Every working mom desire to have a nanny who can stay long-term with the family. It adds to the reliability and convenience of childcare services when you do not have to hire a new nanny ever so frequently.
A nanny who stays with you long will help you cut down on time, and the troubles of searching, hiring, and orienting a new nanny now and then. In addition, it brings in a consistency level to childcare that your kids need for better growth and development.
But how do you keep your nanny commitment for the long term? How do you avoid the reasons the nannies quit work too soon?
This post details the guide in securing a long commitment from your nanny as well as the tips on doing this easily.
Expert Secrets & Tips on How to Keep your Nanny for Longer
1. Offer Nanny Guaranteed Hours to Secure their Commitment
Nothing shows your commitment to your nanny like having guaranteed hours that she is expected to work. It eliminates the element of surprise and well as unpredictability about her earnings.
When she knows she will be working for certain hours per week for you, she can easily commit to working for you in the long run. When these hours are not guaranteed and keep fluctuating, she is more prone to look for work elsewhere where the hours are consistent and guaranteed.
Therefore engage your nanny on guaranteed hour’s say- 35-40 hours per week as it makes a big difference in her decision to stay or look for work elsewhere soon. Doing this will make your nanny work for you for longer.
2. Offer A Full-Time Long Term Job Offer Contract
A full time contract is crucial when you are engaging your nanny and intend her to stay with you for a long time. It details in writing her scope of work, terms of engagement, work hours, terms of payment, and important the duration for which her services are needed.
Your contract can be part time or full time depending on the hours you want her service. When your contract does not commit to engaging the nanny on a full time basis she is most likely to start looking elsewhere she can be engaged on a full-time basis. This is probably about 40 hours or more per week.
I know a probation part-time offer is crucial that you can work with your nanny and see if she is the right fit for you or you are the right fit for you. However, you need to communicate your intention to engage her full time after her probation period is over.
If the probation period is over and you have shown no interest or intention to have a full-time engagement with your nanny, she will probably leave sooner than later. Therefore if you want you nanny to work for you for a long time, you need to offer a full time engagement work plan.
Read: Reasons your Nannies are Quitting too soon
3. Offer Attractive Benefits to Keep Nanny Committed
What you are offering your nanny must be worthy of her work and then some. This is mainly what will set you apart from other offers she is getting and aid in her decision to stick with you for the long term.
Nannies love their jobs sure but they are working for money so they will naturally go where the money is. If you want your nanny to offer her childcare services to you for long, you need to pay well compared to others in the area.
Depending on your location, and her job description you need to offer a competitive hourly rate if you can afford it. Aim to not only pay the minimum legal pay for your area but beyond.
In addition, you need to offer other benefits such as a Christmas bonus. Many nannies evaluate how much you value them by the amount of the Christmas bonus that you give them at the end of the year. Many expect that you need to show your appreciation for your nanny services with this bonus.
In return, many employers are willing to offer a handsome amount of Christmas bonus especially to their nannies who have been with them for a long time. Therefore you need to budget on this if you intend to secure the commitment of your nanny in the long run.
One of the reasons why your nanny may decide to stay and work for you for a long time is receiving extra benefits that motivate them. Other benefits that can help secure long-term commitment from your nanny includes health insurance, ALL paid federal holidays, etc.
Further, keep a budget for annual raises. When a nanny has been with you for a reasonable time, it is expected that you give her a raise. It motivates them to keep working for you as they know their work and commitment are seen and appreciated by you.
Read: Christmas Gift Ideas for your Nanny
4. Offer Off and Vacation Days to Keep Nanny Longer
We all need some time off work to recharge and reboot. This is true for you as a working mom as well as your nanny. Understand that time off work is as crucial and needed for her as they are for you.
Therefore ensure you offer your nanny some paid time off work for her to recharge. Do not expect your nanny to report to work every single day as she will not like it and will eventually jump boat.
Give your nanny specified paid days off work, paid holidays, vacation days, sick leave days, etc and this will play a big part in deciding to stay working with you for long. A reasonable offer may include one-two week’s sick leave, a paid day off once per 6-8 weeks, 2 weeks paid vacation, 10 days PTO/year
While the days off work are essential in securing your nanny’s commitment for the long term, they are very important for her health and subsequently the care she offers your kids. You do not want a burnt out irritable nanny caring for your child.
Working nonstop will affect her quality of care and when she can no longer handle the strain she will quit. Therefore if you want your nanny to work for you for a long time, you must allocate for her off days and vacation days for resting and re-energizing.
Read: How to Set a Professional Work Relationship with your Nanny
5. Offer Enhancements and Activities to Get Nanny Committed
The main role of the nanny you have hired is to care for and nurture your child. While she may clean after the baby and do other light housekeeping her main job is to ensure that your child is growing and hitting the development milestones at the right time.
To do so however your nanny needs many indoor and outdoor play and activities to stimulate and engage your child. What you can do in this area to keep your nanny interested in the work she does for you is to support her with as many enhancements as possible. When you offer these work enhancements, your nanny will be willing to work for you for longer.
The supports include all the necessary passes to outdoor activities. Depending on your location, your city may have some children’s parks and learning centers whose entrance is free. However, a majority are paid for.
What you can do is have paid passes for your nanny for outdoor activities destinations such as zoos, parks, local botanical gardens. The support ensures your nanny and the kids have a variety of options during the day. They will motivate her and by loving her job, she will more likely stay with you for the long term.
In addition to this, you need to give your nanny the flexibility and freedom to create activities for the kids as she sees fit. She has to know it is okay and expected of her to take the kids outdoors. Many nannies have quit their jobs after being “locked” and limited in the house for the whole day.
Therefore ensure that you have give your nanny the necessary resources to do their job and you will find that they stay with you for longer.
Read: How to Build Trust with your New Nanny
6. Have Reasonable Nanny Expectations/Job Demands
Some people underrate the nanny’s job and having such an attitude could be reason why you are not able to keep you nanny for long. Not many regard nannying as a professional job like any other.
However, this is important for you to practice if you want to keep your nanny for long. Understand that your nanny job is as professional as your job. You, therefore, to be professional and have boundaries, especially on her job description.
If you want your nanny to stay with you for long, you need to keep her job expectation strictly to caring and nurturing your child. Develop the most effective and reasonable job description for your nanny that sticks to this role.
Only include baby feeding, playing, learning, bathing, and other grown and development engagements. In addition, it is reasonable to have the nanny clean after herself and the baby such as washing their meals dishes, laundry for baby clothes, folding baby clothes, cleaning the mess created from the activities mess, etc.
Do not add to her role anything else that is not related to her nanny role, unless she is okay with it and also compensated for it. Many nannies detest this and immediately quit for work elsewhere when their employers try to have the nanny do general housekeeping, pet care, garden work among others.
Read: How to Create a Reasonable Nanny Description
7. Have Open and Honest Communication
You cannot underestimate the role of communication in any relationship. You as the employer and your nanny as your employee must have open and honest communication. It helps your nanny job to know what’s up.
Your nanny needs to be empowered and in control by having relevant and unnecessary information. Nanny tends to stay and work longer for families that constantly communicate their expectations, corrections, and updates among others.
Also, be open and transparent in your communication with your nanny. It is a key ingredient to a trustworthy nanny relationship. Aim to tell your nanny what is going on rather than speaking to your partner through her.
Proven Expert Tips on How to Easily Keep your Nanny for Long
- Treat your nanny with kindness and she may stay longer. Show them that you value and appreciate them
- Let your nanny know they have the right to take care of their health and this will impact on their decision to work for you for longer
- Let your nanny job’ s be peaceful. No unnecessary demands and disagreements and this will help in securing their commitment in work for long
- Don’t make your nanny feel guilty for taking time off as it is necessary in work life balance
- Don’t ask questions about their plans for their time off. Respecting boundaries is crucial in helping keep your nanny for long
- Have a reasonable job expectation for your nanny and this won’t overburden and hasten their decide to quit
- Don’t micromanage your nanny. Let your nanny do her job and the feeling of being in control will help you keep her for long
- Keep your relationship with the nanny as professional as possible
- Have a scheduled pay rise .It is important in motivating them in work and securing their long term commitment
- Let your nanny know she can take a break during the day. However, let her know her downtime is when the baby is napping
- Treat your nanny as a valued employee, not as a family- be professional and have boundaries. Such a relationship is the solid foundation for a long term engagement with your nanny
- Never assume, be clear in your communication and expectations with your nanny
- Have everything written down on paper- it makes nannies feel safer. When everything is laid down on paper, it makes nannies serious with job and want to keep it for long
- Never allow the kids to disrespect the nanny and it may make them quit on you sooner
- Pay your nanny above-average rate and pay on time
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