Employer says her maid wants to sleep without showering, demands rice 3 times a day and snacks in between

SINGAPORE: An employer took to social media asking for advice because her new maid said that a 3-room household of three adults and a dog was too much for her to handle.

In an anonymous post to a support group on social media for domestic helpers and their employers, a woman wrote that on her maid’s second day, she went for a course and, after she came back, wanted to sleep without taking a shower.

For the next three days, the helper was left alone with the family pet at home as the rest had to go on a trip. The woman’s fiancé bought food from a hotel for the maid, “Since I am not around, obviously I have to arrange someone to help her to go to shop buy things for her, since she is new”, the woman wrote.

During her trip, the maid messaged the employer, saying she would like to eat rice thrice daily. “Yet my brother’s fiance bought her HOTEL food not from hawker and she had it. But sadly after eating withing 2-3hours she wants to eat again (Demanding for snacks). When we return back from our trip she keep telling my mum doesn’t like her. And then said she doesn’t have snack to eat so she wants to go back”, the woman added.

Once the family returned after their trip, the employer said her maid asked for a transfer letter. She was reluctant to work and seemed unhappy when she was given work to do.

The woman wrote that her household was small and wanted to know how much easier her helper expected the work to be.

Here’s what netizens who commented on the post said:

Last month, an employer took to social media asking others for the rationale for giving a food allowance to helpers.

Food allowance means giving helpers a set amount each month so they can buy their own food. The second option is shared food, where your helper eats whatever the family eats. According to the Manpower Ministry, employers must provide their helpers with three meals daily.

In an anonymous post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the woman asked the rationale behind giving a food allowance to helpers. “Why can’t the helpers just cook something for themselves? We employers just provide the ingredients and they can cook whatever meal they like.. even if the helpers has (sic) certain dietary requirements we can just buy the kind of ingredients that they need and they can just cook it”, she wrote.

Employer asks why maids need to be given food allowance: “Why can’t helpers just cook something for themselves?”