Maid Problems

[odetoviolet]

We've recently hired a maid as my mother was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

While the maid performed well at first, her work performance suffered in the past few weeks. She has started to use her phone during working hours, floors are getting stickier, and she's been crying (for no reason whatsoever). More recently, she started making up excuses - asking us if we do not like her.

She eats with us at the dining table, sleeps at least 9 hours a day, and has a relatively light workload (only 3 bedroom apartment). Yesterday, she approached us asking us if she could transfer. She is still paying off her 6 month loan (only on month 2).

I firmly said: We are a no-transfer household. But I respect your rights - whenever you believe that this isn't a good fit for you, you are welcome to resign. We are not legally required to facilitate your transfer.

Is this the right approach to handle this?

 

[Shazia Sultan]

Hi,

I recently hired a Myanmar helper in March. She could hardly speak English. When we interviewed her, she claimed she was Muslim and understood what I was saying to her. I had a series of bad experiences with Indonesian maids. Last year, my mom hired a Myanmar maid who became like a family member, which is why I decided to hire a Myanmar maid again.

The maid from hell, named Than Dar Lwin ( M341XXXP), is not able to understand English at all. We have tried every means to help her with English. She is very cunning; she acts innocent, cries, and pleads not to be sent back to Myanmar or transferred. As a widow with two kids to support, I kept giving her chances for five months. She is very smart. Whenever my husband and I said we would give her one month to improve, she would perform well during that month, but then revert to her previous behavior afterward, forgetting the work she had been taught.

She is supposed to do general household chores and help me and my mother-in-law with cooking. She stays silent when questioned and pretends to be scared. I decided I had enough when, after five months, she still couldn’t follow basic instructions. I had already arranged for a new helper to arrive, but she ran away. She fled to her home and made nasty allegations against my family and me. She would be on the phone until late at night and now claims to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) that she sleeps at 1:30 AM and has to wake up at 6:30 AM. In reality, she sleeps by 10:30 PM and wakes up by 7:00 AM, and sometimes she doesn’t wake up at all. I told MOM during Ramadan month she would be in bed by 9 pm. She had her mobile with her. No wifi is given to her. She had been busy making tik tok videos in my mil bedroom, thus why she always forgets to do duties given to her.

She has been choosy about food and now claims she was only given vegetables. However, MOM checked with my mom’s maid, who confirmed there was no food issue. The helper is given 5 kg of rice and is allowed to cook as much as she wants. I wouldn't check if she said the rice was left for five days; I would just buy a new bag. The household chores are completed by 10 AM to 11 AM, and until 8 pm, Than Dar Lwin has no work and spends the rest of the day resting. She claims to MOM that she has no rest.

She also claimed she had not been paid for her off days. She took her off days in June and July, but she had signed the salary plan. She went on her off days with my mom’s helper, who confirmed this with MOM.

Than Dar Lwin is currently at HOME, and they are helping her find another employer. Please avoid Than Dar Lwin ; she will only bring trouble to your family. She would just bring more stress to your lifes.