Although it has been a tough time for everyone, we are starting to see some kind of normality across the various aspects of life. Even with the benefits of working from home, we’re all ready to get back to our routines and daily lives.
For some jobs, it’s easier than others, but for those working in other people’s homes, it’s not quite so straight forward. As well as ensuring you’re safe to enter someone else’s home, you also need to ensure you aren’t carrying or spreading CV-19 when you do so – there’s a lot to consider.
We’ve asked Private Household industry professionals for their top tips and how the households they run and work in are dealing with this. Aside from the guidance we’ve all heard about washing our hands thoroughly and not touching our faces, here’s what they had to say:
TRAVEL
If your role isn’t live-in then travel is where you should ensure you are doing everything you can to stay safe. One way to do this is to travel in and out during off-peak hours. Of course, this depends on the needs of the household but will reduce the number of people you could potentially come into contact with.
COVER UP
It almost goes without saying, but wearing a mask and gloves can help prevent the spread of CV-19. If travelling by public transport in the UK, then it is a legal requirement to wear a face-covering is a covering of any type which covers your nose and mouth, but it can also help ensure you don’t catch or spread the virus.
TEMPERATURE
If you have a thermometer, then taking your temperature each morning can be a good way to track if you may have caught the disease as one of the symptoms can be a high temperature and fever. However, this is only an indicator and always seek a medical professional’s opinion.
SANITISE
As well as placing hand sanitiser throughout the home, you can also clean all door handles with anti-bacterial wipes every few hours.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
- Where possible, have different staircases to go up and down, so people aren’t passing closely on the stairwell
- Not have physical contact, i.e. no hugging goodbye or even shaking hands
- Use different doors to enter and exit the house
- Have a quarantine area for all boxes and packages that come into the house from the outside. These can either be cleaned or left for 48 hours when the virus is believed to have disappeared from any surfaces
- Do laundry more often with towels washed daily and bed sheets every two days
- Avoid using your phone while working to curb the possibility of retaining germs that you may have come in contact with during the course of your work. It is also important to clean your phone cover with a clean sanitised cloth or tissue paper
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Avoid buffet service as this adds another step in the food serving process. Try to ensure as few chefs as possible are in the kitchen at once and the same goes for those serving the food to the family, guests and/or Principal.
Others are looking to add beverages to their beverage lists which help the immune system, ensuring the family, guests and/or Principal are as healthy as possible.
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And those are our tips for staying safe as we transition back to the real working world.
* PLEASE NOTE: These are all simply tips we’ve collated from hospitality professionals and although they act as a guide and will help – if you have any queries about the guidelines or the disease then you should check local government advice.
The latest UK government advice can be found here.
If you have any others, then we’d like to hear them. Comment on our social posts with your ideas.
If you’re looking for any Private household staff, then we have a database of incredible candidates to suit any role, residence or home. Just send us a message through our website and we’d be happy to help.
We’ve also started a podcast Working for the Rich & Famous, which features an array of guests who’ve worked in the private hospitality sector. Have a listen, watch or subscribe through our website.
Stay safe and see you soon.
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