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.
This happens most of our fellow maids.
We hope those employers who read this
At least understands how it feels to be one..
Thank You ????
Truly i admired your concerned to us as a foreign domestic in this foreign land , hope all employers universally should put their own shoes to us , Thanks God for giving me my employer they are truly a wonderful person inside and out… respect and sincere in my needs i knew not all of us here is lucky enough… hope these column Asia Times read by all employers … it’s an open eye … our struggle in conquering emptiness to our love ones is quite hard but still we are here to serve… must be a VICE VERSA relationship between a employee and employer. To the person who expresses his/her concern to us "THANK YOU!
very well said madan! God bless u with ur family
How I wish my Employer read this story…recently were arguing something which is not a big deal but it leaves me traumatized.
That’s true but I’m lucky and blessed enough.for my employer
There’ s a lot of good employers here in hongkong, but difficult to find them.. I’m so blessed because my employers is very good, we are eating together, i have my own room and they treat me just like a family.. Hope they will not change as long as i am working with them. Guys, whose here in Hongkong working as a domestic helper keep praying and do your best service for your employer, promise God will give a great reward..
#_I_SALUTE_YOU__MAAM/SIR for your understanding and concerned about Domestic Helper…
#_THANK_YOU…
A big salute for you sir/ma’am! You have a good heart I’m pretty sure that you are not only have a good understanding for MAIDS but for other people as well. MAY THE LORD GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
tha’s right
true
Thank you ma’am for your most understanding toward a maid.. I also very proud to my x employer who support me in everything. Esp.we talk about consern witj the family..i am a single mum with one son….
Give this writer a big round of applause…????????????????????????????????????????
Thank you so much
Wow thank you, pray for more employers like you, may your tribe increase!!!
Her employer had a humanitarian hearts that other employers dont have. Sometimes they think of themeselves they are more than human than us because we are helpers, drivers and gardeners. People who have that inhuman attitude is an fool..
..im not that lucky ….they refuse my 1mos request last Feb.. ..just hold on self…
very wonderful,Godbless to all the employers like you madam,hopefully more employers were read this.
Good to know there are still people who cares about us, same with my employer thats what she told me on my interview communication and honesty and I am now with them for 18 years
Kudos to this columnist!
May you continue to enlighten and influence other employers to show compassion and empathy to their helpers. God bless you!
Salute to a very kind employer like you sir/Madam…
But Shame to the employer for letting their helper stand up inside the restaurant while they are eating I saw it many times..I am crying inside for the helpers situation, why bring your helper outside if you can’t offer a food and chair inside the restaurant? How are you feeling if you do that? Are you proud to show to people that you are that kind of employer? But we need to accepted and sacrifice everything for our family…