Put it in writing: a simple work agreement for household staff
Most disputes in Nigerian households are not about dishonesty. They are about two people remembering the terms differently. A single page, signed before the first day, removes almost all of it.
Why writing it down matters
Verbal arrangements survive until the first disagreement about a day off, a salary advance or a broken item. Then there is nothing to point at, and whoever holds the money decides. Writing the terms down protects the worker from being short-changed and protects you from a claim you cannot answer.
It does not need a lawyer or legal language. Two copies of one page, signed and dated, with each person keeping one.
What to include
Cover these, in plain words:
- Full names of both parties, and the address where the work happens.
- The role, and what the work covers day to day.
- Salary, the date it is paid, and how it is paid.
- Working hours, rest time, weekly days off and public holidays.
- Paid leave in a year, and how it is requested.
- For a live-in role: accommodation, meals, and privacy in their own space.
- Notice on either side, in weeks, and what happens to pay owed.
- Conduct that ends the arrangement immediately, stated clearly rather than implied.
- Whether an advance or a loan is allowed, and how it is repaid.
Salary deductions for breakages and losses cause more resentment than they recover. If you keep the term, cap it and write the cap down.
If an agency placed them
An agency agreement is between you and the agency. It is not a work agreement with the person doing the job, and it usually says nothing about their days off or their notice period. Keep both.
Ask the agency what they actually verified. Many confirm nothing beyond an interview. It is your home either way, so run the checks yourself rather than inheriting someone else’s assurance.
Where verification fits
Do the checks before the agreement is signed, not after. Confirm the identity against the register, send an agent to the home address, and reach a guarantor and the last workplace. Then sign, with the name exactly as the identity record shows it.
Identity, guarantors and previous employer settle within 36 hours of the person agreeing. The physical address visit takes 7 to 10 days. Prices are on the pricing page, and the questions to ask before someone starts cover the interview itself.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. For a specific arrangement, take advice from a Nigerian employment lawyer.