SINGAPORE: An employer recently revealed that she had sent her domestic helper back to Indonesia after the latter displayed a series of alarming behaviours, including neglecting her children’s safety, breaching their privacy, displaying poor hygiene, stealing, and performing her duties inadequately.
To warn other employers, she shared her experience in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper Facebook group on Monday (Oct 20).
Safety concerns
In her post, the woman said the helper, whom she referred to as “Rohlina,” had repeatedly compromised her children’s safety.
On one occasion, she recalled that the helper carried her two-year-old daughter and lifted her up to the window of their fifth-floor HDB flat. “I couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious, but it gave me a huge fright,” the employer wrote.
She also claimed that the helper once “made a gesture as if trying to strangle her child” after the little girl spilt food on the dining table. In her private chats with her husband, the helper allegedly referred to the children as “toyol” or “demon babies.”
Temper and neglect
The employer added that the helper had a volatile temper, saying she once smashed her own phone until the screen shattered out of anger towards her son.
In another incident, the helper allegedly served the family’s two-year-old rice mixed with fish that contained “three large bones.”
“When I asked if she had checked the food, she said yes — but when I personally fed my child, I found the bones myself. This was a serious choking hazard,” the employer said.
Her children later reported that the helper had also pinched and slapped them in the toilet.
Privacy violations
According to the employer, the helper also violated their privacy.
“She took and shared photos and videos of my 2-year-old child half naked to her husband and posted videos of herself inside our home on social media despite being told not to on the very 1st day she came,” the employer said.
More alarmingly, the employer discovered several disturbing messages in the helper’s chats with her husband, including remarks that she “wished her employers were always working and not at home”, and that if she had the power to evict them, she would.
Unhygienic habits
The employer added that the helper had an unhygienic behaviour as she often did not “bathe in the morning”, brought food into her room to eat at night, stored leftovers in Tupperware containers inside her cupboard, and even kept fried chicken that the family cat had already bitten, intending to serve it to them the next day.
Poor work performance
As for her work performance, the employer explained that her cooking was “tasteless” despite repeated guidance. She also allegedly burnt several pieces of her clothing while ironing due to carelessness and lack of attention.
Theft allegations
Finally, the employer claimed that the helper had attempted to steal from the household.
She was allegedly caught hiding the employer’s mother’s money under a cabinet but denied doing so when confronted. “We decided not to make a police report at that time as she was still new, and we chose to give her another chance — but her attitude never changed.”
“I do not recommend Rohlina for future employment as a domestic helper due to her unsafe conduct, emotional instability, negligence, and unsatisfactory work performance. These behaviours created a stressful and unsafe environment for my children and family.”
At the end of her post, she also reminded other employers to “always trust their instincts.”
“If something feels wrong, don’t ignore it — especially when it comes to your children’s safety.”
“Thanks for protecting prospective employers.”
In the comments, many netizens urged the employer to alert the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) about these incidents. One wrote, “Blacklist or report to MOM. Pretty sure she will try to apply again in Singapore.”
Another commented, “Please submit feedback to MOM. Subject: DO NOT RECYCLE this maid.”
A third added, “I would stay a mile away, based on your description. Thanks for protecting prospective employers.”
Employers who wish to raise concerns or file complaints about their domestic helpers can do so through the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website.
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