How to Implement a Simple House Rule for Your Maid: A Guide

It’s crucial for employers and their hired domestic helpers to get along well. It’s okay to set rules for your maid, but be humane.

You have to give respect to your domestic helpers, so it will be easier for them to treat you with the same respect and kindness.

You also have to be open-minded when hiring domestic helpers. You can’t expect them to be perfect or understand how you want things done on their first day.

You also must consider cultural differences when hiring a foreign domestic worker. Ensure she’s comfortable with the accommodation and that your helper agrees with your ground rules.

How do you set house rules for the maid? Is this necessary? If so, what do you need to add to the rules?

Let us go through these points one by one. If you are an employer or planning to hire a foreign domestic worker, this will guide you about setting house rules for your maid.

What is a Basic House Rule?

Employers need to set a basic house rule before their helpers start working. It will ensure your staff will exercise care in handling household items and looking after your loved ones.

A domestic helper can work as a caregiver for an elderly member of the family or your child. They can also be asked to do home chores, or you can get two or more maids to manage all tasks.

While the house rules for maids may sound daunting to create – as if you are a strict employer upfront – the rules will help your new helper settle down and feel at ease with all family members.

Knowing beforehand what you like and dislike, your expectations of a domestic helper, and your definition of good performance, they will know what to do.

When to Set the Rules

As much as you want to let the house rules out at once, employers need to allow their domestic helper to settle down and unpack first. After this, you can have a one-on-one talk about their expectations and your house rules.

Why do employers need to set house rules? You will assign a new person to your house to take care of your family, including the older adults and children. As much as you aim for domestic helper respect, you also want to be clear about the basic house rules.

While telling your maid your expectations and your basic house rules as an employer, you have to reassure them that you will repay their obedience by ensuring their mental and emotional health while working for you.

You have to be clear about their working hours and that you want them to have adequate rest each day.

Your maid will learn to adjust to the lifestyle through communication and patience. You must remind your maid that they will earn the family’s respect in due course as long as they continue to set a good example, especially to other maids.

What are the Basic House Rules You Must Set for Your Maid?

Here are the rules you can set for your maid. Set out clear instructions to avoid miscommunication.

If your domestic helper neglects to follow one or two, use your common sense and have an open discussion instead of resorting to verbal abuse or foul language.

1. Internet and Mobile Phone Use

You must practice reason and fairness regarding your maid’s use of mobile phones. As their employer, you must also consider that they have their family and children back in their home countries they miss each day.

You can set a schedule each day when they can use mobile phones and the internet. This way, they will stay focused on their tasks during working hours.

Allowing them to talk to their children and family back home using the benefits of their phones and their mental and emotional health.

1. No White Lies – Importance of Honesty

You have to encourage your domestic helper to come and talk to you regardless of the problem instead of lying. Tell them that you will listen to reasons no matter what they did wrong.

1. Be Respectful

You will easily gain respect from your domestic helper if you treat them the same. Observe the following behavior of being polite to your helper:

• Never resort to physical abuse or verbal abuse. Avoid saying foul language no matter how bad your mood may be.
• Refrain from threatening your helpers or using raised voices.
• Ask them to be polite with the family members, especially the older adults and children.

1. Smoking is Prohibited

Remind your domestic helper that they should not smoke, even when one or more members of the family do. It is for their own health, and they have to take care of themselves to save more so they can send money home.

1. Off-Day and Working Hours

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) doesn’t implement any regulation regarding the working hours of domestic helpers. As an employer, you only have to ensure your helpers have sufficient time to rest and take a break during working hours.

You can allow them to visit friends nearby or go wherever they want during their rest day. But remind them that they can’t take a part-time job during those days because it is unlawful in Singapore.

1. Good Personal Hygiene Habits

You can politely ask your domestic helper to follow these basic personal hygiene habits:

• Change their personal towels once or twice a week.
• Change their sanitary pads before overflowing and ensure they are properly wrapped before throwing them out.
• Keep their nails clean all the time.
• Practice the proper hand washing techniques.
• Tie their hair during working hours to make them look tidy.
• Use deodorant after bathing once a day.

Maintaining a Good Relationship Between a Maid and an Employer

Rewards would mean a lot to your helpers. Give them bonuses or promises you intend to fulfill whenever they’re doing a good job in getting your orders done.

Here are some of the rewards or promises you can give them:

• Ask them to tell you when they are not feeling good so you can take them to the doctor.
• Encourage them to be more open, especially when they are handed too many tasks at once, so you can make their load lighter.
• Never compare your maids, especially in front of one another.
• Assist them in sending money to their loved ones.

Final Thoughts

If you want a caregiver or a house helper who will respect and offer you kindness, you must also treat them with respect and compassion. You can set basic house rules to help them adjust, but encourage them to speak up or talk to you whenever they have problems or trouble.

If you are looking for an excellent caregiving agency to match you with the right people who can look after your loved ones whenever needed, look no further and give RC Caregivers a ring.

We have many fruitful years of experience in the industry. With us, you are free to set house rules, and we will follow them to a tee while offering quality caregiving services to your loved ones.