Employment law
What can I ask my household helper to do? The agreed work, yes; extras only if agreed; nothing dangerous
A household helper's tasks are whatever you agreed as her job. If you hired her to clean, you decide what she cleans, in what order and with what (Art. 321d OR). Laundry, ironing, cooking, shopping, children or the garden are only part of it if you agree them with her, and extra time is overtime. You may never ask for dangerous work without protection, such as outside windows with no fall protection (Art. 328 OR), or for work without registration.
What can I ask my cleaner to do?
For a household helper hired to clean. Each line opens the reason and the article.
Yes, part of the job
Within her job, you give the instructions.
Bathroom, kitchen, floors, dust
This is the work she comes for. You decide what comes first and how it is done.
Art. 321d ORInside windows, fridge, oven
Part of cleaning, but it takes time. Better in rotation than all in one visit.
Art. 321d ORWith your products and tools
You provide materials and equipment unless agreed otherwise. So you also decide what she cleans with.
Art. 327 ORCare with your things
She must work carefully and use your appliances properly.
Art. 321a ORDiscretion
What she learns in your home, she keeps to herself.
Art. 321a ORComing herself
She works in person. She may only send someone else with your consent.
Art. 321 OR
Only if agreed
A new task is a new agreement, best in writing.
Laundry and ironing
Not part of cleaning. If it is in her contract, it is part of the job, and the hours have to cover it.
Art. 330b para. 2 ORCooking
A task of its own, with its own time. Agree for whom and how often.
Art. 330b para. 2 ORShopping
Only if agreed. You repay in full whatever she spends for you, and the time in the shop is working time.
Art. 327a ORLooking after children
A different responsibility from cleaning. The minimum wage can change with it, see below.
Art. 330b para. 2 ORGarden, pets
Not part of cleaning the home. Agree what exactly and for how long; you provide the tools.
Art. 330b para. 2 ORCaring for an elderly person
Care is a job of its own. Medical care stays with Spitex.
Art. 330b para. 2 ORStaying longer
Only if necessary and reasonable. Then wage plus 25% or, if she agrees, the same time off; a written agreement or the cantonal NAV can set it differently.
Art. 321c ORCleaning at your parents'
She works for your household. You may only send her to another household with her consent.
Art. 333 para. 4 OR
No
You may not ask for this.
Outside windows without fall protection
You must protect her from falling. Without protection she can refuse.
Art. 328 para. 2 ORA ladder on the stairs
A ladder on steps tips over. High spots need a stable step on level ground.
Art. 328 para. 2 ORHarsh cleaners without gloves
Protection is part of the equipment you provide. No oven spray or acid without gloves.
Art. 328 para. 2 ORWorking off the books
In a private household AHV is due from the first franc, even if she would rather be paid cash without deductions.
Art. 34d para. 2 AHVVUnpaid favours
Whatever she does for you is working time and is paid. Her free time is hers.
Art. 322 OR
What a household helper does, and where another job begins
As the tasks change, so does the legal frame: the minimum wage, the rules, who is responsible.
Cleaning and housework
NAV from 5 h
From 5 hours a week, at least CHF 20.35 an hour (unskilled). Geneva has its own minimum wage: CHF 24.59.
The NAV for domestic workLooking after children
NAV only with housework
If she also helps in the household, the NAV applies as for cleaning. If she is mainly there for the children, according to SECO it does not; in Basel-Stadt the cantonal minimum wage of CHF 22.20 then applies.
What a nanny earns24-hour care
Cantonal NAV
Working and rest time are set by your canton's NAV; the Labour Act does not apply to private households. If she lives with you, board and lodging are part of the wage, for the AHV CHF 990 a month.
Art. 2 ArG · Art. 322 para. 2 OR
Hiring a carerMedical care
Spitex
Giving medication, injections, dressing wounds: that is nursing care and a job for Spitex or a qualified nurse. Reminding someone to take their medication is fine.
Spitex or private care
How much time it takes
Of 39 cleaners on Clino, 6 have exactly 2 and 9 exactly 4 hours a week in their contract, fewer than 5 exactly 3; the median is 4 hours (October 2026). What fits into 2 or 4 hours →
Which task how often, room by room:
Put together the list for your cleanerWhat has to be in the contract
If the job is open-ended or lasts more than a month, you must give her in writing, at the latest one month after she starts: names, start date, job, wage and weekly hours (Art. 330b OR). A new task also has to be put in writing within a month.
Her tasks
Employment Contract
Art. 330b OR1. Contracting parties
2. Start of employment and duration
3. Workplace and activity
Activity: Cleaning
4. Working hours
5. Compensation
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Frequently asked questions
What are a household helper's tasks?
Whatever was agreed as her job. For a cleaner that is the bathroom, kitchen, floors, dusting and inside windows. Laundry, ironing, cooking, shopping, children or the garden are only included if you agree them. In the Clino contract this is the activity in section 3.
What can I ask my cleaner to do?
Within her job you decide what she does, when and how (Art. 321d OR), and she must work carefully (Art. 321a OR). New tasks need her agreement, and you may never ask for dangerous work without protection (Art. 328 para. 2 OR).
Does my cleaner have to iron and clean the windows?
Ironing only if agreed. Inside windows yes, that is part of cleaning. Outside only where there is no risk of falling, for example from the floor or the balcony. High windows without protection she can refuse.
Can I give her new tasks?
Yes, if she agrees. Put the new task in writing within a month (Art. 330b para. 2 OR). If it takes her longer, the extra hours are overtime: wage plus 25% or, if she agrees, the same time off (Art. 321c OR), unless agreed otherwise in writing.
Do I have to put the tasks in writing?
Yes, if the job is open-ended or lasts more than a month: at the latest one month after the start, in writing, names, start date, job, wage and weekly hours (Art. 330b OR). The contract itself is valid even if only oral.
Can my household helper give medication?
She can remind someone to take it. Giving medication, injections or dressing wounds is nursing care under Art. 7 KLV: that is done by Spitex or a qualified nurse.
Sources
- Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), Art. 319 ff.Employment contract: Art. 321–321d, 322, 327–328a, 330b, 333
- NAV for domestic work (SR 221.215.329.4)Art. 2 and 3: who is covered, which tasks
- SECO: information on the NAV for domestic work 2026Section 2.1: scope, childcare
- KLV (SR 832.112.31), Art. 7Nursing care paid by health insurance
- Labour Act (ArG), Art. 2Does not apply to private households
- AHVV, Art. 34dContributions in private households from the first franc
Note: This guide gives general orientation and is not legal advice. What applies in your case depends on your contract and your canton's NAV.