Employer And Maid Conflicts: How To Resolve These Issues?

Having conflicts and misunderstandings with your maid is unavoidable. There may be a time that your maid may not meet your standards, and this might be the root cause of your conflict with her. When this happens, both employer and maid should take care of their issues professionally. In some cases, employers treat their maids in a bossy and harsh manner which causes their maids to become afraid of them. And most of the time, these employers are the ones who have maids who often work poorly because they feel unappreciated. Here, you’ll learn some tips to properly resolve certain issues that may come between you and your maid. 

Before we carry on with the rest of the article, you must know that bonds such as security and performance bonds are essential when hiring FDWs. These bonds ensure that you and your maid are complying with the Work Permit conditions. A performance bond is only required for maids from certain nationalities like the Philippines. So, if you’re planning to hire a maid from the Philippines, better be sure to take care of that even before she starts working.

Now, what exactly are these “conflicts” and how can employers resolve them? Let’s find out.

Your maid keeps her mistakes hidden from you.

Maids, just like us, are not perfect as they also make mistakes. Some of which includes unintentionally breaking something, or if your child or elderly parent fell and injured themselves while in her care. Before your maid starts working for you, you’ll need to let her know that when an accident happens, she should immediately inform you about it. Reassure her that you’re not going to send her back or complain to her department, and explain why keeping you updated is vital.

Note how you react when she opens up to you about a question. Don’t ever make her feel guilty because of what she did not do on purpose. If you will always give her a rude and bossy approach, then it’s only normal that she won’t speak up when she makes a mistake. Instead, reflect on how she will stop making similar errors in the future.

Your maid tends to forget that there are boundaries.

Setting the limits is up to you. If your maid feels like she’s a family member, she’ll be involved in what’s going on in the home. But, you’ll need to make sure that she knows her boundaries and not all of your family matter is her concern. Treating her like she’s part of the family is alright, but don’t ever share any personal information. She might feel TOO comfortable and start meddling with you and your family’s personal lives. Also, she might start to slack off and work poorly because she’ll think that it’s alright for you.

Your maid does not comply with your instructions

Maids may sometimes work in their own way. Maybe they find their way easier than you, or they’re just stubborn to follow your instructions. When giving orders, be transparent to ensure that she knows what you expect of her. For instance, it is clear and simple to tell her to “clean the room”. You might want to detail what kind of “cleaning” you would want her to do. Does she need to clean the whole room, including your closet? Or just sweep the floor and wipe the windows?

Try splitting her duties down into manageable duties and remind her to take note of your instructions so that she won’t forget about them. Give her positive as well as negative feedback when she is done so that she can do a better job next time. 

Your maid doesn’t get along with your family.

Maids in Singapore usually consist of individuals from different nations. And with different nations, means that their culture is different than yours. Cultural differences can be one of the causes of conflicts at home. This also makes your maid have a hard time getting along with other members of your family. One way you can make her feel welcome is to make sure she has a clean and comfortable space and enough food to fulfil her basic needs.

It’s not uncommon for conflicts to emerge with distinct personalities. Get the opinion of your maid on the issue that she’s involved with then think of a way you can resolve it. You can either ask her to change her attitude or approach the family member that she has conflicts with. Make it clear to your maid and your family that unity and compromising is important as you all live together.

In some cases, maids tend to feel that their employers don’t care about them- that’s why they’d rather choose to work and not meddle with anyone else. An employer also must make their maids feel welcome at their home. Building a trusting friendship may take some time, but it won’t hurt if you start building it as soon as she starts working for you. You can start by asking your maid about herself, and this way she’ll know that she is cared for. Ask here about her family and what’s it like in her country (assuming that she is a foreign domestic worker).