All About Full-Time Maids

[lifestylelink]

Take it easy. From no maid to maid there is also a learning curve. You are not alone, I have many problem with my maid from day 1 but I have nothing to compare, because I have maid since I come home with my baby. Lots of problem but it is just part of life. Maids are human too so we need to keep on brain wash them, if you don’t, they go back to their old self.


You already know your action plan so all the best.

[tamarind]

Hi all,

Check out my blog about how to manage maids.

http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-manage-maid.html

[winth]

Hi tamarind,


How do you usually send maid away? As in, what reasons did you give when you break the news to them?
Do you give maids notice period of 14 days (it’s stated in my contract with the agency, not sure if this is SOP)?

[tamarind]

winth,

I have sent back a few maids before. I usually only give one hour notice. The maid had to pack within one hour and leave for the airport. I know this sounds ruthless, but that time I had babies at home, and I was very worried that the maid would become crazy and do stupid things. I told the maid that we are all migrating to USA and cannot bring her along. The maid had no choice but to pack and leave. Another time, we told the maid that I am going to stay at home to look after the kids, so I cannot afford to keep her. I told her that I wrote her a very good letter of recommendation, she was happy to leave.

I made the mistake of informing a maid 2 weeks in advance. That maid went crazy and started banging things. She threatened to run to the embassy. It was a nightmare. I had treated her well enough, I did not deserve this. After this incident, I gave my maids only one hour notice.

However, if you are sending the maid back to the agency for transfer, you should ask her whether she wants to transfer to a new employer or not. Otherwise she might go crazy at the agency, and she is still your responsibility.


Read this page for more information.

http://singaporemaid.blogspot.com/2007/07/sending-maid-away.html

[ChiefKiasu]

matrix0405:

How strict are you with your maid, for items like having handphones, day-off, talking with neighbours' maids etc?

[Moderator's note: Topics merged]

[matrix0405]

winth:

Hi,


I had bad experience with current maid who is only with me for less than 2 months.

1) She went with me to Shichida for a couple of times (not more than 4 times), and I thot it's inevitable that she will have fellow maids to talk to, so I didn't enforce that she cannot talk to people. (But anyway, don't think they wi In the first place, maids did not even value-add into our daily lives.

This is the perfect guide book for 'bad' maid; my previous maid executed the same procedure. And that's when trouble begins.

[tamarind]

I don’t forbid my maids to talk to other maids. I think that maids are also human, they also need to socialize. If the maid turns bad, there is nothing we can do. Just send her away and get a new maid.


Maids are here to work for us for a salary. They are only our employees. The maid is not our relative working for us for free. She should be treated in the same way as how our boss treats us.

[HappyAvon]

Our Indon maid who has been with us for 2 years will be returning home for good. Our new maid will also be arriving soon and this time round, we are trying out a filipino cos we think that we will not have so much communication problems. We are thinking of installing a CCTV since we do not have someone at home all the time. My hubby is self-employed and so his time is flexible and sometimes he works from home… however my hubby could not afford to be always at home watching our 3 yrs old girl in the afternoon…

Has anyone got a security camera installed at home and how useful is the equipment? Wld appreciate any comments

[ChiefKiasu]

HappyAvon:

Our Indon maid who has been with us for 2 years will be returning home for good...

[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]

[mintcc]

agree, that maids are also human. It’s only natural that they need to talk to others from their home country.


I don’t think the maids will actually not talk to people even if you order them not too anyway, especially to maids of our neighbors or other maids they meet when they are left unsupervised while we accompany or kids for enrichment. I will advise them not to talk to strangers telling them it is dangerous for them as there are a lot of bad people out there. A few months back my maid lent money to the neighbor’s maid and could not get it back as the neighbor sent their maids back …I used it as an example of why she should not lent money to or mixed too much with other maids.

But sometimes, them talking to trustworthy friend’s or relative’s maids might be useful too. One of my ex maids reveal to my relative’s maid that she has a lover in Singapore which confirm our suspicion of her before sending her back to the agent.