While most of us keep our own homes clean, for those who can afford a maid, cleaning can prove to be a bit of a downer. With COVID-19 disrupting our lives in so many ways, having to do chores for the first time is not one of the challenges we will face. However, for those well off, the idea of cleaning and keeping the household running is proving to be a shock. How sad.
Taking Care Of Chores
Dermatologist, Kenneth Mark is one of those people. He’s had the same housekeeper for two decades. He depends on her so much she even became his nanny when his son was born. However, with the coronavirus pandemic keeping us all at home, he no longer has his housekeeper at his disposal. “She really takes care of everything,” says Mark. “She is almost like a house manager, cleaning lady and nanny rolled into one.”
Mark felt it was a risk to expect her to come to his home during the pandemic. “From a medical perspective, it was potentially dangerous for her and us,” he says. However, he wasn’t prepared for the workload that would land in his lap without her around.
“It’s been a complete shock to our normal day-to-day life,” says Mark. “I’m doing way more than I would under normal circumstances.” Mark is so attached to his housekeeper he’s still paying her even though she isn’t working.
Tough Decisions
Peter Mahler, the head of a private staffing agency says about 40% of his clients are keeping their house staff on board. Many are willing to pay a premium to do so. In fact, many house staff members are being paid as much as 30% more to remain in self-isolation with their employers.
“A lot of these high net worth individuals have in-person housekeepers, cleaning ladies and chefs still in their homes,” says a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. “If they let the housekeeper go home for the weekend, they could contract the virus and bring it back. So people who have live-in help are keeping them there. If staff do say, ‘Hey, we want to go back to our families,’ the answer is, ‘Fine, but you can’t come back until this is over.’ So people are having to make a decision: ‘Do I want to see my family, or do I want to continue to work and make money?’ It’s tough.”
Chores Keep You Busy
I know for myself, the “chores” causing so much trouble for these people are something that helps keep me busy. However, people like Mark don’t even know how to perform the daily chores that mysteriously kept his home so clean, and his household running effortlessly.
“That stay-at-home mom who has a housekeeper and chef has had to let them go. Now they’re doing the diapers, putting the kids to sleep and making dinner,” says broker Philip Scheinfeld. “I’m sure Bravo would love to start filming these ladies. It would make a great show.”
While I’m not a fan of reality television, I’d give it a watch even if it was just half an episode! But then again it might just be too ridiculous to bear.
