How to Coach Your Helper to Settle Down Quickly

Having a household help can undeniably be a major relief especially when it comes to managing the household chores and taking care of the kids. However, for your helper to perform optimally and feel at ease while executing their duties, they should be offered an opportunity to acclimatize to the environment as soon as possible. Read this article that will give real life strategies on how you can help your helper get settle as fast as possible in order to create harmony for the both of you.

Understanding the Importance of a Smooth Transition

A smooth transition is not only desirable but essential in setting the tone for a smooth working relationship for your household help. Here’s why it matters:

Welcoming and Valuing Your Helper

The first few days and weeks determine the working relationship your helper will have with your family within his/her employment period. A warm welcome has a message conveying the fact that they are appreciated in the household thus making them loyal. This means that whenever helpers are welcomed they will be in a position to tackle their working obligations enthusiastically.

Reducing Misunderstandings

Excellent communication and orientation eliminate confusion as much as possible. When you explain what is expected of them and show them how tasks are performed, you equip your helper with the means to accomplish their duty. This reduces conflicts regarding the work that needs to be done and guarantees your work is done according to your expectations right from the beginning.

Establishing a Positive Working Relationship

A good transition creates a good impression between you and the helper. Also, it promotes trust and respect – which are the critical components for any kind of cooperation. When helpers feel appreciated, they are more willing to go out of their way and do a proper job in helping with your home and family.

Enhancing Efficiency and Effectiveness

As from the onset, a well prepared helper is productive and can perform functions in the right manner without causing inconveniences or mistakes. This means that they are knowledgeable of their positions within your home, which enables them to fall into your regular patterns quickly. This efficiency cuts time consumption and yet improves the productivity of the entire household in a way.

Preparing for Your Helper’s Arrival

Ensure that the area of the house or apartment in which your helper will be living is move-in ready and conducive to their stay. This involves ensuring that they have clean bedding, proper storage place and some basic things like toilet paper among others. A clean and tidy furnished living space ensures the helper feels welcome and appreciated for the work they are doing.

Gather Necessary Information

Gather all the relevant information your helper could need. This involves the list of emergency phone contacts, rules of the house, and a schedule of events for the day. Having this information close at hand will make your helper feel that he or she is more in control of the situation and that he or she does not have to worry so much about what duties to perform.

Set Clear Expectations

Ensure that the two of you discuss what is expected prior to your helper commencing their work. Explain what exactly they are supposed to do, their working hours and any special conditions that may exist. Clear communication from the word go can avoid possible incidences of misunderstandings and both parties are aware of the agreed on terms.

Initial Orientation and Training

Proper orientation should include detailed instructions to ensure your helper knows what is expected of them and the specifics of the household they are working in. This includes presenting them to family members, giving them a tour around the house, and teaching them on how to operate common home appliances and other tools within the homestead.

Tour of the House: It is helpful to familiarise your helper with where all the rooms are, where they will be living, the placement of the kitchen and the bedrooms, bathrooms and any areas that they will likely be needed in. It will also be beneficial for them to learn more about the layout so that they will not feel so nervous in that new environment.

Introduction to Family Members: Make sure to introduce your helper to all members of the household, including children and animals as they will be part of the new helpers’ responsibilities. This makes your helper feel like part of the family, thus helping you to build a strong rapport with them.

Explain Household Routines

It is obvious that every household has its own rhythm, its own individual schedule. Describe your family’s routine, what times you eat, what activities your children do and any other set activities that you undertake. If you have a helper, you will find that understanding these routines will assist your helper to blend in well into your family.

Hands-On Training

Give practical training for activities that your helper will be undertaking frequently in the job. Some of such activities may entail meal preparation, washing dishes, washing of clothes, and taking care of children. Observing these tasks and enabling the helper to do it under your supervision can help them master what you prefer and expect from them.

Effective Communication

Promote clear and honest two-way communication right from the word go. Be sure to inform your chosen helper that the door is always open for questions, concerns, or feedback. This fosters and convinces your helper that there is no problem that cannot be solved.

Use Clear and Simple Language to Coach Your Helper

While describing tasks and providing instructions, avoid using complex terminology. Do not use any professional or complicated terms that will be hard for your helper to understand. If the communication involves people from different linguistic backgrounds, then one may have to use other forms of communication such as illustrations.

Regular Check-Ins

It is recommended to maintain a certain level of interaction between you and your helper to review his/her performance and the identified issues. These are both time for reinforcement, positive or otherwise, and for you to gauge your helper’s transition into the position.

Building a Positive Relationship

The helper needs to be respected, valued and appreciated for the valuable work he or she is doing for you. A simple thank you or appreciating them for the job well done will also work wonders to make them feel that are important and needed.

Respect Their Privacy

Do not intrude the personal life of your helper; it is wrong to even intrude their space physically. Schedule for them to have spare time and alone time so that they can be refreshed. This demonstrates that you care about their health and their ability to balance work and other responsibilities.

Encourage Professional Growth

Promote training and development of your helper so that they can improve their skills of the job they are doing for you. This could include a cooking class, a language course or some other kind of course that they can use to beef up their individual skills and thus improve when carrying out their duties.

Addressing Challenges and Providing Support

If your helper experiences some issues, it is better to solve them at the initial stage. This could include setting goals and roles, training to increase competencies, or changing the load distribution to be effective and reasonable.

Offer Emotional Support

Most of the time, changing from one job or work setting to another can be a very challenging experience. Acknowledge their feelings by saying things such as ‘I understand how you feel’ and ‘It is okay to feel this way’. Light conversation or even an indication that you’re grateful for help can turn the mood around easily when helping someone to settle down.

Utilize Professional Resources

If needed make use of professional help seeking including counseling or a domestic helper support group . These resources can be useful when seeks for extra information and help, thus your helper will be able to adapt easier.

Creating a Long-Term Plan

Sit down with your helper and define attainable objectives that may benefit both, in terms of the helper’s career advancement and the well-being of your household. This would comprise enhancement of certain techniques, assuming extra duties, or striving for a better position.

Regular Performance Reviews

Provide feedback about your helper’s performance to ensure that they are performing to the optimum by conducting a performance appraisal sometimes. These reviews can assist in discovering problems as well as successes to enhance overall comprehension and strengthen rapport in the professional setting.

Conclusion

To ensure that your household helper gets into a routine as soon as possible, you need to prepare adequately, communicate, continue supporting, and most importantly coach your helper. When you are friendly and communicate well, train well and are friendly, have an open door policy and cultivate a good relationship with your co-worker, then that makes it easy for both of you to transition and work well together.

At Beyondmaids, we understand the kind of challenges that employers and their helpers may experience when transitioning for one to another. For more information on our services and how we can assist you, visit our website. With these practical solutions, you will be able to facilitate the helper’s integration into your household to create a peaceful and efficient home.