‘She acts like the boss’: Maid says co-worker orders her around and makes false claims to employer

SINGAPORE: A domestic helper has sought advice online after claiming her co-worker has been acting as though she is in charge of the household, despite both women being employed in the same role.

In a post shared in the SINGAPORE TRANSFER (No Fees/SD), DIRECT HIRE & NEW HELPER Facebook group, the helper alleged that her co-worker frequently ordered her around, expected her to follow every instruction, and even made false claims about her to their employer.

The helper, who said she joined the household just two months ago, explained that it was her first time working alongside another helper from the same country.

According to her, the co-worker had previously worked as a nurse. 

Hoping to get off on the right foot, she approached the woman to discuss how they would split the household duties. However, she claimed their first conversation quickly raised red flags.

The helper alleged that her co-worker spoke to her rudely, insisted she take instructions from her and behaved as though she was the “boss” of the household. She also accused the woman of being manipulative and trying to control the way they worked together.

“She [my coworker] said that she is a nurse so she is not allowed to do anything, just take care of the elderly. OMG, even her own food she will ask our boss to buy for her.”

She went on to claim that her co-worker could not even cook an egg. As someone who enjoys cooking, the helper said she would often stop what she was doing to help whenever the woman asked for assistance.

“I loved to cook and I enjoy cooking but for God sake she doesn’t even know how to cook egg, I help her when she needs me and when she call me even though I have some work to do I automatically stop just to help her, we have cctv all over the place in this house so our Boss can see what we are doing and for me it’s fine as long as I’m not doing wrong.”

Despite trying to help, the helper claimed her co-worker repaid her by making up stories about her and reporting them to their employer.

“She is making a wrong story to our boss, and I heard that clearly but I kept myself quiet, I don’t have any issues with my boss; they are so nice. I am stressed with this woman; even when eating she needs to wait for me to cook. She is so annoying and [feels like a boss] in this house. What to do?”

“Why don’t you tell your employer directly?”

In the comments, many urged the post author to either confront her co-worker directly or raise the issue with her boss.

One wrote, “Aiyohhhh come from same country, why like that? You are all here to earn money for your family what. Go and talk to your boss.”

Another said, “It’s better if you talk to your employer now, before the other helper gets ahead of you and ruins your reputation. I understand how you feel because I also worked with someone who was a teacher’s pet and always trying to impress the employer. In the end, I gave up and stepped aside because she’d been with the family longer than I had.”

A third added, “Why don’t you tell your employer directly? Ask them to check the CCTV footage to see what the other helper is really doing.”

In other news, a Reddit post by an international student claiming that missing out on a place at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or the National University of Singapore (NUS) may actually be “a blessing in disguise” has sparked discussion online.

The student argued that those who were rejected, couldn’t afford the tuition fees, or were still weighing up their university options, may have unknowingly dodged a difficult experience.

Read more: Foreigner tells students who regret missing out on NTU/NUS, ‘It’s a blessing in disguise’: ‘The job market is beyond cooked here’