Nanny Communications a Problem for Some Lawyers
Lawyers and other busy professionals who oversee big projects and manage others in the workplace may suffer from a lack of assertiveness when it comes to their nannies.
The New York Times covers the problem in an article that quotes Eileen Hershenov, a lawyer who has run the legal departments of large nonprofit groups.
“I’m really used to having employees,” Hershenov told the Times. “I’ve hired people, I’ve fired people. I’ve gone through on-the-job training and formal training on how to communicate with your reports.”
But Hershenov said her corporate training “didn’t translate over” to talking with her nanny.
The Times says communications problems are widespread. The result can be “a peculiar passive-aggressive form of communication, a less-than-ideal dynamic between worker and boss,” the newspaper says.
“The mother, at times beset by guilt, a touch of intimidation or feelings of her own maternal inadequacy, fails to articulate what she wants from the nanny—and then complains to friends, her spouse or an Internet message board when she doesn’t get it.”
Some nanny training schools are addressing the problem by telling their students to take the initiative and find out what parents want, the story says.
Experts interviewed by the Times also had some advice for parents. Leave a list of daily tasks for the nanny. A written contract that spells out vacation time, overtime, holidays and other basic matters is also a good idea. So are weekly meetings where observations and suggestions can be discussed.
