Employer Related Documents

House Manager Duties- The Possibilities!

By Phillip Holt

Provide oversight of all household activities assuring timely and high quality completion of all tasks.
Supervise the work of contractors, service people, artisans, and all other household and non-household employees assuring the best quality of work, and adherence to all household standards and expectations.
Provide leadership and good example of the utmost in professional service standards.
Train both by example, and through tutoring to any and all household employees.
Provide oversight level security
- Remain ever aware and watchful
- Recognize vulnerabilities and bring to the attention of employer of security consultants.
Accept and accomplish special assignments as chartered by employer.
Suggest action plans (when requested) to accomplish goals of employer.
Receive at door, and telephone and refer as appropriate.
Look after all guests.
Orchestration of fine dining experiences
Arrange for entertainments, and social activities as requested.
See to all details of moving of house.
Know and understand when out of your depth, and arrange for consultation and advice when needed.
Develop shopping lists for all household requirements
- Cleaning
- Maintenance
  1. Household
  2. Grounds
- Repair
- Furnishings
- Decoration
- Linens
- Glass & Crystal
- Silver ware
- Serving ware
- Kitchen
- Cook ware
- Appliances
- Food
- Liquor
- Wine
- Entertainment
- Replacements of damaged items.
Develop proposed budgets for running the household.
Perform shopping and errands in accordance with employer’s guidelines.
Make travel vacation and lodging arrangements.
Pack and unpack travelers’ luggage.
Keep running records of all household expenses and compare to approved budget
Maintain household checking and petty cash accounts
Make household expenditures and obligate the household financially within parameters as agreed with the employer.
Household Laundry:
- perform or see that it is accomplished
- Wash, press, fold, put away
- Recommend and obtain appropriate equipment
Employer’s Personal laundry & Dry Cleaning & Wardrobe
- Inventory wardrobe
  1. Account for wear & tear, loss, etc.
  2. Maintain continuous inventory record
  3. Maintain insurable value where appropriate
- Consignment and disposition records
  - Dry cleaning
  - Tailoring
  - Lending and gifts
- Conduct only the most minor repairs
- See to repairs of more significant damage
- Ironing
- Hanging, Brushing, Steaming
- Storing for next use
- Seasonal storage
- Acquire replacements as needed
- Recommend acquisitions
- Arrange and maintain for easy selection
- Lay out clothing as requested
- Care for foot wear
House cleaning
- Develop and perfect cleaning specifications including:
  1. Zoning facilitating duty assignments
  2. Schedules
    - Daily
    - Weekly
    - Monthly
    - Seasonally
    - Holiday and special events
    - Annual
  3. Standards – establish and maintain
  4. Instructions for special needs
- Perform all household cleaning requirements or supervise its accomplishment
- Maintain cleaning log including normal performance time values
- Note and bring to Employer any exceptional conditions
Assure that all routine household supplies are always on hand. Nothing that is foreseeable is overlooked.
Maintain emergency cache of less often used supplies in safe place
Develop and maintain secure storage room “vault” and inventory of contents. Assure nothing is removed without administrator’s knowledge.
Arrange for and supervise all contract employees, temporary and adjunct household staff, and caterers
Recruit, interview, and refer to employer’s approval all recommended household staff. Discharge all unsatisfactory staff.
Maintain records:
- Pantry Book
  - Primary Phone Numbers
  - Employer’s
    - Processing Habits
    - Personal Habits
    - Medications in house
  - Accidents from the Accident book
  - People significant to employer
  - Locations of other reference data, manuals, and books of record which are sharable with replacement or under-butler
  - Guest book idiosyncratic data (not contained in guest book)
  - Family Tree & Background (additive)
  - Inventory schedules
    - Contents by location
    - Insurables
  - Vendors and Contacts
  - Staff Duties and changes
  - House and employee ground rules
  - Security Arrangements
  - Floor Plans of house and of grounds
  - House Storage schedules
  - Insurance Records & contacts
  - Staff Backgrounds and non-confidential records
  - Schools, Teachers, etc.
  - Special needs guests, etc. & notations
  - Menu book
- Household security manual
- Property Book
- Communication Book: set up with opposite pages for notes and instructions on left maintained by Butler; pages opposite to the right maintained by the employer for observations, instructions, and corrections paralleling the notes on the left.
- Guest Book. Leather and gilt bound, finest paper and superior quality pen
- Damage Book Maintained in Butler’s office. All breakage is brought to the office with explanation. Big items? Butler bring book to the site
- Accident Book (2)
  - One for household;
  - One for the Kitchen
- Entertainment Book – an open book for shared use by Employer and House manager
- Insurance records and items pending coverage
- Standards Book – a joint project of the Employer and the Manager
  - Demeanor appearance and behavior
  - Protocols
    1. Within property
    2. Off property
    3. Special occasions
  - Cleanliness
  - Food Preparation
  - Household Property
    - Materiel & acquisition quality
    - Maintenance
    - Care
    - Availability for use
    - Spares
  - Grounds and pools
  - Building
  - Entertainment
  - Correspondence
- Correspondence Book
  - Standards guidance and samples
  - Maintain correspondence log
- Wine Cellar Book (May be abbreviated because detail is contained in the Wine Cellar management DB.
- Automobile logs
  - Travel
  - Guests
  - Maintenance & inspections.
Perform all other miscellaneous tasks as requested by employer or, guests as confirmed by employer.