It’s a good idea once a year to sit down for a more formal meeting with your nanny to review their performance, your children’s development and plan the year ahead. You may like to do this on the anniversary of them starting work with you, at the start or end of the school year or the start of the calendar year. We’ve put together some questions you might like to consider or ask your nanny to think about before the meeting so you can sit down prepared.
Although a performance review can also be helpful at any time if there are problems with your nanny carrying out their duties they should not be neglected if everything is going well. A performance review is a chance to praise your nanny and let them know what a good job they’re doing.
Many nannies expect a pay rise, or at least a pay review, at their annual review. If you don’t want to discuss finances then let them know in advance that the meeting is solely about their performance and you’ll set aside another time to discuss pay.
Schedule the review for a time when there are no children around. Children can be a distraction and it’s especially important that you are able to be honest with your nanny if either of you have concerns about the children or if you have something negative to say.
We hope you find these questions helpful in facilitating communication with your nanny about their performance and your needs!
The year just gone:
Is the nanny able to do everything on their job description? Is there anything they are doing which is not in their job description? Does the job description need to be modified?
How has your nanny coped with the workload? How do they feel they have coped?
What have been your nanny’s strong points this year? What are areas for improvement?
Have there been any problems? How were they resolved?
Are the any developmental concerns about the children?
The year ahead:
Are there any foreseeable changes to duties?
Are there any activities it would be good to introduce? How can the children’s development be stimulated?
Do any strategies for behaviour management need to be recapped or reviewed?
Are there any areas where your nanny would like to refresh or update their knowledge?
What are the goals for the year ahead? (These may be for the children, the nanny or you e.g. potty training, ensuring all laundry is up to date on a Friday night, ensuring the kitchen is tidy on a Monday morning)
Is your nanny’s salary competitive and a fair reflection of the job’s demands?