Hiring a house help or nanny has become a necessity for many households, offering valuable support in managing daily chores.
House helps, predominantly women, play a vital role in many households by assisting with childcare and household duties.
For working parents, managing a busy lifestyle often makes it necessary to employ house help.
They provide the much-needed support of a responsible presence, ensuring the children are well cared for when parents are occupied with work, late meetings, or running errands.
Having a trustworthy house help allows parents to balance their professional and personal lives more effectively, knowing their children and home are in good hands.
However, ensuring security and safety when making this decision is crucial, especially given the growing concerns linked to criminal activities involving domestic workers.
There have been alarming cases, such as the tragic murder of Kilifi County Chief Officer for Blue Economy Rahab Karisa, who was stabbed to death by her house help.
Other incidents, including child abduction cases reported by Missing Child Kenya and disturbing videos of children being physically abused, have highlighted the need for caution.
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Therefore, ensuring the safety and well-being of your family and property is of utmost importance.
Things to Consider When Hiring House Helps
It is very important to ensure the following before hiring a new House Help to take care of your children:
Reference: It’s essential to get references from people who know the maid personally before making a hiring decision.
These references can include her close relatives, but it’s important to meet them in person to verify the information the maid has provided.
By speaking to at least three adults who are familiar with her character and background, you can gain a clearer understanding of her trustworthiness and suitability for the role.
Background Check: Know where your house help comes from come from. Seek information about the candidate’s family background and living arrangements.
An individual with stable family ties and living arrangements may be more reliable and accountable.
However, be cautious about candidates who might bring potential security risks, such as associating with criminal elements.
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Other Safety Tips
Get a copy of their ID: Ask the house help to give you copies of any personal documents, more specifically the National Identity Card. Develop a simple personal data form and have this information to hand.
Do not stay with a maid without having this information, as should he/she shortchange you and your family, this information will help you greatly.
Get and establish/confirm a phone number of their alternative contact person/referral.
Ensure that you obtain and verify the phone number of a secondary contact person.
This could be someone the individual has designated as a backup contact in case something happens to them.
The purpose is to have an alternative way to reach someone connected to them for communication or emergencies.
Get a photo of the House Help: Many parents shy away from taking a photo because they fear that it is a sign of bad faith in the house help.
Please remember that we also submit photos at our places of employment, and it does not mean that we are criminals, it is just part of the employee record procedure.
Take time to explain this to your house helps during your initial engagement/onboarding so that you are also sneaking around suspiciously to take their photo.
Remember, safety is as simple as ABC Always Be Careful.
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