It is hard to find a good nanny. A dream nanny is worth a little extra effort, and there are some simple ways to make her feel appreciated and willing to stay with your family for the long term.
If you have a really good nanny that does everything expected of her and more, you should be sure to show her that you appreciate her efforts.
Appreciation can take the form of kind words or if you can afford it, small gifts or tokens of appreciation like bringing her favorite food sometimes when you get home from work. Let your nanny know how much you value everything she is doing for your family and what a good job she is doing with the kids. This will make her feel respected and welcome, and she will likely be more willing to go the extra mile for you and your family.
Show and talk to her with respect
A nanny will be more satisfied and more likely to stick around if you show and talk to them with respect. Treat your nanny the way you would like to be treated. Speak to your nanny courteously and thank the nanny for caring for your child or children every day. Greet the nanny warmly as he or she comes and goes. Show your nanny that you value his or her service, care, assistance and support.
Show that you care
Your nanny is a human being and has a life outside of watching your child/children. Show interest in your nanny’s life and find out what makes him or her happy. Your nanny takes an interest in the best thing you have going on in your life; return the favor by showing that you care about the things that are going on in your nanny’s life.
Your nanny has a life
We know that sometimes life happens, and we have no control over certain things, but please keep in mind that your nanny has a life just like you. She has families, friends, commitments, perhaps children, school etc.
Please, do your absolute best to keep the agreed upon schedule. If your nanny is constantly canceling or missing out on her engagements or never know if you’ll want them to come in early or stay later, he or she will be looking for a job in no time.
Do not nickel and dime your nanny
Please do not be guilty of this, as it creates an unpleasant work environment. If your nanny works for half an hour and you can afford to round it up to an hour, do so. If she spends $8.60cents on an errand for your family, round it up to $9- don’t pay her $8. People who know you are doing this may think it’s not right, but you will reap the rewards. Your nanny will not hesitate to help out the family in any way possible if she feels that she is valued and is being treated fairly.
Offer a good wage
This cannot be stressed strongly enough. Your nanny needs to believe that she is being paid what she is worth. Anything short of that will make her feel resentful and exploited.
Offer perks and good benefits
Offer your nanny a perk that will make her happy. You can offer extra time off or a week of transportation costs, bring her lunch or a small gift or allow her to have extra privileges around the house. The perks do not need to be big or expensive; just grabbing a magazine that you know she likes while you are out running errands will let her know that you are thinking of her.
Nannies are always comparing wages and benefits packages. You do not want your nanny to find out from others that she is getting lower wages or poorer benefits than they are.
Ask around and find out what other families are offering their nannies and if you can’t match it financially, maybe you can compensate for it in other ways- like the extra days off, etc. Make sure you offer your nanny what he or she is worth or even more if you can afford it and feel that he or she goes above and beyond.