Do you let your maid eat with you?: Singaporeans discuss treatments of domestic helpers

SINGAPORE: After seeing a post about the treatment of maids in Singapore, an online user took to a forum to start a discussion thread on the topic. Since the start of 2025, several reports have highlighted the mistreatment of domestic helpers by their employers.

One such report caught the attention of an online user prompting them to start an online conversation about how maids are treated in Singapore. “I saw a post about helper treatment, and I’m wondering how people in Singapore treat their helpers,” the post read. “Do you let your maid eat with you at the same table? What about the sleeping situation, (do they sleep in the) store room? Holidays, will the helper follow?”

Since the beginning of the year, multiple reports have surfaced regarding the alleged mistreatment of maids by their employers. For instance, in January, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) shared the plight of many migrant domestic workers (MDWs) around the country who struggle to get adequate rest given the demands of their employers. This came  after a domestic helper shared a printout of her exhausting daily work schedule.

“Ria, a migrant domestic worker (MDW), shared her gruelling daily schedule with us,” HOME wrote in their post. “Her work day begins at 5.30 am—which means she will likely have to get up earlier—and ends past 11 pm. On top of her daily chores, she is also assigned weekly tasks on designated days, further eroding what little rest time she may have.

“Unsurprisingly, Ria described herself as perpetually exhausted as she was required to adhere to the schedule strictly. Even her rest day, granted only once a month, was hardly restful. She could only leave the house at 10 am after completing chores and had to return by 4 pm to resume chores.”

HOME also criticised the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for its stance on MDW working hours, stating, “The MOM has said that legislating working hours of MDWs is ‘not practical’, citing the need for household flexibility. However, this flexibility comes at a significant cost to MDWs’ well-being.

“Overwork remains one of the most frequent complaints reported by MDWs residing at HOME’s shelter. Requests for shorter working hours are often dismissed with retorts like, ‘You are here to work, not relax!’.”

See also: “You are here to work, not relax!” — Employers often dismiss their maids with such retorts when they request shorter working hours—HOME