I want to add some tasks - such as housecleaning - to my employee's job responsibilities.

How Can I Do This In A Fair Way?

Whenever you need to alter or expand a worker’s job, the best approach is to sit down with them, explain the new tasks and what additional pay you’re offering, and ask if she can agree to the changes. It’s good to be prepared that they might say no, and you will need to figure out another way to get those tasks done. If they are open to it and you have a written work agreement, you can talk together about how it would be modified to reflect the revised job.

What can help: If you are in the hiring process and you think it’s possible you’ll want to expand the job down the line, it’s a good idea to forecast such future needs and discuss how flexible a worker can or can’t be. For example, not all workers are willing to take on house cleaning and it is better to know this in the beginning of the relationship.

Compensation: When the worker takes on new responsibilities, you should calculate how much time per day they will be spending on these tasks, and make sure to pay her for the extra time they will be working.