For families
Employing household staff
The staff we place are employed by the households they work for. Being a good employer is part of keeping good staff.
The staff we place are employed by the households they work for, not by us. That makes every household we act for an employer, with an employer’s duties. Most households know this. Not all of them know what it involves, and the law has changed a good deal in the past few years. This page is a summary, not legal advice; we recommend that every household take its own.
A written agreement
Every member of staff we place has a written employment agreement with the household, which we prepare from our own forms and the household’s lawyers may review. It sets out the duties, the place of work, the hours of work and rest, days off and holidays, pay and overtime, sick leave, notice, and where the member of staff lives in, the accommodation and what happens to it when the employment ends. State and city law now require much of this to be in writing for domestic workers, and we would recommend it if they did not.
Hours and rest, living in
Live-in staff are entitled to their hours of rest and their days off, which must be uninterrupted, and to be paid for the time they work, including time on call at the household’s request. We ask every household with live-in staff to record calls outside the agreed hours, and the Residence Code asks staff to do the same. A household that cannot say how many hours its live-in staff worked last month is a household that will one day be asked.
Payroll and taxes
Household employers must withhold and pay the household employment taxes that apply to their staff, file the returns that go with them, and pay into the state’s workers’ compensation and paid leave programs where they apply. It is not complicated, but it is unforgiving. Sanjay Mehra runs payroll for about sixty of the households we act for, for a monthly fee; others use their family office or their accountants.
Insurance
Households should make sure that their insurance covers employees working in and around the house, and any employee who drives the household’s cars. Your broker will know; ask before the first day, not after the first accident.
The right to work
Every employer must confirm that each new employee has the right to work in the United States, within three days of the first day of work, and keep the record. Our vetting team checks every candidate’s right to work before we put them forward, and we will help households complete their own record. In Switzerland the rules are different and stricter; Beatrice Ferrand will explain them.
Employing staff in Switzerland
Households employing staff in Zürich or Geneva are bound by Swiss law and by the standard employment contract for household workers that each canton sets, which fixes minimum pay, hours and rest. Our Swiss partner prepares every agreement. See Zürich and Geneva.