Hope Ayabina, a home management expert, is the founder of Hedda’s Beautiful Hands, an organisation that provides Domestic staff training services in Nigeria. She shares her experience and insights with The Interview:
What inspired the idea of offering this service?
We noticed that there is a huge disconnect between domestic staff and their employers, so we decided to mediate and proffer solutions.
We have observed that the expectations of an employer, before hiring a domestic staff, and that of the domestic staff, before looking out for a domestic staff position, are miles apart!
They are hardly ever on the same page. They both have differences in expectations. We also noticed that the present day domestic staff doesn’t have prior knowledge and understanding of what the job entails and end up taking the position unprepared.
What was the reaction you got from the people around you?
Many of our clients and prospective clients think it’s a laudable initiative. They have gone ahead to request for other home management trainings that weren’t in our initial plan cause they can see positive results in their helps.
Some people are still trying to understand the whole concept. But we have noticed that once they do, they publicise to other people as well as they can.
How have you been able to effectively market the service?
It’s been basically through referrals, friends and family, social media platforms and via our religious groups, social groups and associations.
We have observed that the expectations of an employer, before hiring a domestic staff, and that of the domestic staff, before looking out for a domestic staff position, are miles apart!
In training domestic staff, what are the factors you consider?
There are many factors we consider but one of the most important factors is age.
We believe that once anyone is an adult (18years in Nigeria) The person is mentally and physically matured to manage a home and equally to acquire new skills.
That does not mean we don’t train others who are NOT domestic staff and below the age of 18years. For example, some career mothers ask that we also train their teenage daughters to be better home managers.
That training falls under youth home management programme. We also run several home management workshops for several age categories.
But people can contact us if they want more information on that. They can visit our webpage www.heddas.org or like and follow us on Instagram @heddasbeautifulhands to know about our exciting upcoming events.
What does training maids entail?
Our training methodology is hands-on and theory. Training domestic staff using our methodology is a lot of work. Developing home management skills is a lot of hard work! House work is a full day’s job.
This entails lots and lots of patience and understanding because many of the trainees have little knowledge of understanding and speaking English language.
We really can’t blame working mothers who are really desperate to get the right domestic staff. But they really have to be patient to get the available ones trained.
An already prepared domestic staff who can readily meet your home needs is not easy to come by. That is why we are there to train them to acquire the requisite skills to meet your specific home management needs.
What are the specific trainings that you give them?
Like I said, our training methodology is hands-on and theory. We take them through discussions on our signature topics and we practically take them through everything called house work plus how to be good home managers and good home organisers.
We train them to be able to run the home as effectively as the employer would like it to be in their absence. Sincerely, this works so well for the career mothers.
What are the things a prospective employer should look out for in domestic helps?
I believe such decisions are very personal and unique to an individual. But for me, I look out for someone who is teachable. Once you get that right, every other expectation will easily fall in place with the right training.
An already prepared domestic staff who can readily meet your home needs is not easy to come by
Have you ever encountered domestic workers who are not teachable?
Yes, I have many of them.
How did you handle them?
I try to be very patient with them because some behavioural traits are developed from one’s past experiences and you really don’t want to know the experiences some of your Helps have been through.
It’s a really challenging world out there. Our HBH quote is “We warn those who are idle, we encourage those who are timid, we help the weak and we are patient with everyone”.
How do you see this industry say, in the next five or ten years?
Hmmnn…in the next five to ten years, this industry would have metamorphosed into something very very interesting following the new wave of technology and development.
