Helper complaint forum?

I mostly see complaints / issues about helpers in this forum. Where can I go to read up on complaints about employers by helpers?


Trying to draw up the common complaints / issues from both sides to be able to draw up a fairer list of work expectations and allowances.

Its not a complaint forum- it is an advice forum. Employing a domestic helper comes with unique challenges and it is uncommon for many expats to experience this until they move to hong kong. Therefore many people feel the need to seek out this forum when they are unsure of what to do, and usually it is when things dont seem right and they want to fix the relationship. If domestic helpers would like to offer advice to employers on here that would be a great idea I think (granted the forum is in english and so this may be difficult). Why not help eachother eh?

Right, that's why i'm looking for the other perspective. Just like in any company, you always get the opinions of the employees to build up better guidelines for the company as a whole, so I'm wondering if anyone knows where DH's looks for advice to help me draw up guidelines that better reflect the issues they see.

Hi Hoista,

I think it would be quite difficult to draw up an expectations and allowance list, as people who are employing a helper, are as individual with their needs, as each helper will be of their expectations of an employer. It is not like a company, where the employing body has a set rules.

Employers needs will vary according to what they need a helper for, be it child care, animal care, and domestic duties. Ideally with a good interview technique and good honest reference to start with, the employer and employee can decide whether they would suit each others expectations, either one can walk away at that stage.

I don't believe that any helper should apply for a job which really might not suit them, or they do not have the capability to do correctly. I know of many helpers who will say 'yes' to anything at an interview just to get a job, then don't perform to the standards their particular employer expects, the really bad ones, out of many thousands of better helpers tend to be brought up as 'problems' on this forum.

Yes as Cara has already said there are many helpers or ex helpers who contribute to this forum.

If an employee/ employer relationship breaks down for any reason, both are perfectly entitled to stop the contract, if it is done in a respectful and correct manner by either party, there should be no problems.

Yes, here i am!


The most helper's complaints about employers are the long hours of work, insufficient food, and lack of sleep. These are just the most problems of helpers others are the problems with employers. Like how they are being treated in the house but most of these problems are with Chinese employers.

I did'nt hear anyone with a western employer that complained yet. Its the employers here that i see complaining :-).


Anyways, employers and helpers are just the same. There are bad helpers and good helpers just like employers.


These bad helpers are the ones abusive. If they see that the employers are good, they take advantage of that when they should be thankful that they did not have the bad employers.



And to you employers who have problems with helpers, do the right thing.

Talk to them and have an agreement. If they fail to follow the agreement then terminate them. Give them what they deserve. Sometimes being too nice to them is just whats making them worst.


I myself, hate having other helpers talking about employers saying its ok to do this and that cause my boss is ok, they don't care about what i do something like that and at the same time, i hate employers abusing helpers.


The most important thing between helpers and employers is RESPECT!

That's all and the relationship will be ok.

@peechyleesh is tru da inglish media did do makes it very very very difficult for domestic help to particeepate. Especial when she makes the complainant to the bad things to her duty. Thank you very much for the kind attention.


ps: I googled n its english medium. Sorry.

@Hoista, brave is she who dares to venture in this forum and air her woes. There will be sympathetic posters, but soon enough, EVERYONE and everything goes off tangent. Her/is words will be put under a magnifying glass and dissected and in the end, the brave helper can't help but feel foolish and/or embarrassed.


What I noticed in general is that some employers would come here, seeking an advice and soon enough , the comments will no longer be on the issue but the helper herself on a good day, and the whole race of said helper on worse days. The problem become a non-issue and the bottom lines are somewhere between -- fire her, sack her, document everything, find a witness and such and such. I know that is needed in some cases, but my heart aches for those helpers who has no idea that they were being put under fire without their knowledge.


And, I kid you not, some employers use a tainted brush to paint their helpers and "seek" your opinions on how to fire her WITHOUT paying her the long service/severance pay/one month salary in lieu of notice.