Once your children grow up and leave home, you will understand how difficult it is to be separated from your loved ones, and you will start to understand how your foreign domestic worker feels, a columnist has written in a Hong Kong paper.
The columnist, who writes on parenting issues, shared her recent experience in Headline Daily about how she felt after her daughter went overseas for studies.
She advised readers to put themselves in their maid’s shoes so that the employer-employee relationship would have a new perspective.
She said her Filipino maid, who had been working for her for six years, suddenly requested a one-month holiday. She agreed to the request without any hesitation because she knew the reason had to do with the maid’s son back in the Philippines.
The domestic worker, who is a widow and also needs to support her parents and brothers, had learned that her son had been skipping school frequently. It made her very worried and she wanted to talk to him in person and solve the problem.
The writer said her domestic worker, like many others in Hong Kong, was not a very good cook, liked loafing and was sometimes bad-tempered, but she was honest and took care of her employer’s daughter very well.
Only able to communicate with her son by phone, instead of taking care of him in person if he is sad or gets sick, is understandably very hard on the maid, the columnist said.
But, she wondered, how many employers in Hong Kong show any empathy for their domestic workers?
The columnist said she knew of a person who lived in a thousand-square-foot apartment but only provided a foldable wooden board, placed above a washing machine in a storage room, for the domestic worker to sleep on.
That domestic worker doesn’t have her own chair, and she is not allowed to sit on her employer’s sofa or a dining-room chair. She must stand when she has her dinner.
The columnist said she would never forget how the maid looked surprised but appreciative when her employer’s friends gave her food during a gathering.
The writer advised employers to try to put themselves in the maid’s shoes, show understanding and care, in order to build a good employment relationship.
Thank you maam for having that thought of inspiration . May these shares and gave way to be like you . God bless you more .
I hope all employers same with you sir/madam.
You are only 1 in a million employer miss columnist…..appreciate your goodness and understanding to your helper praying that my employer now will be like u so that there will be 2 on the million employers????????????
SO TRUE…
Appreciate this columnist and understand our situation..Maybe I could say I’am one lucky for my employer because they are good and understanding person..God bless all the foreign domestic helpers in HK.????
I’m so greatful and blessed with my employers as all the family members are kindhearted ,for 8yrs of working with them they treated me as 1 of their family member ,i had my vacation several times in a year just to.be with my son,now i’m here in the Phils for good.God bless my employers and and let God pay all your kindness,
Thank u madam /sir
I live my son when he was 1 yr old and 3months now heI is turning 14’yrs old des on just I had vacation for two weeks in hes graduation day two weeks madam/sir not really enough to spend in Philippines how I wish we have vacation for one month…
Thank you so you so much.ma’am/sir .appreciated this so much.the hardest part of being a mother when you are not around with your family.and we really do sacrifice lot of homesick.all we want to have a good future to our family especially to our children.
I wish there are many more employers like you, God bless, and for those helpers who are lucky enough to have an employer like her, please don’t abuse their kindness and do the best to keep their trust on you,,,God bless both of you,,
I salute u Madam!
true,sad to say that some employers don’t understand the situation of their helpers of how hard being away from our children and family back just to serve them with a good heart but in return they threated us like an aninal without any feelings at all.as long as they’re giving us our salary and but sometimes their’s arguments before paying their helpers and keep reminding just to give their salary. Overworked but no appreciation instead to much load for complain. It’s hard to accept the reality.
Ma’am, u r such a very nice employer..
Thank You very much AsiaTimes…
Thank you so much for being so kind and understanding for us domestic helper.so if you find a employer treated you like a family it so hard to let go..
Thank you very much and understanding for our situation for being a domestic helper
Thank you so much Sir/Madam for your understanding Godbless!
Thank you for appreciating our hard work, and for understanding that our job is not easy. I salute you for your kindness and consideration. More blessings to you 🙂
Thank you madam for such very good understanding to your maid’s situation,hoping that more employers can read your articles and have an analysis and have an open minded as you do.
Thank you that God gave you a good heart and you understand what we feels as a domestic helper!!! God bless you and continue to be good to others and it will measures to you what have you done good to others,
May employer din ibawal pa ang cp sa umaga tas one hour lng after work ang masaklap gabi na 10:30pm tolog na ang familya sa pinas.
hope my boss can read this so that their heart like a stone can melt and feel shame. in humane behavior when you are using toilet mam off the light knock the door very loud so that i will come out but when i get sick she opened the light bump the door very loud so that i will get up from my bed eventhe doctor give my sick leave but they keep me do this do that even i feel very bad that time.
Thank you to you sir/ ma’m .
How I wish there are more people / employers who have the same understanding as you do Madam. I believe that if good understanding persist between the employer and maid, everything in between will run harmoniously.