Is two-week vacation leave after only one year reasonable?
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Hi all, would appreciate your views and advice. My maid has been with me for a year and asked for two-week home leave to attend her brother’s wedding at her own cost. The period coincides with my office peak period and I asked her to reconsider shortening it to a week or 10 days. She won’t budge. Is she taking advantage of me or am I not considerate enough of her personal feelings for this family event? Thanks!
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Is she a good maid? If she’s a very good maid, you can try to let her go. Home leave application cost about $300 (heard from friends). Who bears the cost?
Be prepared that she may not come back after "home leave". Then you have to cancel her WP.
Are you able to make alternative arrangements for your household stuff? Children? -
She is average. Not bad. Cooking and cleaning OK. But can be a little careless sometimes. She will be paying all costs herself. She is aware that she is not entitled to home leave yet. I am uncomfortable because this request to take leave comes after two recent requests for advance pay. She claimed that her mother was in debt and she needed to help her. I haven't made any arrangements for my household chores yet. Will need to call Grandma on Wheels or something! My kids are aged 11 and 15 already - so quite independent
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be prepared, just in case never come back
have a back up plan, like hold back a certain sum to ensure she will comes back or not economical to run road, rationale being you need to pay again some placement fees, make her understand that -
I think she is pushing her luck to ask for 2 weeks and I would question her on that. Maybe the family want her to help out - or more likely to provide some cash - but she has her responsibilities here so she needs to understand that. Try to have another talk with her and find out why she needs to go for such a long time and explain that it is very bad timing for you.
It is a big hassle to change maids so if you can hold on to her it will be a good idea but don’t let her hold you to ransom. -
The word for "responsibility" in Indon is "tanggung jawab"
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asking for pay advances and asking for 2 weeks leave could mean she has other issues to settle that she’s not telling you. e.g. going for abortion or really as she says some family issues.
on the good side, she’s paying the costs herself.
Since she asked, if you don’t let her go, she’s probably going to be unhappy. and since she thinks its ok to ask for pay advances, you have to handle this in the future as well. If you want her back, have her know she worked for 1 year and she’s already credited with some end-of-contract bonus. This will increase the chance of her coming back. -
Metis:
Hi all, would appreciate your views and advice. My maid has been with me for a year and asked for two-week home leave to attend her brother's wedding at her own cost.
Since kids are aged 11 and 15 already, quite independent means the issue of her taking 2 weeks no pay leave is still workable for you. Your kids can pack food or you order tingkat meals. Housework close one eye do lah.
If I'm the one paying for my own airfare, I would also prefer to have a longer break like 2 weeks or 1 mth in home country.
If you're afraid she's heading for no return (I'll be worried too), I suggest this:
If her pay day is 15th of the month, let her go before 15th. If she ask about salary, say you don't give salary advance. Salary will be paid on her return, not a cent less (minus the no pay days). Calculate clearly to her, her own cost include $?? for airfare, $?? for home leave processing, etc.
If the actual amount shock her, best!! :xedfingers:
If she insists she must be paid early, let her know, she's rich to finance her own trip back, she should be able to sustain her expenses till her return. Let her consider 'brother wedding' more important or save her own money.
Mine also has lots of reasons to go early home leave. One time said son misses her badly, must go back. Then, said son graduating, must go back. Another time said her sister who worked many years elsewhere going back for Xmas, she insists to have a huge Xmas family reunion ... now she said, she'll work till contract ends and find expat to work with :slapshead: :pokeeye: -
Thanks all so much for your suggestions and warnings! Will check figures and present them to her with analysis. But she seems to have a very weak grasp of financial management concepts. I also beginning to wonder if I should just bite the bullet and… live without a maid!
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Some food for thought:
"I am uncomfortable because this request to take leave comes after two recent requests for advance pay".
Did you grant those requests or did you turn them down?
So what would be the salary situation if she should leave and not come back?
1 Are you in arrears with her salary?
2 Breakeven?
3 She still owes you money because of the advances that you have given? If this is the case then she is taking YOUR money to go back and presenting to you nicely that SHE will pay the costs.
"2 weeks home leave"…Is this paid or unpaid (Am presuming it is unpaid)
Lynn2010 post a good question "Home leave application cost about $300 (heard from friends). Who bears the cost?
After you have worked out the financials, it is more relevant to yourself then to the maid.
Why should she care about your presentation if the bottom line is that she is ahead if she does not come back?
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