Looking for replacement and tax levy

B

bbvv

Registered User
We currently have a filipino maid (fresh from Philippines) who started with us 13 days ago and we will be terminating her contract with us due to her hygiene. She perspires excessively even in air-conditioned restaurants, and constantly requires a towel to be placed on her back underneath her T-shirts and a face towel to wipe off sweat from her face and arms until she goes to sleep. We allow her to take 2 showers a day. Furthermore, she is very forgetful - she forgets that we have given her the housekeys and she once did not lock the doors properly as it was left ajar - thankfully there were no mishaps. We have set a simple working schedule for her easy reference but that does not seemed to work as she just stands infront of us waiting for us to open our mouth to instruct her on what to do next.

I will be giving birth in early August and I feel that this hygiene is not acceptable as when I return to work, she will be the one who will care for my baby. I cannot bear the fact that my baby will be affected by her perspiration and her forgetfulness.

We have paid the 1st installment of tax levy, will the tax levy be carried over if I terminate her when our replacement arrives (probably in 2 to 3 month's time)? Or do I need to terminate her at least a week before the replacement one arrives. The guideline on the government website is not very clear on the timeline. I am not sure whether or not the Immigration starts the visa processing upon termination or can start visa processing for replacement before I terminate the current one.

Also would it be quicker for me to hire a local filipino maid as the replacement will take 2 to 3 months and by that time my hands will be full and I will be too tired to train her for the housework. I wil be breastfeeding so the maid is not required to do any bottle feeding for at least the first 3 months.
 
I'm a bit confused - how is her sweating a hygiene issue? She showers twice a day, you said, so presumably she smells ok. Is it just something you don't like to see? What happens if your next maid has spots, for example? Or a big nose?
She forgot to lock the door once, which hardly counts as 'very forgetful' - and after only 13 days it's reasonable for her to expect some sort of instruction from you regarding her work.

I think you had better hire someone you have personally interviewed, just in case she's ugly or her arms are hairy or anything equally traumatic. Also probably have a think about whether you would not be better taking care of things yourself, if you don't have time to train a new employee.
 
For the first 2 days, she did not have her 2nd shower as the bathroom she uses upstairs was completely dry and she only brushed and washed her face and came out in less than 5 mins. So I reminded her to thereafter but on one of the days, I did not remind her and she retired to her bed without showering so what do you expect me to do.

Furthermore, what would you do if she was holding the baby, wiping her sweat at the same time with the same face towel used all day and touching the baby face. That would be a hygiene issue! Besides, holding the baby will increase her temperature hence she will continue to sweat.

We have seen her sweat rolling on her forehead whilst she eats her breakfast/lunch at the restaurants whereas we need to resort to extra clothing due to the cold air-conditioner temperature. I would have thought someone being used to the hot weather and coming from Philippines would feel a colder than us. Although we will have the air-conditioner on at home - at times we will not as air-conditioners all day is not good for a baby. Germs are easily circulated inside the house so we open the windows and switch on the fan to be more airy. I do not think that this is unreasonable.

Looks is not a problem, we have hired a maid with spots before but she was missing her son (3yrs old) back at home so she resigned. We never felt that we had to replace her.

All being said, we will go for a more experience maid as our current one we found out when she started with us for a few days only worked for her relatives and hence there wasn't really a employer/employee atmosphere. Will be more selective this time round.
 
hard to believe this is a real post...but i'm sure it is!

listen... sweating has NOTHING to do with hygiene!

if she's tired and decides to go to bed without a shower... that's up to her! are you sleeping with her?

sweating doesn't make you dirty!

i know....i sweat a lot! i've been in HK for 11+ years. i'm VERY clean, but i can't help how much i sweat. all i can do is try to make sure i'm clean, wear deoderant and wipe my face when it gets bad!

i have a 18 month old son... guess what??? he sweats too!!!
sweating is your body's way of cooling itself.
some people sweat more than others. if she sweat so much, ask her to change her shirt so she' not wet.

this would worry me more than anything. if she's sweating and her shirt is wet, then she sits under the air conditioner, she MAY get a cold... this MAY pass to the baby.

otherwise...yikes! grow up and learn a little about the human body, huh?
 
bbvv, the other posts are a little too harsh in my opinion. I can't help you with your questions but felt compelled to say something after reading the replies. They certainly sounded sarcastic and insensitive. To say you would mind if your helper has a "big nose" or "have spots on her face" is an insult and judgmental on your personality.

It is YOUR choice and your choice only what you want your helper to look like or behave or what have you. Do not compromise. If her sweating bothers you, get a replacement. I am a mum of a baby with severe eczema and I would NOT let my baby to rest even on my own bare arm during breastfeeding (I placed a towel over my arm) as my sweat causes her sensitive skin to itch to bleeding stage.

I have trialed a few local part-time helpers and asked one kindly not to return as she has intolerable body odour, whilst my current helper has absolutely no teeth on her top jaw.



Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Carang,

Sweating in your case may not be unhygenic but it is if she uses the same face towel to wipe her sweat and put it in her pocket and reuse it all day without changing it. Furthermore, she will be sharing a room with my baby eventually so i would want her to shower before she goes to bed!!!

Anyway, it is not just the sweating - forgetfulness is another problem - she is given keys and she has locked herself out numerous times whilst we were out for the afternoon since my last message. Luckily those few times, nothing was being cooked as I hate to image what our house will look like. Furthermore, this is a worrying matter as what if my baby was in the house - now that would be an issue which will be terrifying for all mothers!

Anyway, all being said, we have found a replacement and my baby arrived a couple of weeks early.

Thanks, mummybee for your kind words - maybe the other posts have been more fortunate in employing helpers with no problems...
 
as a matter of fact, when we first hired our helper, we told her that the door locks automatically when you close it.

within the first month, she got locked out, with the baby inside the house. there were also 4 dogs in with the baby. when the door banged shut, the baby woke up and started crying.

my helper was terrifed and went to the mgmt office hoping they had a key, which they didn't.she then went to the neighbours and climbed from their balocny to ours!!!

we lived on the 16th floor!!!!!!!!

when she told me what haappened, i felt sick to my stomach. after thinking about it some more, i did the following:

i approached her and said, "thank you for caring for my child so much that you are willing to risk your life for him. however, both hubby and i have told you on numerous occasions that you MUST take your key with you at all times! tomorrow you MUST get a string and put it around your neck. if i ever see you without it, i will fire you on the spot.

i'm not saying this to make you angry or upset, it's just i can't imagine having to call your husband in saudi arabia and your son in the philippines and telling them that you died because you forgot your key."

we were both very shaken up over it for a long time. now, it's a joke between us. we recently moved to a ground floor flat. i made some comment about forgetting her key and how much easier it will be in the new house!

everyone has problems, especially when you put a stranger into a small home and family.

i guess everyone has different ways of dealing with things. i must say that for the most part our helper is pretty good and my son absolutely adores her. that's what's important for me, not whether or not she showers once, twice or three times per day.
 
We live in a detached house hence we do not have a management office to resort to nor can we seek our neighbours. Our baby was not born then so I guess our helper was not that concerned as she just meddled in the garden until we came home. She has a mobile phone but did not even use it to call us even though I have given her our contact numbers.
 
bbvv,

If you're not happy with her, and you're not confident leaving your child with her, then its best to replace her. You don't want to be calling home every hour to check up on her. My first helper drove me crazy. I would ask her to take D down to the playground while I finished some work. I would go down after 20 mins or so, I wouldn't be able to find them. This happened 3 or 4 times. I knew she was taking him to a neighbour's place without my permission. I lost trust in her and eventually when it came time to renew her contract, I decided I'd try my luck and find someone new. I'm glad I did, our current helper is a gem. She takes wonderful care of all of us, and we get along really well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top