Domestic Staffing

How can you form a strong relationship with your domestic staff?

Employees have annual reviews, but when was the last time you gave yourself one? If you’re the boss – in this case, the home owner – you don’t have a board of directors to adhere to. You’re making all of the decisions. In a way, this makes your job easier because you have a lot of freedom. However, it can also make your job more difficult because self-evaluating isn’t always easy.

The point is this: In order to figure out how to form stronger relationships with your domestic workers, you need to know what kind of relationships you already have with them. And to answer this question, you must know a little more about your employees and their attitudes. In a sense, this is what the corporate world calls 360-degree feedback.

In this type of system, managers receive confidential feedback from employees who rate their former’s performance.

If you have a large crew of domestic workers, this evaluation system could work well. But what if you only employ a few domestic workers? A 360 degree feedback process may not be appropriate. In this case, it could be on you to open up the lines of communication and discuss the following with them:

  • Their likes and dislikes about their job.
  • How you can help them become better professionals or meet their goals.
  • What they enjoy and don’t enjoy about the work environment.

If you have a strong, open relationship with your employees and feel comfortable, ask them how you can improve as their boss. They might appreciate your candor.

From there, here are a few tips that could further strengthen your bonds with your domestic workers:

Help keep them engaged: Gallup reported that when it comes to employee engagement scores managers account for, at minimum, 70 percent of variance. Less than half of employees are engaged at work, and not much has changed over the last decade. A Gallup study of 7,272 U.S. employees revealed that 1 in 3 U.S. workers leave their jobs to get away from their managers and improve their lives. Don’t let this be one of your employees. Helping them stay engaged should make them happier.

Reduce their stress: A Towers Watson survey revealed that the number one workforce risk was stress. Despite this, few employers (15 percent) actually look to reduce their employees’ anxiety. Although you’re not a company – you’re an employer – it’s still critical that you take care of your employees. We suggest finding ways to reduce their stress, and the best way to figure out how to do so is by having a one-one-one conversation with them.

Have fun: Domestic work isn’t easy! Help your employees relax by having some fun. Host a monthly BBQ for your employees, and put on a big awards ceremony where you honor your employees for their hard work. If you have a small crew, you could host this event at your home, and instead of handing out awards, you could simply deliver a speech that thanks each of your workers. You could also give them rewards, if you feel it’s appropriate.

If you’re interested in hiring domestic staffing professionals to complete domestic jobs around your home, talk to a domestic staffing agency. Contact Colonial Domestic Agency today!

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