One of the most difficult decisions you may need to make as a maid employer is the decision to let a staff go. It is easier for most people on their conscience when the DS is the one who makes the decision to quit. That way, you can put all the blame on her for her laziness, inefficiency and inability to stick it out.
I have had employers come to me, who regret their decision to fire because they made it in the spur of the moment, and maybe under huge influence of friends and family who pushed them to it.
However, no matter how much you may avoid being the one to dismiss a DS, the time eventually comes when you have to decide if you should be tolerating or forgiving certain character or behavior or just let the person go. It becomes most difficult to arrive at a decision when the particular DS is fantastic in an/some area(s).
There are no level playing fields as I have discovered, because no two homes are exactly the same. What employer A will accept, employer B will never allow and employer A should never be made to feel bad for her choices.
So how can a balanced decision be reached when trying to dismiss a staff?
It is by assessing the “Value Contribution” in the maid-employer relationship. The relationship between a maid and employer should be a value-based one, where maid and employer adequately provide the needed value and likewise receive value in return. The emphasis is on the word “needed” because a DS may be putting in hard work but not value adding work. An example is when a domestic staff gets up to sweep the floor in the morning at the time when she is supposed to be helping the kids prepare for school.
To further get value from this assessment, it has to be done across the aisle (for yourself) to determine if you should be the one making adjustments. Because as I have witnessed in so many cases, many employers are blind to their own faults.
Also, it can be done with your DS, so that they can be aware of the process that brought you to that decision, own up, accept responsibility and make changes if they are willing to. And if your mind is made up about dismissal, your DS has full knowledge of his/her misdoings.
So, if you are in this position and want to arrive at a guilt-free decision, enter your email to access your value contribution assessment.
If you are able to answer these questions in detail and genuinely, it will save you from keeping who should be dismissed or dismissing who can still be taught. Hope you find this resource helpful.
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Have you ever been at the crossroads on how to proceed with an erring domestic staff? Let me know about it in the comments.