Singapore Expats

My maid has decided she wants to quit 1 year into her second contract with us. She was a good worker and is vague about her reasons, but i assume it has something to do with escaping people who are now coming to my door saying she owes them money? She says she will wait to go until after our holiday in 5 weeks, which a cynic might suggest is so she can lounge around, getting paid, while watching The Philipino Channel (which we purchase) and pretending to take care of my dog. Her attitude now stinks because she thinks I need her while I'm on holiday and I've decided to send her back to the agent and send my dog to kennels I'm so pissed off with her. My question is since she started all this by quitting, and I now have the expense of a new maid/insurance etc, are there any consequences for her?

Don't let it worry you!

Chill out and don't be so malevolent towards her until you know her complete situation.

How would you survive on lower than half the minimum hourly wage in the UK, working all hours god sends, and having to send money back home to support your family.

Cut her some slack, you sound like a school teacher.

If her attitude is so bad you can't live with it, why not fire her now and forget keeping her around for the next 5 weeks? Is the prospect of temporarily living without help so bad as to keep you in a situation you're both unhappy with?

My understanding is that the OP is still on holiday while this is all happening. If the helper is 1 year into her 2nd contract than she has been there 3 years and must be some loyalty on the employers part. If you are dealing with the same agency then surely there will be clause for replacing within the contract?
In re: to Billy B and the standard: "boo hoo, how would you deal back home" comment... this is the situation here in Singapore - if the OP obviously has CABLE in the MAIDs room - than you are addressing the wrong person.

cbavasi wrote:My understanding is that the OP is still on holiday while this is all happening. If the helper is 1 year into her 2nd contract than she has been there 3 years and must be some loyalty on the employers part. If you are dealing with the same agency then surely there will be clause for replacing within the contract?
In re: to Billy B and the standard: "boo hoo, how would you deal back home" comment... this is the situation here in Singapore - if the OP obviously has CABLE in the MAIDs room - than you are addressing the wrong person.

Wow, they give cable and the Phil channel to the maid in her room. Sh*t, they are really pushing the boat out aren't they. That much cost all of an extra $30 dollars per month. They should definitely be nominated for employer of the year and be knighted when they return home.

Doesn't change the fact that she showed her true colours in quite a nasty and unpleasant way with the rather vindictive last sentence on her post.

surreymum wrote:My maid has decided she wants to quit 1 year into her second contract with us. She was a good worker and is vague about her reasons, but i assume it has something to do with escaping people who are now coming to my door saying she owes them money? She says she will wait to go until after our holiday in 5 weeks, which a cynic might suggest is so she can lounge around, getting paid, while watching The Philipino Channel (which we purchase) and pretending to take care of my dog. Her attitude now stinks because she thinks I need her while I'm on holiday and I've decided to send her back to the agent and send my dog to kennels I'm so pissed off with her. My question is since she started all this by quitting, and I now have the expense of a new maid/insurance etc, are there any consequences for her?

You are proudly telling everyone here about the Filipino Channel you purchased for your maid. Well done Madam, I hope you realized that by sending her back to the agency means she wont be earning a single cent while living in that filthy house of your agent. And that might cause her family back home to starve and kids not being able to go to school. Please find your soul in the gutter.

no point keeping around someone who doesnt bring their heart to work. if your attitude stinks, getting fired is a no-brainer. as the chinese say “沒有明天”

ex-pat wrote:

surreymum wrote:My maid has decided she wants to quit 1 year into her second contract with us. She was a good worker and is vague about her reasons, but i assume it has something to do with escaping people who are now coming to my door saying she owes them money? She says she will wait to go until after our holiday in 5 weeks, which a cynic might suggest is so she can lounge around, getting paid, while watching The Philipino Channel (which we purchase) and pretending to take care of my dog. Her attitude now stinks because she thinks I need her while I'm on holiday and I've decided to send her back to the agent and send my dog to kennels I'm so pissed off with her. My question is since she started all this by quitting, and I now have the expense of a new maid/insurance etc, are there any consequences for her?

You are proudly telling everyone here about the Filipino Channel you purchased for your maid. Well done Madam, I hope you realized that by sending her back to the agency means she wont be earning a single cent while living in that filthy house of your agent. And that might cause her family back home to starve and kids not being able to go to school. Please find your soul in the gutter.

The OP used one single and not really fortunate statement. That's it. You also know nothing about her maid. Let me remind you: the maids are human. Human, not angels. They can misbehave and this may not be the fault of the employer. Just because the maids are poor and there are many bastard employers around does not justify your strong words.

Is it now against the rules to complain about a bad employee?

If I quit my job, they wouldn't let me hang around for 5 weeks with a crap attitude, drawing salary and doing little or no work.

But if the poster fired the maid, she is a soulless individual?

I don't think so.

Sonar wrote:Is it now against the rules to complain about a bad employee?

If I quit my job, they wouldn't let me hang around for 5 weeks with a crap attitude, drawing salary and doing little or no work.

But if the poster fired the maid, she is a soulless individual?

I don't think so.

It's not against the rules...but then again, just because something isn't against the rules, it doesn't mean it's ok to do it or to do it a certain way.

And as much as OP is free to complain, everybody else is also free to complain at OP. And so are you to comment on all this. Caveat: to an extent.

Fair call. you're right.

It just irritates me a bit, this constant "maids are human too, you know" response. No-one is saying they aren't. They're human, adults, and performing a job.

It seems that it has become politically incorrect to vent about the maid.

If you were triggered by my post then you clearly didn't get it.

Fair call. you're right.

It just irritates me a bit, this constant "maids are human too, you know" response. No-one is saying they aren't. They're human, adults, and performing a job.

It seems that it has become politically incorrect to vent about the maid.

Hear hear!

This forum is titled Domestic Helper Issues yet whenever anyone has any issues with their domestic helper they are automatically declared spawn of satan for being an employer...

Seems like some of these sub forums are here purely to bait unsuspecting posters to come in just for some of the regulars to get their jollies with their pitch forks and torches.

You are proudly telling everyone here about the Filipino Channel you purchased for your maid. Well done Madam, I hope you realized that by sending her back to the agency means she wont be earning a single cent while living in that filthy house of your agent. And that might cause her family back home to starve and kids not being able to go to school. Please find your soul in the gutter.

Noone owes a maid a living. It is an employment contract of mutual benefit and just because there is a poorer side to it doesn't mean that they deserve to be 'carried' beyond those terms.

I wouldn't expect any sympathy if my employer cut their ties to me if i turned up to work in the same way as this maid has, as calmed by the OP.

These posts should be taken at face value without half as much assumptions that have gone on here.

My point exactly.

Employers seem to have to constantly defend themselves, as the assumptions run rampant that any problems are caused by their inhuman exploitative ways.

The fact that the OP mentioned that she supplied the Philippino channel indicates to me that she has had consideration for her maid's comfort and happiness. But she is then sarcastically attacked because it costs a mere $30 a month. Maybe that's true, but I bet its not in the contract. Just like it is also not in the contract "The employee may break the contract and then lounge around for 5 weeks on full wages".

Who is being exploited here?