When doing a domestic worker background check, one should keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes. With that said, here is the question the employer needs to ask themselves. Was this a one-time error or does their background report indicate that this is part of a pattern? Also, how far back did this occur? Five months ago or five years? Another factor is the seriousness of the offense.
If an employer/family is unsure of the offense, having a heart-to-heart talk with the candidate about this ”red flag’’ and getting their side of the story may go a long way in helping the client to decide whether or not to give them a tryout.
In evaluating a bad reference, the same critical, open-minded approach should apply. For example, the candidate has been with the employer a long time—say five to eight years. Yet, still receives an unfavorable review, the question arises: Why did they keep the domestic worker for that long if they weren’t doing a good job? Also, even if the former employer’s bad reference is accurate, this needs to be taken in the context of the domestic worker’s other references which may be very positive and glowing.
In addition, if the employer likes the candidate’s personality and attitude and feels that their skillset closely fits the needs of their home, it is possible that the bad reference with the former employer may have simply been due to a personality clash or bad chemistry or possibly that this employer was hard to work for and constantly made unreasonable demands.
In short, many different factors must be taken into consideration when deciding whether to have a bad reference or a red flag in the domestic worker background check prevent the employer from giving the domestic worker a tryout. On the one hand, caution must be exercised in not allowing an unsafe or unqualified person to work in their home. On the other hand, the client risks losing out on a talented, important addition to their home if they decide to throw the baby out with the bath water. In the last analysis, trying out that individual and seeing how they perform over a short-term period under your close surveillance is the only way to test whether your intuition about him or her was accurate.
SOURCE: Household Staffing International
