Whether you are having a Semi-annual or an Annual Nanny Review, these 6 discussion items will go a long way in keeping open lines of communication between you and your nanny:
- Review of accomplishments: Hopefully you have been tracking these throughout the year. If not, try to think about some of the ways your nanny went above and beyond for your family. Remember that time she stayed late because you had that presentation to prepare? Remember the creative, homemade Father’s Day gift she helped your daughter make? Remember the time she came to you with camp ideas for the summer for your son? Try to brainstorm specific things to mention versus recognizing her for generally doing a good job.
- Child(ren)’s developmental progress: Is your child on track with where they should be for their age? Are there any learning tools / educational items that would help the nanny expand your child’s learning?
- Challenges: These could come from the previous monthly reviews or along the way. What would be some items (remember to keep them realistic!) that she could work on to really hit it out of park. If things really aren’t going well, this is the time to be clear about what you expect, and what will happen if the improvements don’t take place.
- Revisit compensation / vacations / bonus, etc. (annual only): Do your research prior to this meeting. Call us at Mom’s Best Friend to provide a recommendation about whether the salary your offering is still competitive, or if it merits a raise. Be sure to take into account your nanny’s performance, and the cost of living in your city.
- Personal goals: Family changes for both the family or nanny can heavily impact your relationship. Discuss any plans for additional children, moving, nanny getting married or having a baby, educational plans, ill family members, etc. This is also a good time to talk about any planned trips/vacation, etc. so that your nanny has advanced notice. Will she come with you? If not, is she taking vacation? Are there other duties she can perform while you are gone? We often see this left until the last minute, and that can really cause problems.
- Set professional goals for the next 6 months: Be sure to set your expectations about what you’d like to see accomplished before the next review (either milestones or ongoing). This can be related to the children and/or related to performance. Find out if there is anything you can do to support her reaching those goals.
I’ve found that these 6 items provide a detailed, but concise outline for a nanny review. Please contact Mom’s Best Friend if we can provide any further help!