Almost there . . .
The Complaint Radar allows you to find Mummy complaints that already exist on the Internet. Being able to access these complaints in one place helps with understanding how to provide better services to Mummies. Based on lessons learned from the Complaint Radar, here are the top 5 complaints Mummies make about their confinement Nannies and how you can avoid them in your next job. It is important to keep in mind that some people take their privacy very seriously and try to erase their digital footprints to make it as hard as possible for their actions and movements to be tracked. So their efforts are shattered when someone shares their personal information with the general public. Share only photos that have been approved by the people involved. As for baby photos, share only those that have been approved by the Mummy. In some cases, the Mummy might prefer you mask the baby’s face, so present it as an option. Do not share photos of the Mummy’s home without her approval. Do not invite your friends over or reveal the house address without the Mummy’s approval. Informing Mummies about your terms and conditions after they commit to hiring you makes them feel cornered. According to the complaints, most of the Mummies who proceeded with the Nanny after this experience only did so because they were unable to get a refund. Do not assume that the Mummy knows how things are done in the confinement industry. Clearly state your job scope and present it to the Mummy before she makes any commitment. You can easily create your job scope here. Let the Mummy know about any additional expenses she needs to make on your behalf. For example, applying for a visa, insurance, and transportation. Some Mummies who complained about this were upset by a significant increase in their utility bills after the Nanny’s arrival, while others were concerned about inconsiderate spending. Try as much as possible to conserve electricity, water and gas. Always keep electrical appliances switched off after use. Only use the air-conditioning when necessary or use the fan instead. Try to minimise expenses. You have to act as a member of the family while on the job, so always consider their budget before spending. Do not take advantage of your position to exploit the Mummy and her family. Avoid making selfish demands. Don’t forget that you are a professional and your well-being is your responsibility, so use your money if you need something that does not concern the job. Most of the Mummies mentioned poor hygiene in their complaints. After all, hygiene is one of the key aspects of the job so it is not surprising to find that most of the Mummies were concerned about it. The complaints about poor hygiene can be classified into 4 categories: 1. Environmental Hygiene Always keep the kitchen clean after using it. Ensure that the baby’s surrounding is clean at all times. For example, do not leave diapers or tissues lying around after cleaning the baby. Keep the environment clean at all times. For example, try to sweep the floor regularly if your hairs usually fall. 2. Hygiene with Utensils Ensure that the baby’s feeding bottles are always clean. Wash whatever utensil you use. For example, knives, plates, and spoons. 3. Personal Hygiene Ensure that you are clean and decent while taking care of the baby. Take care of your hair and dress properly — have a set of uniforms if possible. Dress appropriately while cooking — you could use an apron. Take a bath after activities that make you sweat. Always keep your nails short, clean and polish-free. Avoid drinking or smoking while on the job. 4. Hygiene with the Baby Never kiss the baby. Do not allow the baby to put their mouth on your face. Always be mindful of your attitude and how you present yourself while on the job because unprofessionalism happens to be the most common issue Mummies complain about. Remember that you are there to work and not to have fun, so avoid activities that make the Mummy’s house seem like a holiday escape. For example, always watching TV or sleeping longer than you should. Minimise your time on the phone as much as possible. Always being on your phone could make the Mummy feel like you do not have much regard for the job or have more important things to do. Remember that the Mummy is your employer during the confinement, so treat her as you would any other employer irrespective of your age difference. For example, talk to her as your employer, refrain from enforcing your beliefs on her, and always seek her agreement before you proceed with any plan, idea or procedure. Do not insist that things should be done your way. Say what you think and let the Mummy decide whether or not she wants it that way. If the Mummy prefers something to be done her way, then you have to provide it as requested. Always bear in mind that you are an employee who is being paid for a service. In this case, there is no one particular way to provide the service. The service you provide cannot be the same for every Mummy. Different Mummies will want things to be done differently, so you need to be flexible. Therefore, do not say something like “this is how I do things”, because then you will only be satisfying yourself and not the Mummy. It is not professional to go to someone’s house and dictate how things should be done. Congratulations for making it this far. You just learned the most common complaints Mummies make about their confinement Nannies. Keeping these points in mind should be a step towards a more successful career as a confinement Nanny. You can also improve your career by creating a professional profile on MummyNanny so that more Mummies will be able to find you. If you are already a member, ensure that your profile is always up-to-date with your latest accomplishments. Together we can create a better confinement community.
Some Mummies mention that they dare not confront the Nanny while she is on the job for fear of how the baby could be treated afterwards. Others recounted how they suffered helplessness, high blood pressure, and depression and could only count down to the day the Nanny would leave their home. The best they can do at the moment is to make complaints on personal blogs, forums, and social media only after the Nanny leaves their home. Unfortunately, these complaints are unable to prevent new Mummies from having the same experience. The complaints go undiscovered on the Internet mainly due to a lack of visibility and accessibility. MummyNanny addresses this issue with the Complaint Radar. It allows you to find Mummy complaints that already exist on the Internet in one place and also allows you to submit newly discovered ones. Based on lessons learned from these complaints, here are the 7 most common reasons why Mummies have bad experiences with confinement Nannies, whether engaged through freelance or Agencies. One of the recipes for confinement problems is when you simply settle for a Nanny who was suggested by a friend or another Nanny. Just selecting only one Nanny from a list provided by an Agency is no different, whether or not your choice was based on previous recommendations. Take a couple of days to select a Nanny. Start by creating a shortlist of your most preferred candidates. Then give each of them a call to introduce themselves. After that, add them to your WhatsApp contacts and get to know them better through chat. Leave messages and allow them to respond at their own pace. After communicating with the shortlisted Nannies for a while, you will gather knowledge from each of them and have a better idea about all the things you need to take into consideration as well as the important questions you need to ask. Based on previous complaints, another factor that often leads to misunderstanding between a Mummy and her confinement Nanny is the lack of house rules. Without a clear set of house rules, the Nanny may not be aware of her boundaries in your house. Imagine a new member is joining your family and you need them to know how things are usually done in the house. Start by making a list of the dos and don’ts in your house. For example, a family living on the fifth floor with a 4-year old might say “always keep the window closed for safety reasons”. Next, extend the list to things the Nanny is not expected to do. You might want to go through the previous complaints to get more ideas. Most Nannies have their own rules and job scope. Some of them draw a fine line between the duties of a maid and those of a confinement Nanny. The professional thing for them to do is to inform you about these rules before you make any commitment. However, some may fail to do so while others may leave out some points they think you should already know. Unfortunately, some Mummies only learn about certain important aspects of the Nanny’s job scope during the confinement. The differences in expectations eventually lead to friction along the way. To avoid unpleasant surprises, insist that each shortlisted Nanny submits her complete job scope in written form. This can also be used as a reference to settle misunderstandings that may arise in the future. Nannies can easily create their job scope here. Without a direct line of communication with your shortlisted Nannies, there is no way for you to know how much they are willing to abide by your house rules. Also, you will not be able to ask them to provide you with a complete list of their job scope. Ensure that you can directly communicate with each Nanny in your shortlist. When Mummies share their bad experiences with confinement Nannies recommended by people they know, some comments suggest that the problems could have been avoided if they engaged an Agency instead. On the other hand, some responses to complaints about Nannies engaged through Agencies advise new Mummies to hire Nannies recommended by people they know instead. The previous complaints show that neither of these beliefs is true. That is why is it not safe to make a decision solely based on one of these standpoints. The choice to engage a Nanny based on a friend’s recommendation or through an Agency should not be based on a belief that it is the safer option. Instead, it should be based on your instincts after getting a better understanding of your shortlisted Nannies. Always bear in mind that nobody is more qualified than yourself to determine a suitable Nanny for your confinement. The sad reality is that, unlike most careers, a Nanny’s performance on the job hardly affects her career and reputation, whether she is a freelancer or affiliated with an Agency. From a business standpoint, most Nannies are not bothered by bad recommendations because they are always dealing with new and inexperienced Mummies rather than returning customers. Therefore, these problems just continue without affecting their business. Furthermore, getting blacklisted by one Agency does not prevent a Nanny from getting assignments with another Agency. This has continued because there has been no single platform to confirm the authenticity of Nannies and also access their previous records — until now. MummyNanny addresses this problem through the Nanny Evaluation System. With the system, Nannies will strive to put on their best performance for each assignment they get through MummyNanny because they will be publicly evaluated after the job and their reputation is at stake. It is reassuring to know that there will be another option if things turn out unexpectedly with a Nanny. However, the idea of getting a replacement Nanny causes more harm than good. Without the assurance that your feedback will have significant implications on the Nanny’s career and reputation, any lady can simply become a confinement Nanny and claim to have some years of experience on the job. After all, she can always be assigned to another Mummy if she is replaced. This leaves a lot of room for unqualified Nannies to be put in charge of Mummies and babies and will only cause more bad experiences in the future. Entirely relying on the idea of replacements means that there is no guarantee you are receiving a professional and worry-free confinement service. So instead, ensure that you will be able to publicly evaluate the Nanny’s performance and it will have an impact on her reputation as a confinement Nanny. For instance, Mummies who have used the Nanny Evaluation System agree that it brings out the best in Nannies, as their assessment determines the Nanny’s rank and reputation. Congratulations for making it this far. By now you understand that there is no shortcut to this. Just like the saying goes: easy come easy go. It’s not every day you have confinement so it is worth putting in the effort to ensure that you do not have a bad experience. We hope every Mummy will go the additional mile to avoid disappointment. Repeating the same old process will not give different results, so let us join our efforts in creating a better confinement experience for every Mummy out there.
