Working from home with your nanny at home
Since COVID, so many more of us are working from home rather than going into an office and as much as you might prefer that all or some of the week, it could become tricky if you have a nanny in the house too. Your nanny could be looking after a pre-school age child/children or they might be waiting for them to return from school and getting on with children-related chores but either way it can be awkward for both parties.
However, working from home with a nanny is fantastic if you’re breastfeeding and would rather nurse than pump. It might mean that you can return to work when you want, and you don’t have to give up breastfeeding.
Here are some tips on making it work when you and nanny are both trying to work at home.
Parents working from home with a nanny
I think that there are two issues for parents when working from home with children around. One is that they don’t want to be disturbed either directly, by a child walking into their office, or indirectly by, for example, noise.
And the other is that they have to stop themselves becoming distracted and becoming involved in the nanny’s and children’s day – say, going to play with their children in a spare five minutes.
My first tip to working from home with a nanny is for the parent to work in an office. Try to make sure that there are actual walls between the parent working and the rest of the house. A garden office is perfect if you have one as then you really are ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
When working keep the door closed so everyone knows not to enter. Trying to work at the kitchen table or in the dining room means that everyone in the house will be distracted by each other and productivity will be at an all time low.
Next I would recommend that you create some boundaries with your nanny for the working day. As I always, say, communication is key, and this is no different. Here are some ideas of what you might include.
- Children and the office – are you ok seeing your children during the day or would you like them to be kept away?
- Important meetings and conference calls – you might let your nanny know about any important conference calls as far in advance as possible so that they can be out of the house with the children at that time or, if the children are at school, performing quieter chores like children’s laundry (rather than using the vacuum cleaner, say).
- If the children have to be in at that time, you could suggest that quiet games would be preferable and a little TV.
- Do you want to interact with the nanny during the day or should they pretend you’re not there? Do you want to be offered a cup of tea if they’re making one – important detail!
- If there is a real emergency, have a think about how you would like this to be handled. Should the nanny come to get you immediately or, if you’re in the middle of something like an important call, should they call/text you, just as if you’re in the office?
Nannies working with parents in the house!
It can be awkward for nannies working with the parents around but there’s no reason why it can’t be a success. When you’re in the office, your boss or employer might be around too. You probably don’t like being told how to do your job, or your boss actually doing your job for you, so apply the same thought process to your nanny.
When you sit down to work out the expectations of WFH, your nanny might have some suggestions too. Your nanny is paid to look after your children and has their best interests at heart. They want to get on with their job and might worry that the children will find it hard to leave you to work, making their job more difficult. With this in mind, you might want to consider:
- Reassuring your nanny that you want them to be able to do their job. I know that might sound silly but clearly explain how you’re not going to interfere during the day; that they should get on with their daily routine and plans.
- Installing a kettle and snacks in your office to limit your time inside the house where the children might see you and want to play and chat.
- Having times that you do interact with your children clearly defined such as lunchtimes and snack times. Parents can block those times in their calendars and then everyone knows where they stand. (Bear in mind that this can also be distressing for a child, having you come and go again.)
- If you’re breastfeeding and your baby is having a growth spurt, how would you like your nanny to manage that?
- If your nanny is at home without your children, you don’t want them to feel as though they’re being watched every minute of every hour so let them get on with the job.
There will be some trial and error in how it works. I do think it’s good to discuss what might come up ahead of time so that both parents and nannies have an idea of what to do but be prepared to tweak it. You can document the expectations if it makes life easier – this is also handy if WFH is only occasional rather than on a regular basis.
Here’s to working from home with a nanny, well, working!
As always, if you need help with any of this or any other nanny-family situations then give me a call.
Hazel x