Top 10 Ways to Improve Household Staff Retention
I’m always shocked to hear about UHNW employers with high staff turnover. If I were a UHNW principal inviting staff into my home to help me manage my complex life, I would do everything possible to keep turnover to a minimum.
It takes countless months to build trusted relationships with staff. So high turnover is one issue that should be top of mind to ensure staff retention, family safety, and privacy.
Are you providing the best employment opportunities to new candidates in this post-Covid world of mass exits and high salaries?
Are you doing everything within your power to retain world-class staff?
Whether you are firing the staff or leaving on their own accord, let’s dive deep into some areas that might help improve your staff’s sustainability. Retaining top talent is a game.
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THE PRINCIPAL’S RESPONSIBILITIES
1. EXCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT Having an exclusive agreement with a domestic staffing recruiter who understands your needs and the household culture is critical to finding a perfect fit for a new hire.
2. DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTIONS Are you providing a detailed job description? Are you providing a competitive salary, or are you working with a Domestic staffing recruiter? Are you providing them with a sustainable job description, or do you require them to perform hybrid roles like cooking, housekeeping, and contractor management?
3. QUALITY EXISTING STAFF Do you have the proper team members? Are they qualified to do the job you’re asking them to perform? Do you have adequate staff to fulfill all property maintenance and principals' service needs? Does your current team look stressed and tired behind those smiling faces?
4. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Do you have standard operating procedures, weekly goals, and accountability check-ins? Do you find out why deadlines aren’t met and how you can provide support? Do you provide clear expectations?
5. TOOLS AND TRAINING Are you providing the staff with the tools to do their work correctly? Are you focused on cross-training staff so that they can assist each other to reduce injury and fill in the gaps when someone takes a vacation or is sick?
6. PERFORMANCE REVIEWS AND 1-ON-1s Are you reviewing your employees regularly and providing guidance and constructive feedback? Are you rewarding them for outstanding performance? Do you check in with them weekly and ask how they are doing? When something goes wrong, do you find out why it went wrong and how it can be prevented in the future? Do you ask them how you can help them perform their highest service levels? Do you know their birth date and important anniversary dates?
7. COMMUNICATION - Are you available to communicate daily when things aren’t going smoothly? Maybe your instructions weren’t clear. How does your team communicate effectively with each other? Can you track communication to analyze when something’s off track?
8. WORK SCHEDULES AND TIME OFF Has your staff taken an adequate vacation this year? Does your staff regularly work overtime? How many of your team are required to be on call? Is this on a rotation basis?
9. HOUSE VIBE Is it a stressful home environment or relaxed and supportive? Stressed environments will require your staff to take more personal time to recover.
10. OPERATIONS BUDGETS Do you have an adequate budget for all you require of your staff?
Remember, employees don’t leave positions where they feel successful, well-paid, supported, and valued. The best candidates have options, and seasoned vets' salaries are at an all-time high. You must be an excellent employer to attract and maintain a trusted, world-class household team.
