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Newbie needs some domestic help guidance


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Hola!

We recently moved to the area and will be having a weekly housekeeper.  I'm not sure of what's appropriate or legally required here, but have read some stuff, so I'm just going to rattle off some questions and would like to hear your thoughts.  Please chime in on things I haven't considered too!

  1. Do we provide or pay for lunch, or is that her responsibility?
  2. What about bus fare or gas?
  3. We've read about holiday, vacation, severance pay.  Should we keep track of days/hours worked to avoid future issues?  Should our housekeeper sign anything?
  4. We've read conflicting info about if we're required to pay into IMSS or not for weekly helpers.  Any insight on this?
  5. Should we have a contract?  This seems so formal to us, but if this is needed, can anyone share a sample?
  6. Any different responses for a bi-weekly gardener?
  7. What haven't we thought of or what else should we be aware of?

Muchas gracias! 

Sam

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I would recommend Spring Clean.  No hassle, no vacation pay, no Christmas bonus pay, no need to buy cleaning supplies (they supply them all), no severance pay, no IMSS coverage, only have them when you want them or do not want them.  Just pay for the service and no hassles.  We have been with Spring Clean for 4 years and would not go back to a private maid.

 

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2 minutes ago, sm1mex said:

I would recommend Spring Clean.  No hassle, no vacation pay, no Christmas bonus pay, no need to buy cleaning supplies (they supply them all), no severance pay, no IMSS coverage, only have them when you want them or do not want them.  Just pay for the service and no hassles.  We have been with Spring Clean for 4 years and would not go back to a private maid.

 

Ditto on using Spring Clean.  I've used their service for over 8 years now.  If they send someone who you aren't happy with for any reason, you just contact the lady in charge, Letitia, and someone else will replace her. Any complaints go to her and she handles them.

They are bonded and in all this time, not a thing has gone missing.  We do not give out keys to them or any other worker, so we do not have the problem some have had with relatives who aren't as honest as the person you hire and take advantage of access to house keys. Doesn't happen often, but it's best to hang on to your property keys.

Letitia speaks English ( if that's important) and her office phone is 765-2953.  Cell is 331-042-8449

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  1. Do we provide or pay for lunch, or is that her responsibility?
    1. No
  2. What about bus fare or gas?
    1. Not necessary but negotiable
  3. We've read about holiday, vacation, severance pay.  Should we keep track of days/hours worked to avoid future issues?  Should our housekeeper sign anything?
    1. She should sign every payment and it should where (your casa) show date worked and hours and for vacation pay and for alginaldo each year. Keep this pay pad till she is gone
  4. We've read conflicting info about if we're required to pay into IMSS or not for weekly helpers.  Any insight on this?
    1. Not required for this part timer
  5. Should we have a contract?  This seems so formal to us, but if this is needed, can anyone share a sample? 
    1. Probably yes but may not worth is check with abrogado
  6. Any different responses for a bi-weekly gardener?
    1. The same
  7. What haven't we thought of or what else should we be aware of?
    1. Be kind, that doesn't mean be friends. This is an employee realtionship.
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If you have a full time employee, like a gardener or security guard, do you have to provide IMSS?  I do and have no problem doing so, but lately I was told it was not necessary to do so by a property manager.

Regardless of what I learn, I shall continue paying for same.

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Why don't you talk to a lawyer. Get him to write down what your responsibilitys are, that way you can keep it for further reference.

You will get so many opinions on here you won't know which ones are correct and which ones are BS.

Quite a few years ago an acquaintance of mine employed a maid and gardener, I don't recall how many hours a week they worked, but when she decided to sell the house and return to the US the labour Union came after her for severance pay and other related monies.

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You will always be responsible for aquinaldo, vacation pay and severance pay, as required by law for your employees.  It is a fair system and we gladly paid our help when we sold and moved away.  They were loyal and trustworthey good friends, as well as employees, as were their extended families, for over a decade.  It is not onerous: The severance pay amounted to less than six dollars per month, pro-rated over those years; or about $1.50 per day.  Just plan on doing it right.

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Those benefits RVG said are about it. Those are a pittance and they sure do appreciate it. My domestic help didn't even know they were entitled. I paid double for national holiday work and she was dumbfounded, but sure did smile.

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I miss Rolly. He was very active on Mexconnect ,,a forum was much like this but for all of Mexico that used to be quite active. Sadly there are not many of us there anymore.

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Do not be confused by the word maid.  In reality it is a cleaning person.  Maids are a different category. I have been up North when I heard a person that lives here saying they had a maid, and people were amazed.  Cleaning lady definitely is not a maid.

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2 hours ago, daisy2013 said:

Do not be confused by the word maid.  In reality it is a cleaning person.  Maids are a different category. I have been up North when I heard a person that lives here saying they had a maid, and people were amazed.  Cleaning lady definitely is not a maid.

I agree. The word maid is often misused here.

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