\n<\/p>\n
While hiring a domestic helper<\/a> can ease the burden of daily chores, sometimes the help doesn\u2019t quite meet expectations<\/a>. What does one do when caught in that situation?<\/p>\n A Redditor<\/a> recently shared his woes, seeking advice about his domestic helper, whom he described as “lazy and unable to cope with work”.<\/p>\n “Hired the maid for seven months now. First three months was okay, but the following months she got [increasingly] worse\/lazy,” he revealed, going on to list several incidents where she didn\u2019t meet his standards.<\/p>\n According to the employer<\/a>, the helper is “perpetually stuck on her handphone”, often watching YouTube, scrolling Facebook, or making calls. “Work 30% phone 70%,” the OP quipped. They added that it was their first time hiring a domestic helper and they wanted to be “humane”, presumably by not restricting her phone use too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n Addressing the helper\u2019s inability to cope with work, he wrote: “Whenever it comes to bathing, feeding, playing with the child, she seems too tired or exhausted. This often leads to heavy lifting being done by my mother, wife, and myself, while she just sits and watches others do her job.”<\/p>\n When asked to organise the fridge, with the employer often finding rotten food inside, the helper “does not do [it] and rather watch her videos”.\u00a0<\/p>\n You\u2019d think that with all these issues, it would be a no-brainer for the OP to replace the helper. But in his case, things aren’t so straightforward.<\/p>\n He revealed: “Problem is, wife and both grannies want to retain her simply cause they felt the child likes her a lot. This has become quite a frequent point of conflict internally, because I strongly disagree with retaining a disobedient (even at the baseline) helper.”<\/p>\n He sought advice on handling the situation and was quickly met with plenty of responses from netizens.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, many netizens sided with firing the helper.<\/p>\n The majority felt he should be decisive and let the helper go if she wasn\u2019t contributing around the house, with one opining he should act sooner rather than later, especially since his child might get attached to her. They also brought up the fact that the helper had not been working for them for long.<\/p>\n “[Your kids liking her] is not a valid reason to keep her. You are hiring a helper. Not a companion for your kid,” asserted one netizen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another advised: “You are the employer. Ask yourself what will an employer do if an employee underperforms or chooses to not perform their duties<\/a>?”<\/p>\n Others warned that keeping the helper could spark family disagreements, particularly since they are already facing a situation where not everyone supports the idea of firing her.<\/p>\n However, some empathised with the OP, sharing that they\u2019ve faced similar situations where they wanted to fire their helper but were met with resistance from other family members.<\/p>\n Instead, those who recommended keeping the helper suggested setting regulations in hopes she would improve. One shared: “You need to set ground rules, expectations, and consequences, and you need to be ready to enforce these consequences.”<\/p>\n Suggestions included giving her a more structured schedule, such as set times for work and set times for phone use, and establishing clear boundaries about expectations during work hours.<\/p>\n “You cannot tell her not to use phone. You can tell her not to use during work hours unless got emergency. Do you have a home camera at home to monitor the kid while you\u2019re at work? Put the phone holder with her phone in front of the camera. Friend did that and it worked. Not sure if you want to do the same,” one commenter suggested.<\/p>\n The OP said he would consider trying it soon, though he\u2019s unsure if it would be effective.<\/p>\n Ultimately, many felt there\u2019s no point keeping the helper if trust has already broken between her and the OP.<\/p>\n One noted that trying to enforce rules now could further damage trust on both sides, and it might be better to part on good terms. They also suggested he have a serious discussion with his family. And who knows, he might even find better help after.\u00a0<\/p>\n What do you think he should do?<\/p>\n Photos: Reddit,\u00a0Liliana Drew<\/a>\/ Pexels<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n