4 Helpful Tips for Nannies and Parents Who Share Their Workspace
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Nannies rarely worked in homes where the parents were present during the day.
But parents working from home, full-time or part of the time, is the norm rather than the exception, and increasingly parents, children and nannies find themselves sharing the same spaces in the home.
This arrangement can present some challenges, particularly for Nannies who prefer to work independently and are not used to sharing their workspace with parents.
We know it’s an adjustment, which is why we’ve put together a few helpful tips for Nannies to help them navigate this new working scenario.
Read on to get the tips!
Have a designated workspace
If the size and layout of the home allow, ideally parents will have a designated workspace that’s separate from the main living area or the area where the nanny and children hang out together.
This separation benefits both parents and children: parents can work without distractions or interruptions, and children can better understand when their parents are working and when they’re available for family time.
For Nannies, this setup will give them more autonomy to look after the children without having the parents constantly monitoring and, potentially, micro-managing them.
Establish roles and boundaries with parents
When parents are home, there’s a natural tendency for them to feel a sense of responsibility for anything related to their children.
This is where establishing boundaries is important.
We encourage parents and nannies to discuss and agree on what the nanny’s duties are, as well as where and when parents can step in, if needed.
Here’s an example:
If you’re there to provide childcare from 8:00AM until 4:00PM, you’re responsible for feeding the children breakfast, lunch, and snacks; doing indoor and outdoor activities with them; taking them to playgroup; etcetera.
If the parent is working from home and wants to have some involvement during that time, it should be pre-determined and not interfere with the children’s routine. Does Mom may want to have lunch with the children each day while she takes her break? Great! This is easy to work into the children’s daily schedule.
On the other hand, having Mom pop in and say “hi” while you’re trying to put the two-year-old down for a nap? Not so great.
Set expectations and manage behaviour
We’ve heard from countless parents that their children are on their best behaviour when they’re with other people, and they save their “challenging” side exclusively for their parents.
This may not necessarily be true, but you can see what we’re getting at here -- children can be more likely to act out and demand attention when their parents are around, especially if when they’re busy with work.
As a Nanny, they may ignore you. They may even come back at you with “you’re not my mother” or throw a temper tantrum.
You can prepare for this by familiarizing yourself with positive discipline methods and having proactive conversations with the parents about how they would like you to approach these types of situations.
Provide comfort and show compassion
Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a difficult, confusing time for everyone and especially for children. Be patient, show compassion, answer questions, provide comfort, and help them develop coping strategies.
We don’t know when this pandemic is going to end and parents may be working from home indefinitely -- we all need to be flexible and learn to adapt to the “new normal”.
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