Working with Your Nanny to Balance Career and Family During Summer Break
It’s hard to believe we’re already midway through the summer. Let’s make the most of the days that remain. If you have a nanny and are still working through most of the summer, balancing career commitments with quality family time can be challenging. Your routine may be disrupted with the kids being out of school; especially if you work from home at least occasionally. You may even feel guilty about being unable to spend more time with the kids and enjoy the warm weather.
In this blog, we provide tips to help you balance your career and family during the summer months with strategies for working with your nanny to achieve this goal.
Communicate and Collaborate
Effective and regular communication keeps you on the same page, allowing for better coordination and flexibility in managing your time. Talk with your nanny about your expectations and priorities during the summer break. Discuss your work schedule, important events, and desired family activities. Encourage your nanny to share their input and suggestions.
You can designate specific times during the week for family activities or outings. Plan activities catering to everyone’s interests and involve your children in decision-making.
Consider creating a shared calendar or using scheduling apps to inform everyone about important dates and events. Regularly check in with your nanny to discuss any changes in your work schedule or upcoming family commitments.
Build in Flexibility
Identify specific blocks of time for family activities and outings, and coordinate with your nanny to ensure they can be available during those periods.
Create a weekly or monthly schedule outlining your work hours, children’s activities, and designated family time. Discuss with your nanny how to adjust the schedule when unexpected events or opportunities arise.
Use the 80/20 Guideline to Focus on the Activities that Matter Most
The 80/20 principle, also known as the Pareto principle, states that 80% of the value comes from only 20% of the activities. This applies to almost all aspects of our lives. Write down the top 5-10 most positive memorable moments with your kids. Ask your kids to do the same. Review the lists together. See what themes emerge. Then plan your family activities around those themes to ensure you get the most value from your limited time together over the summer. For example, if the best memories involve being in nature, include bike rides through parks, picnics, hikes, or camping in your schedule. Ask your nanny for their opinion based on what they’ve seen make your kids happy.
Leverage Technology
Technology can be a valuable tool for bridging the distance with your children during the workday. You can share updates, photos, and videos with messaging apps and social media platforms. This doesn’t mean constant interruptions, but a few choice photos or messages can mean a lot to feel connected. Work with your nanny to facilitate this process. For example, you may set aside specific times to connect with your children virtually during the day. It could be during lunch or other breaks. Your nanny should be aware of this so they can remind your children to share pictures or send a text. Share your updates too, if something they would find interesting happens!
Delegate Responsibilities
If you can and are not already doing so, delegate household tasks and responsibilities to your nanny, freeing up more time to focus on career and family. If this adds to their workload or time involved, you may need to pay your nanny more (read our blog about salary changes here, but it would be worthwhile even if you do this only for the summer.
Start by creating a list of tasks and responsibilities your nanny can handle. These may include grocery shopping, meal preparation, or light housekeeping. Share them with your nanny to get their feedback to ensure they can take them on. Outline your expectations regarding these tasks and ensure your nanny has the resources and support to complete them effectively. This delegation of responsibilities lightens your load and empowers your nanny to support your family actively. Communicate regularly and provide feedback on what’s working and what needs to be improved to keep the process running smoothly.
Beyond the extra tasks for your nanny, you can also delegate other tasks to free up more time. For example, if your nanny doesn’t want to take on light housekeeping, you might hire a home cleaning service for the summer (or even ongoing). Or maybe your nanny doesn’t have time for grocery shopping. In that case, consider using grocery delivery apps such as Instacart to save time. Given the current gas price, the small delivery fee is most likely cheaper than the gas and your time to make the trip yourself.
Yardwork (unless it’s a hobby for you) and managing payroll for your nanny, are other examples. There are likely many more. Make a list and see how much outsourcing costs and what you can afford. You may be surprised that for a relatively low price, you can outsource several tasks you don’t enjoy doing and which take up more time than you’d like.
Always consider where your time is best spent and what that’s worth to you. Even if something only takes an hour, it still means an hour less that you can spend enjoying the precious summer with your kids.
Each family’s situation is unique, but we hope we’ve provided at least one tip that you’ll find helpful to adapt to your specific needs and values. Your nanny is your partner in raising your kids and is part of your family. Work together; you can balance career and family time throughout the summer and beyond.
If you need any help with managing payroll for your nanny or caregiver, please reach out to us toll-free at 1-877-626-6982 or email us at taxquestions@nannytax.ca. We offer three domestic payroll tax plans, giving you the flexibility to choose the package and price that best works for you!
Credits: Photo by JESSICA TICOZZELLI: https://www.pexels.com/photo/little-boy-in-wheat-field-5985670/
