A day off per week for Domestic Helpers.

[boffenl]

Seriously, is there an epidemic in Singapore of maids who run off and have wild sex on their day off once a month? This is the number one worry I've heard from employers about why a mandatory one day off per week is a bad idea. Who knew they were all sex crazed?

Honestly people, if you're too f-ing lazy to take care of your kids and house for one day why did you have them? Don't blame sex crazed maids for your own lazy "aspirations".

[sundaymorningstaple]

Definitely a shore bird talking there! Good to see you around again!

[boffenl]

Glad to be back, not sure what it says about me that I'm more active on the Boards when I'm working. Last 6 months spent on my dissertation with nothing much to show for it.

[fernando_ooi]

come on, we are civilised country and era now.. They are just our helper and not SLAVE.. Just because of take way their 1 offday, you think they can be more obedient??? Its your own bad luck if you get the bad one.. then just change and get another one.

Well, i always believe in if we treated ppl nice with respect, ppl will pay back the same. But if they dun, then just try ur luck and get another one.

[ex-pat]

Seriously, is there an epidemic in Singapore of maids who run off and have wild sex on their day off once a month? This is the number one worry I've heard from employers about why a mandatory one day off per week is a bad idea. Who knew they were all sex crazed?

Honestly people, if you're too f-ing lazy to take care of your kids and house for one day why did you have them? Don't blame sex crazed maids for your own lazy "aspirations".

Well, no. There is no epidemic of maid who run away and have wild sex. But there is epidemic of abusive employers who does not allow their maids to have days off.

[fernando_ooi]

Agreed with you all.

[BillyB]

Seriously, is there an epidemic in Singapore of maids who run off and have wild sex on their day off once a month? This is the number one worry I've heard from employers about why a mandatory one day off per week is a bad idea. Who knew they were all sex crazed?

Honestly people, if you're too f-ing lazy to take care of your kids and house for one day why did you have them? Don't blame sex crazed maids for your own lazy "aspirations".

Love it - well said!!

[boffenl]

Yes, ex-pat, I was being sarcastic. Most maids are much too tired after working 24/7 to do much of anything on the day "off".

[Tigerslayer]

I think most people assume a picture of a healthy happy family with a take it or leave it maid which they become dependent on for pure laziness.... While I am sure this occurs more often than it should there is another side to this discussion.

There are also families with heavily disabled family members where a maid is critical to ensure full time care is provided. Providing additional days off can be catastrophic for their living. Especially in families which to afford the maid in the first place need to work 6-7 days a week themselves and have their own commitments.

Maids generally know the basic terms of their agreement before entering into their contract including limited off days. I despise the stories of ill treated maids but this is different and forcing a change on families in situations where they truly are dependent on their helper would be in my opinion very much misguided and potentially unwanted on both sides.

[boffenl]

I'm sorry Tigerslayer, but a maid is an employee, NOT part of your family. To expect her to go without a break taking care of the disabled family member while other members of the family go to work outside the home is slavery. There are many services in Singapore that allow you to hire for one day a week (or even one day per month) a capable and fully registered nurse.

To treat your maid like a slave with no days off is barbaric. Of course she's going to say she loves Ma'am to your face and doesn't want to leave her--the family she works for obviously doesn't love Ma'am enough to even take one day a month to care for her! Outrageous. And after months and years of taking care of a disabled person takes its toll on your mental and physical health. This is true of ALL caregivers, paid and unpaid.

This is a very weak argument--same as a two parent household who are so tired after working all week they can't take care of their children on the weekend--and so the maid has to stay to take care of them. I was going to insert something about nursing homes here but decided against it knowing the backlash.

[nakatago]

* Maids are for general household maintenance and help.
* Yes, they are employees, as such, are also entitled to benefits due to basic human decency.
* If a household needs to take care of an indisposed family member, a caregiver is needed, not a maid.
* If a child needs to be taken care of, a nanny is needed, not a maid
* Most maids in Singapore are only here because of poverty and such, begrudgingly accept less than favorable terms. The things people will do that they normally won't just because of poverty...
* Just because it's legal, it doesn't mean it's right.

[boffenl]

+1 Nakatago! Well said. Just because it's legal doesn't make it right.

[x9200]

* Maids are for general household maintenance and help.
* If a household needs to take care of an indisposed family member, a caregiver is needed, not a maid.
* If a child needs to be taken care of, a nanny is needed, not a maid

Why do you think so? Just because they are called "maids"? And if you call them FDH? They are what the agreed and claim they are. If they are trained and fine with the nanny or caregiver job and this is clearly explained to them at the moment of hiring then they are also the nannies and the caregivers. You suggest this is some kind of incredible burden they are brutally enforced to accept on their shoulders but the basic fact is that this is just a set of skills the maids themselves emphasise in their resumes. They are just employees and the employees have different skills.
I think you, and many people before are barking up the wrong tree. The problem is not with the job scope, but whether the maids are treated fairly. They can do just the basic household chores and be treated like a dog. They can be nannies, caregivers, dog walker and be treated with fairness and dignity.

[boffenl]

The burden we're talking about in this thread is never having a day off. Never! That is a burden. If we're on another thread about paying someone $300 per month to take care of my bedridden mother, two school age kids and two pets (plus the housework and cooking)--then that's a different burden and one that is not usually spelled out in the contracting phase. But I won't go there.

We're talking about common decency to give someone a day off. That's it--end of story. It is about being treated fairly and with dignity. If they don't even warrant a day off, what kind of dignity is that?

[x9200]

The burden we're talking about in this thread is never having a day off. Never! That is a burden.

What link do you see between employing someone as a nanny (etc.) and and unscrupulous employer who does not give any leave to the employee? I only pointed out to this part of Nakatago's list. It is irrelevant IMHO.


If we're on another thread about paying someone $300 per month to take care of my bedridden mother, two school age kids and two pets (plus the housework and cooking)--then that's a different burden and one that is not usually spelled out in the contracting phase. But I won't go there.

Then this is a clear abuse and again it has nothing to do with the job scope but with the job load.

We're talking about common decency to give someone a day off. That's it--end of story. It is about being treated fairly and with dignity. If they don't even warrant a day off, what kind of dignity is that?