62% maids surveyed say their employers allow them to use air-conditioning; others say they’re happy to have their own bed

SINGAPORE: 62 per cent of maids surveyed on social media said their employers allowed them to turn on the air-conditioning at night.

In a support group for helpers and employers alike, one employer asked others: “If you have your own room, do your employer allow you to on aircon to sleep at night? Employer here asking genuine question”.

To her question, 485 maids responded, with 306 saying they were allowed and the remaining 180 saying they were not allowed to turn on the air-conditioning at night. Many helpers also replied in the comments section, adding that they were happy as long as they had their own space and privacy.

Here’s what they wrote:

Earlier this year, a domestic helper took to social media asking for help because of her poor sleeping conditions and employers who refused to pay for her medical check-ups.

In an anonymous post to a Facebook support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the maid shared a photo of the store room she slept in that was piled with luggage and various items.

She said she could only sleep past 11 pm but had to wake up at 5.30 am, which was extremely difficult for her as she could not rest properly. The helper wrote that when her employer’s parents came from overseas, they brought their own luggage, which was then kept in the store room where she had to sleep. She added that she, too, had things stored in the same room.

Maid says she goes to bed at 11pm and wakes at 5:30am, sleeps in the store room where she can’t stretch her legs fully because of all the items there