Need advice

I have noticed that my maid has been using our telephone landline while we are out. We have specifically told her that all her personal calls are to be made on her mobile phone as we do not want our home telephone disclosed to someone we don't know and if she needs to use the landline then she should sought permission first. Well little does she know that our cordless phone has a memory bank which stores all the last outgoing calls. After last time with her phone abuse, we changed our home telephone number as there was a special phone package promtion going on at the time and we didn't give her our new number. While we were away for 2 days last week, she had obtain the number by phoning her own mobile. This week I noted that she has been making a couple of phone calls on our phone every day when she should be doing her chores. Although our phone doesn't tell us the duration of the calls but is there such thing as itemised phone statement. Also we have a probelm as my maid cannot read English. If we issue her with a warning letter, I know for sure she will refuse to sign it as she will not comprehend what's written and she will play dumb. As we did not hire her through an agency, we are not sure how to go about it. My friend's ex maid took my friend to the labour tribunal after she fired her and when my friend showed the warning letters to the labour tribunal, her ex maid said she didn't know what was written and was forced to sign. We do not want to end up in that situation.


Any advice would be much appreciated

Your helper sounds very "sneaky" which is not good. Talk to her again and if she doesn't follow, then fire her. I am assuming that she speaks English. How can she not read any? If you did nothing wrong, then who cares if she takes you to the labour tribunal. Sure it is a lot of hassel for you. But at the end of the day, it is better than having someone in your house that you do not trust. I always think it is better to hire people who are not too smart.

JOSIE:

is your helper filipina? if she is, its a total lie that she cant read and understand english. almost every filipina can understand simple english. she is just playing dumb.


and TC's suggestion is ok.. just play it safe..i am a filipino so if you want, i can help you translate the letter to filipino. and if you can find out what is her dailect in the philippines is, i can translate it as well..


this is my email just incase:

prang984@hotmail.com


you can send it to me in email format or in a word document.


:D

you the FDH and the witness should sign the letter sign the warning letter.


and be prepared for the aftermath. some are inclined to take revenge on their boss for the slightest and petty reasons.

just a suggestion, there's is a number blocking service with the phone company that my boss use. when your helper calls her own mobile she wont see the landline number.


(i know that because my boss told me about it and they let me use the house house phone :P)

Thank you all for your replies.


Anyway we had a long discussion last night which ended at 1am, she has finally admitted that she's been using the phone behind our back and also the stealing that had been going over the months. We have decided to keep her on even tho she's the one who suggested that we should let her go but we will decide on her fate in the next few weeks.


Persephone: Thank you for your offer re translation. I'm afraid you cannot help me on this one as my maid is Sri Lankan. She can understand spoken English but I know her reading is not that good as I sometimes make her translate into her language when I give her written instructions.


Actually I found out that you can withhold your telephone no if you dial 133 beforehand.

josie: you can arrange for with the phone company to hide your number always..