is another reason I said no. I’m sure she would have no qualms asking after her workout. If her clothes got dirty and she needed to take a shower doing something job related, i’m fine with it though.

Nanny is very well paid (especially compared to what I’ve seen on here) and has an easy schedule. If she can’t afford a gym membership as a single person on this salary, sorry but I don’t have sympathy because she’s overspending or in the wrong field.

OP, I'm with you. The fact that she's new and very well paid is giving me flashbacks to our own over-entitled nannies' requests, which started well before they 'proved' themselves, so to speak. The more you blur the lines of what is work-appropriate, the worse at the job they get, it seems.

"Giving you flashbacks to your over-entitled nannies" this make me think and feel sorry for all of them. Just wondering, how many nannies you had; it's clear nobody last and ended up quitting.

Nope, we had 2, terminated both because they were making our lives more annoying rather than easier. Daycare works for us much better.

Yep, there’s a lot of duds out there. The defensive posters who replied to you are probably great examples of these over entitles nannies. They’d rather whine and talk about how great they are than actually work hard.

Yea, if you’re that awesome, you’re sure to have your pick of families. Not sure why one employer who had two bad experiences personally affronts them other than it hits too close to home and they are frustrated some of us are onto them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Covid-related OP?

Or are we past that by now??

Anyway, it is likely very convenient for your Nanny to use your gym plus she may not be able to afford her own membership at a fitness center.
If she wants to use it - I would likely let her.
Especially if she was an outstanding Nanny.

I mean > if she makes your life easier perhaps you could make hers as well??
As a Nanny I wouldn’t want to just because I would need a cool shower afterward & would feel uncomfortable also asking permission to use their shower.

OP. Not Covid related but want to keep things professional. Nanny is fairly new and good, not outstanding. I thought about the shower thing too, which is another reason I said no. I’m sure she would have no qualms asking after her workout. If her clothes got dirty and she needed to take a shower doing something job related, i’m fine with it though.

Nanny is very well paid (especially compared to what I’ve seen on here) and has an easy schedule. If she can’t afford a gym membership as a single person on this salary, sorry but I don’t have sympathy because she’s overspending or in the wrong field.

OP, I'm with you. The fact that she's new and very well paid is giving me flashbacks to our own over-entitled nannies' requests, which started well before they 'proved' themselves, so to speak. The more you blur the lines of what is work-appropriate, the worse at the job they get, it seems.

"Giving you flashbacks to your over-entitled nannies" this make me think and feel sorry for all of them. Just wondering, how many nannies you had; it's clear nobody last and ended up quitting.

Nope, we had 2, terminated both because they were making our lives more annoying rather than easier. Daycare works for us much better.

Yep, there’s a lot of duds out there. The defensive posters who replied to you are probably great examples of these over entitles nannies. They’d rather whine and talk about how great they are than actually work hard.