“A household employee told the employer she hurt herself while working in the home. She wants to take time off from work and wants to be paid for days off. Can the employee be let go if she is not available to work?”

“What is the best way to help homeowners who have domestic workers understand the value of workers’ compensation? Isn’t it a mandatory requirement for homeowners?”

“My client seems to have considerable drama and turnover of their property and house staff. We see this as an expensive and high-risk situation. I was told you are the person to talk to. When can we connect?”

“My client wants to hire a live-in caregiver for their mom. But the mom does not want anyone living in or on her property. My idea is for the employee to have the apartment over the carriage house, but they would have to move out in the summer when the client’s extended family comes to visit. What do you think of this idea?”

“My housekeeper says that after 15 years of working for me with no benefits, she wants a 50% pay raise or she is leaving me for another family. Hiring a new housekeeper would be cheaper wouldn’t it? Can we talk about this?”

“While my husband and I travel, I am certain the staff are using the pool and pool house. How do I tell them they should not be using our pool?”

“I needed an experienced property manager, so I hired a local retired golf course manager. However, after eight months, I really don’t think he understands the job. Can we talk about my options or should I just fire him?”

“My house staff also works at my businesses. I was told by my attorney that my household employees should not be on a company payroll. Where is the risk? What do we do next?”

“I never got around to making reference calls before hiring my personal assistant. He’s been with me for six months and I’m having second thoughts about this hire. I don’t feel I can trust his judgement. What do I do?”

“We would like to understand the difference between online background checks, employment screenings, and background investigations. Is it true these reports do not show worker’s compensation claims or employee terminations with cause?”

“We live in Venice Beach, California. We have several small mom-pop companies that provide services for our property. We recently learned that California views these ‘companies’ as our employees. Is this true?”

“My elderly client lives on a family ranch in a remote area of the country. I am very concerned about the number of employees that seem to come and go from his ‘ranch’. He now tells me several people are living on his property in guest cabins. His sister recently contacted me and voiced her concern about the possibility he has dementia.Can we talk through the risk issues with this situation?”

“Can I place a GPS tracking device on my personal assistant’s SUV? We give her a monthly stipend for errands and pay her mileage, but I think she is exaggerating her mileage number and overcharging us.”

“I just hired a wonderful nanny. We would like to pay her a generous salary and benefits but were told we can’t pay her a salary. What do you think?”