When hiring domestic help, it is important to explicitly define the parameters and responsibilities of their position.
When you have a demanding job and are responsible for the wellbeing of your family, there are certain service industries that become an essential component of your life. The likes of cleaners, babysitters, and dry cleaners are examples of the kind of services that can make a significant impact on the efficiency with which you carry out your day-to-day life tasks. You need these service providers when you are juggling a demanding job and the responsibilities of caring for a family.
The acquisition of these services as well as their ongoing maintenance both offer challenges. It is possible for something that should be a straightforward working relationship to become problematic for a number of reasons, including a lack of available employees, personality issues, unreliability, and poor job quality. This is something that is feasible. We have developed a “hiring plan” with the purpose of bringing to your attention the issues that it is in your best interest to resolve before to entering into any kind of contractual commitment in order to lessen the possibility of future issues occurring. In other words, it is in your best interest to avoid potential problems by resolving these issues before entering into any type of commitment.
Find out where they stand in the community and what people think of them.
How did you find the service provider; did your friends make any recommendations, or did you conduct a search on Google to locate them? Even while doing a search on the internet will allow you to browse their website and check out online reviews, it is still in your best interest to undertake the necessary research and verify the legitimacy of any testimonies you come across. This will help ensure that you make the most informed decision possible. Even though reviews should be evaluated for accuracy before being placed on independent websites like Trust Pilot, Google, and Checkatrade, it is far too easy to manufacture phony reviews. This is despite the fact that reviews should be vetted for correctness before being posted. As a result, you should investigate everything thoroughly and make it a point to ensure that you ask for references from former clients who were content with the service and whom you can get in direct contact with.
Do they possess all of the important papers, insurance, and other credentials that are required?
When it comes to residential services, the market is filled with a lot of so-called “cowboy” businesses who focus on providing lower-priced services than their competitors. The fundamental reason for this is that they do not have the proper compliance in terms of guarantees, insurance, and professional indemnity. In other words, they do not have adequate protection.
The significance of this issue being resolved cannot be emphasized. Can you imagine taking a week’s worth of bedding and towels to the London dry cleaners in your neighborhood, only to have them come back completely ruined because the dry cleaners were not nearly as skilled as they appeared to be on the surface? If you can, then you know what it’s like to have your belongings ruined when you take them to the dry cleaners. If you did not have the required insurance, you would be out of luck when it came to replacing those things. You would have no choice except to accept whatever outcome occurred. Even if starting legal action against the company is a possibility, if they do not have indemnity, then they do not have the financial resources to pay for either their own or your own legal fees. This is true even if the possibility of pursuing legal action against the company exists. In addition to having to pay the cost of replacing what is likely to amount to hundreds or even thousands of pounds’ worth of towels and linen, it is possible that you may also end up having to pay the fees associated with hiring legal representation.
It is not appropriate to base your opinion on the price.
Keeping this in mind, despite the fact that it could be quite tempting to go for the immediately go for quote that is the lowest in price, we strongly urge that you do not go with the one that is the least expensive. Consider giving some thought to the subject of why the prices offered by one company are noticeably cheaper than those offered by another. You should be aware that a company that is unusually inexpensive is probably cutting corners on quality in a number of different areas. On the one hand, you may wish to avoid being “ripped off” by unscrupulous businesses that are charging exorbitant prices simply due to the high demand for their products or services. On the other hand, you should be aware that you should avoid businesses that are unusually expensive.
As soon as you have made your decision, it is vital to decide on a price and become crystal clear on your objectives concerning what you can anticipate receiving for the money and the areas that could result in additional expenditures. The degree to which both parties have an accurate grasp of the duties that are put on them from the very beginning will, in the long run, have a beneficial impact on the quality of the working relationship that is established as a result of the working relationship.
Have a conversation about the prospect of a test run.
Even if their references seem to be valid and you decide to go with the process, you should not rush into signing into any contractual commitments. This is true even if you decide to continue forward with the procedure. Instead, you should try to negotiate a preliminary test period with the other party so that you can establish whether or not you will be able to form a good working relationship with them. Be sure to speak in a way that is easily understood by them, since this is for both of your benefits as well as theirs. After going out with each other for a few weeks, you can realize that the two of you are not a good fit for one another and decide to end the relationship. If that is the case, then your choice is reasonable. It’s likely that it’s because of a clash of personalities, bad expectations management, or maybe even just the fact that their core values are inherently incompatible with one another. It is in everyone’s best advantage to bring this to everyone’s attention as soon as possible, rather than waiting until later, when it might begin to cause difficulties, because doing so is in everyone’s best interest.
You will have the option to work out any concerns during the trial time; alternatively, you will have the flexibility to terminate the relationship without either partner harboring any ill will toward the other.
