Source: mid-day.com
Upskilling domestic helps is also what prompted Jaishri Kimmatkar, 43, to launch a workshop called Maid in Heaven. The politically incorrect name notwithstanding, Kimmatkar’s idea to train domestic helps in her neighbourhood in upscale Lower Parel was met with great response. Unlike Devidayal’s workshop, Kimmatkar’s is a relatively newer and voluntary initiative. “We held the workshop across two Sunday afternoons on November 17 and 24, and had 15 participants,” she says. “We covered grooming, hygiene, table etiquette, house-keeping and basic first aid.”
Kimmatkar, who is a soft skills trainer, works with school and college students as well as large corporate clients whose employees need training in communication skills, body language, business, social and dining etiquette. Her two-day workshop for domestic helps, involves equipping them with tips on how to carry oneself. “It starts with something as basic as how to wash your hands, answer the phone or respond when you’re called for. We also get into teaching them how to be active listeners, not slouch, and learn to communicate properly with their employers,” she says.
The workshop also covers more advanced etiquette such as learning how to set the cutlery and crockery, demonstrating how to serve a guest or doing up the bed in a manner that you’d expect in a hotel room. It also offers handy tips for everyday tasks such as cleaning hard-to-reach spaces in the home or dusting furniture. “Everyone needs to upskill themselves,” Kimmatkar says about starting this initiative, “I figured even domestic staff could do with some assistance.”