Private household staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic: All you must know

There is a clear before and after because of the COVID-19 Pandemic effects in every aspect of our lives. From how we meet with friends and family, to how we work, everything we do has suffered several changes. The way how private household staff works does not escape this reality.

In this article, we will take a journey through everything you need to know about private household staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic. You will learn about how to work as a private household staff member, and what to look for in private staffing agencies. Let us take a glance at what you will find here:

1. What does private household staff do?
2. How this type of work has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
3. I want to belong to a private household staff, what should I know?
4. What is the role of a private household staffing agency?
5. Why is important to select the right private household staffing agency during COVID-19 times?
6. Where can I find information about private household staffing and more?

1. What does private household staff do?

In essence, every work has the same definition: a service provided by an individual to an employer for payment. However, if the service is provided within the employer’s residence, the provider is then called a Household Employee. These employees conform to what is known as private household staff.

What do you do as a member of a private household staff? There are several answers to this question. This is because in an employer’s residence there can be numerous required services. We will organize these answers into two categories, regarding the type of residence of the employer:

1.1 Staff for private homes 

In this case, your employer’s residence is their home, and what they need is a staff that performs household tasks. According to the requirements of your employer, you can be included in one of these types of household staff:

• Housekeepers: They are household employees with a variety of tasks, including cleaning, laundry, and ironing. A Housekeeper can also perform cooking, child and animal care, and household shopping if required.
• Butlers: Their role is performing traditional duties in a formal matter, such as table service, serving drinks, and reception of guests. Their duties do not include cooking or cleaning, however, they can do tasks like simple maintenances, and household-related administration.

• Private chef: As it is well known, they are responsible for the cooking activities. The purchasing of foods, menu planning, and food presentation are also some of their duties. They too can perform some dining room management if there is no butler available.
• Valet: Their responsibility is to assist their employer with their wardrobe and personal items’ care, purchase, and management. They can also assist with dressing activities, and the packing and unpacking of suitcases for travel.
• Nanny: The care and nurturing of their employer’s children is their provided service. This can involve babysitting, and also educational programming, and children’s travel arrangements.

Undoubtedly, there are more types than the ones listed above. What we can assure is that some employers are busy people, and household staffing is paramount to their everyday lives.

1.2 Staff for family offices

Historically, having your company’s office inside your home was not something common in the past. However, as our article about the global staffing trends in 2022 shows, COVID-19 has made the home office a trending topic. However, we are talking about company positions, hence their variety is much larger: 

• Admin support staff: These are administrative professionals that perform daily business operations support in your company. They are considered the backbone of every organization, by carrying out their tasks with efficiency. Secretarial assistants and office supervisors are examples of this category.
• Data entry operators: Their main function is to manage the information in your company. Whether it’s about your sales, customers, or vendors, this information has to be managed carefully. In our agency, we allow you to hire data entry operators easily.
• HR support staff: The Human Resources department is a key part of your company. Hence by having Support staff in this matter, your organization can face the demands derived from your business growth. Their goal is to relieve your current HR personnel workload, to increase their efficiency.
• Phone bankers: Their responsibility is to resolve customer queries over the phone related to their banking needs. For your company, it is important to have staff that can handle this task every day with complete professionalism. At Connect Staff, you can find phone baking staff that suits your needs.

Besides these categories, you can find much more of them online and inquire about Staffing agencies. Having your offices in your home is not a limitation for the success of your business.

2. How this type of work has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

It does not matter if you are a pilot or a teacher; COVID-19 changed the way you make a living. In the private household staffing market, this has not been the exception. To analyze this, let us answer this inquiry from two perspectives, the workers’ side, and the staffing agency’s side:

2.1 Changes for private household staff

As you can expect, not everything has been good news for household staff since the pandemic began. Employers had to make changes that took them to let go of a big part of their staff. Mostly because COVID-19 restrictions ban the gathering of large groups of persons in indoor facilities.

If you are a private household staff member, you probably found yourself unemployed for the first time in years. However, you do not need to worry; there are also positive changes that emerged for this industry during the pandemic. One of the main ones is the variation of the hiring process for agencies.

Today, you can apply as a Staff candidate to a private household staffing agency remotely. By performing all the interviews through video calls, the process can be much faster. Hence you can be back working quickly, as our article about accelerating your job search with a staffing company shows.

Of course, when you find new jobs with a staffing agency, you will notice that the working way also changed. Masks mandates, travel restrictions, and health recommendations, you will need to consider all these aspects to work during COVID-19 times.

2.2 Changes for private household staffing agencies

The bigger change you may have witnessed as a private household staffing agency owner is the number of candidates available. Because of the high layoffs amount, you will find a large number of candidates with wonderful longevity on their CVs. In essence, you will have more services to offer.

When it comes to your clients, there is been an increase in the demand for domestic services. The pandemic made the clients need extra resources for living. Thus, if you have housekeepers, nannies, or personal chefs in your candidates, you will have to recruit them constantly.

Some agencies have even detected changes originated by the queues in the supply chain associated with the ongoing pandemic. As this article evaluates, there have been staffing effects related to supply chain shortages.

In summary, to keep your household staff agency running, you will need to adapt it to this new reality. COVID-19 changed your customer priorities. Hence you will have to modify the way you approach them, and even the services catalog you offer.

3. I want to belong to a private household staff, what should I know?

We find your intention of entering this line of work to be excellent. However, this can be a challenging job for you; thus, there is important information you should know first:

3.1 Background experience

One of the key aspects employers look at when selecting their private household staff is experience. Rich CVs are attractive, so, if you have experience in one job that agencies offer, you will have an advantage.

On the other hand, if you are new in this market, finding lucrative household staff jobs can be difficult. You will need to gain experience in every opportunity you can, and the demand for you will grow over time. For this, choosing the best household staffing agencies is paramount.

There are a few examples of countries in which the current demand for staff is high. Hence, they can be good places where you can gain experience quickly. As you can read in our article, Dubai is one of those places where many firms are currently understaffed.

3.2 Employer requirements

There are major differences between a normal job in a company and a private household staff job. Here, you will be working inside your employer’s home, and that modify the way you perform your tasks. It will be necessary for you to respect your employer’s privacy and confidentiality.

Your formal presentation is important too. You will need to pay attention to your dressing and your speaking way, to fulfill your client’s requirements. Another feature employers seek is punctuality. Therefore, if you are organized and perform all your tasks on time, you will have a big plus.

4. What is the role of a private household staffing agency?

The search for the proper private household staff for you can take time. This is because you will need to review the professional and personal features of your candidates. However, if you are a successful business person, the time available for this activity can be short, or non-existent.

This is where a private household staffing agency comes to the rescue. Their function is to perform the selection process and offer to you the candidates who fulfill your needs. They can even change their current staff if you notice they are not working properly in your home.

Keep in mind that choosing the right private household staffing agency can make a substantial difference in your home life.

5. Why is important to select the right private household staffing agency during COVID-19 times?

With the coronavirus outbreak, new hazards came into consideration for all of us. In the private household staffing market, choosing the right agency became a vital activity. This is mainly because of two reasons, one regarding finance, and another one regarding health concerns.

COVID-19 also affected the world’s economy. In several cases, some businesses’ demands dropped enormously, and with that, their profit also dropped. This affected the paying capacity of homeowners with private household staff. Thus, choosing agencies with favorable and competitive prices is essential for you.

In terms of health concerns, private household agencies must take into consideration the limitations and guidance to avoid getting infected. Remember, this staff will be in close contact with you and your family. Therefore, the agency you choose must capacitate their candidates about these health concerns.

6. Where can I find information about this subject?

There is a pattern that shows that the main effect COVID-19 has had in our lives is to work remotely. Hence there is a higher interest of private homeowners and companies with home offices in private household staffing today. Their main goal is to select the right agency.

According to the agency of your choice, and as you can review in this article, there are several types of staffing services you can get. In Connect Staff, we believe in doing meaningful work for you, by providing the services you require.

Do you have any questions regarding staffing services? Feel free to contact us to obtain more information by writing us an email at contact@connectstaff.ae, and you will talk to one of our representatives who will answer your questions.

Apply to work in a great stress-free environment today by sending us your CV to thetalentpoint.com. Furthermore, we will not store CVs that you send to contact@thetalentpoint.com. Make the move, start a new experience, and improve your professional life.