One way to make your life easier, mainly if you’re always occupied with work, is hiring a reliable maid. Around the house, they can help out or help take care of the children. But, you have to remember that they are there to help you, and you still need to fulfil your obligations to them. It would be wise if you also thought about being a good employer when hiring a maid. Not only will it benefit your maid, but you’ll benefit from it too.
Unfortunately, a lot of maid employers forget or are not aware of their obligations. They don’t understand the needs of their maid despite being very demanding about the household’s needs. Well, this kind of setup will only discourage your maid from working well and will make her feel uncared for. One thing you should always take notice of is your maid’s health. A maid medical check-up is one of the employer’s responsibilities to their maid. You wouldn’t want your maid to get sick while she works for you, right? Besides, she stays at your home as well as interacts with your family. It’s best that she’s always healthy enough to work.
Give your Maid’s Salary on Time
A good employer should know that giving out salaries on time is important. If you don’t like receiving your salary late, so does your maid. If you know that your maid is nice and will most likely understand if her salary gets delayed, it’s best that you don’t abuse her kindness. The exact date of your maid’s salary should be explicitly specified in your employment contract. It’s the duty of the employer to pay their maid on time.
There may be some conflicts that may cause you to give your maid’s salary late, but make sure that you give it to her not more than seven days after the actual salary date. Otherwise, the Ministry of Manpower will have to step in if you fail to do so. It’s best that you keep track of your maid’s salary by handing out a payslip that she must sign. Another way to make sure her salary is monitored is to have her open a bank account. Of course, you’ll have to help her with this.
Every Maid is Required to Undergo a 6-Monthly ME.
MOM requires every employer to have their maid undergo a 6-Monthly Medical Examination. You are not allowed to have your maid pay for this. Failure to comply with this requirement can revoke your maid’s work permit. A 6ME ensures that your maid is safe and able to function by doing a checkup every six months.
Create a Fair Employment Contract
You have to come up with an employment contract before you hire maids in Singapore. You have to ensure that the contents you put in your employment contract are equally fair and beneficial for you and your maid. Here’s what your maid should see on the contract:
- Total number of rest days
- Salary and allowance (Optional)
- Compensation if she intends to work on her rest day
Having it in writing is much easier so as to prevent confusion.
Proper Ways an Employer should Treat their Maid.
Getting someone new to live with you and your family is often difficult, especially when that person does a lot of work in your home and communicates directly with your family. Like what we’ve mentioned earlier, the well-being of your maid has a huge influence on how members of your home and family are cared for.
The role of your maid at home is mainly to clean and take care of family members that need extra attention (young children or elderly parents). Other than that she should be regarded as part of the family and should be given thorough care and consideration. She is a human after all, and she also has a family of her own which she surely misses. So being kind and caring towards her would mean so much to her.
Understanding Cultural Differences
We’ve mentioned earlier that maids in Singapore mostly consist of individuals from different countries. With that said, their culture may not be the same as ours, and that’s why we should learn how to be understanding. In their difficulty adjusting to your processes and schedule or religious practices that can cause distress to either group, these cultural differences can manifest.
Try to help your maid learn your culture and this way she’ll know if she is doing something disrespectful. Some employers have multiple maids, and mostly, their first maid has already worked for them for a long time. These maids can help them navigate through all the cultural differences, so giving them time to communicate is a must.
Communicate with your Maid on a Personal Level
A lot of maids in Singapore come from different nations, mainly the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar. This implies that their levels of schooling, language abilities, and communication skills differ greatly and that communication challenges are something that you should be prepared for. Although language proficiency takes time to grow, making a concerted effort to reach out and connect with your maid not only speeds up the process but also establishes a healthy working relationship despite the language barrier, beyond instructing her on household issues.
Inform your Maid of your Expectations
Hiring a maid means that you need some help in cleaning or taking care of your children. And of course, you’d want to hire a maid who will responsibly do all her tasks on time. That’s why you must prepare a to-do list in advance so your maid knows what should be done before the day ends. One reason why there may be a conflict between the employer and employee is that they both have different preferences. If you want to avoid any of these conflicts, ensure that your maid clearly communicates with you and accomplishes every requirement and assignment assigned to her.
In addition to listing the tasks that should be accomplished, illustrate how you want them to be performed in a step-by-step way. This minimizes the risk that your brief will be lost in translation and leaves no room for confusion. Remind her politely when she makes mistakes, rather than using a strong and harsh approach. Try to always exercise tolerance and open-mindedness in the learning process of your maid as this will create a healthy working environment for her.