UAE: 10 Things your nanny wishes you knew

Finding and hiring a great nanny is like adding the final piece to an already completed jigsaw puzzle and hoping it fits perfectly. The whole experience can be rather challenging and daunting for both you and your baby or children, especially when often your nanny doesn’t share the same culture, native language or parenting style as you. But it's well known that the best bosses tend to have the best employees, and that's the same whether you're managing office employees or domestic staff. Angelica Robinson of UAE nanny-training agency Cloud Nine Kids tells us 10 things your nanny wishes you knew...

1) HER ENTITLEMENTS BY LAW: It’s essential to read up on updated federal laws concerning domestic workers so both you and your nanny know where you stand legally at all times. According to Federal Law No.10 of 2017, domestic workers are entitled to: Payment of wages, to be given no later than the 10th of the following month; 12 hours of rest per day, including 8 hours of consecutive rest; One day of paid rest every week; 30 days of paid annual leave per year; 30 days of medical leave per year; Medical insurance, provided by employer; Round-trip tickets to home country every two years; Decent accommodation and meals, provided by employer; Working clothes (if required by employer), provided by employer; Possession of personal documents (e.g. passport, IDs etc).

2) THE IMPORTANCE OF DRAWING UP A CONTRACT: An employment contract is highly recommended and should be drawn up and signed by both parties before your nanny starts. If you don’t already have one in place with your current nanny, you can still provide one any time and the sooner the better. It makes everything clearer and more organised once in writing, so just in case of any concerns, you or your nanny can revert back and you’ll always be on the same page.

3) HOW HER SALARY SHOULD BE PAID: As with any profession, a service is provided in exchange for a monthly wage. If you have hired your nanny through an agency then you will pay them and they will arrange your nanny’s salary. If independently, it’s up to you and your nanny how she prefers to be paid. Either pay via cash, or wire transfer through a money exchange service like Al Ansari or Western Union, which will send the money directly to her home country for collection by her family. Her salary should be separate to other expenses you provide such as food, toiletries, petty cash, taxis, phone bill, and try to pay at the same time each month; just as you wouldn't want to be paid late each month, neither does she.

4) HOW TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN FAMILY AND EMPLOYER: Creating a balance between a personal and professional relationship in such a unique employment situation is typically the biggest challenge faced when hiring domestic staff. A lot of this will alter depending on whether your nanny is live-in or live-out, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both options. Knowing how much to involve your nanny in your family life depends from one situation to the next. It’s important to make her feel included by asking her to join special occasions, such as birthdays, family dinners and outings, even on family holidays if feasible. It will help her feel valued and she will appreciate being asked. After all, your family is now her family. At the same time, you need to be respectful and considerate when it comes to her working hours, her day/s off and the way you communicate. However, although it is nice to invite her to join your family to eat when you’re home, it shouldn’t be expected. Your nanny may feel more comfortable to eat her own cuisine in peace after a long day of work.

5) SHE NEEDS TO SWITCH OFF: While live-out nannies tend to have more defined boundaries between work and home life, it can be less clear with live-in nannies. If your nanny is live-in, once she has completed her working hours, she should be able to stay in her room if she wants to or use the amenities of your home. At the start of her employment, you should indicate what she can and can’t do and when, if she can stay outside, if she can cook her food in your kitchen, watch the TV or use the gym/swimming pool in your building and so on.

6) THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION: It’s easy to fall into a pattern where everyone just does what is expected without talking about it, but part of being a good manager to your domestic employee is making sure that the lines of communication are always open. Mealtimes or just before the end of her working day can be a perfect opportunity to strike up conversation with your nanny. It could be about her day with the kids, anything that may be troubling her or something she needs. You may need to instigate and ask the questions but eventually she should open up.

7) WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD MANAGER: A nanny plays a crucial role in our society and in turn, deserves to be treated as a professional. This means, like in any other employment situation, there is a ‘manager’ and there are ‘staff’. Your role as manager is to ensure your staff member is motivated, incentivized and looked after. Performance reviews are recommended monthly or quarterly. This requires you to sit down with your nanny and discuss how she is doing in her role - areas for improvement, how she can develop further, what you can do to help and praise her good work. This does not mean you should only communicate at these times, there should still be daily face to face conversation. It’s important that no matter the language barriers or other differences, you speak to your nanny with respect, empathy and honesty. Every employee needs a leader and somebody they can look up to. If you set a good standard of professionalism between you and your nanny, chances are your relationship will be better for it. Most importantly, your children will benefit too.

8) THE DIFFERENCE TRAINING CAN MAKE: Regardless of whether your nanny has or hasn’t a background in childcare or previous experience, she will need training to learn and develop the skills needed to do her job properly. Even if she has worked before as a nanny or has children of her own, she would need to learn how to transfer these valuable experiences into professional childcare. Working with babies and/or children is more difficult and demanding than you may think. If you want a nanny who will engage, take care and supervise your children in a safe, confident and professional manner, you may need to empower her with the skills to be able to do this. There are many nanny-training agencies and even apps around, but CloudNine Kids are professional trainers from the UK who run suitable courses in the UAE specifically designed to teach and support nannies including paediatric first aid, behaviour management, health and hygiene, home safety, nutrition and much more.

9) YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PUT ON A UNITED FRONT: Children will always test their nanny’s level of authority, which is why you must back her up in front of your children, even if you think she’s in the wrong. Your children will learn to respect their nanny based on how you treat her. If you are not happy with what your nanny did, didn’t do or said, you must take her aside or talk to her later when the kids are not around. This is the time to correct or discipline her if necessary. If your child isn’t kind or respectful towards your nanny, it’s possible he or she will treat other children in the same way.

10) THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CONSISTENT: Follow through with what you say. If you said you will be home at a certain time or if you know your nanny has a plan or personal agenda, make sure she can attend. If something comes up, give your nanny maximum notice and make it up to her. Just because she works for you, doesn’t mean she comes second. If you want her to put your children first, she also needs to be rewarded and given the opportunities that matter to her. You don’t have to buy gifts to show your appreciation. If due, bonuses and salary increments after an appraisal or performance review are much more effective – and of course don’t forget to say thank you at the end of the day!