“When hiring a domestic worker, ‘blind’ employment is not a good idea…” The words of Henriette Joubert, MD of national Voice Stress and Polygraphy Network, (VSA Poly). Her article below explains further:

Domestic workers are undoubtedly an indispensable part of the fabric of South African society. Often dearly loved and viewed as part of the family, they perform vital services that keep a home running smoothly.

However, it is equally true that South Africa’s high crime levels warrant a degree of caution when allowing someone in your home – be it for casual labour, piece-jobs or long term employment.

When I say ‘blind’, I’m referring to employing a person without any background checks, or at least a referral that you spoke to, before making the offer of employment.

Being a resident of an estate myself, I understand the need for casual labour, for piece-job as well as long term employment, in the estate as well as in our homes.

I am blessed too, to live in an estate where the communications channels, especially social, are handled with respect and kindness and therefore amazingly effective. Neighbours are continually asking for, and giving references for all kinds of services, from fridge repairs to who is the best data supplier.

These channels of communication are invaluable when it comes to asking for and giving, references for domestic help, gardeners, painters etc. And I would urge you to make use of these channels for this purpose specifically; an internal, personal reference is THE BEST.

An internal, personal reference is usually reliable & accurate, and the most affordable. Besides a little effort, you are almost guaranteed of employing a trustworthy individual, which should translate to minimal loss by means of carelessness or theft.

Another option to know who you are hiring is to have a background check done; certainly for long term- or project-related employment, I suggest this is a necessity. This could be anything from just a criminal record check or drivers’ license verification to a pre-employment lie detecting test.

Voice Stress or Polygraph tests prior to employment are especially useful to determine your risk in employing an individual. Questions to ask normally include possible involvement in theft from a previous employer, drug and/or alcohol abuse, dismissal due to misconduct, or any risk factor the employee may be subject to in their specific line of work – let’s say, caring for your elderly family member.

So, in conclusion… Make use of your estate ‘grape vine’ for references for casual employment, and when it comes to medium- to long-term employment, be sure to also do a background check and follow up with Truth Verification.  This will bring you much closer to knowing who you are employing.

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