Posted by
itsmeinhk
15 yrs ago
Hi,
Our helper has been with us for the last 4 months. Since she arrived we've been quite happy about her.
But now we have noticed that she broke some things and she didn't tell us.
When we confronted her, she admitted it but didn't even apologize. We asked her why she hid it from us and why she didn't tell us at once. She said she forgot......
We told her that we understand such accidents can happen but we expect her to let us know.
Since then, I've noticed that some silver cuttlery are missing... I asked her where it is and she said she doesn't know anything about this problem.
I start to wonder how reliable she is and if I can trust her in the future.
I plan to sit down with her with my husband again to talk about this again and to make her understand that we are not happy about her behaviour.
Any advice ????
Thanks
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Well, it seems yo are already doing the right thing. It's one thing if she is afraid you will get mad at her for having an accident. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
Tell her you are not happy, that accidents do happen. Also tell her that if she does not change her ways you may have to let her go.
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Sometimes some helpers would think that it is the best solution. That you will just also "forget" like her.
Just let her know that ultimately it will be known, and after some warning if she still breaks things, the value will be deducted from her salary. In our case, the first time she broke something we gave her a warning. The 2nd time we charged her half the value with the warning that if there's a third time it will be the full value. It's not really the money that you're after but to make the point it's a serious matter. (We let the helper sign a document saying what the deduction was for.).
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There is a difference between "oops" and negligence. Try to figure out in which column these incidents are.
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Have you asked her for an honest answer as to where the silver cutlery is?, this cannot be broken, so what has happened, does she believe in Fairies?
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hi,
Susie1, for the silver cutlery, there are 3 spoons missing. I told her I have 6 of each (and I'm sure of it) and that I don't understand why 3 are missing now.
She said she doesn't know and can't remember seeing 6, she said she always only saw 3 pieces...
I told her I'm sure there is 6 pieces but she just doesn't know anything about this...
When my husband arrived home tonight, she told how the other accidents arrived and that she is sorry about them. He told her that it's not a big deal but that she needs to let us know when it happens, BEFORE we discover it... She agreeded....
Axpatguy38, I think it's more on the 'OOPS' side, but I can't help from having a doubt at this stage....
Punter, thanks for the idea, it seems quite fair.
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tgm
15 yrs ago
Punter's suggestion to charge half the value for breaking an item needs a word of caution. You are only permitted to charge up to $300 max for any one breakage in accordance with the Employment Ordinance.
From the Practical Guide For Employment of FDH:
"Q3.6 Can an employer deduct the helper’s wages to compensate for damage to goods caused by him/her? What other items may an employer deduct from the helper’s wages?
Answer - An employer can make deduction for damage or loss to the employer’s goods or property directly attributable to the helper’s negligence or default. In any one case, the sum to be deducted shall be the cost of the damaged item, subject to a limit of HK$300. The total of such deductions shall not exceed one quarter of the wages payable to the helper in that wage period."
The guide can be found at this link:
http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_2.htm
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Hi tgm, thanks for the very helpful precision, so we don't get in trouble by charging too much !
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