What do I need to consider before hiring a housekeeper?
There are many advantages to hiring a housekeeper, especially when you go through a reliable agency like The Graham Agency.
Not only does a housekeeping traditionally fulfil cleaning duties, laundry and ironing, but they often become the unequivocal head of the household. They can help to manage schedules and routines, ensure the fridge is always stocked with food, and manage life at home whenever their employer is away.
Suffice to say, housekeepers are in high-demand and housekeeping agencies like ours are always flooded with families seeking the perfect match for their home. To help prospective employers to find the right housekeeper for them, we’ve pulled together a few things to consider before starting the hiring process.
Live In or Live Out?
This is one of the most important things to consider and should be determined and confirmed before you even think about creating a job listing for the role. It handles the living arrangements of the successful housekeeper, whether you want them to live on-site or have their accommodation.
Not only does this decision affect whether they are around all the time or not, but it also plays a part in designating their working hours and in how flexible they can be. A live-in housekeeper can often be more flexible to last-minute scheduling and routine changes, provided they still get the required time off.
Extra Responsibilities and Opportunities
We’ve labelled this section with the terms ‘responsibilities and opportunities’ because more often than not, it’s the housekeeper who wants to enhance their own job role with skills and interests of their own.
As a prospective employer, this can unlock boundless extra duties that you might not have considered, including areas of childcare and pet care, tasks like cooking and baking, and even extra interests such as flower arranging and hosting ornate dinner parties and events.
Approaching the recruitment process with this in mind will help to keep you open-minded to other skills and interests as presented by candidates and can help you to identify the best fit for you and your family.
Attributes of a Good Housekeeper
Finally, duties and responsibilities aside, it’s important to know which attributes and traits you should be looking for in a good housekeeper. Some of the most popular among many clients include loyalty and discretion, particularly among live-in housekeepers who become a part of the family’s home life.
Being trustworthy and respectful are other traits to look out for, alongside good levels of communication and an ability to manage certain aspects of home life on your behalf.
From first-time housekeeping hires to veteran employers, The Graham Agency team is here to help you find your perfect match. Get in touch with basic details about the opportunity you want to list, and we will help you to build out an appealing vacancy for our database.