Living Fair

What’s Fair? Laborfair announces Bay Area first quarterly Wage Report

How much to pay for a job well done is a concern and frustration for just about everyone who wants and needs household, personal and family care. As our name suggests, we help you as the consumer make informed decisions about what is a fair hourly wage for your job request.

At Laborfair we create a transparent marketplace that ensures both consumers and providers are fairly charged and compensated for work performed.

Rate Guidance:

Our rate guidance table (visible in the What's Fair section of this blog) can be used as a benchmark for average hourly rates per category in your local area. Use this to help you determine what is the fair wage for your job. The information is a summary of real time data collected across our site on September 22, 2007. Of course, your agreed-upon rate with the provider varies depending on the specifics of your job. We will release these quarterly.

These numbers clearly show that savvy consumers can save money by contracting directly with a qualified and experienced service provider. At the same time, the report gives us a unique window into what people in business for themselves are earning as a living wage instead of what they would earn as a minimum wage at a larger company or agency. The report also highlights some interesting variances around the Bay Area in the costs of services by region. For example, the average fee charged by a handyman on the Peninsula is $33.68 while San Francisco is much less at $22.15. Hmmm, interesting. Other averages across big categories here at Laborfair are:

• Child Care: $19.24/hour
• Housekeeper: $17.83/hour
• Handyman: $25.75/hour
• Adult Care: $17.00/hour
• Gardener: $17.37/hour
• Painter: $22.29/hour

So, now that you are getting your house or apartment in shape for those holiday parties, you know what it might cost you. Enjoy, Jenna

The Rinse Cycle and Leather Pants

At Laborfair, our goal is to connect people looking to hire household or personal help with those looking for work in a fair, trusted, and responsible way. We don't believe the world needs more employment agencies but we know finding good quality responsive providers isn't always easy. People, well, they are not products, they don't perform always the same way every time your invite their services. Indeed, everyone's view of the accuracy and excellence of a job completed varies based on subjectivity. For example, I love the fact that Irma cleans my refrigerator weekly and throws out any food that is slightly "suspect". I marvel at how she meticulously folds the toilet paper into corners on the dispenser like they do at the Ritz Carlton or dare I say, one of nasty Queen Leona's former establishments. This could be way too intrusive for some, and very very welcome by others. I am a bit less thrilled about Irma's bizarre inclination to hide my bathrobe from me--I have realized this twice now, both times on a cold, fog-filled morning once out of the shower, shivering, mildly wet and annoyed. Or perhaps the time she washed my leather pants in an effort to clean them (I promptly cursed all hearty combinations of New York slang appropriate to lament the demise of my clubbing leathers and made the mental note never to leave any article of clothing slung haphazardly over a chair again). Well, I guess anyone would have an issue with that. But, you get my point. People are people and it's important to be clear about what you do and do not want done. While contractual arrangements can be part of any good employment arrangement, they're not always completed, we don't always follow that level of detail. Beyond a personal checklist which I recommend highly for housecleaning, childcare, gardening and handymen interaction, I recommend posting a review. Reviewing a provider is a great way of being honest and even helpful to the provider with extravagant praise or constructive criticism. Just as restauranteurs read reviews of their food and service to tap the pulse of the public, providers can learn from your comments, well intentioned either way. Lastly, I can't stress enough how important it is to trust your gut feeling after you meet with someone you get from Laborfair or any other service--even if they come very highly recommended. It's up to you.