It may be bourgeois of us, but my wife and I have decided that we need some nanny help with our newborn.
Not much, mind you, just someone who can help out for a few hours each week while the two of us are working.
So we’ve started interviewing potential caregivers, and at the risk of generalizing, I couldn’t help but notice something about the five nannies we interviewed.
We asked each of them what they planned to do whenever the baby napped during their shift.
Three said they would perform light housekeeping, run errands, and basically keep working. Two said they would remain on the clock, but they would not do any extra work, unless maybe we upped their salary.
The three who wanted to keep busy were immigrants (from Latin America, Africa, and Europe, respectively). The two who declined work and/or wanted more money were American-born.
Admittedly, this is a small sample size. However, I was struck by how clearly the work ethic cleaved between the two groups.
By the way, we didn’t ask about their backgrounds, but the women either volunteered the information, or it was obvious.
Now, I’m not saying that American-born individuals are lazy. In fact, maybe they have the right idea. After all, why shouldn’t they negotiate for the best wage they can get? That’s the American way.
On the other hand, it’s pretty clear that immigrants are willing to do whatever it takes to snag a job in this country. And they don’t make excuses about a task being beneath them, or whine about too much work. That is also the American way.
I’d like to think that both aspects are admirable, under the right circumstances.
But for right now, we’re still interviewing.
February 21st, 2013 on 12:30 pm
In many countries if you do not work , you do no eat.
work ethic is very important. I was raised to believe that
in order to survive you must work.
In the USA, some people believe that you do not have to
work and instant and easy money is the best way to survive.
For many people, lots of money and instant gratification is
their way of life.