How you treat your maids ?

[ironlady]

Hii all, I would like to know how you treat your maids ? For example, if your maid does her housework slowly,how do you react ?

For example,.I have my maid for 2 months now ,and before her I kept one for 3 years. Now the current maid I have has worked in SIngapore before. I live in a condo.and I am the type who likes a neat and tidy house,so whenever she does her work slowly, I end up doing some of the chores.

Enough said, I have to tell her like every 2 days, " Do your work a bit faster ", Now,,this has resulted in heated arguments between my hubby and I .He feels that I shouldnt be harsh to my maid. So I have told that "Do you expect me to say ,"do your work faster " nicely all the time...it simply gets on my nerves.

Why I am writing here is that I want to know whether I am really wrong to tell my maid to speed up. My hubby is not a Singaporean and he ends up telling me that SIngaporeans dont know how to treat maids well.He makes it sound as though I am tormenting her, which I am not.

I hope to get some advise here on how you deal with your maid in such a situation. Thanks!

[durain]

Why I am writing here is that I want to know whether I am really wrong to tell my maid to speed up. My hubby is not a Singaporean and he ends up telling me that SIngaporeans dont know how to treat maids well.He makes it sound as though I am tormenting her, which I am not.

are you singaporean then?

[Currymeister]

Difficult to comment. But for what it's worth.....I think your husband is mindful of the fact that Singaporeans are famous for treating their maids really badly, and is just trying to cut her some slack.

You sound like you want to get out the whip and whip her into action.

She probably gets paid peanuts too.

I'd say try the carrot rather than the stick method. A carrot can be as simple as speaking softly, asking nicely, saying thanks you, give her praise when she does well, enquire how she is, how her family is or if she has had a nice day off. Try a cash incentive too.

Treat her like a human and valued helper. Otherwise you get what you deserve.

[Saint]

Does "Ironlady" sum you up just right?

[micknlea]

Perhaps she is just trying to be careful, some people are clumsier than others and maybe she is one of those. Then again maybe she is just someone who does things slowly, it does take all types to make up the world.

Actually, you should have my maid, she does everything way too fast for my liking I am always trying to get her to slow down, this works for a week or so and then she is back to old habits.

[ironlady]

well she is not paid peanuts..she's paid what she deserves..and of cos we do treat her well.

However,
Currymeister : You meantioned that speak softly...which yes I do.However, for how long can a person go on repeating the same thing softly..

[Currymeister]

Does anyone deserve being shouted at?

If you get to that point, take a deep breath, speak to her nicely and see what the problem is. Why is she taking so long? Talk through it, maybe demonstrate how it can be done faster. Give her some time to adapt to new skill.

If that fails, give her warning that you'll have to let her go.

[ironlady]

well, i have done all that. Spoken to her patiently. I dont shout at my maids. Shown her how to do it fast.
if i let her go, it will be my loss, as i have paid the agency fees and also, its difficult to have no maid around especially when I have children.

Thats why mu hubby was telling me to keep that soft approach as she might just run off. and he will not hire a maid for me anymore.

[Currymeister]

So what are you asking? Whether shouting at her will help your cause?
Will it make you feel better?

[Thaiclan]

Maybe its worth asking yourself whether it really matter HOW she gets it done, just that she gets it done..? You dont mention you have a problem with her outcomes, purely with the speed she takes. Surely its just the outcome that matters. It sounds as if you should take a deep breath and let her get on with doing the tasks you set and not worry so much. We all have a different approach to all the jobs and tasks we do, and if as an employer we get stuck on the timelines, operation and minutea we can easily go stir crazy! As you have kids you must have more to think about than how your maid does her job. Just be grateful you are fortunate to have a maid and she is doing her job well (outcome wise). Good Luck and Chill Out

[quidsin]

Ironlady

I have a very similar situation going on at the moment in my house and she has been with us for 2 months as well. In addition to being slow with the housework, she has absolutely no relationship with my children and just get's frustrated with them all the time.

The other day, she was wiping down the table with the same cloth she used to squash a Cockroach with only 30mins earlier. She washes dishes in cold water, without detergent, even though I've told her nicely now at least 10 times not to. She is also the most miserable person I have met before and we're all suffering in the house because of it.

We are looking for a replacement now and will terminate her contract as soon as we find one, it's that or she'll drive us all out of our home!

[sundaymorningstaple]

quidsin,

It doesn't sound like you situation is similar at all. Ironlady hasn't said anything about the work not being done satisfactorily, just slowly.

You are saying she cannot do the job properly. Big difference between a maid who cannot do the job right and being an unreasonable demanding employer who, while having the work done properly, still finds fault with the maid for something.

I frankly don't blame her husband at all.

[quidsin]

I hear you SMS, but the first thing that comes to mind is 'Cut and Cloth'....

[Currymeister]

I hear you SMS, but the first thing that comes to mind is 'Cut and Cloth'....

Cut from the same cloth, is that what you're trying to say?

I don't think you can make that assumption, can you? Sad if you do.

It sounds as though you sympathise with Iron Hand, which is equally sad.

I'm surprised, though, that you will be keeping the woman on until you find another maid, so she can't be that bad. If she was as incompetent as you say, I'd have got rid of her by now. I mean why wait, if she's a threat to the safety of your kids?