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Why should I establish working norms with my nanny?

For Families > Nanny Service > Getting your nanny off to a great start

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Written by Support
Updated over a week ago

This help centre article has been written for the Koru Kids nanny service


Discussing working norms with your nanny might feel a little awkward, but doing so at the beginning of your relationship with your new nanny is really important. This will help to ensure that both sides have the same expectations of the role. Here are some things we recommend agreeing with your nanny:

  • Your nanny’s interest in overtime - we find that where this isn’t agreed early on, families avoid asking for fear of overstepping, when their nanny might be really keen to pick up extra hours

  • An approach to hours reporting - nannies lead but don’t fully understand what hours families are willing to pay  for and often under report their hours as a result of this anxiety. Let your nanny know exactly which hours you’re happy to pay for (e.g. if you come home early they can still report up to their contracted hours)

  • How you will handle cancelations - agree up front whether you will find additional hours in that payroll month to offer your nanny (if your nanny is available outside of their contracted hours), or if you will pay for the cancelled shift(s) as a courtesy

For all of our advice about getting started with a new nanny, click here.

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