Archive for the ‘Chef’ Category

swine flu shots for your nanny or housekeeper

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

As a homeowner, Mother or Nanny, you are obviously concerned about contracting the swine flu. Mothers are concerned about their children since they are more vulnerable to the swine flu then many other types of flu. One of the Personal Assistants to a family in Greenwich, CT that LifeWorx talked with recently told us the whole family she worked with was down with swine flu. As soon as she heard the news, she went to the doctor and took the proper medicine. She also made sure that the other service providers including childcare, elder care and nanny sot swine flu shots.

Another client in Chappaqua, NY who has newborn twins asked for only nanny and child care candidates who have taken swine flu shots or who are wiling to get the shots. There are legal issues about swine flu screening of nannies and housekeepers. As a childcare service provider, we are open to both types of candidates. However, as a homeowner and a Mother, you have the right to ask and screen for childcare and nanny candidates who have taken the swine flu shots. Most domestic service providers including Nannies, Housekeepers, Elder care professional and chefs are all very flexible about taking the flu shots. Some other service providers such as housekeepers may not be as keen on getting the flu shots.

The best advice for homeowners is to make sure that household help including childcare, elder care and nanny service providers have had the swine flu shot. We also recommend paying for the shot, which costs around $25 or directing the household help to a local clinic that may provide free swine flu shots. Giving the child care and nanny service providers an hour of time to get the shot would be very much appreciated by your service provider.

Posted in Chef, Child Care, Elder Care, Housekeeper, Kids, Moms, Nanny | No Comments »

appreciation: a motivator for your child care, elder care, chef and nanny service providers

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

At LifeWorx, one of our chefs Greg, who provides full time Personal Chef Service to a client in Manhattan, New York, always sends us warm greetings and appreciation about the personal chef job we found for him in Manhattan, NY.  He does not shower us with unnecessary praise, rather he is humble and on the mark about what he likes about working with LifeWorx.  In one of the most recent notes we received from him, Greg said, “As always I am grateful to you for guiding me toward my position with Rose. Looking back at the past 2 years I do see that I have been guided by powers greater then myself and I have been very lucky.  I also realize that there are many people suffering now who have little or insufficient work and I pray that things change for them and for all of us very soon.”

Greg is not just lucky; he is extremely professional, skilled and appreciative.   His boss in New York, NY is also extremely appreciative of his chef services.  The appreciation that she provides to him fosters the growth of their relationship, and she provides clarity and honesty which motivates him and makes Greg provide the best possible chef service in NYC that he can.  There are many times when appreciation may go to an individual’s ego.  For many individuals who have never experienced genuine appreciation, they misperceive it as a weakness in the boss and start to claim their righteousness and demand immediate benefits or pay increase.  It is the equivalent of a lit match that never saw any fuel before- as he or she is appreciated; the ego gets fuller as opposed to the level of effort or skills.

I recently visited India and 42 of my extended family members went to a resort and we took a personal chef with us.  Each meal that the chef and his help provided to our extended family was with a unique cuisine, and it was incredibly fresh and healthy.  Of course some of it was traditional while other courses included fusion cuisine from all over the world.  On the last day, all of my family members personally thanked him for his outstanding service and delightful meals.  The glow on his face has been etched into my memory forever.  He served the best meals and all of the appreciation went right to his heart rather then to his ego.

For information on Chef Services provided by LifeWorx, visit http://lifeworx.com/services/chef.html

Posted in Chef, Feedback, New York City | No Comments »

what is the priority: simplicity vs. perfection?

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

A client from Rowayton, CT asked “Should I get a nanny to take care of my baby and a housekeeper to take care of my house, or should there be only one person to do both childcare and cleaning?” Another client asked, “Should I get a chef for nutritious and fresh dinners and a housekeeper for our Bedford, NY home or a fairly good cook and a housekeeper, both in one?” Many clients have said that they can employ a bright person and train them and save some money or re-train a childcare, elder care or chef service provider who is very skilled and excels in a specific duty. All of these are good questions about best practices regarding child care, elder care and nannies. The answer depends on how much time you have and your priorities about your children, home, family and nutrition. You can then find a perfect solution to your exact needs if you have reasonable expectations, have time to search on your own, or have money to hire an agency to work for you. Some of LifeWorx’ clients have estates and large residences and have 3-10 staff, including child care, elder care, nanny or chef service providers working on the estate. In these cases, the competence and teamwork become the most important attribute since they have an estate manager to manage people. On your own, however, you do not want more then three people working in your home at a time. The best option would be preferably having two people working in your home. A family in Greenwich, CT is looking for both perfection and simplicity which comes at a 20% premium in cost. Such individuals with breadth of skill, great personality and flexibility are in short supply. In today’s world, cost is critical to everyone, and there is so much specific talent available. A little bit of research and networking can bring good long term household help to the family. At LifeWorx we pride ourselves in our child care; elder care and chef service providers because we are very selective and aim to make our clients lives simple so they can spend more time doing the things they love. In today’s world, research and networking can bring good long term household help to families with both skills and simplicity.

Posted in Bedford NY, Chef, Child Care, Greenwich CT, Housekeeper, Nanny, Rowayton CT | No Comments »

our first family

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Our First Family …. The first family that LifeWorx worked with is composed of 3 brothers and sisters, and they are a group of one of the nicest people we have ever serviced. We provide an assortment of services for all of the family members, and they call us whenever they need anything from LifeWorx. The family has multiple residences in New York City, Lower Westchester and the Hamptons. Last week, their cousin called up requesting one of our personal chefs.

How did LifeWorx ever get this much trust and respect? I believe we have accumulated this trust and respect over time due to the quality, transparency and strength of the relationship. The first time we ever sent our price sheet to our clients, we worried about our competition. To combat this fear, six months ago, we put all of our pricing on the LifeWorx website so that every prospect knows that our prices are standard whether they have a two bedroom condominium or 20,000 sq feet luxury estate in Greenwich, CT. One of my utmost personal passions is transparency of information in the services we provide. When you go to a dry cleaner, a hairdresser, a bank or an accountant, all of these places would receive more trust from prospects if they displayed their prices openly and honestly, ultimately removing the guessing game and receiving a higher bill after the services were completed. There should no longer be a guessing game when it comes to compensation, which is why we have chosen to display all of our service prices very openly.

As for the first family we work with, I continue to get joy out of talking to any one of the family members, because they respect LifeWorx and truly appreciate what we do for them. When their housekeeper goes on vacation, we find them the best temporary fill-in, even if it is just for a week. No one has to worry about laundry, healthy meals and toddler care arrangements. LifeWorx is able to take care of them so that they can go away and come home to a stress free environment.

Posted in Chef, Family, Hamptons, Housekeeper, Lower Westchester, New York City, Trust | No Comments »