Should maids be given a day off every week?
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Picolo:
Picolo,
When the maid goes out regularly, how can you ensure that nasty things would not happen to your own family/house? My ex-colleague had a neighbour (living opp her HDB unit, the door-to-door type) who allowed her maid to go on day-off regularly. One night, somebody set fire to their main door! Her neighbour reported it to the police. Soon after the incident, the maid requested to go back to Philippines for some reasons. Some time past and one day, a woman (another maid) knocked on her neighbour's door and requested to see her maid. But her maid had left. Found out that actually, her maid borrowed a lot of money from her 'friends' in Singapore before she left. The fire was set by some people who were angry with her.Pen88n:
Personaly, I am never against maid having off-day provided as employers we are not \"dragged\" into any mess due to her having her off-days. Mess like:
- maid transfer
- getting pregnant
- moon-lighting
- missing
- stealing from employers
- worst scenario like fighting or getting killed
If she is caught in any of these acts and there are laws to deal with her act and repatriated back to her country (and the authority should be strict and act on this so as to issue \"warning\" to all maids) without me having impact of financial loss or inconvenience, I really would not want to interfere with how she spend her off-day.
Currently, all the above-mentioned mess are happening all the time, so how to give off-days when you are the person responsible for her action? For clarification, I do not have a maid now, as I do not want to deal with the mess that I had to deal with years ago. It cost me more stress than having to deal with a dirty house!
Are you willing to take the risk, to allow your maid to have time for a complicated social life? Are you prepared for the sh** after that?
A few years ago I had the most efficient maid. She was also very smart and responsible. To reward her, I allowed her to keep a mobile phone, so that she can message her younger bro in Indonesia whenever she needed to. Soon, she requested for day-off, saying that she wanted to meet her cousin who is staying at the other side of Singapore. I gave her day-off too. One day, she suspected she was pregnant and pretended that her mother wanted to see her badly and she needed to go back to Indonesia. I saw through her pretence and agreed immediately. Actually, her work attitude changed drastically after she was given day-off. I looked through her belongings trying to find some clues. Guess what, I found a diary she was keeping. In it, she wrote about a boyfriend, jealousy among the maid friends over the man, about where they went (incl Hotel 81), how he didn't answer her calls and messages after the ..., how frustrated when her menses didn't come,.... I couldn't believe how I had made her fall into a man's trap by giving her day-off ...
I do not and cannot deny those mess you have pointed out, becos I've experienced it myself. However, as a human being, I also understand the need for a break, a time away from employer to re-charge (as we do when we work as well). It is just that the maids come from such different background, with such different moral values and sense of responsibility, that we employers sometimes end up at the receiving end of their \"misdeeds\" - not fair indeed.
I do see that in time to come, with the pressure coming internationally for legislation of off-day, this might become an issue which the employers will have to find ways to deal with by then. -
Pen88n:
I do not think the ILO pressure is on off day per se. Look at what is reported today about 400+ workers squeezed into dormitory meant for only 215. That is the main issue, and things like that.
Picolo,
I do not and cannot deny those mess you have pointed out, becos I've experienced it myself. However, as a human being, I also understand the need for a break, a time away from employer to re-charge (as we do when we work as well). It is just that the maids come from such different background, with such different moral values and sense of responsibility, that we employers sometimes end up at the receiving end of their \"misdeeds\" - not fair indeed.
I do see that in time to come, with the pressure coming internationally for legislation of off-day, this might become an issue which the employers will have to find ways to deal with by then.
It is stupid that we pay million$$ just for minister to make policies that penalise parents/employers and protect the offender maids. Something is really rottenly wrong. Instead of policy makers helping citizens deal with issues, they are creating more issues for citizens to have to deal with.
Simple logic tells you that you cannot hold a person accountable for the action of another adult person that you have no control over with, eg maids who are forced to get out of the house because of legislated off day, and whatever she does outside, while the maid can \"return\" to the agencies and call their embassy at their whims and fancies with cooked up excuses. This world is warped.
This is not an argument for imprisoning the maid as some forumers like to claim. It is simply wrong that in a free market an employer cannot be free make a mutually acceptable agreement with the maid. Worse than a communist government or a police state. -
a day off weekly = human rights, is a joke.
there are rich people who work everyday and there are jobless people who can rest everyday.
People who wants to retire on this island has to work 30 yrs to pay back their HDBloan. If DHs are disciplined and save up their money, they need only to fulfill the 2 years’ contract to build that land house in their homeland. -
3Boys:
Why I say skewed? It's becos my points were taken to prove your point. Of course we have different outlooks.. and issues, and that's what I've been trying to highlight in my many many posts...
Not skewed, we just have different philosophies and outlook on life, that's all.SMH FOREST:
Dunno if I'm the only one, but I just feel that my opinions are being skewed... hit the nail right on the head?!? :roll:
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A few years ago I had the most efficient maid. She was also very smart and responsible. To reward her, I allowed her to keep a mobile phone, so that she can message her younger bro in Indonesia whenever she needed to. Soon, she requested for day-off, saying that she wanted to meet her cousin who is staying at the other side of Singapore. I gave her day-off too. One day, she suspected she was pregnant and pretended that her mother wanted to see her badly and she needed to go back to Indonesia. I saw through her pretence and agreed immediately. Actually, her work attitude changed drastically after she was given day-off. I looked through her belongings trying to find some clues. Guess what, I found a diary she was keeping. In it, she wrote about a boyfriend, jealousy among the maid friends over the man, about where they went (incl Hotel 81), how he didn't answer her calls and messages after the ..., how frustrated when her menses didn't come,.... I couldn't believe how I had made her fall into a man's trap by giving her day-off ...[/quote]
Piccolo, your post above about your ex-maid sounds so familar to me. Almost identical requests and reasons from my ex-maid (she who worked for me for 4 years). However the ending is vastly different. During her term, she too off and on requested for a mobile phone to call/sms her younger bro in Indo, she also requested for day-off, saying that she wanted to meet her cousin who is working in SG. Both requests I did not accede to - I told her that she has chosen and agreed to work in our household based on our mutually agreed terms from day one. Even when she renewed her second term of another 2 years with us, the same terms are reiterated and she has again chosen and agreed to the same terms (of course her salary is revised according to market rate). So why made all these requests which deviates from our mutually agreed terms? I stood firm by our initial agreement - she completed her 4.5 years with me, went home to get married, with 2 plots of land and a brand new house. I must emphasize that I am not claiming any credit here - her 4.5 years here in SG has paid off due to her own hard work and being able to stay focused. -
hi flower power,
I can attest to that. My first maid was super thrifty…didn’t spend a cent of her own money and was also very sparing on my money also. After 5 years (she started when market rate was low), with no offdays, she went back with a 5 figure sum. I heard she bought land and farm machinery - and even afforded a goat sacrifice in her village.
I do know of another maid working for a relative. Been here many years, but her savings are a pittance, if any. reason? she has 3 handphones and use them to full effect. When money ran low, she just helped herself to her employer’s money (that was one reason they finally gave up on her). -
icemochi:
that is exactly what first first maid did, bought land, big piece of land, build big house, sent the sons to university, huge banks deposits, living on bank deposit interest income alone, after working for us for 5 years.....and we are still slaving for our maids herea day off weekly = human rights, is a joke.
there are rich people who work everyday and there are jobless people who can rest everyday.
People who wants to retire on this island has to work 30 yrs to pay back their HDBloan. If DHs are disciplined and save up their money, they need only to fulfill the 2 years' contract to build that land house in their homeland. -
hquek:
that sounds like my second maid except no money stolen but for some months, her phone bill was more than my corporate phone bills, more than $500.....that was possible because we allowed her free use of the house phone, thinking that it was okay for her to call her family and we were generous to let her call free of charge as part of the benefits .... we were wronghi flower power,
I can attest to that. My first maid was super thrifty...didn't spend a cent of her own money and was also very sparing on my money also. After 5 years (she started when market rate was low), with no offdays, she went back with a 5 figure sum. I heard she bought land and farm machinery - and even afforded a goat sacrifice in her village.
I do know of another maid working for a relative. Been here many years, but her savings are a pittance, if any. reason? she has 3 handphones and use them to full effect. When money ran low, she just helped herself to her employer's money (that was one reason they finally gave up on her). -
hquek:
3 handphones!! Hahaha.... what kind of big business she managing?! Perhaps one for calls, one for sms and the last one for internet surfing? LOL
I do know of another maid working for a relative. Been here many years, but her savings are a pittance, if any. reason? she has 3 handphones and use them to full effect. When money ran low, she just helped herself to her employer's money (that was one reason they finally gave up on her). -
Flower Power:
may be one phone for husband to call, one for the Bangla boyfriend to call, and one for the internet
3 handphones!! Hahaha.... what kind of big business she managing?! Perhaps one for calls, one for sms and the last one for internet surfing? LOLhquek:
I do know of another maid working for a relative. Been here many years, but her savings are a pittance, if any. reason? she has 3 handphones and use them to full effect. When money ran low, she just helped herself to her employer's money (that was one reason they finally gave up on her).
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