Domestic Helpers Often End Employment Contracts Early; Measures Put In Place To Retain Maids

Like all relationships, our relationships with our foreign domestic workers need to be nurtured over time.

This can only make for a more understanding relationship which gets better over time.

But it doesn’t seem that way.

Employers of foreign domestic workers are prematurely cancelling the contracts of two to three foreign domestic workers at one go.

They find that the FTWs are a poor fit for their specific needs.

For example, according to The Straits Times, an employer who needed a helper to look after her aged mother went to a maid agency and was offered a maid.

But to her horror, the helper had no experience with the elderly and only knew how to do basic cooking and cleaning.

Measures to Curb the Problem

The Singapore Government has taken steps to curb this issue.

For example, the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) and Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST) will offer free dispute resolution services at the end of October for employers, domestic workers and employment agents.

This is to nip problems at the bud and resolve issues so that all parties can better understand one another and continue their working relationships without seeing contract cessation as the only solution.

Mr Michael Chew, Chair of the Mediation Sub-Committee at FAST said that the organization conducted a pilot of the dispute resolution programme in 2016, and 46 cases were resolved without employers terminating contracts.

Common causes of disputes include disagreements over off days and the availability and suitability of food for FDWs.

Mr Chew explained that it usually boils down to cultural differences between employer and FDW. FDWs wouldn’t dare to raise issues, so FAST steps in as the go-between FDW and employer.

Also, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will launch a new platform that will allow potential employers to view why previous contracts were prematurely ended. Other information will include household sizes that the FDW previously worked at and the FDW’s previous job scopes.

The new initiative will begin from October 2020 onwards. This will hopefully help to increase retention rates.

Some other new developments include:

• Employment agencies must offer a service fee refund of at least 50% to employers if a contract ends within 6 months
• Employment agencies are highly encouraged to take greater responsibility in matching suitable FTWs for employers

Suggestions to Consider

Just like how none of us can be fully proficient at a new job on the very first day, our foreign domestic workers also need a little bit of time to adapt to each new household.

If the FTW that you’re using just does basic work like cooking and cleaning, then perhaps a little bit of patience and some basic coaching in cooking and cleaning can go a long way. Treating your FTW well would encourage her to go the extra mile.

However, if you need your foreign domestic worker to look after children and the elderly, then you might definitely need one with prior experience.