Contact Us
icon-facebook icon-twitter
icon-search
Hand In Hand Logo
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Press
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Become a member
  • Where We Work
    • California
    • Connecticut
    • New York
    • New Jersey
    • Philadelphia
    • Virgina
    • Washington
    • Washington D.C.
    • National Campaigns
  • What We Do
    • Our Work
    • Domestic Workers Rights
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Affordable Support
    • Fair Care Homes
    • Disability Justice
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Employer Resources
    • Sample Contracts
    • The Employer Checklist
    • Research & Policy
Donate
MENU
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Press
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Become a member
  • Where We Work
    • California
    • Connecticut
    • New York
    • New Jersey
    • Philadelphia
    • Virgina
    • Washington
    • Washington D.C.
    • National Campaigns
  • What We Do
    • Our Work
    • Domestic Workers Rights
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Affordable Support
    • Fair Care Homes
    • Disability Justice
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Employer Resources
    • Sample Contracts
    • The Employer Checklist
    • Research & Policy
Hand In Hand Logo
Donate
Quick Links

Resources for Washington 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 Washington can be a fair workplace. Thank you for doing your part.

Know the Laws

Pay attention to laws that are put in place to protect domestic workers and serve as a guide to employers as well.

  • Understanding the Seattle Domestic Workers Standards Ordinance
  • Seattle’s Fair Employment Practices Ordinance
  • WA Paid Sick and Safe Time
  • Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time

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.

Employer Checklist

Create a work relationship that is mutually beneficial and supportive. Employer Checklist

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.

  • Seattle Nanny Share Work Agreement
  • National Nanny Share Work Agreement
  • Seattle Childcare Work Agreement 
  • National Childcare Work Agreement

Staying Safe during COVID-19 

  • Nanny Employer FAQ’s During COVID
  • Nanny Employer Checklist During COVID
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.

  • Seattle Home Attendant Agreement 
  • National Home Attendant Agreement 

Staying Safe during COVID-19 

  • Managing Home Attendants/Caregivers During COVID
  • Home Attendant Checklist During COVID 
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.

  • Seattle House Cleaner Work Agreement 
  • National House Cleaner Work Agreement 

Staying Safe during COVID-19 

  • House Cleaner Employer Checklist During COVID

Are you the best employer you can be?

Use the Employer Checklist to find out!

Start the Checklist

Recent Blog Posts

  • Can you choose your nanny’s religion?

    by Emily Louange, Founder & CEO, Via the Village Religion and politics. Eek. Two topics most steer clear of in …
  • NY makes record investments in home care; its nowhere close to enough

    Hand in Hand, as part of the New York Caring Majority (NYCM) coalition fought tirelessly this budget season to pass …
  • Gretchen and Jim Sandler Give 15,000 in Challenge Grants

    Your donation will be matched by this grant. Donate today!   As longtime supporters of Hand in Hand, Gretchen and Jim …

Contact Us

[email protected]

Hand In Hand

45 Broadway, Suite 320
New York, NY 10006

Core Partners


Facebook Feed

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Echoing Ai-jen Poo in recognizing Steve Way and Stephanie Land for using your brilliance and popularity to amplify why we need a #nationaldomesticworkersbillofrights! National Domestic Workers Alliance #CareCantWait #CareIsEssential ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
Echoing Ai-jen Poo in recognizing Steve Way and Stephanie Land for using your brilliance and popularity to amplify why we need a #nationaldomesticworkersbillofrights! National Domestic Workers Alliance #CareCantWait #CareIsEssentialImage attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 8
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

"Ninety-two percent of domestic workers are women, and 57 percent of them are Black, Hispanic, Asian American, or Pacific Islander. We entrust the safety and cleanliness of our homes to Latin American workers, who make up 62 percent of house cleaners. Whether they maintain our house, care for our elders, or watch our children, there is a wide and long-standing gap between the wages of domestic workers and all other workers in America. Whereas the median wage for workers in this country is nearly $20 an hour, it is barely $12 for domestic workers. The gap is widest for nannies—97 percent of whom are women—who earn a median of just $11.60 an hour. And although the cost of living has steadily risen, domestic workers’ wages have remained mostly stagnant for decades."

#CareCantWait we need a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights NOW! Call your representatives and ask them to support the passage of a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and invest in Home and Community Based Services 844-338-5133 ☎️
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

The Most Essential Work, the Lowest Pay

www.theatlantic.com

American capitalism relies on free and cheap domestic labor. Our economic systems cannot be truly equitable and just unless we compensate care work fairly.
3 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 5
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Summer break is almost here! Do you have travel plans ready or are starting to think about them? Planning to travel with (or without) your child's nanny? Here are 4 ways to travel respectfully with a nanny:

✈ 1: Make sure all travel in which the nanny is asked to accompany your family is mutually agreed upon.

✈ 2: When traveling, compensate the nanny at an additional rate.

✈ 3: Provide the nanny with her own accommodations for the trip.

✈ 4: If the nanny doesn’t accompany you on your trip, pay her for the time.

For more information and to get a sample contract, visit https://domesticemployers.org/resources-and-faqs/…
... See MoreSee Less

4 days ago
Summer break is almost here! Do you have travel plans ready or are starting to think about them? Planning to travel with (or without) your childs nanny? Here are 4 ways to travel respectfully with a nanny:

✈ 1: Make sure all travel in which the nanny is asked to accompany your family is mutually agreed upon.

✈ 2: When traveling, compensate the nanny at an additional rate.

✈ 3: Provide the nanny with her own accommodations for the trip.

✈ 4: If the nanny doesn’t accompany you on your trip, pay her for the time.

For more information and to get a sample contract, visit https://domesticemployers.org/resources-and-faqs/templates/?source=socialImage attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

I’ve loved volunteering with Hand In Hand these past 5 or 6 years, they are an upstanding organization working to combat ableism and racism while uplifting domestic work on both sides; worker and employer.Hand in Hand is hiring for a Disability & Elder Justice Organizer! [Image Description: Three people seated in wheelchairs, one holding a sign with the text "IHSS Workers and Consumers United!!" and one person standing behind holding a banner with text "Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network"] ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago
I’ve loved volunteering with Hand In Hand these past 5 or 6 years, they are an upstanding organization working to combat ableism and racism while uplifting domestic work on both sides; worker and employer.
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 1
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Hand in Hand, alongside our #LTSS4ALL campaign partners, is at the CA State Capitol today dropping off letters in support of investments in universal family care and funding to resource Long Term Services & Supports (LTSS) for Californians.

"We want bread and roses in the form of fair wages, dignity for caregivers, and the freedom to work without sacrificing good care for our loved ones."

Sign the petition in support for higher wages for IHSS providers: https://secure.everyaction.com/myDiyRYQX0q3CeYYOLd…

Caring Across Generations California Work & Family Coalition
... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago
Hand in Hand, alongside our #LTSS4ALL campaign partners, is at the CA State Capitol today dropping off letters in support of investments in universal family care and funding to resource Long Term Services & Supports (LTSS) for Californians. 

We want bread and roses in the form of fair wages, dignity for caregivers, and the freedom to work without sacrificing good care for our loved ones.

Sign the petition in support for higher wages for IHSS providers: https://secure.everyaction.com/myDiyRYQX0q3CeYYOLd-TQ2/?ms=FB_HIH

Caring Across Generations California Work & Family Coalition
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 2
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Facebook graphic twitter graphic instagram graphic

© 2022 Hand In Hand

Privacy Policy | Terms |