SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper took to social media complaining about her employer’s rude mother. In an anonymous post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the maid shared that she had two previous employers, one where she finished her contract and another where she only worked for three months.
She shared that she had already worked for her third and current employer for six months. The maid wrote that the reason for her post was to learn more about employment rules and if she was at fault or if her employer was. The maid said she was hired to look after her employer’s first baby. After she went on home leave and came back to work for the same employer, she found that they had a second child, who she also took care of.
The maid added that there was a lot of work for her, which she did not complain about. However, she felt her employer’s elderly mother was rude and would find fault in everything she did. The helper said that she had no complaints about her employers themselves, as they treated her like their younger sister. She felt that the parents of her employer were the problem.
The maid added that every day, both she and her employer’s baby would have to go to her employer’s parents’ house. “I really not happy becouse I do work in my employer home then I come to they (sic) place I do work too”, the maid wrote, adding that she had to work at both her employer’s home and her employer’s parents’ home. She wanted advice on the matter so she decided to ask others in the group if they had faced similar situations.
One netizen said that she should speak to her employers, but the helper said that they were often too busy. Another helper said: “Do you know how make grandma happy?. 1st, always say sorry to her, even do u r do wrong or not. don’t show her your blackface… always talk to her nicely like share any kind of story about you or your family.. they only waiting for you to open up talking to them… I had ecperience twice.. having grandma together with my employer is they all good to me.. even I’m tired I never show them my blackface.. that’s why they love me more”.
Earlier this year, another foreign domestic helper took to social media asking others for advice about her poor work conditions. In an anonymous post to a Facebook support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the maid said that her main role was to look after an elderly woman. She said that the woman would not sleep and would make her massage her feet the entire night. She would not get any sleep and have to then work in the morning.
“I’ve tried my best these 3 months,but more and more I can’t stand it and more and more days and every day is not getting better, and the longer I am also stressed.even though I used to work for almost 7 years taking care elderly but somehow this time I gave up and don’t want to stay, because I’m afraid if I stay here”, the helper wrote, adding that she found the job very difficult.
She wrote that she was afraid of falling sick. Because her work conditions were out of her control, the maid wanted to know if she should ask for a transfer or if she had to return to Indonesia.