WFH Parents: How to create a successful co-Workspace
As working from home is becoming increasingly more popular, this presents new challenges for you and your nanny to navigate. Many nannies prefer parents who don’t work from home. Not because they want to be away from the parents, but because they fear having parents in the home all day might make their job harder. By implementing some easy measures, you can ensure that your nanny is able to create the environment they thrive in while you are working from home. Here are a few things to keep in mind when approaching this situation.
The first thing to be aware of and try to avoid is micromanaging. Micromanaging can make nannies feel like they are not doing enough, like they are not in any control and hurt their work morale. While we understand that everyone has their own way of running a household, when your nanny is on the clock, you are trusting them to get their jobs done. How you expect your house to be run is something that you and your nanny will discuss and draw up in contract, and this is something that you both need to follow. Unless your nanny is doing something that does not align with your agreed upon contract, you really should be allowing them to run their day to day with the kids how they see fit. They are experienced and know what works for them and know what your expectations are. Give them the space they need to thrive in their position.
2. The next thing you want to avoid is interfering. When you are working from home, your children are naturally going to want to be with you more than with the nanny. If issues arise, the children will automatically want to come to you. This makes the nannies job that much harder. It's important for you to allow the nanny to run their day with the children as you have agreed upon and how they see fit. Interfering can make it harder for the nanny to have any real authority over the children. If the children ask you to do things during the nanny's time with them, you should instruct them to first ask their nanny. Talk to your kiddos and let them know that when the nanny is there and you are working, that your nanny is in charge. Having both the nanny and the parent in the home can be confusing for the children, but you must continue to follow the rules you have previously discussed. We know interruptions are inevitable but they should not be the norm! Communicate with your nanny as well! Set up clear boundaries for the both of you to follow to ensure an easy work environment.
3. In addition, try to avoid undermining your nanny. This is true for work from home parents and parents working out of the home! Your nanny needs to feel supported and that you are on their team. Your nanny and you have the same common goal: to provide a safe and nurturing environment for your children to grow and learn. Unless you are hiring a mothers helper position, your children should know that their nanny is in charge and they should respect them and their authority. Sit down with your nanny and draw out what discipline looks like in your home and how they can keep the same standard in their day to day. This is something to be added into their nanny contract and something our agency can help you out with! You are a team with your nanny, so you both should be backing each other's decisions.
4. Finally, the most important thing you can do is always communicate with your nanny. You should have a clear plan in place for what your day will look like. Make sure that you have a private working space that is away from the children and the nanny. Tell your nanny your day to day expectations. Let them know that you are there to help them anyway that you can and ask what you can do to make sure they feel like they can succeed. Communicate with your nanny if your day is going to look differently than others. Let them know if you have big meetings or important deadlines. Having an open line of communication is going to make your co-working situation with your nanny all the more likely to succeed!
These are some things to keep in mind when you are navigating your co-work from home environment. The most important thing above all else is making sure you have a mutual respect for one another. Co-working in the home together is a new challenge but something we are sure you can overcome!
