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When you need some help with the household help

By Lucy Cohen Blatter  | October 17, 2012 - 8:47AM
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Sure, having household help is a luxury, but it's not without its complications, which is why we're sticking so close to home for this week's SurvivalList roundup.

First there's that uncomfortable "we're not on Downton Abbey" feeling you may get from having the cleaner/nanny around when you're home.

But there are also myriad issues that come up, like how much to tip nannies at Christmas time? And whether or not nannies should get snow days and whether it's okay to fire your housekeeper (babysitter, contractor etc) for bed bugs? (Most respondents said yes).

Our own Ms. Demeanor has fielded plenty of emails about nanny and housekeeper etiquette, like what to do about a housekeeper who's a homophobe, one who gossips too much and a nanny with a bad attitude.

We've also helped decode some common nannyisms (e.g. "the train was late" = I slept in)

And just so you feel a little bit better about your own situation, take a read of this horrror story about a housecleaner who calls all the shots.

For these, and more posts related to household help, scroll down through this week's SurvivalList, below:

Payment issues:

Decoding nannyisms:

Ms. Demeanor tackles househould help:

Gripes about the housekeeper/nanny:

 


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