SINGAPORE: A Singapore employer says she felt “angry and betrayed” after discovering that her domestic helper had complained on social media about being asked to care for the family’s baby while she and her husband went out for dinner.
Sharing her experience in the “Complaint Singapore (Anonymous)” Facebook group on Sunday (Jul 26), the employer said she came across a post written in her helper’s native language that appeared to criticise the family.
The post allegedly read: “Headache, feverish body, toothache… and yet they leave their baby with us again, while they go out to enjoy themselves. How wonderful is that.”
According to the employer, the post caught her off guard because she had checked with the helper before leaving, and the helper had assured her it was “no problem” to look after the family’s six-month-old baby for a few hours. She also said the helper never mentioned feeling unwell.
The helper’s daily routine
Wanting to provide context, the employer said the helper has worked for the family for about 1.5 years and that they have always tried to treat her fairly.
She explained that on weekdays, the helper sends their three children, aged six, four, and six months, to childcare. The employer joins the trip because managing all three children alone on public transport would be difficult.
After returning home at around 8 am, the helper has breakfast before completing household chores such as cleaning, laundry, and preparing dinner. Since no one is home during the day, she is only expected to cook one meal before noon and can rest once her chores are finished until it is time to collect the children at around 6 pm.
In the evenings, the helper helps bathe the children, serves dinner, and follows the family’s 9 pm bedtime routine. On weekends, she mainly looks after the two older children.
Date night
The employer added that her husband works shifts and rarely gets a weekend off, sometimes only once every four or five months. When those days align, they either spend time together as a family or enjoy a meal as a couple.
On the day of the incident, the couple decided to go out for dinner together. Before leaving, they ordered food for the children and the helper, while the employer’s 19-year-old son stayed home to look after the two older children. The helper was asked to care for the baby, who was expected to be asleep by around 8 pm.
However, shortly after they left, the helper allegedly uploaded the social media post complaining about having to care for the baby despite suffering from a headache, fever and toothache.
Unsure how to respond, the employer turned to other members of the Facebook group for advice.
“How would you react when you see your helper posted this on her social media in her native language, despite you asking her can or cannot? We are chill employers who value honesty and open communication,” she wrote.
Many urged the employer to let it go
In the comments, many people suggested that the employer simply treat the post as a private moment of frustration and avoid reading her helper’s social media in future.
One commenter wrote, “My boss asked me to do a project. I told him, ‘No problem’ (who dares to reject your salary provider?!). Next, I went to rant to my colleague that my boss is not assigning work fairly and keeps piling work on me. Your maid doesn’t have colleagues to listen to her rant. She can only do all this via social media, plus some salt and pepper. So please don’t go and read their social media.”
Another wrote, “I would pretend as if I had never seen that post of hers and continue with life.”
A third added, “How to say no? You are the employer. Personally, if I know my helper is sick, I will let her rest. But in this case, you don’t know she is sick. Tomorrow, ask her nicely, are you not feeling well? Show some concern and offer her some meds. She will know that you know. Her routine is very chill already.”
Some, meanwhile, found the helper a “hypocrite” and urged the employer to terminate her contract.
One commented, “Change the maid; she will do it again, hypocrite.”
Another shared, “This was exactly what happened with my helper too. And sorry to say I sent her back.”/TISG
Read also: Employee fears she could be next after GovTech layoffs, turns to Reddit for advice
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