The Do-it-Yourself Hiring route is quite tempting for some Household Employers, posting job offerings and relying on word-of-mouth recommendations. However, this low-level approach often leads to a myriad of challenges and headaches that could easily be avoided.

Recruiting for domestic staff is one of the most challenging industries to recruit within and that’s why you should be entrusting your domestic staffing needs and the complex screening and intricate vetting processes to experts for the best results.

1. Lack of Proper Screening:

   
   This is one of the most critical aspects of hiring household staff. It took our agency many years to build proper screening systems, ones that we are constantly upgrading and fine-tuning to get the best results for our clients. Without having the proper tools and expertise with systems for screening, it's challenging to verify candidates' backgrounds, credentials, and references while also determining if they are a real fit for your needs.
   At Serafina Staffing, we have a rigorous and multi-layered screening process in place, ensuring that every candidate has undergone thorough pre-vetting for skills, proper verification of background and history in the workplace and personality assessments. Understanding people and their true motivations is at the core of what we do, and that’s why over the years specific filtering systems were created internally to understand people at a genuine level. This significantly reduces the risk of hiring individuals who may not be suitable for the position.

Full Disclosure: Without creating a comprehensive profile on potential hires, you might overlook crucial details about who they are and how they are projected to perform.

2. Time and Energy Drain:

Searching for household employees can be an incredibly time-consuming and energy-draining process. It’s not a linear process in the same way that corporate recruiting is. Clients often think that if they understand their own needs, they will have a good chance of finding the right person. Even if you think you have the spare time to perform tasks such as sifting through resumes, conducting screening, interviews, meeting with people, trialing them and performing background checks, the entire process can take weeks or even months.

Full Disclosure: Understanding the type of talent you need and effectively sourcing that talent are distinct and separate challenges.

3. Evolving Requirements and Salary Adjustments:

This tends to be a deal breaker down the line — despite making the right hire initially, employer / household needs can evolve over time. What was once perceived as a permanent job may require reevaluation as your circumstances change. This necessitates a level of flexibility regarding salary adjustments and the metrics used to gauge market trends and ensure competitive compensation for highly skilled candidates. Our agency can help guide you over time to know what is recommended in terms of renewing employment or if it is time to hire new team members.

4. Salary Negotiation and Job Description:

For some clients, the ones who prefer to ask friends and family for referrals to household staff in order to save on agency fees, they often times wind up hiring someone without a clear understanding of market rates and industry standards.

By avoiding offering competitive compensation with the perceived benefit of saving money, you increase the risk of long term issues including employee dissatisfaction and high turnover which will result in going back to square one. In this case, the hired employee will usually get a better salary offer which leads to a separation, and re-starts the search process.

SOLUTION: Crafting a comprehensive job description, determining fair and competitive salaries based on industry standards is one of the best strategies to have your staffing needs met.

5. Increased Risk:

Hiring someone to work in your home means placing a significant amount of trust in their hands. Hiring without proper vetting increases the risk of bringing in individuals who may have ulterior motives or who may not have the necessary qualifications to perform their duties effectively. Our meticulous screening process mitigates these risks, giving clients peace of mind knowing that their household is in capable and trustworthy hands. And over time your needs may evolve and our agency can facilitate turn over in a convenient fashion.

6. Ongoing Support and Mediation:

Beyond the hiring process, Serafina Staffing offers ongoing support and mediation services to ensure smooth and harmonious relationships between clients and their household staff. Our team is always available to address any concerns or conflicts that may arise, providing timely and effective solutions to maintain a positive working environment.

Overall, while it may be tempting to take the Solo approach to household staffing, the potential risks and challenges far outweigh any perceived benefits. By partnering with Serafina Staffing, clients can rest assured knowing that they have access to a team of professionals with a proven track record for finding the perfect match for their clients.

From thorough screening and salary negotiation to ongoing support and mediation, we are committed to exceeding our clients' expectations every step of the way. Say goodbye to the headaches of solo hiring and experience the difference that Serafina Staffing can make in your life.