All About Full-Time Maids

[minnie2004]

24hr-mum:

re spelling out rules, how extensive and exhaustive can the employers make the list?? some times we dont spell out becos we DIDNT EXPECT maids to do certain (silly) things. i have never spelled out much rules to my ex-maid esp re FB cos we when employ her FB wasnt so popular then. she didnt hv a FB phone at that time too. many things i nvr spell out (eg cant reveal ur bosom, cant b close to SIR, nvr ask Sir where he works, dont take photos of our hse etc） but she knows and never do them cos she was a SENSIBLE maid.


does our boss spells out everything to us in black n white??

of cos its good to spell the rules out if u can, but it can never be foolproof.

Totally agreed. For the last few maids, I never gave them such kind of house rules except a list of guidelines regarding hygiene, how to handle kids and household chores. I never put out rules like \"never take pics in the house\", \"don't post comments about us on the internet\" etc as I've never expected they would do such things till now. Things we assume are common sense are certainly not common to them. Looks like now i really need to think of as many rules as possible as it's crystal clear now mine is not a sensible and trustworthy maid.

[24hr-mum]

today’s news on more aussies choosing spore to move to – no wonder we are losing our maids to these expats…


anyway, minnie2004, if u ever want to list out ur hse rules, u may want to list these special rules in ur HANDBOOK FOR FDWs (inspired after reading this thread):

No sexy clothings
No revealing bosoms
No hot shorts, Gstrings, booster bras,
No usg of hps with FB
No asking abt Sir’s whereabouts
No comparison of pay and benefits wf other maids
No interruption or participation in family discussions
No taking of photos of my family or house, and of couse, no posting them anywhere
No dumping of own panties into washing machine (esp blood stained ones)
No getting close to Sir
No giving of our house telephone number to anyone else
No acting as loanshark to fellow maids (this happend to my insurance agt’s maid, she was a loanshark)
No casting of spells

etc. anythg else to add?

but sometimes i wonder if the maid is still willg to work for u if u spelt out so crystal clear…

[24hr-mum]

and u can make the maid SIGN on the house rules, to make it more legalistic-like. to show that u are serious??

[24hr-mum]

also this:

No sharpening of knives using my stainless steel sink (that’s what my ex maid did. maybe its in their culture)
No putting of oil into the rice cooker when cooking rice (that’s what my ex maid did, to make it easier to wash the rice cooker, but then my DH doesnt like cos he thinks the oil makes us fatter)

[LOLMum]

too many rules for the maid and the one who suffers in the end is the poor child.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwc7BJooJdE

[Chu Liu Xiang]

24hr-mum:

today's news on more aussies choosing spore to move to -- no wonder we are losing our maids to these expats.....


anyway, minnie2004, if u ever want to list out ur hse rules, u may want to list these special rules in ur HANDBOOK FOR FDWs (inspired after reading this thread):

No sexy clothings
No revealing bosoms
No hot shorts, Gstrings, booster bras,
No usg of hps with FB
No asking abt Sir's whereabouts
No comparison of pay and benefits wf other maids
No interruption or participation in family discussions
No taking of photos of my family or house, and of couse, no posting them anywhere
No dumping of own panties into washing machine (esp blood stained ones)
No getting close to Sir
No giving of our house telephone number to anyone else
No acting as loanshark to fellow maids (this happend to my insurance agt's maid, she was a loanshark)
No casting of spells

etc. anythg else to add?

but sometimes i wonder if the maid is still willg to work for u if u spelt out so crystal clear...

No using of hp with FB? You mean not even during her rest hours?
No comparison of pay and benefits with other maids? Can you control?
No giving of our house telephone number to anyone else? You mean not even to her family members for emergency call?

OMG

[24hr-mum]

those rules are for very strict employers. its just examples. not everyone has the same rules in mind. some for instance dont mind washing underwear in washg mach but some mind.


as with all rules, the maid can always dont follow.

perhaps employers with maids who hv FB phones can share their experience. my experience is that once they hv FB its hard to control that addiction. yes they may use them only at nite, but then they will stay up so late at nite eg 1pm, that the next day they so tired, tend to grumble and shout at kids.

and since they hv own hp, why need to gv our hse number to their family ??
and then u may start to become their receptionist?

of cos, if the maid is a sensible one, in the first place, the maid can ctl their hp usage, sleep not too late, wont abuse their freedoom etc. but how many sensible ones are there??

[peapot]

I think usage of Hp also depends on the family structure. If the maid is working in a hsehold with grown up kids then using the Hp with Internet access should be alright. But if the maid is caring for a new born then that’s abit risky. However experienced maid will interview the employer anyway. If the maid doesn’t like to care for babies, she will turn down the job.

[Chu Liu Xiang]

24hr-mum:

those rules are for very strict employers. its just examples. not everyone has the same rules in mind. some for instance dont mind washing underwear in washg mach but some mind.


as with all rules, the maid can always dont follow.

perhaps employers with maids who hv FB phones can share their experience. my experience is that once they hv FB its hard to control that addiction. yes they may use them only at nite, but then they will stay up so late at nite eg 1pm, that the next day they so tired, tend to grumble and shout at kids.

and since they hv own hp, why need to gv our hse number to their family ??
and then u may start to become their receptionist?

of cos, if the maid is a sensible one, in the first place, the maid can ctl their hp usage, sleep not too late, wont abuse their freedoom etc. but how many sensible ones are there??

IMO, the 3 issues I mentioned are strict. To every rule there's an exception so may be the rules should be re-phrased with some exceptions.

For using of hp with FB. Use of hp is only allow by the employer during the working hours. Use of hp is permitted during the rest hours and such use shall not become an abuse to the extent that work performance is affected. Here, whether she uses FB is immaterial now during her rest hours.

As for pay comparison with other maids it shouldn't be put as a house rule since the employer cannot control it. However, we can give sound advice to them by letting them know of the pitfalls when doing so.

The last item deals with giving out house numbers(s) to others. The issue is not whether the maid has a hp and they should use their hp instead. In my case I made known to my maid (and ex-maids) that her family is allow to call my house number but only on emergency condition. Not for normal chit chat and nobody else must call in. So far none of my maids' family has called my house number. Just tell her don't abuse your house phone number(s). Don't tell me you don't give your company phone number(s) to your family members to reach you in case of emergency too even though you carry a hp?

In all the 3 cases the employer must explain clearly, in details and with examples why she/he has written the rules (except case 2) as such.

:xedfingers:

[znzyzyzx]

这叫得寸进尺

Chu Liu Xiang:

LOLMum:

Maids to protest if $4,000 wage not met

Diana Lee (The Standard)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Leaders of eight associations warned yesterday they will escalate their protests if the minimum wage of domestic helpers is not increased from HK$3,580 to \"at least HK$4,000.\"

The Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, comprising unions of domestic helpers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka, said it will begin a campaign to collect at least 50,000 signatures from the more than 250,000 helpers in the city.

The body will also stage a protest outside the Executive Council on June 1, the opening day of the 100th session of the International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, where some of its representatives will speak about the situation in Hong Kong.

Before the government's annual wage review for domestic helpers can be completed - which is expected in August - the group will mobilize thousands of members to join the annual July 1 rally organized by the pan- democrats.

This will be followed by a massive protest on July 24 by the group to re- enforce its demand.

The group said the wage increase for domestic helpers is moving \"at a snail's pace\" when compared to the economic recovery and inflation rate.

\"It's high time the government gives us a real wage increase,\" said Eni Lestari, a spokeswoman for the group.

\"We are geared to fight to get an okay to our HK$4,000 demand. Enough of the feel-good and pathetic wage hikes. We need a genuine wage increase.\"

She added the cost of food and other necessities has increased 4.6 percent, making it hard for foreign domestic helpers to make ends meet.

Lestari said they will not rule out seeking a judicial review as they are excluded from the statutory minimum wage of HK$28 per hour.

Joseph Law, chairman of the Hong Kong Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers Association, maintained an increase in wages to HK$4,000 would result in some employers refusing to rehire domestic helpers when their contracts expire.

\"Our survey supports a wage increase of about 2.8 percent, after considering the wage increase for Hongkongers in general is between 1.5 percent and 3.3 percent,\" Law said.

I can see problem coming soon. First they asked for PR status and now they ask for rise in minimum wage.

This pattern will be duplicated here if it's successful in HK. Now, they're asking for more dayoffs per week. Next will be dayoff for holidays, rise in minimum wage, PR status etc and all will be supported by NGOs, the Archbishop, foreign news and reporters, our Ministers here

:stompfeet: