7 Easy ways to ease your domestic worker’s burden during these tough economic times

In the fight to beat inflation, it feels like we are all losing the battle right now. Times are tough for everyone, not least for domestic workers who (often at the expense of their own families) take care of our homes, our gardens, our children and our elderly parents.

For many domestic workers in South Africa, pay is failing to keep pace with inflation and rising living costs – leading many to make tough budgetary decisions.

For South Africa’s domestic workers, 94% of whom are women, and of which four out of five are sole breadwinners supporting four or more dependents, the current financial crisis is having dire consequences.

High food and energy prices are having an impact on the most vulnerable in our society. Those who have managed to hold on to their jobs (28% report being retrenched in the last year) are falling behind on repayments and 35% report being in debt. Few amongst those polled were able to put any money aside for savings and many said that the only place they could make any adjustments was on grocery bills.

“Cutting down on basic food items or cutting them out completely is resulting in serious malnutrition and stunting amongst domestic workers’ children,” says Luke Kannemeyer, MD of SweepSouth. “Being forced to choose between life’s necessities also has a serious impact on mental health, so we really have to do as much as we can to help our employees in this current economic climate.”

So, what practical steps can we take to ease the financial burden on our domestic workers?

1. Pay a living wage
Kannemeyer says that it starts with being a fair and empathetic employer. While they are working for you, make sure their salary is fair and meets, or even exceeds, minimum wage requirements. “Pay them a living wage,” he says. “Only 14% of the respondents in our survey are contributing to UIF,” he reports. “Given the prevalence of job losses due to emigration, if you have to let your domestic worker go, with UIF they will receive some kind of compensation,” he adds.

2. Be a compliant employer
Paying your domestic worker’s UIF is part of being a compliant employer. Adhering to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and making sure that they receive the requisite number of annual sick leave days is also critical. Docking pay for days not worked leads to insurmountable financial pressure.

3. Be sensitive
If your domestic worker travels to work each day, consider how load shedding and the vagaries of South Africa’s public transport might affect their ability to arrive at work on time every day. Rather than simply feeling inconvenienced, just imagine the time it then takes for your domestic worker to make the return journey home, where their own chores need to be attended to. The domestic worker’s day’s work is not done when they leave your house.

4. Money for a rainy day
If you are able, put a little money aside each month for your domestic worker’s retirement or for their children’s education. It will soon mount up and may make an enormous difference just when they need it. You could even set up a professionally managed trust and grow your domestic worker’s future wealth in that way.

5. Tangible benefits
If you are unable to give your domestic worker a pay rise and put extra cash in their pocket, try and contribute to their household income in other ways. Take advantage of bulk buy offers on meat, fruit, and vegetables, for example, and split them between your family and theirs. Because of space, transport and financial constraints, your domestic worker almost certainly is not in a position to bulk buy so helping in this way will have a real impact on their budget and health. Buying cell phone data or airtime or topping up pre-paid electricity are other helpful tangible benefits you can offer.

6. Donate pre-loved items
Be thoughtful when disposing of clothing, unwanted gifts or household items for which you no longer have any use. They may benefit your domestic worker so ask first if she is able to use or sell them.

7. Upskill your domestic worker
According to Sweep South’s 2023 report, 42% of domestic workers supplement their income with other work. Ask your employee if there is a skill that would help with a ‘side hustle’ and a secondary income stream. It might be basic or financial literacy skills, cooking or a recognised childcare course. Find it, enrol them and, if possible, fund them through a course that will give them additional skills for life.

Domestic workers are in many ways the backbone of our country. They keep our homes running while we go out to work. Taking good care of your employees so they can take good care of you is critical in the dynamic between employer and domestic worker,” says Kannemeyer.