DESIRABLE TRAITS OF A HOUSEHOLD WORKER

Household Worker is a person who works within the employer's household. Household

workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from

providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance

known as housekeeping. Responsibilities may also include cooking, doing laundry

and ironing, food shopping and other household errands.

Desirable Traits of a Household Worker

1. Loyal. Follows clientele’s rules, regulations, policies, procedure, etc.

2. Trustworthy. A person can prove his trustworthiness by fulfilling an

assigned responsibility - and as an extension of that, not to let down expectations.

3. Honest. Perform his job’s duties with accuracy.

4. Responsible. Perform his job’s duties in a manner that demonstrates he

understands his job’s goals, duties, and job description.

5. Industrious. Consistently exceeds job description expectations.

6. Respectful. Shows respect for customer’s authority and responsibility.

7. Cooperative. Cooperates with other employees to achieve common objectives.

8. Flexible. Willing to change how he performs his job as his job’s responsibilities

change.

9. Decisive. Exercises sound decision making skills when needed.

10. Punctual. It is the characteristic of being able to complete a required task before

or at a previously designated time. "Punctual" is often used synonymously with "on

A household worker is anyone you pay to provide domestic services in your

household, such as:

 Babysitters, and nannies;

 Caretakers, health aides, and private nurses;

 Housekeepers and maids;

 Gardeners, landscapers, and yard-keepers;

 Drivers and chauffeurs; and

 Personal assistants, personal chefs, and cooks.

Specifically, the following are the duties and responsibilities of a household worker:

1. Cleaning

The domestic worker will be assigned certain areas in the home or specific

tasks such as daily cleaning or deep cleaning. Daily chores involve cleaning floors,

furniture, windows, and all rooms. Doing laundry and ironing may be among duties as

well. Deeper cleaning, such as shampooing carpets, is not done as often.

2. Child and Elder Care

A domestic worker may also be assigned the care of children from infant

through adolescent. In this instance, experience with children is needed. Caring for

infants and toddlers places more demands on the worker. Some responsibilities
involved in the child's care are bathing, diapering, feeding, supervising and

entertaining.

An elderly member of the household may also need a domestic worker's care.

This work may involve bathing, companionship, and assistance with doctor visits.

3. Cooking

Some domestic workers prepare the family's meals. When this is the case, it is

good to know the family's preferences. A thorough cookbook offering varied dishes will

help the domestic worker prepare tasty meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If the

worker does not cook on weekends, she sometimes prepares dishes ahead of time

that family members can conveniently heat and serve themselves.

4. Shopping

Shopping may be a task for the domestic worker. Duties could involve keeping

groceries stocked in the pantry and buying household items. The employer needs to

give a shopping budget and guidelines to follow. Some domestic workers are

responsible for shopping for family clothing and larger scale household items and

appliances.

5. Laundry

Housekeepers may do laundry daily, or prepare a schedule to do it. This may

involve checking household laundry hampers, which may be in a central location in the

laundry room. To do laundry, the housekeeper separates whites, colors and delicate
apparel. When the clothing is dry, she removes it from the dryer to minimize wrinkles.

Clothes are then ironed and folded and placed back into the proper drawers and

closets.

6. Childcare

If there are small infants and toddlers in the house, the housekeeper may be

responsible for caring for them. It is important that the housekeeper is trained in first

aid and CPR with smaller children and is very attentive. Older children may be present

in the home after school hours. The housekeeper may have to pick the child up from

school and transport him to after school activities.

Aside from the specific tasks mention earlier, a household worker is expected to dispense

some of the following tasks as part of her/his duty and responsibility:

 Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, stairways,

locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.

 Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and

waste to disposal areas.

 Dust and polish furniture and equipment.

 Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum

cleaners.

 Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.

 Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered

scrubbing and waxing machines.

necessary.

 Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies.

 Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and

bathroom items.

 Hang draperies and dust window blinds.

 Polish silver accessories and metalwork, such as fixtures and fittings.

 Move and arrange furniture and turn mattresses.

 Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated

sterilizers.

 Sort clothing and other articles, load washing machines, and iron and fold dried

items.

 Sort, count, and mark clean linens and store them in linen closets.

 Request repair services and wait for repair workers to arrive.

 Wash dishes and clean kitchens, cooking utensils, and silverware.

 Answer telephones and doorbells.

Assign duties to other staff and give instructions regarding work methods and

routines.

 Care for children or elderly persons by overseeing their activities, providing

companionship, and assisting them with dressing, bathing, eating, and other

needs.

 Run errands, such as taking laundry to the cleaners and buying groceries.

 Plan menus and cook and serve meals and refreshments following employer's
instructions or own methods.

 Purchase or order groceries and household supplies to keep kitchens stocked

and record expenditures.

SERVICE PLAN

Working without a plan is similar to providing household services without knowing what

and how to start. A plan is necessary to give direction to any undertaking. The parts of a
plan are

as follows:

A. Name of the Service

This refers to the end product or the result of the activity. This should

state briefly and cohesively what is to be created as the service.

B. Objective

This refers to the goal you want to achieve. Objectives should be set

cooperatively by the student and the teacher. It should focus on the three

domains of learning: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. It includes the

principles, skills, and values that should be learned as the service is

completed.

C. Description of the Service

of the service to be made. A brief description of the service should be

specified.

D. Materials, Tools, and Equipment

This includes an itemized listing of the materials and supplies needed to

complete the service. The list of materials needed should be presented in

tabular form to show a description of each. The quantity, unit, total cost, tools

and equipment needed to complete the service should be included in the

table. List of tools and equipment needed follows the list of materials. The

date when the service was started and completed can also be indicated in this

part.

E. Procedure

This refers to the process in which the service is completed. A step-by-

step instruction is preferred.