Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A Housekeeper Fell in My House! What do I do?

What happens when a housekeeper falls in your home and has a serious injury? First of all, here is another excellent reason why you should have all your household help on payroll. If someone is on payroll, and hurt on the job, they may suffer an injury that keeps them from working up to several weeks. At this point, in this case, this housekeeper could apply for temporary disability after going to a doctor and receiving clear evidence that there is a valid injury. She could also, if needed file a worker's compensation claim. But all this can only happen when you have your employee on payroll and the employer has properly obtained Worker's compensation insurance for that employee. Many homeowner policies will automatically offer a minimum of insurance for employees working on the premises (like housekeepers, nannies, companions or gardeners). However, you will need to check on your policy and inform the insurance company of who is working for you.

If this employee is NOT on payroll, then you are faced with the need to compensate her personally for the weeks she is unable to work in addition to paying all medical bills. This could get costly when in fact you may also need to hire someone to take her place when she is out injured.