When you hire domestic staff to work in your home or on your property, you become an employer. However, unlike a traditional office setting, there isn’t a team of human resources managers or other experts that know how to navigate the innerworkings of managing staff. As a household employer, it’s critical to build a respectful and professional partnership with your household staff – from day one.

Unfortunately, sometimes difficult conversations need to happen along the way. Whether you’re discussing job performance, wages, changes to job duties, or something else – knowing how to handle sensitive conversations is important.

What kind of difficult conversations could arise?

Scenario #1: Your employee doesn’t meet your standards.

Maybe your personal assistant has forgotten important details about your schedule. Perhaps your nanny is using their phone too much or has shown up late a lot. In situations like this, it’s important to schedule a call or plan a meeting to discuss the issue privately. Then, outline the specific problem(s) and discuss how it’s impacting you and the home.

Allow them to share their side of the story and work on finding a solution. If there is the opportunity to give them a chance to correct things, do so. If it’s an issue of safety or privacy, be clear about why they can’t continue to work with you.

Scenario #2: You’re planning a move to another home.

If you plan on moving to another home, you can’t expect your staff to just show up to the new address. Where you live can have an impact on how your employees do their job. So, if you are considering a move, call a meeting with each staff member and discuss how this could positively or negatively impact them – for example, their commute time or hours worked may need to be adjusted.

Scenario #3: Family dynamics are changing.

Are you planning on welcoming a new baby into the family? Perhaps you and your spouse are planning a separation or divorce, or you are thinking about bringing a new pet home. All these things will affect the dynamic of the home and will need to be discussed with your staff, as they may have concerns, or their job description may need to change.

Here are some important things to keep in mind.

Set clear expectations from the beginning.

Whether it’s job duties or responsibilities, details about schedule, privacy policies, or other information about their job in your home, be sure your staff knows your expectations from day one. This helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures you are both on the same page.

If a problem does arise, don’t wait to discuss things with them. This could create a more complicated scenario that could snowball out of control.

Communication is essential – in good times and in bad.

An open-door policy is huge when it comes to hiring staff for your home. Keeping a clear line of communication between you and your staff at all times is important. That way, when difficult conversations do arise, it’s easier to have them.

Make sure your staff members know you’re available to them and are there to answer questions or clarify things related to their job or job duties. Taking a genuine and direct approach to your professional relationship helps alleviate the pressure of speaking about difficult topics or discussing concerns, as it helps your staff feel less defensive in their reply.

Prioritize regular check-ins.

Maybe it’s every three months, every six months, or somewhere in between – but making time for regular check-in meetings is beneficial. You can discuss your employees’ performance, address specific concerns, offer feedback, and also give them a chance to share how things are going.

Informal meetings like this that are meant to be reassuring, and non-confrontational help establish rapport and trust between you and the employee and will make hard conversations a little bit easier if they do come.

As a household employer, remember that your home is your employee’s workplace. You will need to always keep things professional and respectful, so when difficult situations and conversations occur, you can navigate them with ease.

Looking to hire a talented team of household staff for your home? Household Staffing has been placing qualified staff in homes across the country for nearly three decades. Call us today to start the hiring process!