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SINGAPORE: A frustrated employer wanted help deciding whether to extend her maid’s contract.

The employer wrote that her helper had been with the family for almost 2 years but had still not gotten the daily routine down to memory. In an anonymous post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the woman said that she could not make up her mind as to whether or not she wanted to extend her maid’s contract.

The woman wrote that her maid was good at cooking for both the adults and the children. She also said her helper was good at cleaning as long as directions were given.

“But, when it comes to initiative it’s zero. I have to keep directing her on what needs to be done when. My household literally runs on the same routine day in and day out but even then she can mess up the daily routine if I dont keep her time in check. She is also very slow in getting work completed and to be honest I’m not sure if this is done on purpose”, she added.

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She asked others in the group for their opinions on whether she should extend her maid’s employment contract.

Here’s what others said:

Earlier this year, a different foreign domestic helper who initially wanted to break her contract jumped all too quickly at the chance when her employer agreed to let her go back on holiday.

In an anonymous post to a Facebook support group, the woman wrote that her helper from Myanmar had been with the family for seven months. She has had experience working in Singapore, but they hired her directly from Myanmar. “So far, we have been happy with her and has never once scolded her for her mistakes or things she broke. She can rest early as long as work is completed, and no curfew for her off days. She also has not restrictions on her phone and has her own room”, the woman wrote.

She added that her helper came to her and said she wanted to return to Myanmar at the end of the year to work there. “We tried to probe for more concrete reasons and she just said she don’t want to work here anymore. We asked if she’s unhappy with us and want to change unemployed (sic) but again she says she’s very happy with us. Then it came out that her friend is going back in Dec too”, the employer wrote.

Maid initially wants to break contract and go back, but agrees to stay when her employer says she can go back on holiday