Maid says, ‘My ma’am forces me to report what I’m doing every minute, change her bedsheet 10 times and clean the room 10 times in one day’

SINGAPORE: In what sounds more like a script from a dystopian drama than a Singaporean household, a foreign domestic helper has bravely stepped forward to share her concerning story of micromanagement, emotional exhaustion, and mental abuse at the hands of her employer.

The post, written by a group member on behalf of the helper in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid/Domestic Helper Facebook group, opened with a frustrated cry for compassion: “Why do so many employers have no heart???” And that wasn’t an exaggeration. “She (the employer) forces her helper to report and update what she is doing every minute throughout the day,” the post read.

The maid even shared screenshots of her reporting routine from her attached WhatsApp message, with every task timestamped like a soldier’s log. From starting work early in the morning to “7.49 p.m. hang clothes” to “12.04 a.m. go to sleep”, the messages chronicle everything in detail, from taking care of “kopi,” preparing Nutella bread for probably a child named Donovan, to reporting the helper’s toilet breaks. Even the time the helper came out of the toilet was reported.

And then at the bottom of the text message were her employer’s newly issued orders to the helper: “tmr must change bedsheet and sanitise the whole room. Clean 10 times. I tell u tmr.”

And so the next day, the helper, who remains unnamed, claimed she was forced to change her employer’s bed sheets “10 times in one day” simply because her employer didn’t like the designs—even though the employer had picked them herself.

Her frustration finally boiled over and she said: “How can I not be annoyed when I’ve had to change the sheets five times (and later 10 times), and this is why I’m asking for a contract break or transfer.”

But for her request to exit the household to be granted, her employer expects the helper to find and pay for her own replacement before being allowed to leave.

The online community didn’t waste any time to urge the helper to take immediate action: “Go to MOM (Ministry of Manpower) and show all the WhatsApp messages,” one wrote. “But don’t just break the contract and leave this trap open for other helpers to fall in,” another advised.

Others didn’t hold back either: “Even a robot will surrender from being made to work like this,” quipped one helper in the group, and many others also called for urgent action, suggesting that the helper lodge a complaint with the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) or the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE)
Email: [email protected]
24‑hour helpline: 1800 2255 233 (1800‑CALL‑CDE)

Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
Phone: 6438 5122 for general inquiries/reporting infringements
MDW Helpline: 1800 339 5505 (or +65 6339 5505 for overseas callers)

One member even wrote, “This employer has a mental sickness,” while another added, “I think your employer has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).”

Several others also expressed concern about employers who, while treating their helpers poorly, are quick to give negative feedback to MOM about their helpers.

Singapore has seen multiple reports over the years involving excessive control over domestic helpers by their employers. While most employers are fair and respectful, this post has once again ignited calls for stronger protection mechanisms and mental wellness checks for employers, not just employees.

As for this helper, who has survived one year of her contract so far, many group members encouraged her to walk away before it’s too late, so long as she does it by the book.

Because no one—robot or human—deserves to be micromanaged into such misery and bullied into silence.

Read related: ‘I don’t want to eat anymore because my boss is so calculative’ — Maid says her employer wants to know each item she eats every day