How much would it cost you if your domestic worker had a cup of coffee once in a while? Bella Yip, a Hong Kong columnist who writes for Sky Post on beauty issues, said she was puzzled when she heard an employer complain to friends in a restaurant that she was unhappy because she had spent around HK$5,000 (US$635) on coffee that her domestic worker had consumed during her employment, thinking the maid did not deserve having that much money spent on her.
But the maid in question had been working for that employer for 10 years.
Yip said she was not surprised that some people in Hong Kong with this kind of mentality – some people are mean, they are ungenerous, and they count every single cent they spend on other people, whether a domestic worker, a colleague or even a family member.
But Yip said she believed that if only you are nice to others, then most people will be nice to you in return.
Your domestic worker is the one who takes care of your children, keeps your house clean and tidies when you are busy at work, so she deserves to be treated well.
If a couple of bucks spent on coffee could make them feel good and full of energy, why does the employer need to be so stingy?
To give is always better than to take – it’s the win-win situation of a mutual relationship.
Yip advised employers not to expect domestic workers to treat them well unless they evaluate themselves to see whether they are generous enough to their maids.
Sir/madam, thanks for ur column. I"m a domestic helper and i"m the one biying my own coffee. We domestic helpers do our best to satisfy our employers, if they treat as nice, very much sure the more we work bettet, and if they give as food 3 x a day. We will ne happy working with them . Thanks again for the compliment
maybe its better the employer give the food allwance every month to the maid as written in the contract so no need complaining about spending HK$5000 on coffee for 10 years…what a shame
There are employers that bought some food for you even the cost of that food is $5 or $10 they will say that is,very expensive OMG
Truthfully HK 5,000 or $600 is barely nothing and not equitable to the 10 years the domestic worker shared and spent with such a family. Someone should remind the employer that the domestic helper stayed 10 years away from her family to make the employer’s family/children/home a place worth visiting and calling home. The dometic helper spent 3650 days so as to take coffee at HK1.3699. Truthfully, there is no place is Hong Kong that sells coffee at less HK 2. Cheapest will be HK4-8. I think we should learn to share love. Love brings endless happiness, love brings endless joy to the children the domestic helper took care of. Once you accept a domestic helper, we should treat them as the other adopted child tasked to care of her young ones in the family they have joined. Truthfully, I would spend as much as I can on a person I call a domestic helper for basically 5 reasons 1. These domestic helpers take care of my children as I strive to make ends meet 2. These domestic helpers become the second best friends to my children. Dont be shocked that some children prefer being with domestic helpers than actual parents, why? the love, attention and care is adorable. 3. We entrust the domestic helper with all our house belongings. Infact they know the inside and outside of our properties and can easily tell what could be wrong. Their trust to keep our property is next to none, they keep our millions of worth despite the meager pay 4. These domestic workers yes they are employed to help in domestic work but they play a great role in teaching our children a few basics about life. such as differentiating between what is good and bad or even administering a few punishment such as you will not watch cartoons until you wash your hands and eat dinner or lunch or unless you take nap/rest after lunch. 5. They are human and too need love. They need a love gesture of appreciation. They need to be told thankyou for the services you offer to our family. NB: It takes a single act of generosity to win the domestic helper’s loyality for ever. They dont ask for much but they simply require us to be part of their lives and their families left back home. Am just wondering how many employers take time to even inquire about the domestic worker’s families, their children that take 10 years minus seeing their mothers. Their mothers that take 10 years minus seeing their daughters. Their brothers that take 10 years minus seeing their sisters. Besides the title of being a domestic helper, they are wives, mothers, sisters and daughters to their families and relatives. We should treat and love them as the adopted children we so much longed to have in our family. Its only they that have not desired to have children that will not understand the pain of taking long minus seeing your child. We keep beautiful pets in our homes, just imagine the pet walks so along distance or refuses to eat or falls sick. The pain you will have is less compared to the pain these domestic helpers go through foregoing their families to join a new family they whole heartedly love, serve and share all thier abilities to make happy. Infact the employer should instead say she regrets spending so little on the domestic helper that sacrificed 10 years of her youthful, productive life to serve deligently with honest.
Hahaha…true mga sis
It’s true!!!That’s why the kindness of helper it depends upon the Employer.
I salute u ma’am bella yip because you’re so kind.God bless u more ma’am
It doesnt matter the money or allowans individually we know how to respect each other if you.really educated person with or without any of this still you.know to show.respect
Eventually having a employer with a big heart and considaration is a very win win situation your lucky.. but as a maid like me i always remind my self that not every one have a good employer but luckily God gave me one. They are nice thats the important now a month for now im in 3 years with them Thank you.God
Be generous enough to fill the need of your helper, for in return they will work for your satisfaction & with a happy relationship.
well said,Ms. Bella Yip.????
Agree! 🙂
Correct .. Love me and i will love you more…
she really had a time to compute all those expenses for ten years? amazing ????
That’s true in HK still have more employer are mean n stingy, they maid always buy breakfast for themselves
If she felt unhappy because she spend $5000hkd to her maids coffee then she deserved not to be treated well….10yrs of working on her family is not easy and it’s not easy also to act you are nice to your employer even they treated you bad in return…so much better she give the food allowance to her maid so she can buy what she want.,,Stupid and ungenerous attitude that kind of employer,,
Correct , if you treat your helper well, she will treat you and you whole family even better!!
Hahaha????
Very true
Yes madam that is true if you kind to your helper 100%both party are happy .because if the employer are good also the helper are embresss their employer because i heard some helper chatting during there holiday.some employer are good and bad thank you MISS YIP GOD BLESS
In my point of view I believe employers like this (sadly to say, not all but mostly) are in deep need of spiritual help. Most of them they are not happy with their lives, they don’t have peace, always worry that caused a sleepless night. Wanting something that even theirselve couldn’t figure it out what really they want in life. That’s why they can not look to others need if with their own needs they don’t know how to find it. As I believe we can not give any thing that we don’t have. How we can give love if we don’t have love inside of us? How can give peace to others if we don’t have it first? My employer is one of them, counting every single penny even .5 cent. But I love them and doing good and pray for them this is just the very last thing I can do for them while I am still with them for time will come I will leave them too. All we do to others is like a seed that someday it will remember. Good seed bears good fruits. If we sow good seed who knows someday will make a way for them to do the same thing. I hope so.