The holiday season is coming! We know it is still early – but at Polo & Tweed, we like to be prepared. And we know from experience how stressful the holiday period can be. Christmas, New Year’s Eve, it is an exciting time, mostly jam-packed with events, dinners and parties. The key to keeping stress levels low is to be organised and plan in advance. What will really help you is by hiring temporary help for the holiday season.
Not just with your time, invitations and organisation of events. But also the daily running of the household and any additional staff you might require.
Cover for Staff On Leave
Will your nanny, housekeeper, butler or chef be working for you throughout the holiday period? Or are they considering taking time off? Make sure you have all this discussed long before December. As it will save a lot of confusion and miscommunication – as well as last-minute stress.
If you indeed require temporary cover whilst your member of staff is on leave, it is best to start the search for this as early on as possible. Many staff like nanny’s, maternity nurses, housekeepers, chefs, carers and butlers get booked months in advance. The holiday period is an especially busy time for domestic staff and they will often be working extra events, outside their normal shifts.
To give you a bit more peace of mind, you can approach an agency to provide you with temp staff. Generally, agencies will have a deep network and selection of suitable staff available. A good agency will have their candidates vetted and ready to go, saving you a lot of stress and time.
Hiring Extra Holiday Help
You might not need to replace any existing staff – but simply could use a bit more help over the holiday period.
Childcare can be a big part of this – there are many amazing nannies and other childcarers available over the holiday period who can help out whilst the children are off school, and you might still be working, or busy with other things. A skilled nanny can assist on a part-time basis, helping with school runs and bedtime, or lend a hand during parties and events by caring for your children whilst you are entertaining guests or visiting family and friends.
Household help is another option if you are indeed hosting parties or having people stay over at your house. A temporary housekeeper or butler can fulfil exactly what you need. Making sure the house is clean and tidy, getting all the Christmas decorations done, arranging all the guest bedrooms before arrival and during their stay, packing and unpacking suitcases, managing laundry… whatever you need help with!
A butler or house manager could even come in to manage, plan and organise any events you are hosting; they will also help serve food and drinks during more formal dinners. A fun option for your holiday party is to hire a mixologist (a professional cocktail maker) Click To Tweet
Chefs will be an unmissable part of a successful dinner party or Christmas meal. They will take away all the worry of food planning, prepping and buying. They will propose meals for you to choose from, source the best ingredients and will prepare delicious meals taking into account any allergies, preferences and dietary requirements.
Rates for Domestic Help Over The Holidays
If you are hiring temporary staff over the holiday period, be mindful that normal hourly and day rates will lie slightly higher than in the non-holiday period. This does not count for the whole period, but it is good to take into account that rates for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s eve will be slightly higher, on average around 15%, but of course, it does depend on the duties, hours and type of staff you are looking to use.
Last Minute Staff Requests
At Polo & Tweed, we are here for you during the holiday season. We know how sometimes things can change at the very last minute, and we would not want to leave you without any solutions. We have plenty of amazing candidates who can be available at the very last minute to help you out.
As always, you can reach us by phone 24 hours per day, every day – including Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve! Our consultants will be ready for you whether it is a last-minute cancellation of a member of staff you need to deal with, an extra pair of hands to help you manage any preparations or guests, or just for a quick chat and advice – we will be here for you.