Care and feeding of your new Caregiver!
Sometimes we forget, we have a paid professional in our service. Trained to the task you hired them for. They are caregivers first and foremost, not housekeepers.
You have an employee and hopefully also a new friend. The law says they must be treated as an employee.
They cannot work more than 40 hours (varies with province) without overtime pay.
If you ask them to do anything while they are "off the clock" they are "on the clock" until they complete the task and must be paid for it. For instance, if they are off the clock and you ask them to watch the children while you run to the store... they are on the clock for that amount of time they are watching them. After all, if you hired them to watch the children... that is what they are doing!
If something spills on a floor and you ask them to clean it up, they are "on the clock" until they have completed the task.
If you ask them to take out the trash... they are on the clock until it is completed.
Requesting them to do some duties are illegal. For instance, having them clean the swimming pool is illegal in some provinces.
Light duty housework such as cooking or light cleaning is acceptable, however doing windows, scrubbing (not sweeping) and waxing floors is generally illegal.
These are just some common sense tips that many of us forget when we need that extra hand. Just as you expect to be paid when asked to do something at work, you really can't expect your employee to keep working when they are off without just compensation!
- Agencies in Canada
- Male caregiver?
- Before you look abroad
- Before you sign a contract
- Well-meant tips
- Canada health plans
- Employment standards
- WCB
- Employment termination
- Questions and answers
- Nanny already in Canada
- Caregiver selection
- Your obligations
- Your responsibilities
