Employers in Hong Kong like to pride themselves on treating maids with dignity and compassion compared to the Middle East. But in a gossip column published on am730 earlier this month, a writer known simply as CK eavesdropped on a conversation about domestic workers at a birthday party.
He reported that one local employer bragged about how “nice” she had been to her new Filipino maid. She also pointed out that her domestic worker was her “seventh or eighth” in the past few years.
“I am her savior,” she said, referring to the maid’s last job in the Middle East, where she worked for a family of 10 and started work at 4am every day.
During the two years the maid worked in the Middle East, she was not allowed to take any holidays. “I have saved her from hell, so she can enjoy a good life in Hong Kong,” the employer told friends.
Yet these are just the basic human rights that all people deserve, CK said in his article. Domestic workers should not be treated as bonded servants, forced to work long hours without days off and holidays, he pointed out.
“Chinese employers should express their gratitude and be loyal to their domestic workers,” CK wrote. “They should treat their employees well and become better people.”
That should be.
You don’t need to brag how good you treat your maid..am sure your maid will do the publicity..just be true to yourself..karma is just on standby.
With a rapid turn over of helpers? That’s not a sign of a good employer
Most employers thought they are good by giving holidays. Actually its a must for all employees. . But normally and in reality most Hk employers treat their helper as a machine.. Work hard and think we are emotionless and not entittled to feel hurt.. About food..we are given not enough thats why most helpers got sick after working hard here in hk. Sad but we need to face the future consequence of our hard labour..
I pray and hope that hk employers must be well informed that helpers are human being that needs care.. And not a gadget that need to use and if they think the performance is not good they will throw away…
most of the employers when they paid minimum wages,one they holiday In a week with matching curfew time, foods everyday they think that they are a hero so that some helper take them for granting , some helpers have to clean before leaving for holiday and obligatespecially them to comeback earlier to do some house hold.so sad
Following all what is stated in the signed contract is good..if the employers give more than that then that will be best weeeh!
haha,, 8 helpets in a few years,,yayyy
exactly
I have found many HK employers think they are good to their help but many break the law by taking the helper’s passport and papers or denying them the right to sleep out on their one day off. These workers are here to help support their families back home. They watch your children, teach them while you are too busy to. These are not just workers. They are an extension of your family. They protect your home, cook and clean for slave wages. Treat them with respect, pay them well and thank them every chance you get because they make your life easier.
Push mo yan Ading
Goodluck for the future
Korek ka jan kabayan
Employer takes it as a big deal actually we all domestic helpers need a rest/holidays and it’s 24hrs as per contract stated but few employers won’t followed it and let the maid works for 12to 15hrs it is not fair and also the maid haven’t enough sleep because frequently the couple (employer) fighting arguing in the middle of the night .just saying!
my employer giving me holidays but every holidays i need to come early prepare thier dinner sometime prepare for the family party….they all good but for me im very irritated couz i need to go home early very holidays to work again….sometimes i work for the 2 house bcouz grandma house is our nieghbor????????????????
We are workers, not slaves!We have one thing in common, we are all human being,the only difference is you are the boss and we are the workers!
As I read the article,the way the employer sharing how nice she is is such for self uplifting,as I knew an old lady (we live in the same building)she is boasting that her maid was lucky that she helps her taking care of her granddaughter but then the maid(we came together in same place,se language and culture)shared to how terrible her situation with them that makes her to find better employer a Korean family,now she recieve above the minimum salary with lots of spare time and private room.local employers looked their self like god though not all.
Awwwtsss..she said its her 7th or 8th maid! Wahooo if shes good her previous helper will stay.if shes a savior as she brags her helper wont reach to 7th ..hihi.if u are a good employer ur helper would be loyal to u.will stay with u until the time that u decide or she decide that u wont need each other.
but still in my observation only 20% percent out of 100 is good employers..still 80% heartless employers in hongkong…even sundays off must have curfew and must work..very simple English offmean off but still they can’t understand…what if their boss from office will let them work during their off?maybe it’s world war 4 for them…not all but mostly inconsiderate people in hongkong
Nobody should have a maid.
My boss is a pure chinese in Macau i work 8 years to them.Im proud to say that im so very lucky to have a wonderful and very good boss.Theyt reat me as a member of the family.I work in hongkong before and all my boss are not good.Your rest is only sleeping at nite and the foods is limited how can you work if your tummy is hungry always.I have 4 employers there and none of them have a good heart.
wow, how nice
Don’t fool us madam,u can fool ur friend’s but not us.You saved her from hell?lol..dah…impress the Lord don’t impress ur friend’s.
When you leave dirty dishes and make so much mess on your helpers day off, expecting them to do the work when they come home, some employers are even shameless to demand that their helpers should resume work right after they comeback, what is there to brag about? Most employers in HK are shameless with a very few exceptions. And this is the horrible truth in a helpers life here in HK.
exactly
congratulations!
Let others praise you madam employer, not you lifting up your own self. If you really were that good, your maid would have done the bragging.
Employers shouldn’t be the one that is proud of how they treat the helpers,it would be nice if the helpers would be the ones voicing it out,like what i will be doing right now,My employer allows me to sleep 8 or 9 hours everyday,my toiletries are all free even expensive beauty prouducts were shared with me,from undies to all kind of clothing i need she would provide it for me,from expensive cakes,fruits meat, everything inside the fridge are available for me to eat,she never question the market money that shes giving even i dont show any receipt,her generosity is beyond compare,just this year i have sent 6XL boxes to Philippines that was provided by her effort and generosity,she would even share 70% of the shipment fee and buy stuffs for my kids,She also pays me more than my basic salary and give me extras during special occasions like birthday or Christmas or new year aside from presents,i have a 24hour free wifi and shes paying my telephone bill including mobile data,she allows me to use my phone anytime i want but ofcourse i knew my limitations,she never humiliate me nor nag on me,she respects me like a friend,she treats me.like a family,we do eat meals together and talks like family during meal time,she even use my used spoon since we are sharing with dessert,she pays my off days and special holidays upon my request because i don’t want to take holiday,when i take my holiday she would tell me to wear my best outfit and make my self pretty like putting on make up so i would look decent when im with my cousins,and importantly when she knows that i am very2 tired because of a hectic day she would give me a back massage since she is a physical therapist,now i hope u could elaborate here what kindness you are doing on your helper so that i would believe on you,PEACE
Well said
Pa tattoo din aq ms.san ka mhahanap sa central hihi
Yun nga d dapat boastful
True
Then this should not be..report it to the immigration.hehe
If you think that you are a good employer .. How many time you change your helper??? A good employer just once you hired your helper until you need her but … You always change your maid after several time . For me I deserved to put on the list my employer as the best employer in the whole world they have a big heart very very good employer I’m working with them for 25 years until now I’m so lucky and I’m very proud of them bieng one of the best ….
so blessed you Are!if im her maid i can serve her even how many she likes????
You know if you treat your staff well they will return to work for you for more years, if they do not extend their contract then it goes to show how poor you are.
I am with you
If you treat your helper nicely and good you (employer) should not brag about it, as if your helper must take it as priveledge and look up to you as their savior…. Its your responsibility to treat your employee as fair and equal as a human being…. Your helper is not your slave, they are there to help you in your household because you couldn’t to it by yourselves alone!!
How I wish!
Very well said kabayan.
Hope all of the employers here in hk can do thesamething like what you did cheers
I’ve been from Kuwait, they’re just the same. Difference is that most employers in the middle East didn’t even know how to speak English, yet we share the same centralised aircon.. our rooms didn’t have machine dryer For they knew it’s not good for health, we’re eating the same food we cooked…no big deal about our holidays or day off…Becoz what do you expect with an uneducated people..
Here in HK ..they’re boasting about being HIGHLY PROFESSIONALS, ..why they’re complaining if their kids were thinner while they’re kept budgeting to the minimum lowest..they can’t eat this, they can’t eat that..that’s why they even do that to the poor maid…hello??…we get up at 5am without resting until our bedtime.. non-stop..can’t we just have some decency of the food intake?..it’s our energy booster..try to imagine how far away we are from our families..for the sake of dollars…we must bare everything..our emotions, our psychological aspects..hralth
..etc..32 dollars food allowance c’mon guys…is it fair as professionals doing?..Common sense guys..you’re good of following what the contract is about…? as professionals…you knew 8 hrs is exhausting…with babies kids and their homeworks, it’s all our job… we’re not complaining, we’re here for the battle…expand your horizons, we’re also professional like you and intellectually capacitated of doing professional tasks.
All employers were the same.wgetger ub middle east or Hongkong..it depends on how you will apply your COMPASSION and COMMON SENSE and PROFESSIONALISM.
CAUSED "WE" ARE PROFESSIONAL DOMESTIC HELPERS BEARING THE TOUGHEST .. EVEN IF ITS NOT OUR JOB (NURTURING KIDS, MONITORING THEIR DIETS, NURSING THEM, TEACHING).. WE’RE DOING IT WITHIUT COMPLAIN…????????????PEACE????????????
there is nothing to be brag about lol, that’s only the basic we all must have it as domestic workers,the employer can brag about how good they are if they give more salary and not too much works, and give a really good food, and provide really good place to sleep,,and give some time to rest .Can they do that ?yes they should.the good words should come out from they helper if the employer was good.not themself lol.
Just like me..im so luckyand thank full with my employer..super nice..they dont treat me bad since the 1st day…at my off day tey give me 24 hrs off no need to do anything they dont even compel..every time we eat outside..everthing that they eat i also can eat,it seems like im really part of their family..plus bonuses…i hope every employer must be the same with my employer…im so happy to have one like then.
I’m lucky to e my employer now,she treated me well,thanks to God.
See Filipinos not only a kunyang, we are more talented than others who discriminate as a low profile individuals…
Yaan nyo na po wag nyo na i BASH malay nati SHE’s really a GOOD SAMARITAN at gusto lang syang tularan sa ibang employer na makakaalam.
Exactly!
I agree! if employers treat their helper well I’m sure the helper will do their best to please their employer.
Helper should be treated well…
Sad to say that some employers treat their helpers like rubbish n veryy stupid
We are humans too not animals????
My boss is not a good employer sinced i started my contract wt her she is been rude i challenged her to terminate the contract because she is the person who has no manner she treat her maid as slave iam the 3rd maid working wt her the 1st 2 terminated their contract both my employer dont mind their maid ifshe has food they travel and no wordsleft for the maid .I am happy to those employer concerned to the needs of their helper.