Hiring maids and yayas today is made easy by social media and legitimate maid agencies. But despite this, there are still employers out there who are being scammed by bad maids. Because of this, we would like to share some helpful tips to avoid incidents like this through proper background checking.
Whether your hiring direct or through an agency, we believe that all employers should resort to proper vetting for the safety of their families. Here are some steps every employer should follow just to be safe.
Step 1. Ask for their resume or application form and Valid IDs.
If you are hiring direct, ask for a resume or make them fill out an application form for your consideration. If your maid comes from an agency, ask for their personal date sheet so you can check their information. Valid IDs can help verify these information so make sure to create copies when you hire these maids for your protection.
Through your interview with your prospect maid, make sure to verify information given. Repeating questions asked in the information sheet like, complete name, what their address is, who is their spouse, previous employer, can assure you that they know what they wrote.
If they do not want to fill out or give any resume, they are uneasy during their interview, not aware of what they wrote, or they aren't divulging information needed, consider these as red flags.
Step 2. Call up references like family, relatives, friends, co-workers, past employers.
Calling references is great for background checking your maids, especially when hiring direct. This is where you can check everything, e.g. information given to you, current status of your maid (good, bad, issues, runaway, etc.). Also make sure to inform the reference that the person in subject is applying with you as a Kasambahay.
If your applicant does not want to provide references, even if it is just family or friends, you should be weary and this should be treated as a red flag. Issues and objections by references or even the applicant is a sign of not being transparent.
Step 3. Check their social media.
Majority, if not all applicants, are on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, especially the younger generation. Their social accounts usually serve as diaries and may be used a reference for their application. Previous engagements, work, among others can be seen from these.
Not having social media accounts, having multiple social media accounts in one platform, using different names for multiple accounts in one platform, social media account is new, are among suspicious activities that should be treated as red flags. Inquire why this is the setup and use your better judgement when dealing with this issue.
Step 4. Ask for an updated Barangay, Police or NBI clearances.
Keep in mind that their Barangay clearance should come from where they actually live. Sometimes, this is also the case for their police clearance but for their NBI, this may be applied for anywhere since it comes from a national database. Make sure that these clearances are updated, not more than 6 months old.
When verifying these clearances, the Barangay and Police have contact numbers on them. The NBI on the other hand can be verified online to make sure that they are legitimate clearances and not fake.
No clearances and does not want to get one? Red flag.
Step 5. Ask for updated medical clearances and vaccination cards.
With the ongoing pandemic, it is important that your new maid is healthy. Make sure by getting them checked or if they have medical clearances, make sure it is updated. An updated chest x-ray result, Hepatits B screening, and recent COVID-19 test result would help you avoid contagious disease coming into your homes.
If they present to you their medical, call up their clinic or diagnostic center to check if they are legit and if the results are recent as it says it is.
If they do not want to get checked, this is clearly a sign that there is something wrong. For your family's safety, this is a red flag that should make you reconsider their application.
It is also important to learn if they have been vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. This can save you from trouble if ever you employ them. Being vaccinated can lessen serious implications caused by the virus. Be sure that your family is vaccinated and boosted as well!
Step 6. Search their names on Google or local Facebook groups about maids and yayas.
Because we are in the digital age, names can easily be checked on search engines like Google. You'd be surprise with the information they can gather. Another source you can check is Facebook groups, the ones like Bad Maids, can let you know right away if you have a maid who has a record.
Unsearchable? Well that's a good thing. Found a record? Confront them with this and see whether it should be a cause for concern. Keep in mind, not everything found on the net is true so be fair.
In summary, red flags are cause for concern and should be worth considering when hiring your maids and yayas. Also, take note that verifying past employers is hard since past employers don't usually give out numbers to their maids. Don't worry though, bad maids usually are posted in social media or have records in legitimate agencies, best to check them out there.
In the end, if you have found a maid or yaya with a perfect record, good for you! But please stay vigilant at home. Our helpers are people too and people are prone to making mistakes. So avoid habits that can tempt them to do bad things, e.g. leaving valuables where everyone can see. It's better to be safe than sorry!
"Diligence is the mother of good fortune." - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Was this helpful? Want to know more regarding maids? Visit us at www.housemaids.ph for more information on hiring help in Metro Manila. Comment and let us know if you want us to tackle issues regarding Kasambahays!
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