TOP TEN MISTAKES EMPLOYERS MAKE WHEN HIRING HOUSEHOLD HELP!

by Marta Perrone

•   Employers consider hiring candidates who have been
    either referred by word of mouth, an agency or from a
    newspaper and do not do the due diligence on every
    employee to ensure that they know everything there is
    to know about the employee before offering a position.

•   Employers hire the employee and bank on the fact
    that the references stated that this individual was
    “wonderful”.  They assume that the employee knows how
    to do everything and does not need training.  Big
    Mistake – every single new employee must be trained in
    how to do things in the house “your way” to ensure
    starting on the right foot from the beginning.  The
    amount of training and input you provide in the
    beginning has a direct relationship with the
    successful outcome of that employee.

•   Employers do not stipulate in an Employer/Employee
    Agreement all the requirements and duties of the
    position as well as the benefits provided so that both
    parties are very clear on what to expect from each
    other.

•   Employers leave their children in the hands of a
    new employee without observing carefully how the
    employee handles the children.  What is necessary is
    that the first few weeks of hiring someone, the
    parent(s) are available to make sure that the
    employee’s ways of handling the baby, disciplining the
    children, playing with the children and overall care
    is in sync with the views and choices made by the
    parents.

•   Employers get very friendly with the household help
    making many allowances to the point where they have
    now crossed the boundaries and find themselves in a
    position where there is no turning back. They no
    longer have an employee, they have a relationship that
    makes it awkward for the employer to give direction
    and make demands. The only alternative that remains is
    to change employees.

•   Employers veer from the labor code and overwork
    their employees (never providing breaks) especially in
    a live/in situation; ultimately, making the fatal
    mistake of “burning out” their employee who has no
    other recourse but to terminate.

•   Employers think that because the employee isn’t a
    US Citizen and perhaps only a resident of the state,
    that this does not give the employee the right to
    celebrate what the employer regards as “American”
    holidays. So the employer elects not to provide any
    holidays other than perhaps Christmas.  The employee
    knows that the majority of the employers provide these
    holidays and feels slighted and leaves.

•   Employers think that all domestic workers are
    “independent contractors” when in fact the majority of
    domestics do not qualify as independent contractors
    unless they have a cleaning service company and come
    to one’s home with supplies and cleaning equipment.
    Otherwise, most domestics who earn a certain amount
    per calendar quarter must be placed on payroll as
    employees of the employer.

•   Employers think that because they are generous and
    give their employees clothes and other unwanted and
    used items from their home constitutes as payment for
    perhaps extra hours worked.  A gift is only a gift and
    every hour an employee works should be compensated
    with pay.

•   Employers forget to have review sessions
    periodically so that the employee and employer can
    equally voice their concerns and problems-on-the-job.
    Instead these problems fester and become serious
    issues that cannot be easily solved resulting in a
    termination.

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