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The Insider's Guide to Household Staffing

by David M. Gonzalez

121 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0416; ISBN 1-55369-603-4; US$15.50, C$20.25, EUR13.20, £9.20

A reference guide for Private Service Professionals and Household Employers.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book The management and care of estates and fine homes around the world is a little known career that has grown toward professional status in recent years. With the boom in wealth over the past decade, many large, new homes have been built and many families have raised their standards of living to the "Luxury" class. As with the grand estates and palaces of royalty and "old money" families, these new homes can be overwhelming in size and complexity. In order to create a comfortable environment and enjoy properties of this size, a professional service staff is required. The Insider's Guide to Household Staffing provides a detailed look into the employment process for private homes. The top positions for managing household service are discussed in detail including job functions, salary range, and profiles of current industry professionals. In addition, employers will discover where and how to find experienced applicants for the main positions in the home, as well as how to conduct the search, interview, and hiring steps. Domestic employment candidates will learn the important factors an employer considers for a new hire and understand how to improve their chances of being selected among other applicants. Also covered is the role of an employment agency in the search and hiring process with advice for employers and applicants considering using one. The Insider's Guide to Household Staffing is a must read for anyone involved with today's domestic service industry. Whether staffing a home or searching for a position within one, the information presented in the guide will build your understanding of how employers and employees come together in the service relationship. The guide will also interest anyone who wants a peek inside a little known but rapidly growing field with great potential as a career.

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About the Author Business Owner and former Estate Manager/Personal Assistant David Gonzalez is President of Domestic Placement Network, an agency for staffing exclusive households nationwide. David's insight into home management spans several years of personal interaction with celebrity and high profile families around the world, as well as small business development and marketing in several industries. He lives in Ojai, CA with his wife and business partner Lea.

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Sample Excerpts

Introduction

This book was written based on the daily operation and concerns of a Domestic Employment Agency. It was my intention to elaborate on the information we give to clients and candidates each day while trying to create successful employment situations. Our business is simply an exchange of information, and the proper gathering and sharing of that information is what makes a good placement. This book should be used as a general guide by anyone involved in the private service employment process, whether as employee, employer, or agent. Some of the information will be relevant to your situation, and some will not. However, with a more complete understanding of each party's concerns, wants, needs, and challenges, it will be easier to see from the other's perspective and work toward a win-win relationship form the very start. For many of the topics in the guide there are not 100% correct answers, and it will be easy to find several people who disagree on each point. Our goal is to present a well-rounded compilation of the most common and widely accepted terms and standards as they apply to domestic services in the United States today. The information comes from a number of sources including long-time domestic staff, professional staffing agencies, clients, and my own experience in the homes of celebrities and wealthy families around the world. No matter what your purpose is for reading this book, you should be able to take away some useful knowledge that will apply to your future success in a private service career, as an employer of household staff, or as a placement agent.

Private Service Staff have many titles, roles, and functions within the employer's home. They include every task from washing dishes to coordinating the purchase, remodel, and decoration of multiple, international properties. In larger homes (approx. 15k sq. ft. plus) there usually exists a greater need for structured management in addition to the service personnel. These are situations where owners are no longer capable of overseeing the staff or simply have chosen to pay someone else to take on the responsibility. It is at the management or expert level where lengthy experience is invaluable, and proper staffing can determine the overall comfort level of the owners.

In this guide we are concerned with the home that requires a more structured staff. Though there are many positions holding equal importance within a home, our focus is on the management and skilled professional level jobs. These include:

• Estate Managers
• Butlers
• House Managers
• Personal Assistants
• Private Chefs
• Domestic Couples

Other titles and positions will be briefly covered as "support staff". Though not the main focus of the guide, all of the advice presented for employers and employees will apply equally to any private service job.

CHAPTER 2:

Household Staff - Job Descriptions and Functions.

Estate Manager

Title

Estate Manager is the most widely used term in the business. Most candidates with a bit of experience running a household will mistakenly call themselves an Estate Manager. Likewise, other terms can be confused with it such as Majordomo, House Manager, and Butler. However, with a clear picture of the Estate Manager's functions it is easy to see who truly fits the position. A common abbreviation for those in the industry is "EM".

Environment

Estate Managers are common in households of 15,000 square feet and larger, and especially in estates with multiple properties, extensive grounds, elaborate art, antique, and wine collections, or complex technology.

Functions

Estate Manager is the top level in the household. He or she works directly with the owners to plan and execute the overall management of property and service. Where there are large or multiple homes the Estate Manager is the "C.E.O." of the organization, carrying out the wishes of the owner at each location. Estate Managers typically set the service standard and are responsible for the hiring, training, and ongoing management of staff required to meet the service needs of the household. In addition to personnel management, the administrative functions are many. All related financial matters including accounting, budgets, and payroll normally pass through the EM's hands. Based on the size of the property the Estate Manager may wear many other hats. Common tasks include screening and overseeing outside vendors, contractors, construction projects, maintenance of pools, landscaping, autos, yachts, private planes, etc. With multiple properties, most EM's travel ahead of their employer to get a property ready for their arrival and bring the staff up to speed on any necessary changes or service requirements. An Estate Manager may also be called upon to plan and execute events for the owner. This could range from a simple dinner for eight to a grand, formal gathering for eight hundred. The level of "hands-on" involvement can vary from full participation in gardening and cleaning to strictly office based administrator.

Qualification

The top Estate Managers in the industry are some of the most well rounded workers that can be found anywhere. The unique combination required to succeed in this position is rarely found in other professions. Important abilities include:

• Highest level of personal service experience with private families and/or individuals.
• Well educated in luxury items such as fine art and antiques.
• Proper social etiquette and cultural knowledge.
• Acute business skills in areas of finance, computers, planning, and organization.
• Human resources management.
• Independent and team project management.
• Creative and intuitive thinking and problem solving.
• Very resourceful.
• Negotiating skills.

Above all, the right person for the job will be adaptable to the standards and desires of the employer. Execution of plans and tasks can be taught and developed with a basic skill set, but only those who are truly "in synch" with their boss and environment will succeed for the long term.

Compensation

Typical salary range is $60,000 - $150,000. Some Estate Managers in service for many years or with specialized project skills can earn upwards of $250,000. Additional benefits may include fully paid housing, automobile, insurance, paid travel, clothing allowance, and more.

Profile: Barbara Bradley, Estate Manager

During my five years' working for a Royal Family as Estate Manager of two very large homes, my job duties and responsibilities included the following:

• Set up a computerized bookkeeping system & designed forms where none existed
• Created Annual Budgets for multi-million dollar properties
• Had responsibility for security & day to day operations of two large estates
• Supervised, trained & did hiring/firing for a staff of 38
• Paid all house bills & kept accurate records of expenses averaging $240,000/month
• Kept detailed petty cash records of daily grocery shopping averaging $1,000/day
• Processed payroll
• Protected the privacy & identity of the VIPs
• Managed the housekeeping, kitchen, maintenance & landscaping staff
• Organized social events
• Handled all DMV, insurance & maintenance for 8-10 high performance vehicles
• Oversaw all vendor work including roofing, pool care, plumbing, electric, appliance repair, refrigeration, pest control, limestone/marble repair, painting and dog training
• Facilitated communication between drivers & security to coordinate service for VIPs
• Managed the care & training for a variety of family pets
• Oversaw new construction projects
• Arranged strategically placed floral displays
• Created artistic in-house TV brochures, welcome cards & digital photo displays

How I Got Started

Although I arrived at Estate Management through a series of seeming coincidences, I believe I was born to do this work. I answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times looking for someone with Property Management experience on large properties. My 15 years as a Property Manager in multi-family housing managing as many as 859 units qualified me for an interview. The rest, as they say, is history.

What I Like Most

I love the variety of the work in Estate Management. Each day brings a unique combination of regular duties and surprises that I find exhilarating. No two days are the same and there is no chance to be bored. I enjoy switching from administrative / organizational mode to creative mode to "people" mode to emergency mode... all at the drop of a hat. I also have a strong desire to serve, so this work is very rewarding for me.

Important Skills & Abilities for Success

One of the most important skills to develop for success in Estate Management is the ability to be flexible. If your employer makes a 180° change right in the middle of a project, you must be able to make one just as quickly, while maintaining a cheerful attitude. For example, let's say your employer wishes to have a sunroom added and you have 3 weeks to have the project completed.

By the end of the first week you have found the best price for the best Sun Room, ordered the installation and selected the floor covering and furniture, all to be ready on schedule. At the start of the second week your employer has decided to have a more permanent structure added in place of the Sun Room, without extending the deadline. You must immediately start from scratch to accomplish this goal, implementing a 12 to 18 hour work schedule, if necessary. It is important to keep your sense of humor as you cancel all the sunroom plans.

Additional Important Skills

Good organizational skills are essential if you are to be an effective Estate Manager. You must have your office and files set up in such a way that you are able to locate immediately any piece of information that might be needed. It is up to you to keep an accurate, up-to-date record of the management of your Employer's property.

Equally important are your people skills. You are required to be cheerful, courteous and respectful to your Employer, other staff members, vendors, etc., at all times --- even when you are not feeling particularly cheerful, courteous or respectful.

To be a good Estate Manager you must never forget your loyalty to your Employer. It is essential that you are constantly aware of your responsibility to protect your Employer's privacy. One way for you to do this is to never pass along personal or financial information about your Employer.

Accuracy in all financial matters is paramount. Your Employer will depend on your ability to be accurate and honest in all financial affairs.

Adaptability is an important skill to develop. Whichever way your Employer would like a task to be handled --- that is the correct way.

Your ability to prioritize will be called upon daily. You must be able to know when it is time to do work on your usual weekly and monthly deadlines and when it is time to work on a new project that has it's own deadline.

You will need to keep yourself physically fit so that you can personally inspect all areas of the property and to check on the quality of work performed.

It is important that you set a good example to other staff regarding work ethic. If you expect others to be on time for work, you must be on time yourself. In addition, you will have to keep yourself motivated to do a good job if you expect to motivate others.

Finally, once you cultivate your sense of humor, even the 'crazy days' will become enjoyable.

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Catalogue Information

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