SINGAPORE: A Singaporean turned to Reddit for advice after the family’s domestic helper allegedly became “increasingly worse and lazier” just three months into the job.
Posting on the r/SingaporeRaw forum on Tuesday (Mar 24), he explained that the helper, who’s been working for them for seven months, spends 70% of her time watching YouTube videos, making video calls, or scrolling through Facebook and only 30% of her time on her work.
“She is perpetually stuck on her handphone,” he wrote. “Literally the whole morning and afternoon, she’s just watching videos or surfing the net.”
As this was their first time hiring a helper, the family initially tried to be patient and understanding. They wanted to treat her fairly and give her time to settle in. However, he now feels that this approach may have allowed the situation to worsen.
Over time, he said the helper began struggling with even basic responsibilities. “She’s unable to cope with her work. Whenever it comes to bathing, feeding, or playing with the child, she seems too tired or exhausted. Often, my mother, my wife, and I end up doing the lifting while she just sits and watches others carry out her job.”
He also raised concerns about her failure to complete simple chores properly. “I asked her to organise the fridge (because she repeatedly has rotten food or potatoes that have grown sprouts), but she does not do it and would rather watch her videos.”
The situation has also caused tension within the family. While he strongly feels they should not keep a helper who is disobedient and not pulling her weight, his wife and both grandmothers want to retain her because the child has grown attached to her.
“This has become quite a frequent point of conflict internally, because I strongly disagree with retaining a disobedient (even at the baseline) helper,” he wrote. “What would you do if you were in this situation?”
“If the helper doesn’t help, that totally defeats the purpose.”
In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor commented that if their helper “can’t do the job,” they should find someone else.
“At the end of the day, you are hiring a service. If the service is not done to your liking, why keep paying?” they said.
In response, the employer wrote, “My wife and both grannies want to retain her, based on their 2 reasons, which I totally feel are invalid: (1) Because my child likes/is used to her, and (2) Because she is a low-wage hire, S$750, so we cannot expect anything.”
Another Redditor said, “S$750 is a lot for a lazy helper. Fresh helpers start from S$600. Anyway, save yourself the stress and just change helpers.”
A third added, “Bro, as someone who has hired a few helpers before, I suggest you make a change for peace of mind. If the helper doesn’t help, that totally defeats the purpose. Also, for the kid, they’re a lot more adaptable than we think and usually take to a new person after a (short) bedding-in period. Don’t worry about the kid. Worry about the help you’re getting.”
A few others suggested that the employer create a schedule that the helper could follow.
“If you want to feel humane, I would suggest you create a more structured environment for her, like a fixed duration and time of the day where she can look at her phone freely,” one commenter said.
“For example, my aunt used to let her maid rest after dinner and cleaning up, which is when she had her real free time. But if there isn’t any structure, by allowing her to see her phone any time of the day despite having duties in the afternoon, it would affect her work and create a confused state where her mind is split between work and recreation.”
In other news, a frustrated software engineer took to social media to share that the firm he works for, which he hinted is an “infamous three-letter local IT company,” has been assigning him non-technical work for the past two years.
“I have not learned ANYTHING technical; every project I’m put on is just me doing PowerPoint and admin work,” he wrote on the r/singaporejobs forum. “Yet, I am expected to OT on weekends and even till midnight due to the sheer amount of work there is to do. It seems like the horror stories about this company are true.”
