4 Tips to Keep your Maid Happy

In our country, to hire a maid per household is not easy since the government had set a strict rules against the employers.

In the past, many employers had abused their authority by mistreating the maids with various ill treatments which they presume “common practice”.

Hence, maids started to run away from the employers home or seeking the agent’s help to end their sufferings.

Majority of these ill treated maids would cease their contract earlier or when it has expired. None of them would return to the same employer anymore.

So, how do you keep your maid happy and stick with you through thick and thin?

Why you should keep your maid happy

• she will extend her contract with you, you don’t have to look for another new maid
• you don’t have to teach your new maid about your household rules everytime your new maid arrives ( aren’t you sick and tired of it?)
• your maid is familiar with your habits, household rules, help to keep your house safe and sound
• your maid helps you to take care of your children/ baby, your old aged parents or your pets
• you can put your trust in your maid when you are away for work, grocery shopping or on vacation

Here are some suggestions and ideas how to maintain a good relation with your maid for many years.

#1- Training and Understanding

Most maids in Malaysia are from Indonesia while Singapore employs Filipino maids.

This is due to the language that the maids embraced that enable the employers to communicate with them.

It is impossible for a Malay spoken Indonesia maid to communicate with English spoken Singaporean employer.

Same with an English spoken Filipino maid speaking with a Malay or Chinese spoken Malaysian employer.

Ducks and chickens do not speak the same language.

Get a suitable maid that had been trained to speak your preferred language in order to establish better understanding between each other.

Just in case, keep a paper back dictionary or download a dictionary apps into your smartphone.

You can look up for those words which your maid doesn’t understand, refer them together with the useful dictionary.

Both of you could try the effort to memorize those difficult words which are used often.

In addition, most maids come from different countries, different backgrounds from their employers.

Hence, allow some time for your maids to adapt themselves to the new surroundings.

#2- Keeping in touch

Foreign maids might experience loneliness and homesickness because they are working far, far away from their homeland.

Provide them some alternative ways to keep in contact with their family members from time to time.

Nowadays, every maid owns at least one cellphone to keep in touch with her love ones back home.

Some employers are kind to provide a second hand laptop or Ipad to allow the maids to get in touch with their friends, family members and watch videos online.

However, give them restriction time because maids might get out of hand, neglecting their responsibilities when they are too engrossed with technology gadgets.

Give them an inch, they ask for a yard.

#3- Keeping it private

As the matter a fact, most employers would assign a maid’s room , complete with :

• a bed ( or a mattress) with pillow and blanket
• a table / ceiling fan ( rich employer provide an air-conditioner)
• a cupboard / drawer to keep clothes and essential belongings
• a radio / TV / DVD player ( not essential)
• own bathroom with toilet ( not essential)

Each maid should be given a room of her own.

Do not allow her to share bedroom with your baby / child.

#4- Respect

Treat your maid with respect and understanding of her religion.

Do not presume that your maid is your “property” and “object” that you can use anyway you want to.

Employers had the WRONG concept about employing maids that they are “servant” to the Lords.

Maids are human beings too, they have feelings like you and me.

Understand her religion, what she can eat ( whether she is a Muslim- abstain from pork and lard ), her ritual habits ( example : prayer time).

If you cannot accommodate with her religious practice, request your agent to change another maid as according to your preference.

Do not force your maid to eat what your family eat.

She is not an animal.

Treat her with mutual respect, she will in return treat you the same.

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