As experts in transfers we know that one of the biggest concerns of families is about how to get domestic help in the country of destination to which they are arriving, questions such as: will I find domestic help in my new destination? How will this type of service work in this country? Who can recommend a babysitter or a maid? Will it be possible to find someone to help me with the children’s care while I work? or with home duties while I look after the children? This domestic help has been for centuries an invaluable help in every home and in fact essential for some, even more so when you are arriving in a new country, with new customs. We at LARM know that, and we want to educate you on the generalities of this service in Colombia as well as the local customs, giving you some important tips so that you can hire this services without any inconvenience, we know this employee will become another member of your family and to whom you will entrust many important things for your well-being of your home:
1) Remember that a good way to find candidates is through personal references, if any co-worker can refer you to someone who has already worked for him, it is much better. In all cases It is very important to do the security check-up process for that new worker, especially considering that it will be part of your home. You can also do it through an employment agency. In any case, it is important that you request documentation from the person such as written recommendations, a copy of their identification, residence address and proof of residence that can be a rental contract or a copy of a receipt in their name.
2) Regarding the hiring, you must define the type of contract that you are going to configure in Colombia there are the following figures:
Types
Inmates: They reside in the workplace (Your home)
External: They do not reside on the job site and work every day
By days: They do not reside in the workplace and work only a few days a week, either for one or more employers.
Term (contract period)
Fixed term: It is for a specific period, for example 6 months
Indefinite: It is an open contract with no expected end date
Define the Salary
In Colombia, no worker should receive less than the SMLV Minimum Legal Current Salary, often domestic workers receive the corresponding minimum wage, which for 2020 in Colombia is $877,803 plus a transportation allowance of $ 102,854, for a total of $ 980,657.
It is also allowed to agree part of the salary in kind (food, clothing, accommodation) but this value cannot exceed 30% of the SMLV
Social Benefits: In addition to the salary, you must make the payments of what in Colombia are called social benefits and they are the following, take note:
Yearly Bonus: equivalent to an additional salary per year divided into two payments, one in June and the other in December
Vacations: each worker has 15 paid vacation days per year
Layoffs Bonus: Equivalent to an additional salary per year paid in February
Layoffs Bonus interest 12% of a yearly salary paid in February
Uniforms: The endowment of uniforms is twice a year is also part of its benefits.
Affiliations and Social Security Payments:
All workers must be affiliated with the following entities and the employer (you) is responsible for making the corresponding payments or contributions. A part of the contribution is made by the employee and should be deducted from their salary as follow:
It is very important that you clearly define the working hours for domestic employees, whether internal or external, the working hours allowed in Colombia are 8 hours a day and a maximum of 48 hours a week, the additional hours worked are considered overtime and days Sundays or holidays are normally rest days. However, if you need help these days, keep in mind that you must pay the equivalent of 75% more than the usual salary per day.
Local Custom
In Colombia it is very common for domestic employees to become part of your family, some of them work for years and even generations with the same family, so a good relationship is essential, for this we recommend you establish from the beginning the bases of respect and trust that will be the pillar of this new employment relationship.
In Colombia, it is common for domestic employees to also take care of the children, cook, even make some minor purchases of food or take clothes to the laundry. It is also common that even being employed for days they have lunch at our house and eat the same food that we do.
We understand that many aspects of the social security in Colombia can be confusing, however, remember that you have an ally from the moment you were notified of your transfer and as an ally in LARM Colombia we will always be willing to address your concerns because LARM it is your home everywhere!
At LARM we have a team specialized in Domestic help which is ready to answer your questions. If you are interested in acquiring our assistance, you can contact us here.
LARM is your home away from home!
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