Nannies Work Harder if They Feel Wanted

Nanny Confessions: Parents Should Thank Their Caregivers

I confess I work harder when I feel appreciated. I was reading The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People by David Niven and I agree with his comment that, “We work harder and better when we feel appreciated.” It might sound small, but it’s true.

Nannies tend to be caring and sensitive people. Most nannies choose this line of work because they are loving and nurturing in nature and character. So, my advice for parents that hire nannies is to simply appreciate their caregivers hard work and efforts.

It doesn’t cost much for parents to show their appreciation to their nanny. Although annual raises and bonuses and giving gifts is always nice and appreciated, compliments and sincere thank-yous are much more important to caregivers than material gifts.

Anne Merchant Geissler, author of The Child Care Textbook explains that random acts of kindness in a nanny and parent relationship are essential in maintaining a great working relationship. When parents show their appreciation with random acts of kindness towards their childcare provider, the nanny will likely return the favor.

For example, when parents arrive home early from work, they should let their nannies go home early too — with full pay. When parents overlook the playroom not being perfectly tidy, because they notice the kids are happy, it helps nannies overlook their pet-peeves with their jobs as well. In fact, nannies will happily volunteer to run an extra errand for the parents and may even refuse extra money offered to them in an emergency when they appreciate their jobs and their employers.

If parents are reasonable and conscientious about appreciating their caregivers, they will get better job performance from their nannies. So, I encourage parents to brag about their nanny to other people in the employee’s presence.

The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People

The Nanny Textbook: The Professional Nanny Guide To Child Care 2003