I’m returning to work in two weeks, and we’re about to hire a nanny (we conducted interviews and are about to offer our top candidate the position). Because this subject can often bring up other touchy subjects, let me just get this out of the way: 1) the candidate is a legal US citizen, 2) we will be paying well above minimum wage, and 3) we will be using a tax service to make sure her paychecks are properly deducted.
Now, on to the point: We want to use a nanny cam or two. Looking online, there are scores of different brands, styles, shapes, and price ranges…from $50 to $1000. We just want something that works. Nothing fancy.
Any ideas on what would work, then? It just needs to be hide-able, get a decent enough image, and able to record the 8 hour workdays. (We will tell the nanny “you may be recorded” to be compliant with law, but won’t tell her where the camera is–and actually, will tell her the camera will change from room to room.)
Must you, by law, tell this person they are being watched? I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but I think I’d be a little unhappy as the employee to know you were taping me picking my nose.
Tell me more, please. Is this just the norm now in hiring a nanny? I used daycare for a few years and didn’t even feel compelled to make unexpected visits. I tried to be polite and let them know if I was coming early, etc. Is it a necessary intrusion? I wouldn’t have been pleased if the office I worked in had a camera pointed at me all day…
If you don’t trust her enough to not have a nanny cam you shouldn’t leave her with your kid. That being said, I would probably go with a cheaper model that is designed to be hidden inside a light fixture or something else that could easily be moved from room to room without it being obvious that is where the camera is located.
Not nearly as unhappy as I’d be to NOT know and find out later. She should definitely be told she’s being taped, whether or not it’s legally required to tell her.