SINGAPORE: A domestic helper took to social media saying that she had to wake up around 6 am and work till around 11 to 12 pm. In an anonymous post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, a maid wrote that she wanted the opinions and advice of others in the group. In her post, she wrote that she had worked for her current employer for about a year.
She added that she could not remember when the last time was that they allowed her to go to bed before 10 pm. The helper wrote that while she generally did not complain about her work, she felt it was unfair to only let her go to bed between 11 pm and midnight. The helper said that it was very seldom she could go to bed after 10 pm. Despite being allowed to go to bed late, the helper wrote that she had to wake up by 6 am and work through the night without a break in between.
Other helpers who commented on the post wrote: “630pm wakeup. 1030pm rest = 8hr. Which is according to MOM policy. So you should stop at 10-10.30pm unless they needed help? Usually is give and take and that would be they also provide a longer sleeping hour in the weekend if u are taking care of kids. However, midnight 11pm-12am is really late is there a possibility you did not manage to finish your job? Always plan early and try to finish all task by 5pm. So that night time is only cooking, cleaning kitchen and washing dishes. A final sweep and mop and this should take you less than 2hr or 2.5hr for everything. Unless yours is a landed property? I am comparing with normal condo and hdb”.
Another asked for more information: “You’ve been ok for almost a year…did something happened? Why only complain now? To avoid jumping to conclusions and not to misjudge the employer, please share with us roughly your jobscope. Why can’t you get a rest in between work and rest very late? What are u doing till those late hours? Are u hired to do Childcare or Elderly care? I can not give advice randomly without understanding the whole picture”.
Earlier this year, another tired maid with a lack of sleep took to social media to request her employers to hire a nanny for their child. In an anonymous post to a support group for helpers and employers alike, the maid wanted advice on conveying her situation to her hirer. She wrote that she only got to sleep around midnight but had to wake up around 6 am to start her chores. She got no rest during the day because she had to take care of her employer’s baby. To add insult to injury, the maid wrote that she would sometimes have to sleep with the baby at night if the baby fell sick. /TISG