No Yelling, No Crying, No Walking off the Job

A full charge nanny and housekeeper called late Friday night in tears. Her boss had come home in a mad rush eager to get ready for dinner guests that evening. As she drove into the garage, she ran over a toy that was left inadvertently by her child and not picked up by the housekeeper. The employer was naturally upset. She didn't want to have to deal with this when she was already under pressure to get ready for the evening plans. She reacted emotionally and raised her voice; at which point, the employee also responded emotionally, began to cry and walked out 30 minutes prior to her scheduled departure from work. All of this was inappropriate on everyone's part. The toys should not be left in the middle of the garage. First of all, children should be trained to put their toys back. In this case, the child was old enough to know better. The nanny should have been vigilant in checking that the child had followed through. If the child hadn't, then the nanny's role is to ask the child to put the toys to one side, explaining that when mommy gets home and pulls her car in the garage, if the toys are not put away, she might run over them.

Here is more about how everyone was at fault: the mother yelled because she was frustrated, maybe had a bad day, maybe just because she was under pressure about the evening and getting ready for it. Raising your voice at anyone, especially employees wears thin. No one likes it, and eventually, no one will tolerate it. Everything between employees and employers must be handled in a civil manner - it becomes a "conversation". Secondly, the employee was completely unprofessional in turning to tears and leaving the job 30 minutes early. This is an employee/employer relationship, not one that you have with a boyfriend or husband. Tears are inappropriate. If an employee is not happy about her employer's conduct, then this is a "conversation" and should not be an emotional one. When you bring emotion into the equation, you risk elevating the problem and losing sight of how to solve it.

Problems can be solved only by a "conversation" where both parties are understanding of everyone's position and needs and seek to find a solution.

Good Housekeeping: Spot on Advice for Removing Summer Stains

Summertime means many stains that come with fun like barbecues, picnics and sunning at the beach. Here is some advice provided by Good Housekeeping for the following stains:

Grass stains: take a little of liquid laundry detergent with enzymes and rub into the stain, let it sit 5 minutes, then launder using the bleach (chlorine or oxygen) and very hot water.

Mustard/Ketchup: for Mustard,dip paper towel in cold water and BLOT (don't rub) the stain, use a dab of glycerin and work it into the stain. For Ketchup, flush the stain from the back side of the fabric with cold water. Next, for both apply liquid detergent to the front of the stain and use a toothbrush. Add more detergent as needed and then machine wash.

Fresh Berry stains: immediately sponge the spot with cool water and then later stretch the stained cloth over a bowel or pot in the sink. Hold a kettle of boiling water above the fabric and pour it over the stain (12 inches above). If it doesn't come out, use rubbing alcohol before tossing into the machine.

Sunscreen streaks: apply aerosol-spray stain remover like Shout or Afta.

Think about bringing an on-the-go stain remover pen (Max Force Gel Stick - new from OxiClean)or wipe in case a food stain should occur. Never let a stain linger on the garment in a hamper for days. Treat it as soon as possible and toss into machine.

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Will the New Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights be Enforced?

The first state to recognize the workplace rights of nannies is New York. They will get temporary nanny disability benefits, nanny unemployment insurance, one day off per week and the biggest thing is "overtime". It is quite an achievement for the nannies since they usually get the bum rap. It will be very important that the message gets out to the domestic workers that these new rights exist. They will also need to educate the employers to uphold these rights so that they are enforced. Often, even with laws in place, domestic employees are faced with domestic employers who refuse to abide, leaving employees the choice of taking the job, or not. It is up to both parties to uphold the law that protects us all.

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Nap Nanny Recliners Recalled

Nap Nanny, a portable baby recliners has been recalled voluntarily by its company, Baby Matters due to an infant death. The 4-month old girl from Royal Oak, Michigan died in Nap Nanny that was put into the crib because she was caught between the recliner and the crib bumper. In addition to the death, the infant was trapped between the recliner and the side of the crib. How is it possible that these products get produced and pass inspection? This recliner was marketed to improve sleep, comfort and for medical conditions, including flu.Looking at this Nap Recliner, it seems obvious that this could pose a dangerous problem. If parents happen to own one of these, Nannies, Babysitters and Housekeepers should also recognize what may be hazardous and make the necessary recommendations.

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Nanny & Housekeepers: Tips to Find Work

In this economy, you cannot rely on one resource to find work and must be proactive. You must be able to use all the ways possible. But first, you must have a portfolio ready. Here are some tips:
1) Get a resume together with your most recent job history first and make sure it is updated within the last 6 months.
2) Gather all your letters of reference and call your reference numbers to be sure they are still reachable. Find email addresses for them as well, so that your prospective employer can communicate quickly with your former employer.
3) If you are caring for children, be sure to have your TB and Hepatitis testing completed.
4) Get a criminal check on yourself in the city or cities where you have lived in the past 7 years and have it available in case you are offered a position.
5) Be sure to be CPR certified and have it renewed if expired.
6) Gather any course completion certificates or certifications in child care, or The Professional Housekeeper course.
7) Put together a nice cover letter explaining your work objectives to indicate to an employer the kind of work you seek and your intentions and goals.
8) Have the "perfect" interviewing outfit ready, clean and pressed in your closet so that you can put it on at a moment's notice for any last minute interview calls.
9) Make a list of agencies, job listing services, newspapers, neighbors, former employers and reach out to all of them. Send out resumes to agencies. Subscribe to job listing services and respond to posted jobs and post your resume. Respond to newspaper ads seeking help. Call friends, neighbors and former employers asking their help in getting you work.
10) Be positive, proactive and persistent!!!

http://www.theprofessionalhousekeeper.com
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Health Insurance

Health insurance is an important benefit that every household employee would like to have as a part of their compensation package. There are tax breaks for both the employer and the employee to make this more affordable than you might think. Like all employers, the government encourages household employers to contribute to their employee's health insurance premiums. You can do this by making a portion of the compensation tax free to the employer. Similarly, the employee is not taxed on that portion of the compensation. You have two options: the household employer can choose to be the billing party for the policy, paying the premiums directly to the health insurance company, or the household employer can provide the dollars for premiums to the employee. Either way, the employee savings will be about 20% of the amount of the health insurance contributions and the employer savings will be about 10% of the amount of the health insurance contributions. The tax breaks associated with health insurance create a powerful financial tool enabling nannies and housekeepers to get critical coverage without destroying employer's budgets.

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Cell Phone Nunbers go Public in July

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.


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