Maid - Rules & Schedule

[amiee40]

Hi

To all the parents/families out there, when you employed a maid, did you prepare a "Rules' for the house that they have to sign to acknowledge and also a detailed schedule of their daily tasks?

I was told by a local friend that i have to do this. To me, it seems abit harsh, you are employing a helper to help you and by signing 'Rules' you have started the emloyer and employee relationship on the wrong foot.

Any comments?

[happigal]

Hi

To all the parents/families out there, when you employed a maid, did you prepare a "Rules' for the house that they have to sign to acknowledge and also a detailed schedule of their daily tasks?

I was told by a local friend that i have to do this. To me, it seems abit harsh, you are employing a helper to help you and by signing 'Rules' you have started the emloyer and employee relationship on the wrong foot.

Any comments?

I do have a set of rules and a list of things to do be done.

This is my house, and I don't want my helper bringing friends over without prior permission, giving out our home phone number to ALL her friends (but she can give it to family for emergencies), specify the time she needs to be home, not let anyone into the house unannounced, etc... I learnt this the hard way when my previous helper had a boyfriend over at 11pm, a dozen friends calling our house when we packed her off, coming home at midnight on her days off, etc... This prevents any misunderstanding.

I also have a list of things that I would like her to do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. It's a guide for her to know what your expectations are. I believe this helps everyone to get started on the right foot.

[amiee40]

Thanks for that. I wasn't sure whether i should, this is my first time employing a maid.

[happigal]

Welcome! I also tell my helper that I'm happy to hear her suggestions and ideas and will incoroporate them where possible.

[chippie]

Great format thanks Happigal, it wil save a lot of misunderstanding later

[smayrhofer]

How do you handle food for the maid? Do you just ask her to eat what you eat or do you buy for her seperately? Especially if we are eating expensive meals (special occasions) I may not want to invest in another portion for my maid.

Also, when you send your maid out with your child on errands, etc, do you give her money for food for herself or do you ask her to take food from home?

[happigal]

How do you handle food for the maid? Do you just ask her to eat what you eat or do you buy for her seperately? Especially if we are eating expensive meals (special occasions) I may not want to invest in another portion for my maid.

Also, when you send your maid out with your child on errands, etc, do you give her money for food for herself or do you ask her to take food from home?

I think everyone does this differently and you should find what works best between you and your helper. In our family, we all eat the same thing. But if she doesn't like what we're having, she's welcome to make something for herself. My helper likes spicy instant noodles and we always have a stash at home.

I don't send my helper out with my kids, so I can't answer your 2nd question. Sorry. Maybe someone else??

[skye]

On the food front, we are pretty laid back. We don't give any seperate food allowance, but we share the shopping - sometimes she does it, sometimes I do. She goes to the market and stocks up on fruit, veggies, fish and pork items. I like to buy cheese, beef. lamb, deli food, booze. She started off eating the same as us and likes quite a lot of the food we like, but we realised quickly that we have spicier tastes than she does, and she loathes lamb, rare meat or smelly french cheese. If that's what we are having, she knows in advance and is free to buy alternatives she does like. There is always a stock of rice, noodles, veggies and she keeps some fish and pork in the freezer to add to that so she always has options. She tries new asian style dishes sometimes and always makes enough for us to try, so we can add it to the family menu if we like it. This works well for us and she doesn't abuse it - just buys what she needs when she is at the market or supermarket - that includes her own snacks and toiletries as well.
When she is out over a mealtime, I expect her to buy a meal. Usually just a food court meal costing about 5 dollars. Occassionally when she has sent megabucks home and is short of cash on her Sundays off, she will make sandwiches or other packable food for a picnic, otherwise she buys her own lunch on days off.
I think the main thing is to respect each other in the employer/employee relationship and keep channels of communication open. If there is something you are uncomfortable about, discuss it - likewise listen or be aware if you feel something is bothering her and sound her out about it. She may not be comfortable bringing it up without some checking on your part.

[amiee40]

Hi Skye

When your helper does the stocking up on fruit and vegetables at the market, do you go along with her or does she do it by herself?

If she does it by herself, how do you know how much she has spent? How do you go about doing this? Do you give her $50 and tell her to buy what is needed and she will return the reminder of the money back to you?

I am fussed about small change but just the dishonet bit i am abit wary about it. During the interview process, i found a really good maid but when i double checked her employment history with MOM, so many unexplained 2 week stint and 3 week stints with various employers that she never told me about.

Thanks

[skye]

Hi Amiee40,

she goes alone. I give her approximately the right number of dollars and she brings back receipts and change. We have a "shopping list pad" in the kitchen and just add anything we notice is running out for the next shopping trip. Very heavy stuff I sometimes order online for delivery and leave her the money to pay for it. She checks the order and calls Cold Storage if anything is wrong or missing. When we go on holiday we leave enough for her daily needs and an emergency fund in case she needs a doctor or a plumber whatever. Almost always untouched when we return apart from her usual rice/veggies/fish expenses which are pretty small. We are lucky that her first job was with a local family where both parents worked and she was responsible for the 2 school kids and all shopping and cooking. We didn't want much child care, mainly cleaning, laundry and shopping. We did spend quite a lot of time at the beginning showing her how we like things done, cooking together (her preparing stuff with me, and helping me cook) and the schedule we like. That has evolved as our kids have grown and there is no need for babysitting now. I think it's worth investing time at the start of her employment to let her know what you want from her. If she is still disorganised or very irritatingly NOT doing things your way, it's not working. Once you are confident she has got it, you should be able to trust her to get on with it. My own feeling is that if someone can't trust their maid with the small change, she is not the right one for them and they should both move on. Some maids work well with one family but not anpother. Our first maid drove us nuts, when her previous employer though she was great. If this one seems fine for you, her quick changes of employer previously may just have been a chemistry thing, not necessarily that she was doing anything wrong.

[amiee40]

Thanks Skye

Sounds like you have a great helper working with you.