What is the “appropriate curfew” for a nanny ?
Many nannies would say “none.” If you feel you need to cover all the “what ifs” and you want to discuss curfews, do so before you offer the job. Ask her about her habits during the week. Does she like to go out? What time does she usually get home? If she tells you she likes to go to the clubs until 3am on weeknights my guess is you’ll probably look elsewhere for a nanny. If she tells you that on occasion she likes to go out during the week with her friends, you can explain that during the “work week” you would expect your nanny to get a good night’s rest so she can be up and ready to keep up with the kids all day. Put a definite hour out there, for instance 8 hours. Explain that you’d like to see whom ever you hire get 8 hours sleep. If she starts at 6am, she needs to be home by 10pm. If your prospective Nanny is agreeable to this and you decide to go ahead and hire her, write the above in the work agreement. Just do yourself and your Nanny a favor, don’t stand at the top of the steps if she comes in at ten after ten. No one likes to be treated like a child. If she makes a habit out of being exceptionally late, take out the work agreement and talk about it.
Does my nanny need a curfew?
After a late night out, was she up and ready on time and was her performance up to par? If she was as she is normally, then it seems that curfews are not needed. My only suggestion would be maybe a kind reminder that you know how hard it is to get your act together after a late night and for her to make sure she is well rested or something similar.
A good nanny should have enough common sense to know that staying out until 2:30am when she has to work the next day is not professional. If she doesn’t, then I think you and she should talk about it now, before it becomes a bigger issue.
If no curfew, then what ?
If a curfew isn’t the answer for you but the late nights and groggy mornings are happening too often, you just need to voice your concern about making sure she is well rested enough to work effectively, and let her take on the responsibility of setting up her activities so this is accomplished. If this still doesn’t work, it may be time to look for a new nanny. She obviously doesn’t respect you or care about her job enough to change her behavior.
