Domestic helps are not Sahayaks: Military Officers need to exercise caution

Choose your domestic help with care- by T A Santhana Raman 03 Apr 2010
In all metro and other big cities, life becomes a stand still without the domestic help. The reason for searching a dometic help are umpteen.

Modern sophisticated life, shifting from joint family system to micro family structure, both members taking job assignments, choosing posh living system, spouse's novice nature to cooking, for taking care of the young ones, grown up sons and daughters settling abroad leaving the senior parents helpless may be some strong supporting reasons. Self-boasting nature of women having too many domestic servants is the order of the day. Your prestige and grade in your friends' circle is based on the number of servants you have and you are highly rated! I heard my niece conversing with her friend that she was unable to maintain the house in spite of having four servants(in New Delhi). Her remark was with a punch of elation.

A close circuit and well-knit family taking care of themselves is far better than going for servants. It is very difficult to get sincere, honest, caring and duty-bound ones, for, it is a short-lived contractual relationship that cannot last long. Current scenerio witnesses these prospective helpers are greedy to the core, dishonest, viloent and of unsound mind mostly. They are further pretentitious.

It is highly essential for us to verify the credentials of the servant well in advance before employment. Many gory incidents have taken place throughout the country....senior citizens (including military officers families) baterred with iron rods and killed, servants decamping with jewellery and cash, kidnapping the children for ransom, cases like Aarushi's, drugging the inmates and killing for petty quarrels and abuses, single males misbehaving with servants in teens.

If one hires a servant just like picking up a displayed item in the mall things would turn very difficult for him/ her. It is always wise to check the antecedents of domestic help to be on the safer side. The necessity is many of them are chosen from the floating populace to the urban and suburban areas or from the migrants group about whom our knowledge and info is zero. It lands the police department into a helpless situation and tiresome hunt for them once incedents take place.

There are some suggestive steps in this angle:
1. Never hire any servant before you come to know about him/ her even if your relatives or friends recommend.
2. Do not sympathise with their look/ appearance. They may be the best actors if consigned to the Bollywood.
3. When someone is suggested, demnd their papers and pass on the papers and the servants to the nearest police station for verification.
4. Never keep them even for a day without a nod from the police.
5. Fix their wages and other non-monetory concessions well in advance. Dont deviate from that norm even if you feel impressed that they deserve more than your offer.
6. Avoid discussing your financial position in their presence whatsoever.....like leaving your debit/ credit cards unattended, leaving your cheque books, bank pass books, property documents to their reach. This might lure them to vulnerable indisposition.
7. Avoid doldrums from your end on the landline or cells when they are at work.
8. Never let them know your daily chores or itineray.
9. Don't keep servants for overnight stay. It may result in problems rather than of any help.
10. Especially married women, dont encourage the servants talking about your spouses or make them follow the husbands like the CID sleuths. This will demean your dignity and can be misuesd by the servants to blackmail you for gains.
11. Keep the servants at a distance and show them their place. Never entertain any of their relatives or friends in your flats.
12. Keep in touch with the police officers and make a request to them to monitor their movements periodically.
13. While going for shopping with them, dont allow allow them a chance to sneak into your fat wallet.
14. Keep all your safe lockers shut and dont allow the keys hanging.
15. Above all dont entertain them talking to you about your neighbours in any manner, because they may be doing so similarly with them. It may result in the estrangement and you may miss the neighbours' valuable help at the time of crises.

Finally it may be wise to keep changing them after a reasonable time because the intimacy developed results in crimes and you may be caught in them unaware! Good Day and Good Luck!!!
Choose your domestic help with care

Precaution: Domestic servants form the main intelligence source for the thugs and criminals. Information regarding your travel/ shopping plans or absence from home is passed on by cell phones to enable criminals to take advantage. Many couples proceeding on journeys for weddings/ shopping and other social functions have been robbed at the Railway Platforms, Bus Stands or driving their cars. Veterans need to be doubly cautious of Home Security. Installation of a security camera in the house is an wise option for those employing domestic servants and personal drivers.