Employing domestic staff: Are you fair and ethical?

In the near future, the UAE will be introducing new and much welcomed initiatives to protect foreign domestic workers, regulating how they are recruited and improving their working conditions. In the meantime, how can you ensure that you are recruiting and employing your domestic staff both ethically and fairly?

The Federal National Council recently approved a draft federal law to improve conditions for domestic workers. As part of this, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation will be introducing Tadbeer Centres that will replace domestic worker recruitment agencies. These ‘one-stop’ centres will set new and much improved recruitment standards, provide information and training, and ensure working conditions and accommodation are fair and appropriate.

So, if you are currently looking to employ a fulltime maid, housekeeper, cook or nanny, what steps should you take to ensure that you not only get a competent, well-trained, motivated and reliable employee, but that you are also meeting the new standards by being a fair and ethical employer?

Ethical Recruitment
When it comes to selection and recruitment, the first and, if you get it right, only step you should need to take is to enlist the help of a professional agency with proven ethical recruitment credentials.

When choosing your agency, ask questions about how they source their candidates. Get assurances that candidates do not pays fees at any point during the recruitment process. Ask for testimonials, from both workers and employers. Get copies of standard contracts and details on working conditions. Find out about their training programs and their ongoing support, liaison and management services. Look for an agency you feel really comfortable with, that you can trust and that you believe shares your values.

Having found the right agency, you should then have the confidence to let them guide you through the whole process, with the reassurance that they are acting ethically and fairly at every step of the way.

You as the Employer
Having completed the recruitment stage, the next step is you as an employer. This is a new experience for many people and one that has certain obligations attached to it. Under the draft federal law these obligations will include things such as one day off a week, daily rest of at least 12 hours, appropriate living conditions and regular meals. There will also be protocols and rules specific to your home that you will need to introduce.

Again if you choose the right agency, they will guide you through all this as part of the service, taking you and your new staff member through the induction process. They will ensure you both understand and meet your obligations, ultimately taking away a lot of the stress of being a new employer with someone new living under your roof.

Essentially, the best way to ensure you are recruiting and employing your domestic staff both ethically and fairly is to enlist the help of an agency who not only understands the current and future legislation and regulations, but is committed to upholding them.

At the Housekeeping Company, we are passionate about the ethical recruitment and ongoing support of all our foreign domestic workers. We offer a complete end-to-end service, guiding you through every step, from initial interview, through to visa processing and even welcoming the new worker into your family.

We follow the highest and strictest international protocols on recruitment and we liaise constantly with the governments and embassies of our source countries, as well as with relevant NGOs.

We have a rigorous selection process and provide extensive induction and ongoing training, including skills training programs, KHDA certified courses and weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions. We take great care in matching families to employees, providing ongoing support to ensure that standards of work are being met as well as ensuring that working and living conditions are fair and appropriate.

In essence, we are equally committed to providing our clients with well-trained, skilled and motivated domestic workers as we are to ensuring their welfare and protecting their rights. https://housekeepingco.com/

Or call 04 706 0100