Domestic workers and your pets

It's important to consider how you treat your domestic worker, what her role and relationship is with your pets and whether she is willing to care for them.

In the view of domestic workers, employers treat their pets better than their workers. Further, they are often given duties in relation to pets, which they despise as being demeaning areas of work. 

In research conducted by SACSIS some responses included “I am starting to realize how we are exploited also now. These people have dogs that we must cook for and take them out for walks but that is not part of the agreement.” [1st participant]; “Those dogs eat better than you and sleep better than you.” [2nd participant]; “I cook this chicken for the dog and I eat it before giving it to the dog. Do you know that it must be roasted as well?” [3rd participant]; (Domestic workers from Gugulethu working in a Cape Town suburb).

5 Good Uses for Wood Ash

As we move from Winter Fire Places to Summer Braais... Here are some great uses for the ash 

1. De-skunk pets. A handful rubbed on Fido's coat neutralizes the lingering odour. 

2. Block garden pests. Spread evenly around garden beds, ash repels slugs and snails. 

3. Pump up tomatoes. For the calcium-loving plants, place 1/4 cup right in the hole when planting, 

4. Clean glass fireplace doors. A damp sponge dipped in the dust scrubs away sooty residue brilliantly.

5. Shine silver. A paste of ash and water makes a nontoxic metal polisher.

Domestic Worker Definitions and Roles

A domestic worker is a gardener, driver, cleaner or person who looks after children, the aged, sick, frail or disabled in a private household, but not on a farm. 

You can expect a domestic worker to fulfil one or all of these roles in your home, but remember to be reasonable, after all they are people as well!

1. Draw up daily, weekly and monthly to do lists
2. Be clear in your expectations and show them how and what you mean
3. Give feedback, both positive and constructive 
4. Don't assume they know how you want it done first time, you may have to explain and show again

Have a look at the Department of Labour contract and roles for an example of an employment contract and roles.

Empower your nanny by teaching her to swim

If you have a pool and your children are allowed to swim, it is vital that every adult present can swim, in case of an emergency.  In addition, this is a great life skill which will give your domestic worker or child carer a wonderful sense of achievement. Having a nanny who can swim allows your children to have fun at the pool and gives you peace of mind when you are not at home. 

Price start at around R1200.00 for 8 lessons, you may need to provide her with more, depending on how confident or nervous she is. Remember that many women in South Africa wash out of a bowl and have not even been submerged in a bath let alone a pool of water before so be patient.

Empower your nanny by teaching her to drive

Empower your nanny, save time on grocery shopping, lifting children to and from extra mural activities and many other little errands at home. 

Teaching your nanny to drive can be a three (3) to six (6) month process that involves the nanny obtaining her learners licence, taking driving lessons and completing a driving licence test. Most learners need at least 10 lessons and some practice hours before they take their test.

Price range: R3500 – R6000 depending on the number of driving lessons required.

Most driving schools will come to your home, collect in a learning vehicle and drop off afterwards.  Shop around and be sure they will let her take her licence in a car she is used to in order to avoid any hassles on the day of her test.

Print and Keep Emergency Numbers

Here is a list of useful emergency numbers for you to print and keep next to your phone.  Add your work and cell phone numbers as well as the numbers of another family member incase you are not available.

It's also useful to write your home address on the list incase your domestic worker needs to tell emergency services where you are (they may not know exactly how to spell the street name or the suburb)

Western Cape Emergency Numbers

Educate your domestic worker in crime prevention

Our nannies, housekeepers and gardeners are often left with the huge responsibility of caring for our homes and their expensive contents. As such it is important to educate them on what they can do to help protect themselves, our children and our things.

A few simple steps can make a big difference - take the time to discuss these with your domestic workers.

• Be aware of surroundings on your way to work and pay attention to strange vehicles or people
• Don't open the door or gate unless you are sure it safe to do so
• Don't let anyone onto the property unless your employer has said they're expecting them
• Avoid talking about the home you work in and the contents to avoid becoming a target
• Keep the doors and unbarred windows locked when you're alone at home
• Carry a panic button and know where there are panic buttons in the house
• Keep emergency numbers in your phone and next to the land line

Have a look at these useful sites for more information making sure your domestic workers know what to do to keep themselves and your home safe.

Sugar and Spice Nanny Training

ADT
Warn your domestic workers

Domestic Worker UIF and Regulations

It is important that you as the employer remain compliant with the new legislative requirements issued by the Department of Labour. All about Domestic Workers 

By law you need to...

- keep a monthly attendance register

- register you domestic worker for UIF 

- provide payslips with each pay

- provide your employee with an employment contract

- keep track of leave entitled to the employee and leave taken

Here are a few agencies that can help you get your nanny registered

Domestic UIF Care 

Domestic SA 

Pay Solutions 

 

Domestic UIF Care

Household Chemical Hazards

Household chemical products are among the top products responsible for injuries and deaths in children under the age of five years. Bad taste and odours often do not keep children away from household chemical products. Even a small amount of a chemical product can be harmful to a child and the person using it.

Use, store, and dispose of household chemicals carefully. Learn and teach your nanny the meaning of the hazard symbols and follow all directions on the label.

Safety tips

Read the label before you buy or use a household chemical product.

• Follow the instructions every time you use a household chemical. 

• Do not cover up or remove the labels from household chemical products.

Use household chemical products carefully, especially around children.

• Never mix household chemical products together. Some mixtures can produce harmful gases.

• Child-resistant does not mean child-proof. Close the cap on the container all the way even if you set it down for just a moment.

• Put emergency phone numbers at your telephone and/or program the number into your phone and your nanny's phone.

Store household chemical products safely.

• Store all household chemical products in their original containers. Keep all safety information.

• Keep all household chemical products locked away, where children cannot see or reach them.

Dispose of leftover household chemical products safely and NEVER:

• burn household chemical containers

• pour the contents down the drain unless directed

• inappropriately re-use empty containers

Why train your nanny more than just First Aid?

Prevention is better than cure! For a young, recently mobile baby just able to explore the world by touching, tasting and seeing everything there is to see and finding those hidden things, the home and its surroundings can be a dangerous place. The majority of new moms, first time nannies and grandparents are blissfully unaware of the dangers that lurk in the home, and your baby is a master at finding them. From plug sockets under beds, toilet brushes in the guest loo and moms favourite nail polish in the bed side table. Creating an environment that is safe for the baby to explore without the risk of hurting themselves, is far better than having to deal with a cut finger, broken bone or worse.

Good hygiene starts in the home. Long before the baby is crawling, they have an incredible reach and will put everything they find into their mouths as this is a very reliable source of information it gives them answers to the questions “how does it feel?”, “is it hot or cold”, “what does it taste like?” and more. This includes the old piece of bread that was dropped and not noticed, the toy that the dog stepped on etc, so it is very important that good hygiene is practiced in the home for at least the first few months of the child’s life while their immune systems are developing. Everyone needs to understand the importance of and put into practice the key best practices such as washing hands, sterilizing bottles and not sucking on the dummy before putting it back into baby’s mouth.

A healthy baby is a happy baby and feeding the right foods contributes greatly to the health and growth of the child. With an understanding of nutrients and their sources, your nanny is able to make educated decisions on what to feed the baby once they are weaned off their milk.

There are many learning opportunities that present themselves at home the sounds of barking dogs and singing birds, the smell of freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly washed clothing, the colour of the sky and dad’s socks. The baby’s natural urge to explore is a wonderful opportunity for the care giver to teach a willing and very keen learner. Being able to identify and use these opportunities in addition to learning simple ways to stimulate, teach and entertain the baby appropriately, creates a fun day for both baby and care giver.

A plan, good time management and a structured routine that is stuck to help the nanny to get through her work, care for the baby making sure there is time to play, prepare food, sterilize bottles and finish the ironing all according to the family’s unique needs. www.nannytraining.co.za

Tips for Hiring a Nanny

There is no such thing as the perfect nanny. Qualities to look for are a good attitude, honesty, reliability, shows initiative and a willingness to communicate and do the tasks the mother’s way. Skills can always be taught. Remember to trust your gut instinct when making your choice.

my 5 tips:

1. Use a reputable agency – make sure that they do check written and verbal references and that they can supply you with the contact numbers so that you can speak to the previous employer. 
2. Don’t judge a nanny purely on age and training, but rather on personality – at the end of the day you will probably hire someone based on their personality/character and how they relate to your family rather than their impressive skills on paper. You can always train someone to do it your way. You can’t train a bad attitude.
3. Pick a nanny that has a stable family background and good support network in case they have young children themselves.
4. Insist on a trial period – an agency cannot guarantee how a nanny interacts with your children. The trial is the real interview.
5. Before hiring your nanny, seal the deal by insisting that the nanny gets a police clearance from the police station. Please pay for this as it is a big expense for the nanny if she is not working. Also ask them to go for a free TB test at their nearest government medical clinic. TB is a worse household predator than HIV.

The right nanny will love your child and will have your child’s best interest at heart. They are looking after your most precious being – your child, so it is worth looking after her, treating her with respect, showing or expressing your appreciation and remembering to say thank you even when they are just doing their job!