Behind closed doors, the hidden world of Private Service is rife with sexual, physical, and verbal abuse and so much more. Shrouded in secrecy and no-disclosure agreements (NDAs), it’s now time to highlight this abuse and bring it to the attention of the #MeToo movement.
With the #MeToo movement turning 5-years old, a new chapter opens as those working in Private Service come forward with their stories of abuse and victimisation within the homes of the rich and famous.
This is a call to action for an online closed community for private service staff to speak up
Andrew Mellon, working in Private Service for over 30 years, is calling for accountability for those in positions of power who take advantage of their staff. Mellon’s is looking to set up a closed online community where people can come forward about their experiences and get help and support.
Whilst non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) stop many individuals sharing their experiences, many employers, in their eagerness to onboard an employee, fail to get the paperwork signed; leaving staff to speak freely.
When those working in Private Service discover a safe and confidential way to share stories and report abuse, Mellon foresees the floodgate opening as secrets come out from behind the green baize door. A door that has until now only swung very much in favour of the employer.
Affairs, sexual exploitation, and cash bribes in the closed world of Private Service
Andrew Mellon, 54 – former butler to a billionaire – takes us behind the green baize door to the world of sexual, verbal, and physical abuse between affluent employers and their staff.
Mellon says that, as well as sexual exploitation, private service staff are regularly victims of verbal and physical abuse.
In Mellon’s 30 years plus career, he has experienced several male principals who felt the need to sleep with their household staff. This included occurrences, resulting in Mellon losing his employment, being seen to be a party to the situation, as the person responsible for the running of the household.
Mellon mentions one such experience where an employer regularly threw items at her staff and referred to them as the 4-letter ‘c-word’.
Mellon also lays blame on the domestic staff recruitment agencies who place staff into these estates. “They often know they’re sending candidates to estates known for debauchery, drugs, alcohol and more. It doesn’t matter if the candidates only stay a short time in their role, as long as they last their trial period to claim their fee and if they have to replace them with someone new thereafter, they cash in on a new fee.”
Mellon calls out the agency – Signature Staff – who recently placed him within a billionaire’s estate.
The role was the opportunity of a lifetime and Andrew welcomed feedback on his role from his billionaire employer, who deemed him to be the “best thing to ever happen to this place”.
However, things soon turned sour: “The Estate Manager set about forcing me out of my job as he too had wanted my role. I contacted Signature Staff to let them know that I’d been unfairly forced out, however, instead of keeping our communications confidential as per our contractual agreement, the agency reported the information directly back to the Estate Manager. This resulted in the cutting all Andrew’s lines of communication with the family – who’d been happy with Andrew’s work and to whom there was no opportunity to discuss the contrived situation.”
Andrew Mellon is no Carson from Downtown Abbey, he’s a modern-day butler, house manager and private chef. He remains at the top of his game, commanding a six-figure salary and all the other benefits that come with working in domestic service.
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