Onboarding Like the Best Nanny Boss Ever.
This information and more can be found in the United Nanny guide book, Best Nanny Boss Ever found at www.UnitedNanny.org.
WHY is Onboarding important?
Here is why I am about to tell you all of this. When I was in high school I bought my friend a fish for her birthday. She had never had a goldfish before so I knew it was the perfect gift. I gave it to her and she loved it. But, a week later when I asked how the fish was she told me it died. I was blown away. But I shouldn’t have been. She never had a fish before. So while she thought she was being the best fish mom ever, cleaning the tank every day, changing the water every other day, she was actually killing her fish. And, unfortunately, when I got her the fish I never told her how to take care of a fish and this is exactly what happens when families hire nannies. They spend all their time finding the nanny but they never really learn how to employ one. And, I get it, no one ever told you being the best nanny boss was a skill.
Like a lot of skills you don’t notice how good someone is at it when they are amazing but you’ll notice how bad someone is when they leave much to be desired. So, you probably never analyzed how your favorite boss was transparent and clearly communicated with you, was autonomous in making decisions, and didn’t micromanage you. And, even if you are doing those things as the nanny boss you are or are going to be, you can always level up.
Every Best Nanny Boss Ever reader pats themselves on the back by page 3. Why? Because, I wrote and told them to do in the book, because they are doing it, they are making an effort to be a good boss, which isn’t easy, especially when you thought you just needed to be a parent.
I truly believe that a good nanny brings happiness into a home and while they take so much off your plate, give you security in great and personalized childcare, they are invested into you, your children, and your family, and your home, all while removing stress, giving you back me time, they do put a few things on your plate. Payroll. Onboarding. Management.
Those 3 things alone sound crazy but they aren’t. So many other families have nannies so you’re not alone. Honestly, if they can do it, so can you. You can probably even do it better because you’re here. You got this.
What is Onboarding?
It is “Specific direction on how to accomplish the nannies’ role to the satisfaction of the principals. Get up to speed on and learn how to best apply their skills.” That is word for word from United Nanny’s Nanny Profection class, which every single one of our placed nannies takes.
Where do you start?
Well, if you have signed up to our email list to get Best Nanny Boss Ever, then you might have already received your copy of our not just or BNBE guide, you probably got our bonus Family Manual because you get an email with a link to it the very next day
So, what is the Family Manual and why will it help me, well it is your secret weapon for onboarding your nanny. The manual lays it all out. It is the rules, policies and procedures for how your home and family work. You can add the standards you hold for your nanny, plus some extra handy information like, their PTO (paid time off), What to do when they are sick (do they stay home, or come in? These are all decisions you’ll have to make.)
My favorite way to get a nanny introduced to your family and how your household works is to show them around. Take a day to, maybe a weekend before their first day, and show them around your house - if you don’t know what to say that’s ok, just go room to room and point things out, a ton of information will come flooding in. Like, “Oh, don’t let the kids touch that, here is where we keep that thing we always use, be sure to check this if that isn’t working. This random information is like gold to a nanny.
See, every family is different but you don’t realize that because most likely you aren’t that close with another family to know, sure maybe your siblings and their family but you are going to have a similarly run household. Picture this, every family has a utensils drawer but every one puts their silverware in a different order and you’ll be surprised when you learn they keep the servingware in a drawer or closet all the way across the house. Nannies are the only ones with this bird’s eye view. Really, this is one of those, “you don’t know what you don’t know” things. So the more you can share with a nanny the better.
So take that day, go room to room and then everyone get in the car and go to the store, yeah, this is a good day to go shopping, then the dry cleaners, then grandma and grandpa's house, then to the school, the soccer field that practices are at, the music store for music lessons, the little swimmers academy for swimming. Bottomline, go everywhere. And in your new trusty family manual write down all these addresses.
What else will improve the way I employee a nanny?
Click to Grab Your FREE Best Nanny Boss Ever Guide HERE.
Top 5 things to share with you nanny.
Expectations for them and your children.
Emergency contact list.
Indoor Orientation (location of First Aid, dishware, frequently used items wifi password)/
Community Orientation (school, daycare, doctor, dentist, practice and lessons, parks locations).
Parental Insights (those things only you know about your family that might help. Ex: indicators your little one needs a nap.)
