Four tips for onboarding your new maid

Helping your maid settle in can be daunting. There are so many routines, rules and chores to explain — where do you even start? Fret not. Here are four things you can do to ease her into her job.

1. Discuss her work schedule

Cook with olive oil, wash dark clothes separately and buy only organic — the nitty-gritty details of running a household are surely important for your maid to know, but can be overwhelming when done right off the bat.

Before instructing her on how chores should be done, discuss how her daily routine will look like. Draw up a work schedule for your helper and explain the duties and hours you expect of her. Clearly establishing schedules on day one means there is no ambiguity when it comes to working hours and leisure time. This will prevent any misunderstanding down the road. Alternatively, for more experienced maids, you can try getting them to draw up a schedule for you to review.

2. Help her navigate your household

Everyone has stuff we’re particular about. Say you are meticulous about placing cutlery in the third drawer of the kitchen cabinet and nothing gets to you like misplaced items around the house. Show your maid how you prefer to organise things at home and share with her rules you’d like her to observe in the house, such as not wearing shoes inside or steering clear of personal items. Show her where to find things for domestic chores, such as cleaning supplies or cooking utensils. Since your home and your habits are both unfamiliar terrains for her, a little bit of guidance will go a long way in helping her maintain your space, the way you like it.

3. Demonstrate how you want chores to be done

As the saying goes: Show, don’t tell. Show your maid how to carry out the household chores assigned to her. If she will be cooking for your family, show her how you would do it according to their dietary preferences. There are many ways to cook rice and if you prefer she washes the rice three times instead of once, show her so.

Demonstrate how you want your house and laundry cleaned, especially if there are certain areas and fabrics that need special care.

Show her where and how to shop for groceries. If you have particular brands you prefer, make a list of them for her so she can refer to it when she is shopping on her own.

4. Understand her personal needs

Let your new maid know that you care about her needs. For instance, ask her what her dietary preferences are and make efforts to accommodate them. Provide her with a decent space to sleep in and store her belongings.

It also helps to be clear about what personal consumable items you’ll pay for and what she’ll need to pay herself (like toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads, shampoo, conditioner, bus fares etc).

Importantly, enquire about her medical needs and make arrangements for her to undergo the mandatory six-monthly medical examinations required by MOM. With FWD’s Maid insurance, you can save on these medical examinations while also insuring your maid against pre-existing medical conditions¹.

FWD Maid insurance can also help her feel better protected with the following benefits:

1. Her outpatient medical needs are taken care of. With FWD, outpatient medical expenses for your helper are covered and you can enjoy cashless claims with the e-card.
2. In the unlikely event where she’s hospitalized, she can better focus on recovery as FWD will provide a hospitalization allowance, easing her financial concerns.

While onboarding your maid is no light task, it pays to be patient in the process. After all, your maid is new to your home, family and neighbourhood, and there will be a lot of adjusting she has to do immediately. Being empathetic and patient as she learns is key to starting your working relationship on the right foot.

Keen to find out how you can better protect your maid? Get a quote for FWD Maid Insurance here.