Thursday

Seeking Advice on Team Composition...

Victor-Gabriel Gilber
I am looking to fill some jobs at our new home. We used to live in the city. As city dwellers, more people had access to our home, we used two cleaning services. Things were easier to take care of. We are almost settled at our home in Connecticut and I have been interviewing for staff. What I am finding is if I find a nanny I like, she doesn't seem like she would be a good fit with the housekeeper. When they do look like a good fit, it is because they are too much alike and then I wonder if they would compete over who does what. Has anyone had experience in successfully hiring a team of sisters? I was thinking 2 or 3 sisters. My other thought is a couple. But I would want them to be older, and would want the female to do the childcare, which would mean the male would be in charge of the housekeeping. I am really at wit's end trying to find the right team.  I need a nanny to work 55 hours, a housekeeper/laundress and sou chef to work 35-45 and a personal assistant to work about 20. If the personal assistant does the chef prep, then maybe closer to 30 hours. I am seeking advice from people because this is an adjustment from all of us and I would like to install a team that is permanent. I don't want to do this again in a year or even two. Any suggestions? We have three children, two will be in school in the fall.

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4 comments:

Smalltownnanny said...

I was hired for a nanny job for triplets and an older sibling with my best friend and roommate before and I liked it and it seemed to work out well for us and the family. The only few things were that because we lived together outside of work things such as when one was sick we most likely both would get it and be out at the same time because we lived together and were around each other more (I'm not sure from your post though if you are looking for live in employees or live out). And when hiring family members together things such as funerals, family emergencies, and vacations will leave you with both employees wanting to be gone at the same time. Sometimes it can work out great hiring people that are family or friends and already know each other but working together and living together or being family can also be stressful because you will be around each other all the time.

nannyrobot said...

1. You can't make the personal assistant do food prep.
2. Hire the right nanny for your kids, not the housekeeper, but don't hire someone the housekeeper hates. Also, if you haven't already hired anyone yet, pick the nanny first and fit everything else around her. The right person for your kids is the priority.
3. Don't worry about them being too much alike. That's a good thing-they will work well together.
4. Hiring a couple is a great idea. You would call them household managers, but you would have to hire a separate personal assistant. I think with a couple, you would be sure to have things run smoothly because they would work together and help each other out.

Yara said...

In my country- Egypt - it's traditional to hire older couples. The man would be housekeeper /chef and the woman would nanny /house manage. I still needed and hired an assistant though. Get the nanny first. Find the one that's best for your kids. Establish hierarchy right away. We found that live in help- cottage on the property worked best. My assistant lived out. My nanny was highly accomplished. She transitioned into my manager over time as my kids grew. She stayed 12 years. Now she's married with her own family.

Anonymous said...

Nanny is most important. Pretty much anyone can clean and chop food. And personal assistant should be someone ONLY YOU approve of. Especially if they have no contact with the children or other employees