How to run basic checks and verifications on your Nigerian Nannies ,Chefs, Housekeepers, Drivers etc.

The importance of running checks and verifications on workers by organizations cannot be overemphasized, most especially on Nigerian Domestic Workers who most of the time, have direct unfettered access to their employer’s personal spaces 24 hours daily.

We have heard of employers who had instructed their Nigerian Domestic workers to come for their first interviews with their belongings, and resume work on the same day (especially when they are under pressure seeking for a domestic worker to assist them at home, due to work/businnes stress). Employers must not fall to such temptations, irrespective of the level of stress or pressure one is under.

We have all heard scary tales of Nigerian domestic workers who commit heinous crimes against their employers for no known reason or cause, times without number. Lives and properties lost, most importantly precious lives lost.

For these reasons and more, we are going to list out various ways Nigerian employers can run basic offline checks on their Nigerian Domestic workers, so as to mitigate the unlikely.

1. GUARANTOR CHECKS:

In Nigeria, most employers require workers to provide guarantors, but most of these guarantors are not legally documented, and when documented, are not physically verified to confirm the supposed coverage on the worker.

We have seen ( several ) cases where domestic workers dubiously fill the guarantor forms themselves and submit to us, without knowing that we physical verify each guarantor provided, at the guarantors work location. ( This is our policy). We have also encountered guarantors who have been signing forms/providing guarantor coverage on domestic workers known to them, without anyone contacting or visiting them to verify their employment status at their organizations, as well as to confirm that they truly provided the guarantor coverage on that domestic worker.

Some guarantors will also renege on their offer to cover workers, once they are contacted for an appointment to visit their work locations for verification. This means that the guarantor is either not really sure of that domestic worker’s character/integrity and is beginning to falter or, he/she does not fully understand the implications of that guarantor coverage he/she signed.

Note: If any worker suggests that he/she is new in your city /state, and does not have guarantors, please reject that candidate immediately.

Employers should insist workers provide qualified and verifiable guarantors, who work in public offices or blue chip private organizations from within their cities. For workers who are out of state workers , they should request that their contacts/references from their former state of residence provide referrals to people in the current city who might know the domestic workers family/background back home. This is Nigeria, we run a community-based society, people must know your worker, or his/her family, or his/her father/mother or uncle/auntie back home, who would then provide the referral/assurance for your worker to be provided with the needed guarantor’s coverage.

Employers must not fall prey to stories by workers of being new in town and not knowing anyone in the city. It is very dangerous to employ domestic workers without guarantors and proper checks.

How do you run guarantor checks on your Nigerian domestic workers?

1. Provide guarantor forms to your domestic workers to give to their guarantors to sign and guarantee them, so as to provide legal coverage/liability IFO the workers. (Do not accept a verbal guarantor coverage). Insist on qualified and verifiable guarantors who work in government offices or blue chip private organizations.
2. Visit the guarantor’s office location to ensure that the guarantor actually works there, and truly provided that coverage on your domestic worker.
3. Take note of important details. Write down the guarantor’s department, unit, floor number, room number, designation, grade level and other details.
4. Ensure that the guarantor form they signed includes phrases that legally binds them to be liable for the whereabouts of your new domestic worker, in the unlikely event that they are needed, even after their employment tenure with you.
5. Create a file for the worker and store all documents and information obtained.

2. RESIDENCE/ADDRESS VERIFICATION:

Pay a visit to your domestic workers address , to confirm that they actually live there. Scout for basic details about their lifestyles and personalities( which can be inferred from the type of company they keep at their locations)

3. PAST EMPLOYERS CHECKS:

Past employers check is very important as it helps you understand your incoming domestic worker’s personality, temperament, friendliness and other important personality traits that might give you a better insight as to the type of person you are hiring. A lot of workers tend to not want to disclose their past employer’s contacts for reference checks, but domestic workers not disclosing their former employers details gives rise to trust issues that might impede the new employer’s ability to trust the new worker fully.

Nobody expects a domestic worker to score 100% in their past employer reference checks, but rather it gives better insight as to the workers strengths and weaknesses, which will help the new employer in navigating the new work relationship better .

4. FAMILY ROOTS/ RELATIONS CHECKS:

Nigeria is a family / community-based society. For domestic employment that involves workers’ interacting daily, and having access to ones home and children. Employers should try and include checks on their domestic workers close family relations who live in the same city with them. This will give better insight to your worker’s background and family values, as these values might rub off on your children throughout the duration of the worker’s employment with you.

5. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS :

Depending on the level of the worker hired, the employer can also run checks for the educational qualifications/certifications provided by the worker. This is somewhat not so popular ,as most domestic jobs do not require more than secondary school certificate to be employed.

In conclusion, employers will always need to hire domestic workers to help them ease the burden and stress of domestic chores, but the necessary care must be taken to ensure that checks and verifications are conducted on your worker, so as to keep your family and property save, whilst and after they leave your employment.

Thank you for taking the time to read through, kindly hit the share button below, share to your family and friends who might need this , and also to those who are not aware that they need this information.

If you have any contribution or objections , please share with us in the comments section.

With Love,

❤️ From Coral Executive Agency.