Employer asks how to tell her maid she has body odour: “Can I buy her deodorant and/or let her know to shower twice a day?”

An employer who was unsure about how to approach the topic of personal hygiene with her domestic helper took to social media to ask others for advice.

In an anonymous post to Facebook page FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the employer wrote: “It’s my first time hiring a helper and I’m not really sure how to approach certain topics. My helper has been with us for a week now and she’s very hardworking and eager to learn, pretty awesome!”

She added that she wanted advice on how “I can let my helper know that personal hygiene is important as she has slight body odour, yet not hurt her or make her feel embarrassed? I really like her and want to make sure that I don’t dampen her spirits! Can I buy her a deodorant and/or let her know to shower twice a day?”

Many who commented on the post wrote that some helpers might not know what deodorant is and suggested that the employer teach her maid. They also said that the employer could urge her helper to shower twice a day.

Here’s what they said:

Earlier this year, a domestic helper with a list of over 33 tasks to perform each day took to social media asking other maids and employers for their opinions.

The helper, who seemed to use a throwaway account under the name of Bella Aldama shared a photo of the typed-out list her employer gave her, with tasks for the morning, afternoon, and evening. The list of 33 tasks had to be completed daily.

The post, shared on Tuesday (Aug 30), showed it had the helper waking up at 5.45 am to clean the tables, prepare breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the children, water the plants, do the laundry, sweep the porch, vacuum the house, mop the house and wash all the toilets and bathrooms. And these were just the main tasks to be done in the morning.

In the afternoon, the helper had to: 

– Prepare sir’s lunch
– Walk Miguel (presumably a dog) before 1 pm
– Throw garbage and recycled bag
– Change tea towel/hand towel
– Ironing
– Prepare kids’ snacks when they are home
– Pack swim bags/riding gear
– Prepare kids’ activities bags
– Prepare dinner
– Clear the kids’ school bags/activity bags
– Lunch and snack bags to be washed. Clear school bags and hang them in the sun.

The list continued further with the tasks to be done in the evening, which included drying the kids’ hair after their shower, bringing the laundry from the second floor to the first floor, mopping the kitchen and clearing the garbage & recycle bins, among a couple of other tasks. 

While the helper did not indicate what type of house her employers had, it may be at least two storeys high based on the task given in the list.