Poaching

Today’s column is not a lesson on how to poach eggs or fish.  It is all about how crafty people poach other peoples’ staff.  This is not something new, it has been happening for yonks.  The audacity on how the poachers approach the staff is another story. 

Approaching a domestic aide is very much a common practice among our Colombo circles. Walking into a house and noticing how clean and neat the house is, sets the wheel turning in their minds on how to inveigle the domestic staff by offering a few thousand rupees more. They will do this by moving into the kitchen on the pretext of wanting to be helpful or slip their telephone number to the aides requesting them to give a call when alone. At times, the call is not to offer them employment but to learn about the happenings in the home and, in return, they oil the domestics’ palms with some money.

The bigger poaching happens among the exotic villas that have sprung up all over this country, where there is a huge demand for good cooks. These villas are now very popular with the locals owing to the never ending pandemic, most of whom see no point going on holiday and not having good meals. A cook, therefore, is a key point in any resort and having a good one will make all the difference and is a guarantee of attracting more clientele.  It is also common knowledge that the locals spend more as well as tip better than the type of tourists 
who come into this country.

Many villas advertise on job sites and other social media. When the advertisements do not attract a suitable cook, they get on to the next step, which is attempting to poach the neighbouring villa’s cook.  If the staff are looked after well, they too have their loyalties and will not pack up and leave. What must be borne in mind is that any staff member who ups and leaves after being enticed with some additional cash are capable of leaving in the same manner when approached by another.

The bigger poaching happens among the exotic villas that have sprung up all over this country,where there is a huge demand for good cooks.

Such poaching could be avoided if the owners of these establishments carry on their business in a fair fashion by looking out for their staff rather than be conniving and shady and resorting to poaching another’s employees.