Now that I had a good idea of what was bothering the mom, I could approach the nanny and discuss it with her. I took the opportunity to coach and mentor her about how late coming was affecting her employer’s perception of her. We also spoke about the duties she was expected to perform and how to prioritize them so that she could fit them all into the day’s routine. Once again, the nanny was disappointed that she had let her employer down and determined to change what she was doing and improve. Once her levels of professionalism were raised, she built a solid working relationship with the family that had employed her.
I have found that ‘teething problems’ often occur when a nanny has been placed with a family. It is a job where the employee becomes involved very closely with the personal life of the employer. Hiring a nanny is not the same as hiring a secretary. The commodity the nanny works with, the child, is precious to the employer so their vested interest is greater. Children evoke in parents emotive reactions.
