Set Your Boundaries At Home

When you are not used to having staff working in your home, it can be hard to clearly define the boundaries. It's easy to mix business with pleasure, especially when your employees are working within such close quarters of your private life. However, we can't say this enough: set your boundaries at home! It is not to play the role of bad cop, but to prevent that from ever needing to be played in the first place. It is a tricky road to navigate, but the work/life balance is as important for you as it is for your staff. Our rules:


Keep a schedule. You are running late from work, your spouse has a PTA meeting, you were dying to get your haircut after work. Fine! But if your nanny is supposed to work 9-5, then your nanny is working 9-5. If you must ask your nanny to stay late, it is only customary to give proper notice and make sure they are ok with the extra hours. From our experience, most nannies do not mind picking up some extra hours here and there IF they are told in advance. Their time is just as valuable, and they too have worked a long day. 
Compensate accordingly. In line with the above: if your staff has to work extra hours than their regular schedule, it certainly shouldn't be for free. Does your housekeeper have to drive out of her way (and after hours) to drop a package off at Grandma's? Make sure she knows her hard work isn't going unnoticed. 
One word: Respect. This should be at the top of the list, and at the forefront of the mind, but one of the easiest ways you can show respect to your employees is by following these simple steps. 
Emotional dependence isn't the best medicine. Your personal assistant isn't (likely) a licensed therapist. Your housekeeper isn't an errand service. Your nanny should be respected by, not abused, by the children. By establishing boundaries, it is much easier to manage expectations and show that you respect their role in your home.
Leave a paper trail. By providing a clear job description on an interview, a list of rules and guidelines in a contract, and a confidentiality agreement, it is so important to demonstrate that you are treating this position as a formal job. Lay out their schedule, compensation & benefits, annual reviews, do's & don't's,  and you'll will both be clear on what to expect--just one more way to prevent those "he said, she said" moments from arising. And a confidentiality agreement is becoming standard in most domestic staffing positions because when you're working in such a personal aspect of someone's life, you should understand how vital privacy is to the family.