Hiring someone to work for you can be quite the task on its own. It can even be more challenging if you are hiring a caregiver for yourself or for someone you care about. You are putting the wellbeing of yourself or your loved one in the hands of the caregiver. At a minimum they need to be trustworthy, competent, qualified and a good fit personality wise.
If your doctor or physio therapist makes a suggestion for an agency and you decide to do the hiring that way, it could relieve some of the stress. The agency will do much of the pre-screening and will only pass on qualified candidates to you that meet your requirements. In some situations the agency will even take care of paying the caregiver and make sure they meet all the required employment laws.
What if you want to select and hire the caretaker on your own, where do you begin? A good place to start is listing all the traits you want in the caretaker you want to hire. Next place your ad and choose which applicants you want to interview. Have a list of prepared questions at interview time.
Really think about the questions, you want them to open up so you can get an understanding of their personality, experience and qualifications. Always do a background check. Contact previous employers, get work records and references. Also get a copy of the candidate’s SSN and driver’s license.
You have made your decision, what’s next? Prepare a contract with a list of responsibilities, what they will be paid and what will constitute termination of their services. You will avoid any headaches in the future by doing this. Clarify what food you will provide and go over any personal needs you want such as attire and language.
As an employer, you will have responsibilities of your own now. You have to pay at least minimum wage and pay for overtime if your caretaker works over 40 hours per week. Your home has to be free of dangers and you cannot subject your employee to any kind of hostile behavior. Research the worker’s compensations laws you will have to adhere to.
Once you do your homework and are thorough, you will find the perfect caretaker who will fit smoothly into your daily routine.
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