Singapore employer asks if helpers should get spare house keys after overhearing four discuss making duplicates

SINGAPORE: Should domestic helpers be allowed to carry their employers’ house keys when they head out? One employer has raised the question after overhearing four helpers allegedly discussing plans to make duplicate keys for their friends.

In an anonymous post on the Complaint Singapore (Anonymous) Facebook group, the employer said the helpers were chatting under their block about getting duplicate keys so that a friend could visit their homes when their employers were away.

“Do you give spare keys to your helpers and allow them to bring the keys every time they go out? Just curious about this matter,” the employer asked.

‘Please install a CCTV camera’

The question received mixed reactions from other employers, with some saying they had no issue giving their helpers keys, particularly when they needed to come and go independently.

For some, having a house key was seen as a basic practical arrangement. One employer argued that helpers should have access to the home in case of an emergency.

“You have to give her the key. If a fire breaks out and she can't get out, you will be liable,” they wrote. “Unless you have someone else who's at home 24/7 to open the door for her when she goes out and comes back, then she won't need the keys at all.”

Another shared, “No spare house keys for my helper; they will go to the agent’s place or my parents' house while I’m away on holidays.”

A third user commented, “I give my helper the keys. I even invite her friends over.”

A domestic helper also weighed in, saying she has her own key to her employer's house but that she never brings friends or anyone else inside out of respect for her employers.

“I never bring my friend or anyone in their house because it’s not good. My employer trusts me, so I should keep that trust that they give to me.”

Some commenters suggested that the employer could install CCTV cameras if she was concerned about strangers being brought into the home

“CCTV is important. Please install at least one in your living room that is facing the main gate so at least you know if she brings any stranger home,” one wrote./TISG

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