Your private household staff play an essential role in the smooth running of your day to day living, and it has been proven that a well-motivated household team equates to a higher standard of service.
Once you’ve gone through the rigorous process of hiring your excellent housekeeping staff, it is important to make sure each employee is sufficiently supported. There are several ways to ensure this is the case, but we’ve found that a combination of tangible and emotional motivation is most successful.
Competitive Salary/Yearly Reviews
A fundamental part of making sure your employees are motivated is making sure their salary is competitive. It is important to be in touch with the industry standards of financial compensation for their role, and to monitor any increases. This leads to your employees feeling valued and you are less likely to have a high turnover rate, something which is unfortunately quite common in the hospitality and private household staff industry. You should have reviews with every employee each year to make sure they are comfortable with their wage, allowing them to have a level of autonomy over their finances.
Being approachable to your employees
In order to feel properly motivated, staff need to feel comfortable within their workplace. Simply greeting employees when in their presence will make you seem approachable and your humility will motivate them as they’ll feel positive feelings towards you.
Individual constructive criticism is also important to ensure your team is improving and learning, but making sure this is done in a courteous manner is crucial. If you’re too harsh, you may leave your employees feeling demotivated. You should also consider making it clear to staff who their contact point is if they have any grievances or concerns. Whether this is a senior member of staff, or yourself (depending on the size of your household), a clear line of communication offers support and increases motivation.
Offering an aesthetic and functional environment
Your employees spend a large portion of their time at work, perhaps they are even live-in staff. At a basic level, it’s important to have up to date and functional appliances for them to be using for their jobs. In addition to this, ensuring private household staff have a relaxing recreational area to enjoy breaks is key to a motivated team. Providing equipment such as kettles, toasters and microwaves along with a well lit, comfortable room or maybe outside space allows people to recharge and have more energy to put into their tasks.
Incentives and rewards
Your household staff are likely doing an excellent job at maintaining a clean, well run house for you. As such, it is crucial to recognise your employees achievements and reward them with gestures to make sure they feel appreciated. Giving hampers each Christmas or gift vouchers on employee birthdays can go a long way in creating a sense of community within your staff. Alternatively, staff could be rewarded with an extra day of holiday for each year of employment – the possibilities are endless and you can really get creative.
Overall, the key to a highly motivated team is ensuring they feel valued, appreciated and listened to. Your staff will be thankful for constructive feedback as this will help them develop their skills whilst showing you take an interest in their work. Motivation typically begins at senior leadership, therefore hiring the right person for leading your team is incredibly important.
If you ever need help hiring your private household staff, at any level, Melissa Offer Private Staffing can help. Reach out to us today.
