Hiring 2 maids, dilemma about days off

[aussiegal]

oh good, other people agree with me that you should sack her.

She's definitely going to bully the newcomer and then you'll spend all your time looking out for the newbie. Better to start afresh, get two new helpers and set the ground rules when they start. You're about to have another baby, the last thing you need is to worry about how the household is running and to have to fix tensions that will definitely arise if you keep your current helper.

I am quite intolerant of bad helpers. They need to keep in mind who is paying who. If only they could all remember how keen they were to work for you (us) and keep that same attitude they had at the interview rather than over time become more and more arrogant. I know not all are like this but it certainly seems like a lot are. I agree with Joannek that your helper seems to think you can't live without her. Sure, most of us really need our helpers but they are replaceable.

That said being tough is easier said than done. I get my husband to play the meanie and it works a treat since I'm the one who has to get along with her all day long.

 

[mintycat]

My husband just talked to her. She said she will NOT budge, no compromise and no flexibility. My She kept saying "I don't have a lot demands, only that I get all Sundays off." So my husband said at the end of the day, she can only get 2 Sundays off and that is that. He told her to go think about it and tell us what she wants.

After the long talk, she is still so uncompromising. I think we probably won't end up renewing her contract. Even if she stays she will take it out on the new maid. But if I let her work til June 8 when her contract ends, I am afraid I will have to put up with her attitude and she will be even less diligent in her work. The new maid comes middle of May. When I am in the hospital for the birth at the end of May (c-section), someone will have to take my daughter to the playgroup.

Sigh, what to do now? The preggo hormones are making me much more stressed than I should be.

 

[joannek]

do u have your mom or your mil take your child to the playgroup? or your daughter don't go to playgroup?

 

[mintycat]

My daughter goes to playgroups, my mom is here from Canada now but she she leaves in early July. As for my MIL, she is in her mid-70s, so she doesn't leave home much.

I am going to start looking for another maid.

 

[hannah1983]

Hi, everyone! hi mintycat! please check this link from www.geoexpat.com classifieds section, http://www.geoexpat.com/classifieds...uct/14892/cat/16/limit/recent/date/1175584848 I am desperately looking for a job in HK because i have to support my family back here in Philippines. If you're interested i'm very willing to be interviewed via phone. I am very industrious, trustworthy and multi task person. I can also give you the mobile# of my previous employer for further information about me. thanks so much!:thanks

 

[aussiegal]

Mintycat get looking right now. You poor thing. When you're so close to having a baby the last thing you need is this kind of stress. I just can't believe how stubborn she is. I'm sure she will be quite surprised to find herself fired or without her contract renewed.

I say as soon as you find someone just pay out the rest of the contract (it's only a month or two) and get rid off her. You don't want her to taint the new helper in any way. She will gossip but worse, she will lead by example so that the new helper coming in will think it's ok to take so long to do anything, to not be able to perform tasks you want etc.

We arrived in Hong Kong only 2 months ago and I needed a helper urgently because of being pregnant (i'm due beg June) and having a 12 month old (at the time). I just couldn't wait that 6 week or so period that it often takes when you bring in a new helper so I checked out the ads that helpers leave in shops etc and found a great one in Taste in Stanley. A lot of people do it this way. Mine has a bit of a smelling issue (!) ha, ha but she can clean, cook and my son adores her. She was able to start within a couple of weeks of us interviewing her because she happened to be leaving her employer so her sister (from the Phillipines) could take her spot with her current employer. Immigration accepted a letter from us saying we needed her urgently and it was all done really quickly. We were very lucky because she had actually already resigned by the time we met her so she only had a week or so left to find a job or get booted out! In your case you might find someone who just wants to leave the current employer enabling you to get them asap.

 

[kellyst]

yes agree. when you start having helpers who has attitude like that, better get rid of her with a 'same day' treatment (pay enough compensation by law and ask them to leave right way). it's rough, but helpers are so close to home and your loved ones that you don't know what they would do with stuff in your home. you can't watch their every move.

understand you're hiring direct, so yes, should have the ground rules cleared up first.

 

[ELT]

All my friends warned me against being too accommodating to DH because it is not uncommon that they would ask for more when you give them an inch. Did you explain the consequence (that you would have to let her go) if she wouldn't cooperate on that one request? Perhaps your DH is testing your limit?

 

[mosmom]

Is this woman aware of the fact that she has been doing multiple things wrong during her employment? You have been polite enough not to correct her too much in her daily work as you were happy with the way she has been taking care of your child. Fair enough. But she is being soo stubborn now, and not cooperating a bit.
Anyway, when is her contract expiring? Hope it's soon, so you can let her go on the day that it expires. I don't have a maid, but I heard that you may only fire a maid (officially) three times as an employer, so you would save yourself the 'points' if you just let her go on her last day anyways.. just a thought.
:gl: with your future helpers!

 

[mintycat]

Thanks for all your responses. Her contract expires June 8. She knows she has done many wrong things in the past I do tell her about them but as politely as I possibly can. When we first talked about renewing her contract a month ago (before I found this helper), she told me she wondered if I will renew her contract because she knows she has done many wrong things before. This is before we found this new helper who also wants to take Sundays off. I haven't signed anything, but can I renege on my "promise" to renew her contract?