When Is It Time To Let Your Nanny Go?

Every parent hires a nanny hoping that she’ll stay with the family for as long as she is needed. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. People and situations both change, and sometimes firing your nanny may be the best option in a bad situation. Here are some clues that’s it’s time to think about making a change. Your nanny’s work preferences no longer fit your family. Some nannies have strong preferences about the age, sex or temperament of the child they care for or about the size or dynamics of the family they work for. Some nannies are amazing with infants, but become impatient with toddlers. Some love the rough and tumble life of boys, but don’t feel the same passion for dolls and tea parties. Some do well with happy, even-keeled kids, but find strong-willed kids too much too handle. Some are perfectly content caring for one child and don’t want to

take on additional children. Some want to work for a two parent family and don’t adjust well to a divorce. When your nanny’s preferences don’t stay in step with how your family is changing, it’s time to seriously consider if she can happily and successfully stay on the job. Your nanny’s performance is directly tied to how happy she is in your position, so these things can make a big difference. Of course, her love for your child doesn’t change, but sometimes it’s time to transition the relationship from nanny to family friend. You need help beyond childcare and your caregiver doesn’t want or have the skills needed to expand her job description. Your needs as a parent are always changing. Many times those changes easily fit into your nanny’s current job description. Other times, however, they fall outside of her current role and she’s not willing or doesn’t have the skills needed to take on the new tasks. As your child enters preschool three mornings a week, you may want your nanny to do the family grocery shopping and family laundry during that time so you don’t have to do it on the weekends. Your nanny, on the other hand, may feel family responsibilities aren’t part of her job. With your new job, you may need your nanny to stay 30 minutes later in the evenings. Your nanny, however, may not be willing to lose that down time at the end of the day. With the bigger house you bought, you may want your nanny to take on finding and supervising a housekeeper and coordinating some of the smaller renovation projects. Your nanny may not have strong communication or time management skills and wouldn’t be a good fit for those tasks. When your needs change and your nanny isn’t able to change with them, you might need to hire a new person who better fits your current needs. Her job performance has slipped and she’s not correcting the issue. If your nanny isn’t doing the job with the same passion or commitment to excellence she had in the beginning,

it’s important to evaluate the situation and come up with a plan of action. Sometimes after having an honest conversation, the nanny will recognize her lackluster performance and make the changes needed to bring it back up to a level you’re happy with. If not, it’s probably time to make a change. Her life has changed and it’s negatively impacting her job. A nanny’s job can be demanding and it’s often hard to keep a good life-work balance. Even with effort, personal things can cross over and take a toll on her work performance. A nanny that’s bought a house farther away from her employers may suddenly have a real problem with arriving to work on time. A nanny who’s recently married may not have the needed flexibility to work evenings or weekends or be able to travel with her employers like she did when she was single. A nanny who’s returned to school may be spending time studying when she should be solely focused on your child. A nanny doesn’t need to sacrifice her personal life to do a great job. However some changes don’t mesh with your needs. When your nanny’s needs and your needs no longer line up, it may be time to move on. She’s no longer happy with her salary, benefits or job description. As nannies gain experience, education and skills, their ability to earn more money also increases. Sometimes an hourly rate, benefits package or job description that worked for your nanny in the beginning doesn’t work for your nanny now. If your nanny is serious about jumping to the next pay bracket, getting fully paid health insurance, or acquiring other benefits you realistically can’t afford

to offer, it may be time for her to move onto a job that can offer those things. Again, an unhappy nanny is not a good care provider. It’s never easy to fire your nanny. But if the situation calls for a change, it’s often the best choice for your family, and one that also ends up being the best choice for your nanny over the long run.

0saves

Save

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Comments are closed.