House maids are one of the most difficult people to employ in Mumbai nowadays. Even if we do get a house maid his/her demands and qualms are too much to handle. Working and managing all the house hold world in addition to bearing tantrums of the house maids is just another extra burden that you don’t want to bear.
I bring a small initiative from my side to assist or help people to understand what point’s to take care while hiring house maids and especially for people who come to relocate in Mumbai from abroad, as the concept of house maids is very different for them.
In India or Mumbai employing a house maid is a common phenomenon. People from western countries have a habit to do all the household chores themselves but in India that is rarely the case. Here, house maids are not merely a luxury but a necessity, a requirement to run a house efficiently. A house maid can be a blessing or a burden depending upon the house maid you have hired.
We must keep in mind that maids want minimum 2 leaves every month. They want their own holidays, leaves might be planned or unplanned. They take trips to their native place or to attend sickness and family concerns. Sometimes retaining can be quite difficult but here are some useful tips that you can use to hire and coordinate maids in Mumbai, India.
1. Find out what are the typical rates of pay that are going on in your area for house maids and do not pay more than 10% extra for a good maid.
2. Within her/his first week of joining kindly note down all the necessary details like his address, phone number etc. Also your maid to submit a passport size photo, address proof and full name. If possible go and visit her/his house once and make sure that he/she really lives there. Do not forget to Verify the person with the nearest police station. You can check the letter from here (Domestic Servant Verification Form) which are required to submit to Police Station.
3. Every housemaid is different so understand your housemaid’s leaves and holidays that are important to them so you are well aware when they plan to make their trips.
4. Define your terms and conditions very clear to them since the very beginning, like, not to touch your drawers or laptop etc.
5. If your maid wants to take leave for more than 4 to 7 days ask them to give substitute and specify that no extra money will be given to them.
6. Hire a maid through a known family or from someone whom you know personally well. Nowadays house maids are involved in a number of robberies so be careful while hiring one.
7. Never get too used to your house maids. Work along side them from time to time and keep a close eye on your belongings and house hold items even if they are very trust worthy and honest, you never know when their intentions change.
8. Kindly avoid hiring same family members; if members from same family are hired, they will take leave around the same time. If you fire one of them for any reason, even the another member will resent and getting work done from them will be difficult for you.
9. Housemaids are given bonus on Diwali or major holidays. A good tip in metros is an entire month’s salary, or something valuable like saree and sweets. But please note that give them bonus or gift for a year or more. A tip is calculated based on the area you live, and what other give so kindly ask your neighbors or inquire in your area what other give.
10. Avoid talking about family and monetary problems or transactions in front of the maid.
11. Opt for literate help as far as possible
12. Salaries for experienced and literate help are more and refrain from hiring underage kids as they are easily available at very cheap pay.
You can use these tips for hiring household help. When you move into your new area, I advise you to consult with your neighbors about their experiences to get most current and relevant information for house maids leaves, payment, bonus etc. Hope these tips come in handy and are of help to you.
If you any other useful tips for hiring household help feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below.