Most maids are timid and sensitive. They are fearful of being scolded, and might cry easily. Apart from adjusting to our city life in Singapore, they are now required to converse in a language (English) which they may not be so accustomed to back home. The relationship between employer and FDW can be improved if we help them recognize their weakness and encourage them to ask questions whenever they are in doubt. Please give your FDW the opportunity to re-try failed tasks as she is still trying to learn.

The standard of living in their home country is much lower in comparison with Singapore. Due to poverty, most of them are from rural villages and can only afford basic necessities. You need to give your maid comprehensive training in operating different household appliances as most of them have little knowledge of modern electrical appliances e.g. vacuum cleaner, electrical or gas cooker, refrigerator, electrical iron, oven, pressure cooker, etc. Thus, it is important to give them step-by-step operating instructions and basic safety measures to avoid unwanted accidents. It is also necessary to teach them the use of detergents. Coming mainly from agricultural backgrounds, these FDWs may lack standard hygiene consciousness and need to be taught cleanliness. They may consider the floor clean enough; however, we might think otherwise. Also, we would wash vegetables with clean water twice before cooking but they may not have the same habit. Though they were specially trained at our training centre in their country of origin, they still require time to learn and adjust themselves upon their arrival here.

The pace of life in these countries are slower and their lifestyles are different from that of Singapore. Their productivity level is low and they tend to be slow in their work. Therefore, they might use two to three hours to finish an hour’s job. However, you can help them improve by providing a time-table to guide them on time allocation. Some of the workers tend to be forgetful, and you can help them by being a little more patient and understanding.

To maintain our company’s good image and reputation, we constantly advise and remind our FDWs to have the right working attitude. They were told to work hard without complaining or arguing with their employer on how the tasks ought to be done; suggesting changes to the usual way of doing the job. If a maid is frequently abused, scolded or nagged at, she might feel upset. Subsequently, her morale will be adversely affected and a negative work attitude might sprout forth. Nevertheless, we are most willing to counsel your FDW if she has such problems.

The newer generation of FDWs are unlike their predecessors. They are more self-centered and may therefore be taken as being more selfish and inconsiderate. They might be less appreciative and few will utter a word of “Thank You”. These new generation FDWs are often defensive of their actions. From the perspective of employers, they may appear argumentative or seeking excuses for the mistakes they committed. 

Besides that, the FDWs are unable to multitask.Once instructed to handle 2-3 things at the same time, they will panic and stress out. Eventually, no task is accomplished. However, the more experienced FDWs are better at multitasking. Employers are therefore encouraged to assess their FDWs accordingly.

Additionally, FDWs are not very creative or perhaps lack motivation when it comes to preparing daily meals. Instead, they rely largely on recipe books. If new recipes are needed, employers are encouraged to conduct several demonstrations. Inviting FDW to participate during demonstrations generally produces better outcome and results. Another related issue is the absentminded-ness of FDWs in general. Lacking of formal education, most FDWs may have consumed less nutritious food which contributed to their poor memory. To improve productivity at work, employers are advised to provide FDWs with a note book and pencil to precisely record the tasks and time to be completed.

Younger generation FDWs are known to be more permissive in the usage of mobile phones. To deal with this, restrict the usage of mobile phone to night time only, and all tasks should be completed by then. Otherwise, get the FDW to bear the cost of their phone charges. If WIFI access is to be restricted, all members of the household (especially children) must be informed. This is to prevent the FDW from manipulating young minds to gain access to the password.

Some FDWs do exhibit short temper at work. Disagreement occurs frequently between employers. They often do not acknowledge their mistakes at work, instead, create unnecessary arguments or go against their employers. Regrettably, their ill attitude is often influenced by their poor upbringing or the pressures given by their husbands back home. Employers may want to consider giving them more time to adjust, persuade and guide them towards maturity.

It is never easy to take care of the elderlies and babies. Elderlies to be cared for are usually dependent and require round-the-clock care. For FDWs, this is physical and mentally demanding. FDWs too, require sufficient rest. Thus employers are responsible for ensuring FDWs obtain enough rest, as sufficient rest enhances performance. In situations where 24-hour care is required, employers are advised to hire 2 FDWs to work on a rotational shift. In such a way, the elderly gets the mandatory round-the-clock attention whilst the FDWs are given ample rest.

Caretaking of infant often requires the FDW to wake up in the middle of the night to attend to crying babies. To compensate for lack of sleep, it is suggested that the FDW be given one to two hours rest during the day for her to replenish her energy. For larger house units where more household chores are to be performed in a day, it is recommended that 2 FDWs be hired to even out the workload. If employers notice FDWs lack experience, we recommend them to enroll their FDWs in MIM (MEDICALLY INFORMED MINDERS) programme.

The following websites provide excellent practical tips:

1. Elderly

Safe Patient Handling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH-gsrUwLrA

Hoist from Bed to Chair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWnisovz59E&t=57s

Transfer from Bed to Wheel Chair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDU9RA9AcjY

Performing Oropharyngeal Suctioning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwoLb3z25fc

Wheelchair to car transfer

AL_FDW_english.docx

Mobility: Low Pivot Transfer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRr2NYIExZg

Children / Infant

How to Handle a Baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NitFeW4MGfk

How To Calm A Crying Baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2C8MkY7Co8

How to wrap a Baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcEdhidzVY

How to bathe your baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0x4Kpy0Z88

Most FDWs may not be able to cook as well as their employers had expected. They need to be trained to acquire culinary skills. For instance, most FDWs have never tasted Chinese food until their arrival at our special foreign domestic workers’ training centre in Singapore. If possible, you should expose them to the varieties of our local food. If you want her to be a good cook, you can enroll your FDW in the community centre’s cooking class. Otherwise, you may want to show her the relevant recipes and guide her in following the steps provided. Most FDWs are not good at handling the remaining dishes and desserts due to food scarcity in their country. 

FDWs are not machines. Like anyone else, they need sufficient rest, food and water to rejuvenate themselves. FDWs are not used to food like “Bee Hoon”, “Bao”, “Bread”, etc. For instance, in Sri Lanka, only the wealthy consume rice while the poor settle for bread. Hence the FDW will greatly appreciate your generosity if you provide them with rice as food. For Indonesian and Burmese FDWs, they are more comfortable with spicy food. You can provide them with chili/spices to go with their meal. FDWs tend to perform well when their basic needs are adequately met. To add, employers are not advised to purchase instant noodles for FDWs, as it daily consumption causes deterioration in thinking ability and work performance. Overnight food that has been kept more than 24 hours cannot be consumed by FDWs. It is the primary responsibility of employers to maintain the well-being of their FDWs. Particularly their overall medical attention if needed.

Medical costs are bearable by employers.

Foreign domestic workers have different cultures from us. For example, wearing slippers is considered a norm back in their home country, or they believe that touching water after ironing will cause rheumatism. The employer could help by arranging ironing just before their bedtime. Some FDWs may have worked in the Middle East prior to working in Singapore. In Middle Eastern culture, FDWs are not permitted to put on a smiling face. Over time, these FDWs subconsciously lost the habit of smiling. This does not necessarily imply unhappiness. The difference in cultural practices may spark unnecessary tensions between both parties. It is therefore necessary to tell them about our culture and give them time to adjust.

It is good to express kindness and generosity to FDWs, providing them with basic necessities such as soap and toothpaste. You can also reward her with little gifts. It is inevitable that one gets homesick when they leave their homeland to work in a foreign country for a period of time. If they are emotionally afflicted, it will affect their performance. You can help your FDW overcome homesickness by accepting her as a part of your family, showing love and concern. For example, you could take her along on your family outings.

Employers are strongly encouraged to build good relationships with their FDWs. Treat them like your family members or treat them as friends. A good relationship is often a great booster to their confidence, leading to good work performance. Thereupon, remember that you might be the only person they know in Singapore. Employers are encouraged to adopt a flexible approach when handling FDWs. No one solution fixes all. There must be times to be strict. However, there may be a need for you to be lenient at some point. Overly strict discipline may result in a stressed-up FDW who may under perform.

Each country has its own dialects which may sound peculiar to people of other regions/provinces within the same country. For example, though the Filipinos speak English back home, their accents are different from ours. As such, it is important to speak to your FDW slowly and casually check if she is doing her work correctly. You may make her repeat your instructions if necessary. The best is to have only one person in the family giving instructions and coordinating her activities. Otherwise, the FDW will be confused. For Indonesian FDWs, though we have given them training on basic conversational English, employers are still advised to be patient with their communication skills. English is a totally new language to them. The employer could boost their English by encouraging them to devote some time to learning the language before going to bed.

Due to different cultures and social environments, it is common that employers and FDW are unable to get along. If the FDW wishes to voice her unhappiness to her agent, please allow her to converse with us. Some FDWs are very sensitive and might threaten to quit over minor problems. Our telephone counseling would release the pressure bottled up inside the FDW. This would nip the problem in its bud, preventing a small problem from blowing up into unmanageable proportion over the long run. If the FDW needs to make an overseas call to her home country, you can help her by buying telephone card for your FDW. This can prevent your FDW from contributing to your phone bill with expensive overseas call charges.

Please give your FDW a chance if she does not meet your expectations. Do not threaten to repatriate her. Should there be any disputes or misunderstandings, please contact us. We will do our best to mediate between you and her, and work out a solution for both parties. We will assist you to help foster a better relationship with your FDW. Should there be a need to repatriate her, we can process it on your behalf.

There are frequent reports of theft committed by FDWs in the newspaper. As an employer, you can do your part to prevent such incidents by locking up valuables or keeping them out of sight. Your FDW will not be induced by temptations to steal valuables that they cannot see.

How should FDW’s monthly salary be disbursed? To avoid unnecessary problems, we will hand employers a book for record-keeping purposes. Employers are to request for FDW’s thumbprint or signature as proof if salary is paid in cash. Alternatively, employers can open a bank account for their FDWs. Employers are to deposit the salary monthly and disclose the deposit slip and details to FDW. The record book should be updated accordingly.

It is vital that the employers have an understanding of the financial situation of their FDW. Though FDWs are simplistic by nature, there may be occasions where greed may breed in their minds. When this happens, valuable items may be targeted. Stolen goods are often quickly converted into cash with the help of external accomplices. Employers may not be readily aware of valuables missing from their homes (especially if they are small). However, keeping an eye on FDW’s possession might provide clues to missing items.

At times, FDWs might request for salary advancement, or borrow money from employers. Reasons often cited include sick family member or financial difficulties faced by family members. More often than not, those proved to be lame excuses. Salary advancement is regarded a much lesser risk. However, FDW may use this as a threat to perform slowly, eventually leading to repatriation. By then, the advanced salary may not be recovered at all. It is recommended that employers observe the employment contract strictly. Ensure that no advancement of salary or is included as terms of contract. If employers are willing to accede to FDW’s request, they are advised to be careful.

Most FDW work here to have money sent home to support their families. FDWs are likely to send every single cent home. We encourage FDWs to set aside say $100 a month to be safely kept in Singapore as savings. That way, in the event of a sudden repatriation or whatever reasons, there would still be money to resolve outstanding matter(s). More importantly, the savings give FDWs a sense of security and purpose of leaving home to work here.