September 2025
You excel at what you do best, matching families with qualified, caring nannies and other household employees. That’s the foundation of your business and the service for which families rely on you.
But simply making a placement is no longer enough to stand out or build lasting client relationships. Your families and their employees need trusted guidance through the complex world of payroll, compliance, risk management, and benefits.
I’d like to share some ways to make your agency, relying on placement activities and services, a trusted advisor to your clients. And how developing these “advisory relationships” will benefit your business.
Why Being More Than a Placement Provider Matters
As you know, once an employee is placed, families instantly become employers, sometimes without realizing the full scope of their responsibilities.
Legal pay, tax obligations, employee benefits, and compliance with wage and labor laws all come into play. Without support, your clients can find themselves overwhelmed, and employees may feel undervalued or unprotected.
You can step into this gap and position yourself not just as a matchmaker, but as a full-service household employment partner. This approach fosters stronger client trust, supports employees, and generates long-term loyalty and referrals.
Where Do Families and Employees Need Help?
Legal Pay & Payroll
Families need to understand that paying “under the table” puts everyone at risk. By guiding clients toward legal pay and offering resources or partnerships for payroll services, you protect both families and caregivers.
Tax Compliance
From Social Security and Medicare contributions to state unemployment taxes and paid family leave, household employers face obligations that aren’t always obvious. You can deliver tremendous value by providing guidance in these areas.
Risk Management & Insurance
Workers’ compensation insurance (often required) and employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) aren’t optional luxuries. They serve as safeguards against lawsuits, workplace injuries, and costly disputes. Educating your families about coverage shows you care about their financial protection.
Employee Benefits
Access to benefits like health plans, retirement savings, or paid leave can be a game-changer for attracting and retaining top talent. Agencies that guide families on these options strengthen employee retention and satisfaction.
Compliance & HR Support
From overtime rules and domestic worker protections to work agreements and offboarding, employment laws are constantly shifting. Agencies that provide HR guidance, or partner with a provider that does, help families avoid penalties and ensure employees are treated fairly.
Building Trust and Long-Term Success
When you expand your role beyond placements, you move from being a one-time service provider to a trusted, ongoing partner. Families will see you as an indispensable resource, while employees will recognize that you’re advocating for their professional treatment and well-being.
This added layer of value means you’ll have:
- Stronger relationships with families who are more likely to return for future placements
- Positive word-of-mouth referrals from families who appreciate the comprehensive service
- Enhanced reputation as an agency that truly understands and supports clients with comprehensive household employment guidance
You Don’t Have to Be the Expert
As an agency, you don’t need to become an expert in household payroll, taxes, compliance, insurance, HR, and employee benefits. It’s enough to understand the basics so you can guide clients in the right direction. By partnering with trusted household employment advisors, you can leave the details and execution to the experts while still delivering a seamless, full-service experience to your clients. By knowing your clients and their nannies are supported long after the hire, you can focus on what you do best: building relationships and making great placements.
The Future of Nanny Agencies
The most successful agencies are already adapting. By offering or connecting families with payroll, insurance, benefits, and compliance solutions, they’re cementing their place as trusted advisors, not just placement experts.
Being more than a placement service isn’t just good for business. It’s good for your families, their employees, and the long-term health of the entire industry.
Remember that GTM is here for you and your clients as a resource for all matters related to household payroll, timekeeping, human resources, benefits, and insurance. Contact us with questions or to request information.
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