Choosing a home assistant you can trust may seem like an impossible task. You’ll want to choose the right person whom you can be comfortable letting into your home. Whether you are choosing a live-in maid who will be with you in the long run or a helper who will simply visit your home a few times a month to help clean it, it’s crucial to ensure that they are trustworthy. On that note, here are some tips and tricks on how to find a reliable and dependable home assistant.
Where to Look
When hiring a domestic helper, there are three options to choose from: housekeeping companies, maid referral services, or self-employed home assistants. Professionals employed by maid companies are part of an organization with set services, standards, and rates, while helpers from maid referral services work for local independent contractors. Self-employed maids work for themselves and advertise their work either through personal referrals or by posting on websites. They typically charge less for their services but might be less reliable as they don’t have to abide by any company-set standards, so the quality of their work could be inconsistent.
Carry out Interviews
Whichever route you decide to take, you should be sure to always start by interviewing your helper before you allow them into your home. The more candidates you interview, the more you’ll know what qualities you are looking for. Even if you think a home assistant is the perfect fit for the job, you should still give other applicants a chance. There’s no shame in asking for a second interview with the one you feel inclined to hire if need be. If your domestic helper will be dealing with your kids, make sure they are around for the interview in order to ensure that they are also comfortable with them. The same rule applies if you are hiring a home assistant to help take care of an elderly family member.
Set Clear Expectations and Boundaries
When you are hiring a helper, you should make sure that expectations and boundaries are set, on both sides, right from the beginning. You need to know what your house helper will be capable of doing and what they will be unable to do. Creating a list of expected chores, communicating clearly any specific instructions you may have, and having a two-way conversation with your potential home assistant will help you both set clear expectations of what the job entails. You should also set boundaries and house rules before hiring a maid or assistant. For example, if you don’t want your helper to use your telephone or TV without taking permission first, you should make these boundaries clear from the very beginning.
Conduct a Background Check
When choosing a maid to help you out at home, you should pick one who prioritizes their customer’s safety and respects their privacy. The professionals behind Golden Maid Services recommend choosing a home assistant from a company that conducts thorough background checks on the professionals they hire. It’s better to opt for the services provided by a housekeeping company to ensure the assistant you hire was rigorously screened and professionally trained. If you are hiring a self-employed maid, you should ask them to have a background check done before you allow them into your home. Speaking to previous employers or personal referrals who have worked with them before can also help you make an informed decision.
Make Sure They Have Insurance
Another way to make sure the maid you are choosing is trustworthy is to check whether or not they have insurance. If the maid slips, falls, or breaks something while cleaning, you should make sure that the company they work for will take responsibility for the accident. The same goes for any items that are stolen from your home. If you are hiring an independent maid, you should draft a contract detailing what will happen in case of an accident, and who is liable if an item is broken or stolen, and make sure they are fully aware of the terms and conditions before they start working.
Set a Trial Period
In order to determine if a house assistant is truly trustworthy, it is recommended to start with a trial period. If your helper will be living with you, you could start off with a trial period of two to four weeks, and see how it goes. This will give you both a chance to get used to each other and see whether this arrangement will work or not. After the trial period, if either party isn’t comfortable with the arrangement, then you should start looking for another domestic assistant.
Go with Your Gut
You might feel instantly comfortable with a home assistant during your first interview and uneasy with another. In such instances, you should always go with your gut. The ideal home assistant is one whom you and your family feel comfortable around, as they are going to be dealing with your private belongings and personal space. You should also make sure that the home assistant you choose is motivated, hardworking, and passionate about their job, as this will make a great difference in the long run when it comes to their performance.
Because they will be working in the most intimate areas of your home and dealing with your personal items, your domestic helper must be trustworthy and reliable. This should always be the case, whether you are searching for someone to provide you with live-in housekeeping services, weekly cleaning, or merely a deep cleaning a few times a year. It’s critical to interview at least a couple of contenders, consider conducting a background check on them, and set a trial period to assess the chemistry between both sides to make sure you are hiring someone you are comfortable with. With these tips in mind, you should now be able to hire a home assistant you can trust to take care of your home. Remember, if you feel uneasy around any of the applicants, it’s always best to go with your gut.
