HOUSEHOLD EMPLOYEES AND HOME SECURITY
Hiring nannies, maids, and other household employees is supposed to make your life easier, right? After all, they'll take care of day-to-day household chores while you're off at work. While this has the potential to make being at home less stressful, it also comes with its own form of added stress, in the form of increased demands on your home security.

For those that don't have household employees, the home is unoccupied when everyone is away at school or work. With the doors and windows shut, locked, and protected with alarms, you can be reasonably sure that no one has gotten inside undetected. But for those with employees working in or around the home during the day, there is no practical way to be completely sure who has entered your home while you're away.

One of the solutions to this problem is to install hidden cameras. Aptly named “nanny cams” allow you to watch what's going on in the home, without your maid, nanny, or repair worker knowing that you're watching. This lets you know their true behavior – not what they do when they know they are being watched. Many of these cameras can even be configured so that you can watch the feed via a remote internet connection – say, your laptop at work.

Don't forget to install several visible home security measures, too. These can help your household employees feel safer when home alone, working in a stranger's house. Although they should know about security measures in place to protect them and your family, only give out the details, such as how to disarm the alarm, when absolutely necessary.

If you have recently let an employee go, be aware that this could impact your home security. Were they given access to a house key or any codes for the alarm system? If so, change these as soon as possible. Even if you trust your ex-employee, you never know who has this information now. This is of even higher importance if your employee left on bad terms. If this is the case, consider improving your home security, both outside and within the home, to protect your family.

Besides keeping a close watch on the people working in your home while you're away at work, also be sure that you thoroughly check out every potential employee.
If hiring for a long-term arrangement, it's expected that you'll conduct background checks. Don't be afraid to ask for references from previous employers or clients.
Alex Orefo (MONACO GUARDS)