SINGAPORE: An employer took to social media to share that she is planning to terminate her maid’s contract after just six months because her “maid has a habit of lying.”
In a post on r/askSingapore, she explained that she hired the maid from Indonesia in late December 2023, hoping for a long-term arrangement. However, not even a year into the employment, she has become increasingly frustrated with the maid’s consistent dishonesty.
Additionally, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the maid’s work performance, describing it as “sub-par.”
Despite her frustrations, the employer admitted that she’s still concerned about the maid’s financial situation once the contract ends.
She asked the online community, “Is it financially damaging for my maid? She just finished working with us to pay off her placement fee (6 months of work).
“For argument’s sake, if she goes home as of today, does it mean she would have worked for essentially no money the past 6 months?”
“If she hasn’t done anything egregious. Give her a second chance.”
In the comments section, one Singaporean Redditor praised the employer for thinking about her maid’s financial situation, even though she wasn’t happy with her work.
She explained that after six months, her maid has likely just broken even and might even have debt if she borrowed money back home.
She also suggested that a kind option would be to allow the maid to transfer to another employer. By working with transfer agencies, the maid could find new employment, saving the employer the cost of airfare and helping the maid secure a new job.
She then shared, “Our previous helper whom we hired direct from the Philippines turned out to be less than competent, so we helped her find a direct transfer to another employer”
Another Redditor had a different take, saying that if the maid is dishonest, she should be sent home. She added, “Unless you think a different environment or training can help her, then return to the agency. If she hasn’t done anything to ingratiate herself to you, no need to feel bad.
“Personally I would send her back to the agent and ask for a replacement. If she hasn’t done anything egregious. Give her a second chance.”
A third netizen, meanwhile, expressed that she’s bothered with the way the ‘maid system’ worked in Singapore. To her, having someone work six months for free didn’t feel right. Even if the employer paid the agency, the maid still gets nothing, which she felt was unjust.
She advised the employer not to send the maid back with nothing after six months and to avoid criticizing her on online maid forums for ‘subpar work or lying.’
She also pointed out that everyone has moments of dishonesty, including employers, friends, and family, so maids shouldn’t be held to a higher standard. Unless the maid stole something, she said that the maid shouldn’t be condemned.
She went on to say, “I applaud you for bothering to ask, you seem to have a good heart and please do what feels right even if it costs or inconveniences you slightly. The cost to her is comparatively huge.”
Featured image by Depositphotos