Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments

One unexpected plus for us upon our arrival to Uruguay was the availability and accessibility of domestic help. I found that I could return from work and find our house cleaned, our dinner prepared, and fresh flowers set out. Over our five-year stay in Uruguay, we have had extremely good luck with our hired help. But this is not always the case for others.

First, although you can work through an agency to find domestic help, the most reliable source is through word of mouth from friends and family. Although you may want a cleaning diva who works like a hurricane, most important is the trustworthiness of the individual. To alleviate this, some families ask that the worker bring only a tiny purse into the home. I’ve even heard of people setting up traps to see if the housekeeper bends to temptation. Really, one must go with their instinct and the assurance of a positive referral.

The second most important thing is reliability. Sooner or later, it seems that you will plan your life around your housekeeper’s arrival and you have to be able to count on him/her.

Next is the compatibility with your family and your family way of life. Some housekeepers need a lot of guidance and while others are self starters and take initiative in projects that need to be done. You will need to find someone with a personality and way of working that suits you.

And finally, you will want to hire someone who provides a high quality of work.

Once you have met your new housekeeper and successfully gone through a trial period, you must investigate the ins and outs of registering your domestic worker with the BPS (Banco Prevision Social) or what is known as the social security institute. Each domestic worker who works more than a few casual hours must be registered, and additional costs must be paid for their retirement fund, health care, and insurance. The BPS also decrees non-working holidays, holidays that are paid double, and those that are not worked but are paid. The BPS service also monitors mandatory raises to domestic workers and such things as unemployment insurance and payment in the case of a lay off.

Finally, the BPS calculates the amount of money that the employer must pay for vacation time and for the “13th month.” This is a national oddity called “Aguinaldo” where workers are allocated an extra month of salary each year which is divided into two payments. All these amounts will be sent to your address in a monthly bill that can be paid at most banks or at Abitab

Some foreigners choose to have their workers work “under the table” but they are running a risk. With the credibility of the laborer being favored in the judicial system, employers often lose and may have to pay out large settlements on unfounded grounds. In addition, although registry with the BPS service means that your housekeeper receives less money each month in her pocket, they are protected if they should be injured on the job, become sick, pregnant, or laid off. BPS provides for health care for the worker and their children, as well as a retirement fund.

In our early years here, I told our housekeeper that I imagined she went home and told her family stories about the crazy foreigners who ate raw vegetables and had strange ideas, and she told me, “No, it is the human part that matters. You treat me well.” She explained that, in the past, employers followed her though the house and took off pay for time spent in the bathroom, or tried to exchange old clothes for part of her wage.

As an employer, you are trusting your housekeeper with the things that are dearest to you, your family, children, and home. It is best to maintain a positive relationship by becoming aware of the laws concerning domestic workers and abiding by them, registering with BPS and above all, treating housekeepers as the professionals that they are.