Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Assistant Power Struggle
MichiganMom 08:02 AM 06-23-2018
I recently hired a very qualified assistant. She is very good with the children, comes early, leaves late, brings crafts, and is generally a super hard and dedicated worker.

My only problem is that she wants to talk way too much with the parents when they pick up. She intercepts my conversation with them to share stories and tips when really she needs to be working with the other children and letting me be the main point of contact.

I understand that she wants to connect, and I appreciate that, but she is offering way too much information. She also told a grandparent that I allow her grandson to have his paci but she takes it away. Mom wants him to have his paci. Mom trumps grandma. Not cool!

I need some tips on how to address this. I need her to hang back and let me communicate with parents.
Reply
hwichlaz 09:20 AM 06-23-2018
Just sit her down and say everything you wrote above.
Reply
Annalee 01:05 PM 06-23-2018
Originally Posted by MichiganMom:
I recently hired a very qualified assistant. She is very good with the children, comes early, leaves late, brings crafts, and is generally a super hard and dedicated worker.

My only problem is that she wants to talk way too much with the parents when they pick up. She intercepts my conversation with them to share stories and tips when really she needs to be working with the other children and letting me be the main point of contact.

I understand that she wants to connect, and I appreciate that, but she is offering way too much information. She also told a grandparent that I allow her grandson to have his paci but she takes it away. Mom wants him to have his paci. Mom trumps grandma. Not cool!

I need some tips on how to address this. I need her to hang back and let me communicate with parents.
Tell her you are the one in charge of all drop offs and pickups.....that her job is to be with the children during this time....and ALL COMMUNICATION is to be done by YOU.
Reply
nannyde 01:34 PM 06-23-2018
https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/the-...ant-part-4.htm

I have a five part series on daycare staff assistants. Part four has some info on how I handle your concerns. Your story is a PERFECT example of many of why I don't allow anything other than a "hi" or "bye" when my staff assistant comes in contact with my clients.

"On a day to day basis, I don’t have my assistant have contact with my clients other than when she brings the children to the door at departure time every day. I don’t have her give parents information about the children or discuss their day. I do all the arrivals, departures, and parent contacts.

I don’t allow any personal relationships with my clients. The staff assistant agrees to this when they are hired. I don’t take referrals from the assistant and don’t interview any of her friends or family members. I don’t allow her to have contact information on the clients or communicate with them outside of the work setting."

You just need to sit her down and tell her that she isn't to have any discussions with your clients other than a respectful nod or words of hello or goodbye.

Can you get her away from the arrival and departure area?

When I interview staff assistants I tell them they aren't allowed to talk to my clients other than pleasantries. If they are used to engaging clients and having input in the parent communication and they really enjoy that aspect of the job, then my job won't work for them.

I don't want my staff getting attached to my parents and I surely don't want my parents attached to my staff. She could leave tomorrow. I want the relationship to be with me as I'm the constant in the business and it's my business.

I don't begrudge providers who work as a team and have equal access to parents. For some providers this works great. I interviewed a number of potential staff who had a lot of contact with the parents. Once I delved into why they were out of a job, many of the scenarios came down to the business failing because the provider basically had the staff run the business and it fell apart or the provider allowed contact that resulted in upset parents or the staffs perspective given to the parents was not the whole story because they only see a part of the totality of the business.

I also prefer to hire staff without experience. They don't come to me with bad habits... like being involved with the parents. A few words out of their mouth and I could loose a very expensive contract. Too risky and when I decide the pay of the staff I do NOT include the huge responsibility of parental communication in the compensation. They aren't being paid to do that. Having a mini me to do it my way would be very expensive.

I want clients to PAY AND STAY so anything that could compromise that I don't allow. I wouldn't allow my son access to my parents either. He had to get gone during arrival and departures.
Reply
Tags:assistant, assistant - power struggle, assistant issues
Reply Up