Posts in Communication
Nannies, Parents, and The Coronavirus (COVID-19)

“My bosses told me, ‘You’re a part or our family. If we get paid, you get paid. We will implement half days as long as schools are closed and you will get your full paycheck as scheduled.’”

“Even though I have guaranteed hours and my nanny family is still receiving their normal pay from their jobs, they are making me take 2 weeks unpaid because of COVID-19…

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The Cost of Not Speaking Up When You're Underpaid

I want to start this article off by having you ask yourself if you’ve ever waited to speak up about something at your job? Some examples include: You realize you should be getting mileage reimbursement, you realize you’re not being paid overtime, you realize you’re underpaid, you realize you haven’t gotten a raise in 3 years, you realize your bosses have been banking your hours…

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Should You Give Your Nanny A Raise When A Puppy Is Added To The Home?

This is a post that is long overdue. The number of nannies I encounter that struggle with puppy/dog issues at their job, is kind of overwhelming! It seems like just about every other day there is a post in one of the nanny Facebook groups where a nanny is seeking advice about a new dog being added to the home.

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Navigating A Successful Nanny Share

Nanny shares are hard work. As a nanny share specialist, I know that better than most. I see comments on nanny groups all the time like “I could never”, “I got burned”, “I tried, it was terrible”, and my heart goes out to those sweet nannies because I truly love doing shares! I may have fallen into my first nanny share out of necessity, but I have since made it my specialty.

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'Tis The Season To Give Your Nanny A Holiday Bonus

It’s that time of year — time to talk about nannies and holiday bonuses! Do you need to give your nanny a holiday bonus? Should a nanny expect a holiday bonus? Lets discuss. The first thing you need to know is that an annual holiday/end of the year bonus is customary in the nanny industry. Many parents, especially those that do not receive a bonus themselves, often don’t realize this.

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Attn: Work at Home Parents, You and Your Nanny are Sharing an Office!

A parent who works from home can be one of the biggest deal breakers for a nanny. If you ask nannies why, they will tell you that having a parent in the home generally makes a nanny’s job harder. For a nanny, the home they work in is their “office” and oftentimes parents forget this.

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Attention: Are You An Entitled Nanny?

I’ve been wanting to write an article on this for a while, but to be honest, I was hesitant to do so because I was worried about how the readers would receive it. The majority of Nanny Counsel’s following is made up of nannies, which makes sense, since it is a Nanny Advocacy Blog. However, I am also a family advocate and I certainly do not believe that nannies can do no wrong.

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Why You Need to Reimburse Your Nanny for Mileage

Take a moment to imagine the following scenario: You work at a job that requires you to use your personal vehicle for business related drives. You have to drive all around town running various errands, picking people up/dropping them off, driving people to and from activities, etc. Unfortunately, your employer does not reimburse your mileage. That's right -- your job requires you to use your personal vehicle for work, but it's an expense you have to incur on your own -- you have to cover all the gas and the added wear and tear on your vehicle (i.e., more frequent oil changes, needing new tires, depreciation of your vehicle, etc.). When you deduct all of the money you're spending in gas/wear and tear for your job, your take home pay is significantly less.

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How Not to Respond When Your Nanny Calls in Sick

Let's just dive right in. Nannies get sick and will miss work from time to time. There, I said it. Sadly, all too often, parents seem to forget that nannies are still human. I can only assume that lots of parents think their nannies are superhuman (which we kind of are in some ways), based on the countless nannies I encounter who are told they HAVE to come in even when very sick or are simply made to feel guilty for calling out. One nanny says she has been made to feel so guilty for calling in sick, that she hasn't taken a sick day in 6 years. Many nannies have even reported being guilt tripped for needing surgery -- like it's something they can control.

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