When you are looking for a Housekeeper, you are probably mainly looking at skills and experience. And although those are very important things to consider. Your Housekeeper must be the right personality match for you and your household. They can be the highest skilled person. But if the personality does not match, it will probably not work out.
So why does your Housekeeper need to be the right personality match for you and your household?
Culturally & Habits
A first reason to make sure your Housekeeper has the right personality match, is when looking at culture and habits.
As a family or household, having a Housekeeper work in your house can be quite an invasion of privacy. And althogh the Housekeeper should be discrete, you will get to know each other’s personalities.
So making sure they match is key for a long and successful employment with you. One of the main things that come to mind is culture. Different cultures can vary extremely which will translate in habits around the house, and how to communicate.
Having a Housekeeper who understands your culture will be a great gain and will save you from lots of problems, issues, and miscommunications. Your Housekeeper does not necessarily have to come from the same culture as your household, but if they understand it. And maybe have experience with it – perhaps through a previous job – that could already make all the difference.
Another thing you want to think about are habits. Thinks like diet, for example. if you and the rest of the household are strict vegans, that might be something to consider for the Housekeeper. or the other way around – if the Housekeeper follows a non-meat diet, they might not want to handle meat and food prep which can cause issues in their daily tasks.
Family Life
Another important part of the personality match, is to make sure your Housekeeper fits in with the family. This is mostly relevant if there are children in the household.
Does the Housekeeper like to be around children? Do they have experience being around children? Besides the fact that the Housekeeper should have an up to date DBS if they will be working around children. It is definitely also important to make sure both you and the Housekeeper are comfortable with it.
It can be a complete change of working life and day to day tasks with children around. So make sure the personality matches here too.
Time Spent Together
As mentioned briefly above, having a Housekeeper in your house can be a change in dynamic. And it can also sometimes feel like a bit of an invasion of privacy if the Housekeeper will be working when you will be at home.
So make sure the personality match is correct here. Are you very sociable, open, and communicative? You might then want to look for a Housekeeper who is similar to that. Equally so, if you appreciate being left alone and would not want to have chats – a very sociable Housekeeper might not be the best fit.
Some people might even take their Housekeeper with them on holidays or travel. if this is the case the right personality match becomes even more important. You want to comfortably spend time with them without being annoyed or frustrated.
So make sure you consider all these things. So that you understand why your Housekeeper must be the right personality match. For you, and the rest of your household!
How can Polo & Tweed help?
Finding the right Housekeeper can be tricky. Especially when you are looking for the right personality match. Many things need to be taken into consideration and it can be difficult to do this all yourself. If you are ready to explore the options of hiring a Housekeeper, Polo & Tweed are here to help. Why not speak to one of our experienced recruitment consultants about the great selection of excellent Housekeepers we have on our books. All over the world! You can also drop us a line, and we will be in touch!