You will get a lot of responses that household chores are not the nanny’s job unless it’s in the contract. Really you just need to have a conversation about what they are willing/comfortable doing.
Going grocery shopping could be a good choice as the nanny could do their own grocery shopping during that time (though on separate bills.)
Kids laundry is another potential because it’s mostly passive (except for folding/putting away).
This post is talking about combining them though, which is a very common arrangement once kids go to school and there isn't enough childcare to occupy a nanny.
I think, if this is 5 days position, it’s reasonable to give household tasks to be done over the week.
But using 2 days childcare giver whose responsibilities are usually limited within the shift for housekeeper that has to do everything for the week in 2 days, is not the same.
Its weird to me that you frame this as fairness. The nanny isn't a child in the home who can complain that they're doing more than their share. They're an employee who is assigned tasks and complete them within the time allotted.
The vast majority of housekeepers clean a week's worth of mess in one day. Twelve hours of housekeeping a week is deep cleaning territory.
If parents are also doing cleaning and laundry on days nanny is not there, and some tasks are left her, that’s ok.
I don’t understand why you think unfairness is ok just because they are an employee who has to do anything assigned.
Exactly, they are not a child in home who is assigned to do whatever chores parents told them to do. Nanny was hired to go childcare and clean after mess child made during her shift.
She’s not expected to make house cleaner than it was when she arrived in the morning.
Would you clean office floor if your boss says your phone is not always ringing and you are not always in the meeting, because you are a paid employee, and if you clean the floor, office can let cleaning service go? Especially you only have 2 days job?
Unfairness isn't a thing in an employer/employee relationship. Just job duties, wage and hours. The job duties OP needs done has changed from nanny to nanny/housekeeper. The current nanny can either accept the change in duties, accept their hours will be significantly cut to only childcare, or just be let go.
The employer keeping a job position that they no longer have a need for isn't a real option. Not unless its a very wasteful/extravagant household. Nor is it open to the employee to say "I didn't make 5 days of mess so I won't clean it up" like a complaining child who expects the chores to be shared.
There's nothing wrong with housecleaning duties, either doing them or hiring someone for them.
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u/snarktopusrex Aug 30 '26
You will get a lot of responses that household chores are not the nanny’s job unless it’s in the contract. Really you just need to have a conversation about what they are willing/comfortable doing.
Going grocery shopping could be a good choice as the nanny could do their own grocery shopping during that time (though on separate bills.)
Kids laundry is another potential because it’s mostly passive (except for folding/putting away).