Monday, June 20, 2011
How to Hire and Possibly Fire Your Housekeeper
You’ve work hard all day and come home to the same dingy house you left. The dishes are still on the counter, the floor is still sticky from spilled syrup, the dining room table has a smiley face in the dust, and the sofa cushions are wadded up because they haven’t been fluffed in ages. And you’re too tired to care.
Rather than putting up with it, have you considered hiring a housekeeper? Imagine how wonderful that would be!
There are many factors to consider when hiring a housekeeper. Will you use an agency or hire an independent housekeeper? Will you be home while they work or will you need to let them in? Will you trust them with a key? How often do you want the housekeeper to come? Will you pay by the hour or job?
What you should do before you hire a housekeeper:
Know what you want done. Time how long it takes you to do the cleaning you want. It will give you an idea of how long it should take the housekeeper and if you’re making reasonable requests.
Write a list of all the jobs. This will ensure that there’s clear communication and nothing is missed. Check to see if the work is done and give the housekeeper honest feedback – commendation as well as areas to improve.
Be up front about extra jobs you’ll want. A housekeeper has a set routine of doing things, so you can’t expect extra jobs to be done for free. Be sure to pay a reasonable fee for them
Straighten up the clutter. You’ll save money if you let the housekeeper concentrate on cleaning not organizing your stuff.
Put away money and valuable so there’s no temptation. If you have possessions you don’t want them to touch, clearly tell them.
Keep your relationship businesslike. Some people run into trouble when they’ve made the housekeeper a part of their family and then can’t fire them when the work isn’t being done well.
Set house rules. Do you want your radios or TVs used? Are there rooms that shouldn’t be entered? Can they eat your snacks?
Now that you’re ready to hire, what questions should you ask?
- Are you bonded and insured?
- How long have you been working as a housekeeper?
- Do you have references?
- Are you reliable in arriving at the scheduled day and time?
- Will you supply your own cleaning products and vacuum or use what’s here?
- Do you know how to care for possessions that need special care?
- Are you willing to do all the work that I require?
But what if you need to fire the housekeeper?
Be honest and firm but kind. If you’ve been supplying regular feedback on what they’ve done well or neglected, then you have a basis for terminating them if they fail to improve.
Stressed out about the whole process?
We, at Simplify, have fully qualified every one of our service professionals and we’ll match the perfect one for you. We take care of the time-consuming background checks and carefully verify licenses, insurance, and professional references. Additionally, Simplify is fully licensed and insured for your protection. You can forget those emotional confrontations. We’ll handle the hiring and firing. All you have to do is enjoy life in a sparkling clean home.
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