Identifying the Right Candidate for You

What does it take to maintain your quality of life? What price would you put on your peace of mind?

Each candidate will bring a unique set of skills, service-style knowledge, and experiences that will need to be matched with your own.

Experienced individuals are typically seeking large estates and/or multiple residences that can provide them the challenge they desire. Their experience is reflected in their skill level as well as their ability to anticipate needs. Salaries for experienced Household Managers generally range from $80k to $200k annually, plus benefits and housing.

Newly Certified Household Managers have completed extensive training through the Starkey International Institute of Household Management. Armed with the Starkey System, these individuals are flexible and eager to succeed, adapting easily to a household or family’s service style. Salaries range from $50k to $80k annually, plus benefits and housing.

Both New Graduates and Experienced Veterans require one to three months to assess your specific preferences and service style as well as one to three additional months to implement your unique Service Management Plan.

Realistically Assessing Your Household Needs

In a world where top executives are working 80 or more hours per week and families are more active than ever, the value of your time at home has never been more precious. Hiring a highly trained or experienced Household Manager gives you the freedom to choose how you spend those rare moments. The Professional Household Manager’s product is your quality of life and their profit is your peace of mind.

What is the better option; a newly Certified Starkey Graduate or an experienced Household Manager? There are advantages to both. Keep in mind, however, that regardless of the size of your home or the level of services you desire, it takes on average, six months to a year to fully customize a Service Delivery Plan exclusively for your household. To quickly reach your desired level of service, the Starkey Service Delivery System should be implemented.

Baselines You Can Count On – More Than a Little Cooking and Cleaning:

Consider the following Service Management base lines when compiling weekly work hours for each staff member:

• It takes 1.75 hours to completely wash, dry, fold and put away a single load of laundry…how many loads per week does your household have?
• It takes approximately two hours to clean 1,000 square feet of a home with average standards. Take into consideration pets, children, guests and entertaining…these are variables that add hours to this average.
• It requires a minimum of two hours to prep and serve an average meal … not including shopping.
• It takes one hour per 3,000 square feet to accomplish basic maintenance.
• One entertaining event requires eight hours of planning and prep time.
• Don’t forget personal care time needed to answer phones, supervise vendors, and provide attention to you, your children and your pets.

 Requirements for the Service Plan

• Identifying your Lifestyle
• Learning what service means to you
• Simple organization throughout your home
• Recruiting and hiring local housekeeping staff
• Identifying your priorities
• Customizing zoning and task sheets for cleaning and maintenance
• Customizing Day in the Life schedules

 

Many Things to Consider for Newly Hired Household Manager

There are important variables to consider when defining a position which can include management, cooking, housekeeping, laundry, errands, vendors, entertainment, children and/or guests.

It is imperative that the prospective employer clearly define the expectations of a newly hired Household Manager. Be prepared to be flexible in setting quarterly and annual goals which, over time, may be tailored to better support long-term dedication and loyal service.

Quality of Life

What “Will” it Take to Create Your Quality of Life?

The Sample Service Matrix below represents a 13,000 square foot home with an additional 5,000 square feet of patio and pool area. This home includes collectibles, art, china, crystal, chandeliers, antiques and very high housekeeping standards. There are 2 children, 3 automobiles and 3 pets, and grandparents who visit monthly. The family would like to experience gracious interaction with staff, quality healthy foods and a meticulously kept home ready for entertaining and receiving guests at all times.

The Housekeeping base line is calculated by taking the number of cleanable square feet (18,000) and multiplying it by 2 (hours per 1,000 sq. ft.) which equates to 36 housekeeping hours. However, in this case, the household variables such as housekeeping standards and family size, require an increase of housekeeping hours to 66.

The Service Matrix Service Standards Household Standards   HM Chef Hskpr1 Hskpr2 Grnds Total Administrative Standards (Negotiate/Manage all vendors/staff) 20         20 Housekeeping Standards (w/ Kitchen, Garage and Patio) 5 10 13 30 8 66 Culinary Standards (Varied diets within family, 2 meals daily) 5 30       35 Clothing Standards (Laundry, Closet Organization, Packing)     25 10   35 Entertaining Standards (Dinners w/ Friends and/or Children) 10 10       20 Property & Grounds Standards (Landscaped Grounds, Pool)         30 30 Maintenance Standards (Smart Home Technology)         4 4 Transportation Standards (Detail Cars, Driving Children) 4     4 6 14 Safety & Protection Standards (Low Profile Family) 2       2 4 Child Care Standards (Monitoring Pre-teens) 2     4   6 Elder Care Standards (Guest Room Set-up and Amenities)     4     4 Guest Care Standards (Gift Purchase, Daily Visitors) 2   5     7 Pet Care Standards (2 Dogs, 1 Cat)     3 2   5 Total Regular Weekly Hours 50 50 50 50 50 250

Each household must define their individual Service Standards in order to calculate the number of work hours necessary to meet their expectations.  If an Employer expects employees to work more than 50 hours weekly, the employee will quickly determine that the expectation level of the employer is not realistically manageable.

 Building Your Best

Often, employers don’t realize the time and effort required to provide the level of service their lifestyle requires.

Remember, Private Service Employees should not be expected to know everything about their position within the first few weeks of hiring. Neither should they be expected to work 50+ hours a week; this creates burnout. All professionals need time to regroup and regenerate. Be considerate of their time and the skills they bring to the position.

Building your Service Management Plan takes time, good research, assessment, writing, and planning. Employers need to allow their Household Managers time to adequately build this plan.

Essential Relationship Tips for Success

Most importantly, if you want them to “think like you,” you have to train them “how you think.”

Household Managers are Service Hearts. They want to make a difference in your life. It’s who they are.

Schedule weekly communication meetings, follow an agenda, monitor successful service accomplishments, and address behaviors and work styles that are not successful in your environment.

If you are not certain what you want, position your HM as the “Person of Possibilities.” Make it an adventure in learning what you like and what is important to you.

There are no wrong answers.

Provide written instructions and excellent verbal communication between yourself and the new employee regarding your needs, expectations, preferences and duties.

Acknowledge efforts and successes. Learn through time to trust their experience and expertise.

Make salaries commensurate with the National Scale. There are not enough trained professionals to meet the current needs of the Luxury Market.

If you are having difficulty defining your desired level of service, a Starkey Site Visit can provide you with an in-home assessment.