Service
Employees & Invited Strangers: A Checklist1. Remember that domestic employees have a great opportunity to case your home and thus offer valuable information to burglars.
2. All domestic employees, including baby-sitters, should be thoroughly investigated before behind hired.
3. If you use domestic employment agencies, investigate them thoroughly.
4. Consider fidelity bonding for domestic help and all employees, including baby-sitters.
5. Do not permit baby-sitters to entertain visitors in your home.
6. Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your house when it is entrusted to a baby-sitter.
7. Leave clear and concise instructions for baby-sitters; be sure you include appropriate phone numbers.
8. Do not provide route people and service personnel with information about your comings and goings. This is especially important. The last time I went on vacation, I had the mail and newspaper delivery held. The mail was not a problem, but the newspaper delivery man re-started delivery three days before I returned. My neighbors cannot see my front porch because of the high hedges, so I had three days’ papers on the porch—not a good thing.
9. Workers in your home post a particular hazard. Deal only with reputable contractors and service organizations. Arrange for someone to check on the progress and activities of the workers in your absence.
10. If workers will be in your home for more than a day, or if more than two or three will be present, remove or lock away all easily movable items of value.
11. If work done in your home seriously impairs your security measures, consider hiring a guard or a security patrol during the hours of darkness.
12. When an unhappy domestic worker leaves your employ, make an inventory check, change locks and reevaluate all your security and emergency measures. You should do the same after long-term work in your home is completed.
