5 Effective Tools in Training and Supervising Your Helpers

Whatever kind of mom you are - working mom, work-at-home-mom or stay-at-home-mom - I know that you are busy and that having a well-trained helper or helpers would be a big help. I know this to be true because although I’m a stay-at-home-mom, I have a toddler and a newborn to take care of. I also homeschool my eldest son, accept HR projects every now and then, write freelance and serve in ministries on top of my other mommy duties.

I have discovered and developed ways and tools to make my life less stressful over the years of employing a yaya or a helper in our household. Here are five tools that are effective in instructing, training and supervising them:

1. Posted House Rules – I learned from experience that it is never wise to assume that because you grew up knowing and observing certain rules of etiquette, others will be observing these same rules as well. I learned this the hard way when my husband and I first hired a helper for our growing family. And I continued to learn as we employed succeeding ones. Thus, I eventually came up with a list of house rules for our yayas’ guidance.  

Here are some examples.
• Knock first before entering our bedroom.
• Ask for permission first before using our things.  
• Wake up earlier than your employer so you can cook and have their breakfast ready when they wake up.
• Do not speak in your dialect in the presence of others who can’t understand it.
• Face the person who is talking to you and make eye contact when being spoken to.
• Use your cell phone only during your break times.
• Do not watch TV while doing your chores.
• Inform your employer and ask permission if you need to go on an emergency day off.

One of our helpers once broke our dvd player because she used it without our permission and without asking how to use it properly. She also likes using my husband’s music CDs every morning while cleaning the living room, and I would wake up many times to the loud sounds from our stereo. She was the same helper who broke many of our cups and glasses because she kept looking at the TV while washing the dishes. Moreover, there were times when my husband had to wake her up in the morning so she can already cook breakfast before my husband goes to work.

Then, we had another helper who kept on using her cell phone while ironing the clothes. What shocked me about this helper was that she got angry and raised her voice when I asked her to stop. I had to remind her that she is talking to her employer and that she is in my house; therefore she should obey my rules.

[previous|page|next]

We also had helpers who liked to speak to each other in their dialect in front of my son and in my presence. I had to remind them that it is a rude thing to do and a sign of disrespect to the house owner and other household members who do not understand what they are talking about.

I realized that some helpers need to be told even the most basic rules though these may seem very obvious to us. Just like what my husband told me, different households have different rules and practices. What may be acceptable in one household may not be acceptable in another. What is obviously offensive to one person may not be offensive to another. So, it would be best for everyone in the house to have established house rules.  Discussing them with your helpers especially on their first day at work would help prevent or minimize problems or violations. Posting them in a place where your helpers can see them often would be a great way to remind them of these rules.

2. Posted Daily and Weekly Schedule of Tasks – We didn’t have this when we first had a helper, and soon I noticed that I was spending precious time everyday telling and instructing her what she should be doing next when I could be using that time to take care of my son, play with him or other more important things. So, I decided to make a list of tasks that our helper needs to do daily and weekly and organized it in a schedule.  

My husband and I now discuss this together with our house rules when we orient new helpers. It saves me a lot of time because they only need to look at this to know what their next task is. This also works best for those who do not take the initiative to find things to do and waits for her employer to always tell her what to do next.  

Having a schedule also helps helpers develop a routine and a habit. It teaches them discipline and focus because their break times are defined in the schedule. Furthermore, having a schedule levels expectations and distributes tasks more equitably between helpers as well as within the day or the week. At a glance, all of you can see how tasks are divided. Your helper will also know how much time she is given to finish a certain task.

[previous|page|next]

3. Recipe sheet – We had helpers who didn’t have any idea how to cook. We had some who knew basic cooking like nilaga, adobo and fried foods.  That’s why I decided to make recipe sheets.

Here are some of the advantages of having and using them:
•    I don’t need to oversee our helper every time she cooks. The recipe sheet serves as a guide and a reminder on what our helper needs to do before cooking, while cooking and after cooking.
•    I don’t need to repeat my instructions every time since we keep and file the recipe sheets. I only need to check with her if she remembers how to cook it, or ask if she has any questions or clarifications. I also give feedback immediately after our helper cooks something so that she would know if she did it right or if she needs to do something differently to improve next time around.  
•    The recipe sheets include very detailed and step-by-step instructions, including what pan or pot to use, how to cut ingredients, how to clean up after cooking, unlike most recipe books which assume that the user understands the terms used. I designed it as such so that even someone who hasn’t had any experience in the kitchen can understand it.

4. Menu Plan – Our household now follows a four-week cycle menu plan that I made. I spent around one half day developing our menu plan and saved precious hours many months afterwards. I even made another version of my four-week cycle menu for Lent recently.

The biggest benefit of having a menu plan is having a balanced and healthy diet for our family. Also, I am able to incorporate variety and save time because I don’t have to plan every single day, and our helper doesn’t need to wonder or ask since the menu plan is posted in our kitchen bulletin/message board.

5. Grocery List – This tool, of course, corresponds with our menu plan and makes it easier to know what you need to buy at the supermarket.

Having a grocery list saves us a lot of time especially when we are in a hurry to go to the grocery. It’s just a simple checklist where one needs to tick the box beside a grocery item that’s about to run out or has been used up.

Photo by Gatanass from flickr creative commons