Maid: Even on my off day, I have to clean the house in the morning before going out and then at night after I return. Is this normal?

With a situation not uncommon for maids, yet another foreign domestic worker took to social media asking if it was the norm for her to have to work despite it being her day off.

In a post to Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), a netizen who went by the name of Mary Joy Agustin asked other domestic helpers if it was normal for them to have to work on their days off. Elaborating on her own situation in her post on Tuesday (May 17), Ms Agustin said that in the morning before she left the house, she had to clean until about 9 am. She also added that after the day’s activities outside, she had to continue cleaning once she got back home at 7 pm.

Responding to her query, many other helpers wrote that they too would clean on their days off. They advised Ms Agustin not to be too calculative and to just do a little bit more than what was required.

Ms Agustin is hardly the only one in this situation, though. Last month, another domestic helper checked with other helpers if they had to work on their days off, as she was required to wake up at 5:45 am every day, vacuum and mop the floor and empty the rubbish – even on her supposed day off.

In a post on Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), Ms Iradiel Augustin Rafelyn asked if others were also treated the same as she was on what was supposed to be her one day of rest in the week.

In her post, she said that on Saturday night, before her day off, she was also required to prepare the family’s lunch for the next day. Despite having to work late to get the Sunday lunch ready, she still had chores to complete on Sunday morning and could only leave at 9:30 am. Moreover, when she returned that evening, she would have to prepare Monday’s lunch for the family.

Maid asks if others have to wake up before 6am on their day off to vacuum & mop before going out, then return to prepare the next day’s lunch