SINGAPORE: A domestic worker says she is overworked and blocked from transferring homes. Her employer says something else entirely, so where does the truth sit when expectations and reality refuse to line up?
The case, reported by our site, The Independent Singapore, on March 21, 2025, under the headline “Maid says her employer is overworking her and refusing to let her transfer to another household,” has drawn attention for a familiar reason. The helper shared her experience anonymously, saying she was “so fed up with her life” after months of exhaustion. She outlined daily routines that begin at 5:30 in the morning and often extend almost until midnight, leaving little opportunity for rest or recuperation.
According to her post, the household has four members, including both parents and 15-month-old twins. Her duties include caring for the children while handling housework throughout the day. “I don’t even have time for myself,” she wrote, summing up the strain in plain terms.
She said she asked her employers three times to allow a transfer to another household. Each request was rejected. “They don’t want [to let me transfer] and told me that without seeking another employer, they will straight away send me back,” she explained. She added that she felt the refusal was driven by cost concerns, saying, “I clearly know that they don’t want to waste money.”
Responses to her post reflected how divided opinions often are in such cases. Some urged her to prioritise her health and leave if she could no longer cope. One commenter wrote, “If you really can’t cope, sis, you’d better go home and see your family first, then reapply again.”
Others advised her to try talking things through before making a decision. One suggested she explain that “housework, child minding, and cooking are not easy” and that expectations may need to be adjusted. Another commenter urged both sides to sit down and revise job arrangements, noting that changing employers does not guarantee improvement.
These reactions highlight a wider issue that goes beyond one household. Many employers expect flexibility that stretches into long, undefined hours, while many helpers expect clear limits, rest, and predictable routines. When those expectations are never aligned, daily life inside the home becomes tense.
Agencies often promise a good match, but real households come with stress, noise, and constant demands. When trust breaks down, transfer requests become emotional flashpoints rather than practical solutions.
Data suggests this pattern is common. The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics reported receiving 2,832 complaints from migrant domestic workers between April 2017 and March 2018. Of these, 483 were due to overwork, highlighting the sustained strain of long hours.
Help is offered through employment agencies, the Ministry of Manpower, and non-profit groups, and yet these avenues are often explored only when all else fails. By now, both sides tend to feel injured and defensive. The culprit, in this case, is far more a matter of expectations mismatching at low stakes at the start than of blame.
Until those gaps are addressed early and clearly, similar stories are likely to keep surfacing.
