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Resources for California Domestic Employers

  • Guidance for All Employers
  • Guidance for Nanny Employers
  • Guidance for Home Attendant Employers
  • Guidance for House Cleaner Employers
Guidance for All Employers

Guidance for All Employers

We know it can be overwhelming to understand what the best practices are when employing someone in your home. At Hand in Hand, we’re committed to providing resources and guidance so that every home in California can be a fair workplace. Thank you for doing your part.

Communicating with the Worker in Your Home

Open and respectful communication is at the heart of any good relationship. Below are some communication best practices for creating a positive employment relationship with the nanny, house cleaner, and home attendant that supports you in your home.

  • Communication Best Practices
  • Having Difficult Conversations
  • Approaching Difficult Conversations During COVID-19

Paying A Fair Wage

We rely on the people we hire in our homes for care and support, in turn its important to pay a fair wage. Learn more…

Establishing Paid Time Off

Time off — including medical and sick leave — will ensure that your employee is rested and healthy and ready to do their job well.

Here are some guiding principles around offering paid time off:

  • For full-time employees, provide at least 5 paid sick days per year; and for part-time employees, 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
  • For full-time employees, provide at least 2 weeks of paid vacation per year; and for part-time employees, 1 hour for every 20 hours worked.
  • Any unused vacation should be paid out as additional pay when the agreement comes up for an annual review or when the worker leaves the job- whichever the employee and employer agree to.
  • Provide the standard 8 paid government holidays or agreed upon holidays of the employee’s choice. If an employee agrees to work on any of these holidays, they should be compensated one-and-a-half times their usual hourly rate.
  • Try to provide at least 6 weeks of paid family or medical leave, with guaranteed employment upon return.

Sign the Fair Care Pledge

Commit to fair employment practices. Take the Fair Care Pledge Today!

Guidance for Nanny Employers

Guidance for Nanny Employers

Hiring

So you’ve decided that you are going to hire a nanny, congratulations!  Check out our helpful Interview Tips to make the process successful.

Contracts/Agreements

Establishing a contract or written agreement is a fundamental part of a good working relationship with your nanny. Our sample work agreements are designed to guide you through the process and are meant to be customized to your needs.

  • Childcare Work Agreement
  • Nanny Share Work Agreement
  • Nanny Agreement During COVID-19 (English)
  • Nanny Agreement During COVID (Spanish)
  • Tips for a Putting Together a Successful Nanny Share in California

Timesheets

California law categorizes domestic workers into two categories— personal attendants and non-personal attendants. Nannies generally fall under the personal attendant category, however we’ve included both timesheets below.

  • Timesheet for Personal Attendants (most used for Nannies)
  • Timesheet for Non-Personal Attendants

Legal Requirements

California was one of the first states in the country to provide legal rights and protections to domestic workers! The documents below are to help you make sure you are complying with the law. Please note, these are the minimum requirements not best practices. For best practices, please refer to the work agreements above!

  • California Domestic Worker Employer Legal Responsibilities
  • California Overtime Rules
  • Frequently Asked Questions for California Domestic Employers with Live-in or 24-Hour Shift Employees
  • San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Requirements for Domestic Employers

Staying Safe during COVID-19 & Natural Disaster Guidelines

  • Nanny Employer FAQ’s During COVID
  • Nanny Employer Checklist During COVID
  • Fire Season Guidelines
Guidance for Home Attendant Employers

Guidance for Home Attendant Employers

Hiring

Hiring for home care can be a complex process.  People with disabilities, older adults, and their supporters must navigate an array of agencies, evaluate needs, and find qualified attendants.  The process is often overwhelming, especially when individuals or families find themselves at the beginning of this journey. We’ve compiled a few resources to help you during the hiring process:

  • Interview Tips
  • Ableism and Ageism Factsheet
  • Hiring through a Home Care Agency

Contracts/Agreements

Establishing a contract or written agreement is a fundamental part of a good working relationship with the home attendant/s you employ. Our sample home attendant agreement is designed to guide you through the process; feel free to customize it so that it meets your needs.

Timesheets

California law categorizes domestic workers into two categories— personal attendants and non-personal attendants. Home Attendants generally fall under the personal attendant category, however we’ve included both timesheets below.

  • Timesheet for Personal Attendants (most used for Home Attendants)
  • Timesheet for Non-Personal Attendants

Legal Requirements

California was one of the first states in the country to provide legal rights and protections to domestic workers! The documents below are to help you make sure you are complying with the law. Please note, these are the minimum requirements, not best practices. For best practices, please refer to the work agreements above!

  • California Domestic Worker Employer Legal Responsibilities
  • California Overtime Rules
  • Frequently Asked Questions for California Domestic Employers with Live-in or 24-Hour Shift Employees
  • San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Requirements for Domestic Employers

Staying Safe during COVID-19 & Natural Disaster Guidelines

  • Managing Home Attendants/Caregivers During COVID
  • Home Attendant Checklist During COVID 
  • Fire Season Guidelines
Guidance for House Cleaner Employers

Guidance for House Cleaner Employers

Hiring

So you’ve decided that you are going to hire a house cleaner, congratulations!  Check out our helpful interview tips to make the process successful.

Contracts/Agreements

Establishing a contract or written agreement is a fundamental part of a good working relationship with the house cleaner/s you employ. Our sample house cleaner agreement is designed to guide you through the process, and it includes options for people that employ house cleaners full-time; feel free to customize it so that it meets your needs.

Timesheets

California law categorizes domestic workers into two categories— personal attendants and non-personal attendants. House cleaners generally fall under the non-personal attendant category, however we’ve included both timesheets below.

  • Timesheet for Non-Personal Attendants  (most used for house cleaners)
  • Timesheet for Personal Attendants

Legal Requirements

California was one of the first states in the country to provide legal rights and protections to domestic workers! The documents below are to help you make sure you are complying with the law. Please note, these are the minimum requirements, not best practices. For best practices, please refer to the work agreement above.

  • California Domestic Worker Employer Legal Responsibilities
  • California Overtime Rules
  • Frequently Asked Questions for California Domestic Employers with Live-in or 24-Hour Shift Employees
  • San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Requirements for Domestic Employers

Staying Safe during COVID-19 & Natural Disaster Guidelines

  • House Cleaner Employer Checklist During COVID
  • Fire Season Guidelines

Are you the best employer you can be?

Use the Employer Checklist to find out!

Start the Checklist

Recent Blog Posts

  • A Simple How-To Guide: Annual Evaluations for Employers of Caregivers/Attendants

    Managing caregivers or personal attendants doesn’t have to be difficult! When we intentionally set up systems of communication, we create …
  • Getting the Support I Need to Help my Disabled Son Become his Most Fulfilled Self

    This article originally appeared in Parent co.    When I was 18, I took a workshop for Latinx college students. We …
  • Tips to Employ Nannies and Other Domestic Workers During COVID-19

    This article originally appeared in ParentMap.  As parents and guardians know, the pandemic has pulled back the curtain on the often invisible, …

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"Investing in policies like paid leave, child care, and home- and community-based services would not only improve the quality of caregiving jobs and reduce families’ stress, but would also help more unpaid caregivers – most of whom are women – join the labor force. And increasing the labor supply would bring counter-inflationary pressures to the economy."

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Investing in Caregiving: An Equitable Way to Reduce Inflation

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Better paid leave and child care policies can help the economy while easing the burden on women and families.
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"Building a good relationship with your nanny is critical to ensuring that your home is a place where you, your child and the nanny you employ can be your best selves."

Check out these 3 tips to ensure that relationship thrives from Hand in Hand National Organizer, Erica Sklar 👇
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3 Ways to Have A Great Partnership With Your Nanny

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Building a good relationship with your nanny is critical to ensuring that your home is a place where you, your child and your nanny can be your best selves.
20 hours ago
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Calling all elders, people with disabilities, family caregivers and long-term care workers! Join us and our partners at the Long-term Services and Supports for All Grassroots Coalition this Friday, 7/8 at 12pm PDT for a statewide call bringing together all of us who are ready to build a future where all Californians can live, age and work with dignity! #LTSS4All

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"In the last seven years, the city of Seattle has settled nearly 1,000 cases where employers agreed to pay wages owed to their workers at a total of more than $24 million."

Enforcement of the laws which protect domestic workers is crucial! We love to see it Domestic Workers Standards Board and Seattle Office of Labor Standards 🙌
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Seattle domestic worker awarded over $71,000 in first-of-its-kind settlement

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The city's Domestic Workers Ordinance was passed on July 1, 2019, to protect nannies, house cleaners, gardeners and cooks working in private homes.
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