To have asked nanny to take her shoes off

Hopefully. Children are a big responsibility.

Assume she thinks you're going to be very fussy to work for .

I'd not have asked someone I was interviewing to take their shoes off .

@cointos the whole pavement is dirty and sadly I can't levitate.

@LordPercyPercy don't you look at where you're stepping?

If I was interviewing for a job working in someone’s home, I would mirror what the family did. If they removed their shoes at the door, of course I would too. It’s common courtesy in someone else’s house.

That said, I’ve always lived in a no shoes house - when I lived in a city (no one wants piss from where drunk people wee on the street in their house, and I have stepped on an actual used condom and used needles more than once) and now. We live on a farm. It’s mud and animal poo out there. I don’t want it in my house. No one around here wears shoes indoors. I’d keep mine on if someone insisted (even though it’s weird), but just as a courtesy I always offer to take them off.

Exactly. You can’t cuddle up on the couch with a toddler, sit on the floor playing games etc with shoes on.
I can’t believe someone said being bare foot isn’t good for your foot health. It’s quite the opposite! Nannys aren’t on a building site.

If you make people take off their shoes in your house you should offer them slippers to wear. IMO

Who are all these mad folk who constantly tread in dog shit ? I can't remember the last time I did - probably when I was about 5 and I'm now 65

You probably live somewhere lovely. It's dogshit alley where I live. The city centre is covered in spit, litter, fag ends, pigeon shit and used needles.
The thought of that contaminating my lovely home makes my skin crawl.

Go for a walk outside. Immediately by my front path is bird poo, twigs, leaves and stones!

It’s absolutely considered madness to leave shoes on in the house in my family. If you invite someone in and they don’t automatically take their shoes off, then they stay by the front door on my mat I’m afraid. You are not walking any germs, dirt & grime through my gaff because you can’t be bothered to bend down.

Who are all these mad folk who constantly tread in dog shit ? I can't remember the last time I did - probably when I was about 5 and I'm now 65. No one I know regularly treads in dog shit and randomly smears it all over carpets either.

Either people have got seriously cavalier (king Charles spaniel) about where they tread, or are deliberately treading in dog shit for (shits and) giggles, or the carpet panickers are imagining a problem which does not exist.

Nobody.
She went for an interview.

Yup I’m a nanny I take my shoes off and wear slippers. Seriously who is staying in their shoes all day.

Yep.
Every Nanny I've ever employed has brought slippers and voluntarily taken their shoes off at interview. It's basic hygiene around crawling babies and infants who put things in their mouths.

If you asked as I arrived at the door I'd have been ok with it. If you waited until I was about to enter a room and reprimanded me like I should have known, I'd have ghosted you. Something about taking shoes off for an interview seems strangely intimate to me. I've only ever interviewed for and held one position as a nanny. I kept my shoes on for the interview, I took them off when I started working there (the children only put shoes on to go outside so it felt more normal). The family had hardwood floors in most of their apartment but I wasn't raised in a shoes off house so it wouldn't have occurred to me if they had carpets.

Yanbu. Shoes off at the door...strange otherwise..

This isn't the same at all. As you are a carer you are going into multiple people's houses throughout the day. They could be anyone or have anyone present in the home. Your employer can't vet everyone. Plus the people you are going into the home of aren't your employer.

I used to do similar home visits and the rule of shoes staying on was the same. It's to safeguard you as the employee when doing home visits to clients (often as a one-off in our case) so you can leave the home quickly if you need to. We also had other rules such as calling before and after the visit.

A nanny is employed by the people in the home and goes to the same place everyday to the same people. The risk isn't the same.

It's flooring. People are going to walk on it.
If you have a shoes off policy, fine. However, if the occasional person kept their shoes on, I can't see any problems.
Mind you, I don't lie in my carpet.

I always think flooring is there for people.

I agree, but probably not in the way you mean. I like to sit on my carpet, lie on my carpet, do yoga on my carpet. It's there for me and I like to know it's clean and that it hasn't had any dirt from outside trampled into it.

I don't think it's the shoes off thing exactly but obviously it must have been the tone used as you said it felt quite awkward. I don't think it was the request that bothered her but the tone used. Also she might not want to do a taster session

Parents are free to expose themselves to whatever risks they wish at home. For the nanny, the home is the workplace and as such the employer should take reasonable health and safety measures such as allowing appropriate supportive footwear.

Would you allow someone in a wheelchair into your house?

This. Firstly I would not expect to remove my shoes at an interview. Secondly, I would presume you were a fussy pair of buggers and that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

We're generally a no shoes indoors house but not for a bloody interview!

I worked as a nanny years ago and would always go to take my shoes off before going in someone’s else- and would do unless they told me not to. Same as anyone’s house unless they were known for wearing shoes inside. I can’t think of anyone I know who does though.

Anyway no, being a nanny is not like care work where you need to wear shoes. I used to keep a pair of slippers at my nanny families houses so I didnt have to remember mine. If she is a nanny this really won’t be a thing she will have worried about.

Exactly 💯