hi all mummies,
may be i share my maid experience someother day but to tell how to control things like they not spy on ur things..
I have 3 bedrooms in my house. one of the room is prayer cum office room. I always close the door (so maid dont enter, if we r going out maid comes along with us) I am stay at home mom. If you r working and dont stay at home to watch over maid then lock one room. keep a office lock n key storage cabinet and store all ur letters, bank credit cards, even ur purse and any documents etc, My living room got only remote control, toys, baby books and movie cds.
She has full access to all the cupboards in the kitchen.
bedroom got my husband and baby clothes, some basic toileteries of babies and my husband.
the locked room contain my clothes, my toileteis like perfumes etc., jewelery and documents, purse and credit cards etc., everything locked in filing cabinet and the door is always closed. I clean the room and if lazy I make sure all the cupboards and cabinets are closed and I ask her to sweep and mop in my supervision. All she can see is locked cabinets and cupboards and prayer place and printer and sofa bed.
when she asked why I lock the room, (well if u r staying in same house and treat her nice and she treats u nice she will sure ask one) tell her prayer room u dont want anyone to enter and consider sacred and even u dont enter without bath/ during mensus etc., and everyday ones we take out letters from mailbox, go straight to the locked room and keep ur purse/bag and letters. thats it and dont let them know how the key looks and where u keep the key.
I make sure I dont take my maid to market as they would know lot of things on our spending habits and they might even demand or tell their wish (ex my maid asked if she can buy jewelry or phone and enquiring on it) its best u or ur husband go alone and ones u come home ask maid to bring shopping trolley to lift/ car park. best is to do online shopping (coldstorage.com.sg and fairprice.com.sg)
If possible keep all important documents in bank/ cisco locker and those daily required at home in lock n key cabinet.
I bought lock & key office storage cabinet and spy camere before my maid arrive and installed a camera with recording. Ones ur maid at home observe her closely for first few days as there are few drama queens around. and on the first day itself give her a sheet of house rules and go through one by one. If she doesnt follow something inform her right away.
Be careful with maids who r nice with SIR and dont listen to MADAM. Make sure you control the maid and not the SIR. ANd they should know that if dont listen to Madam they can be sent back. My first maid was a drama queen and she played around tricks and lying a lot. She would tell me something and dont obey but she would tell something else to my husband.
And dont at all allow them to talk to another maid. They will ruin ur maid if yours is good.
I guess regarding phone, i am trying to figure out a good way to tell my maid.