Should I Tell My Housekeeper, ‘I’m Here for You’?

A reader writes that their housekeeper, who has worked for them since 2019 a few hours every other week, has always maintained a professional relationship. The reader worries the cleaner could be profiled if ICE came to the city and wonders whether to offer help outside of work or if that would be overstepping.

The advice is that such an offer risks crossing professional boundaries, since the relationship has been clear and mutually understood. Still, because that clarity makes the offer less likely to be intrusive, a brief, general invitation can be appropriate. Don’t ask about immigration status; keep the overture short and simple, for example: “I just want you to know, if you ever need help with anything — not just work things — you can call me anytime.

I mean that.” Then leave it at that unless she takes you up on it.

United States

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