As you are onboarding new domestic staff for your home, it’s important to remember your legal responsibilities as a household employer.
Staying compliant helps protect you and your employees and establishes a healthy, professional employment relationship from the start.
Here we break down the steps of the hiring process and highlight important checklist items to include.
Your Onboarding Checklist
Initial Steps
First, create a clear job description with a schedule and wage and benefits information. Outline any specific expectations you have for the employee in your home in writing.
Next, complete required paperwork required for payroll and tax reporting and establish a written employment agreement that includes all details of the person’s role with you.
This should include their specific job duties, compensation, overtime and vacation details, and termination provisions.
Consult a legal professional to ensure sure the job follows federal, state, and local employment laws and an insurance professional to determine if specific liability, workers’ compensation, or other insurance coverage should be added or changed.
Pay on the Books
Once you’ve hired your employee, set up a compliant payroll system that tracks hours worked, including overtime. Be sure all applicable payroll taxes are calculated correctly and make required federal or state tax payments on time.
At tax time, provide all tax forms to your employees and file appropriately to ensure there are no fees or penalties. If you’re unsure how to stay within compliance, work directly with a household payroll company to handle everything.
This takes one thing off your plate and alleviates any pressure you might have about making a mistake that could be costly.
Understand the Workplace Requirements
Your home is your oasis, but when hiring staff, it also becomes a workplace. So, in addition to maintaining accurate wages and hours, it’s crucial to follow meal and rest break requirements, comply with paid sick leave or other federal leave laws, and establish clear rules around privacy and confidentiality.
If your employee will have access to door or alarm codes, will be driving one of your vehicles, or will be working with private financial information, be sure you go over policies surrounding these things to ensure everything – and everyone – remains protected and safe.
If your professional relationship ends, be sure final wages and accrued benefits are wrapped up and paid in a timely manner. Ensure your employee turns in all keys or access devices, credit cards, vehicles, or other property that you provided for their employment, and remove their access as soon as possible.
Document the employee’s termination or resignation and retain employment records in case they ever come into question or need review from an outside source.
We Can Help
For families with multiple employees, complex schedules, multiple residences or properties, or staff working in an UHNW home, working with our team at Household Staffing to place experienced staff is the ideal first step.
We take the time to get to know your unique household needs and find employees that match your desired qualifications. We can help answer questions about establishing compliant systems from the beginning and take pride in getting our placements right the first time.
Remember, staying compliant isn’t just a one-time thing. Once you hire an employee or expand your team of staff, set aside regular time to check payroll records, review work agreements and insurance coverage, and discuss ongoing job duties.
