So many people have the money to employ house help but do not have the required manners or sense of equality. They treat people working for them like inferior beings and that is one concept that we need to get rid of, with immediate effect. Here is a list of things you need to learn before thinking of employing house help for yourself.
1. They are your employees, just like you are someone else’s employee.
So, first of all, stop using words like ‘servants’. This reminds me of a certain advertisement in which the employer snarkily tells her house help not to clean the washroom how she normally does insinuating that her work is substandard. Now imagine, if your boss were to taunt you like this before giving you any project, would you want to work?
2. Take a long, hard look at what you are paying the person before burdening them with expectations.
Sit and think for yourself if you are even paying someone enough for the list of jobs you have prepared for them. If not (and in most cases, it is not), then that needs to change.
3. Realise that they have a life beyond taking care of your house.
You can’t expect your house help to leave everything and be ready to serve you whenever you want. They have a life, a family, and their own passions and you can’t expect your housework to become a priority over these things.
4. If you require extra work, also be willing to give extra money.
So many times, employers informally ask their house help to do more work than what was initially agreed upon, without giving them any extra money. That’s very problematic. Why should anyone clock any extra hours for free?
5. Don’t make them work extra just because YOU have plans scheduled.
Okay, so you’re going on a vacation and need extra help around the house. Now, this is not your house help’s problem. They shouldn’t be slogging because of your plans. If you do need more help than usual, politely ask them if they can provide it and as mentioned before, pay them accordingly.
6. Give them paid leaves.
This should be a part of the contract. And there should always be a contract so that they have some paperwork to fall back on if anything goes wrong. There is a structure to these things and it should be followed.
7. Treat them as equals.
Should not even have to say this, but here we are. A lot of societies do not allow house help to use the lift and it’s disgusting. We need to get rid of this mentality because it is toxic, disrespectful and dehumanising.
We need to fix so much!