2/04/2013

The preponderant maid/servant mentality


The employment of maids here is becoming a national preoccupation, a sign of affluence, a statement of having arrived. Everyone of any social standing would want to have a maid to tag along wherever they go. The maid/servant concept is now a necessity and the importance of maid/servant in a household is growing in importance. In many cases, the maid/servant has become indispensable and a must have. And the maid/servant knows the importance of their role in the household. Many have assumed the function of the butler and rule the house like their little fiefdoms. And the masters of the households are hapless as they have got too used to the whims and fancies of the maid/servant. They think they cannot do without the maid/servant running the house.

What has now become a new reality is that the maid/servant has usurped the power of the household and started to run the household to their likings, feeding the masters on what they thought or decided would be good for the masters. Some hold the purse strings, sort of, and buy what they wanted and dispense away with what they did not fancy. The masters are comfortable to return to a home as long as the home is kept tidy and in order and dare not ask for more. They just turn a blind eye to the growing power and control of the maid/servant.

Some maid/servants even have the audacity to bring in their friends to the homes. It started stealthily but it is now done in bright daylight. The households are frequented by guests of the maid/servant. They even occupied the guest rooms and would soon be using the master bedroom as well. And when the master protests, the maid/servant insists that their friends were there to help out to look after the house. Without the friends presence, the household will run down and turn into a mess. The master of the household sheepishly accepted the arrangement with little protest.

When will the maid/servant take over the household and drive the master out of the house? As it is, the children of the master have left as the house is either too small or getting undesirable for them to stay anyway.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

No worry. The servant will not drive the Master out. The Master is needed to pay taxes. He is a money tree in the house.

Anonymous said...

Actually seriously speaking my maid does behave this way

Anonymous said...

Hi rb,

The maid/servant is under a contract. When the contract is up, the master can elect to renew or terminate.

The mentality of not wanting to try a new and inexperienced maid/servant is misplaced. The current old maid also started as young and eager, and gathered much slyness along the way.

New maids are cheaper to replace if you do mind having to guide them initially. And more obedient too.

If they continue in their ways, the old folks may end up moving overseas to join their children in a foreign land where they would have no rights to hire/fire any maids.

Of course, it is very difficult to terminate the contract midway. Unless, the maid was caught red-handed stealing or transfering assets for their own benefit.

faber

agongkia said...

You can keep changing maid and the result will still be the same.Some times got to close one eye becos majority of your family members like her.
Complain too much she can ask her friend to wait at the lift,any how say you touch her naenaepok and your future will be ruin .
Mentality of maid nowadays is that you ask them to help you and they are kind to do so.Not that they need a job and you are kind to offer them a bowl of rice.Calling you Sir is just a wayang to make you happy and pay her salary promptly.Dun be a daft and think you are really the towkay.Got it.

Anonymous said...

@ agongkia.
You must be the daft ones that LKY keeps talking about.

I sack my maids when I think I am no longer the master of my house.
And I am willing and have "suffered" without a maid for months on end, until I find a suitable replacement maid.

You must be a daft coward to allow yourself to be bullied by your maid.
And you pay your maid a salary to bully you some more.
So that makes you a masochistic daft coward?

virgo49 said...

Bro, before my mum passed away last year, had deported two maids back for misbehaviours.

I personally become her caregiver for five years before her demise

Same will be for the papies when the time come for me to also deported them


Alas, many sinkies had in their personal Interests chose to close a blind eye and let the maids rule them.

agongkia said...

anon 4.52
My motto is Rather to be let down by others than to let others down.
Take it as I have harmed them in my previous life and they are here specially to seek revenge and debt and I feel much better.
So what if maid demand for higher pay.Just give.Take it that you owed them.If they dun earn enough,they may tend to steal from you .
Treat them better maybe one day they can return what they have taken and may even fall in love and sleep with you when they found out you are actually nice,harmless and dun pose a threat to their rice bowl.

Anonymous said...

STForum

[Asking helper to sleep in living room contradicts MOM guideline]

"THERE have been suggestions that the HDB build two-bedroom studio flats so that caregivers for the elderly have a room to sleep in ("Seniors need extra room for caregiver" by Mr Shiva P. Banerjee, Jan 10; and "Build two-bedroom studio flats" by Mr James Low, Forum Online, Jan 16).

The HDB replied that there is "sufficient space in the living room for an additional family member or helper to stay in", and suggested turning the living room into a sleeping space at night ("Enough space in studio flats for live-in helper"; Jan 24).

Stephanie Chok Juin Mei (Ms)"

http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/asking-helper-sleep-living-room-contradicts-mom-guideline-20130205

Anonymous said...

Build a room for helper?

Got to check how many ahtok, nehnek, ahkong and ahma got their own room first.

The suggestion of having a room for live in domestic worker sounds more ridiculous than asking employer to get taxi for your employee to report for work everyday.

How absurd can things get in Sin?

Anonymous said...

"When will the maid/servant take over the household and drive the master out of the house?" - To prevent that, the solutions are actually very simple. 1) do not give absolute power to your maids and servants 2) change your maids and servants once every few years 3) put a cctv to monitor their every actions and movements.