Employing Your First Private Staff
We at Beauchamp Partners know that employing your first private staff - whether it be a butler, nanny or housekeeper - can be exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. You may find you have more questions than you thought about everything from job specs and living arrangements to contracts and salaries. We have put together a rundown of tips for hiring your first member of staff.
Job Specification
Be clear when setting out your job specification. To avoid tension further down the line it is important to set out what is expected of your new employee.
Don’t mix roles unless it’s pre-agreed. Unless agreed that your housekeeper will also help with the children or your security manager will do some chauffeur work, keep the roles separate.
Set out expectations for all aspects of working and living arrangements… start times, accessible and inaccessible parts of the home, language to be used, interactions with others outside of the family, internal communication and privacy. These are all really important to set out at the beginning to ensure a harmonious relationship.
Live in vs. Live out
There are benefits to having both live in and live out staff.
Live in staff are always on hand, they are less likely to be late and may feel more ingrained into your everyday life and you may be able to negotiate a salary that takes into account accommodation being provided.
Live out may provide you with a little more privacy and keep the relationship more professional if that’s how you want to work.
Most private staff, whether they live in or live out are completely committed to their role and their family so the choice is often a personal one and also down to the availability of accommodation.
Contract - Employed vs. self-employed.
For some roles, such as a housekeeper, it may be more suitable for the individual to be self-employed, this reduces the necessity for paperwork. Other roles such as nannies, butlers, security managers and working couples are more likely to need to be employed meaning they are your responsibility as an employer and you will need to ensure you have all the relevant documentation in place (getting a specialist in place who deals with payroll of that sort is a good idea)
Always have a contract in place. No matter what the role or how they are employed you should always get a contract drawn up.
Notice periods will be set out in a contract. These are often negotiable when it comes to it but consider how much time you might need to replace an essential member of staff.
Starting
Taking on your first private staff can be daunting so it’s recommended that you organise a comprehensive onboarding period setting out everything above and taking the time to integrate them into your family and your life.
Pencil in reviews with your staff (as any employer would with a new member of staff) to keep in touch with how things are going from both perspectives. Keeping open communication ensures a good working relationship.
Remember you are an employer and that they are there to provide you with a service. Keeping your relationship professional (not to say you can’t be friendly) ensures that boundaries remain in place.
With the current situation the world finds itself in with the restrictions around Coronavirus, be sensitive to your staff feeling apprehensive or concerned about their safety and wellbeing as well as yours. Make sure you have things in place to keep everyone safe.
Finding the right person for the job
Last but not least - it is important to find the right person in the first place! Choosing someone like Beauchamp Partners will give you the peace of mind and ensure that you are matched with the right person.