Once upon a time, Emperor Akbar lost his favourite ring. Birbal came to his rescue. Birbal was a wise man and came up with a completely new idea for catching the thief. Birbal said, “Jahanpanah, the ring is here in the court. It is with one of the courtiers. That courtier, who has straw in his beard, has your ring.”
Instantly, one of the courtiers starting looking for the straw in his beard. He was caught and punished then and there. Ring was recovered.
It was that time, when things were much simpler. Apple and blackberry were just fruits, windows used to be open all the time and friends met face to face. The time has changed. Technology has changed. People have changed. Fraud, theft, scams or shams have become a common thing.
Let’s talk about the need of the hour – house helps. With the advent of the modern era, both the partners work; leaving behind old parents and small kids. House helps and live-in helps are something which have become a necessity.
Talking about a real life incident, a family needed a house help urgently. She found an agency online, which provided full-time, background checked, police verified house helps. She went ahead and called the agency.
The agency informed her that they have a full time house help available at the moment and she has all the required documents. After finalising the salary for the house help, the lady informed the agency that she will personally come and pick up the maid in the evening. The agency lady was a little apprehensive as she was busy in evening. So, the agency lady asked if she can drop the house help right away at her place. The client’s in laws used to stay with her and she didn’t expect any foul play. She was in need. She agreed.
The agency lady brought the house help and all the related documents. Her father in-law checked all the papers, while her mother in-law questioned the house help about her past experience. The parents upon scrutiny found everything fine! They went ahead and gave the agreed amount of Rs. 16,500, in cash. The agency lady gave a receipt for that. She soon left.
It was around three in the afternoon. The house help was an experienced lady and looked comfortable. She went ahead and made tea for the parents. They were very happy and enjoyed their tea. While they were enjoying the tea, she excused herself for going to the washroom. The house help didn’t return for about fifteen minutes, the parents felt a little odd. They went to check on her.
To their shock, the main door was open. The house help was nowhere in the house. They called up their children immediately. All efforts proved futile. They lost a lot of money over a cup of tea. All the documents were fake – the police verification record, the ration card and the information mentioned on the receipt. All!
Somehow I feel – that they were still lucky; only money was lost, no one was harmed. The house help could have easily harmed the old parents and taken stuff and gone.
We all are in a hurry. So was this lady. She felt, if she delays, she will have to wait for a month or more. The time has come where we need to take an extra step to be safe – background verification.
Before going ahead and hiring a live-in house help, we should get the agency verified. It will give a clearer picture of what kind of house helps they provide, whether they have provided any replacements before, most important of all, do they really exist. If all these doubts are cleared, get the house help’s background check done. Do not be in a hurry. Be safe.
Being informed is good, as information bring choices and choices brings power. Power to hire a house help and keep your dear ones and yourself safe!
Get background verification done. Be informed. Be safe.
