An employer said her domestic worker had once used a kitchen brush in toilet. Photo: iStock, Taobao.com
An employer said her domestic worker had once used a kitchen brush in toilet. Photo: iStock, Taobao.com

Hong Kong employers have been advised to remain patient if they find that their maids’ work habits are unhygienic, as most such cases can be resolved through discussion, and punishment is unnecessary.

An unnamed employer recently said in a post on social media that she got upset after she saw her son’s cup being use by her domestic worker to soak her dentures one evening, according to an article published on Wednesday on SkyPost, which mainly serves middle-class readers.

The employer said her maid, who had worked for the family for many years, had suggested buying the cup for the young master during a family trip. She said she was stunned later to see the maid’s dentures in the cup, which was used by her son to drink milk in the morning.

Another employer said on the website that her maid used the same towel to clean dishes, tables and the floor. Another said her domestic helper once used a brush meant for cleaning pots to clean the toilet.

Joan Tsui Hiu-tung, convener of the Support Group for HK Employers with FDHs, told SkyPost that employers should consider punishing their maids for causing potential hygienic problems in the home, for example by making deductions from their salaries.

However, Wendy Lau Lai-sze, founder and chief executive of Success Employment Services Ltd, said employers should remain patient and help their maids change their working procedures.

Lau said employers should buy towels and tools in different colors so that domestic workers could distinguish their purposes more easily. She said punishment was unlikely to help resolve problems of this kind.

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