Home sweet home? - The power of respect and empathy
Have you ever been mistreated by someone more powerful than you, feeling helpless and disrespected? If you had a chance to change the situation, what would you do?
Last week, we talked about the situation of domestic helpers in Hong Kong. This week we wanted to shine a light on how we can work with them for a harmonious household.
Welcoming your domestic helper into your household
Domestic helpers leave their home countries to work and raise their own family. Thus when greeting your helper, be compassionate of their situation and treat them with kindness to build a good relationship. By being respectful of boundaries and addressing basic needs, give your helper sufficient time to adjust into your household. Set clear expectations, daily schedules, house rules and delegate duties well to ensure that she knows what needs to be done.
For Hong Kong, living arrangements are crucial as we are one of the most densely populated cities in the world. A living arrangements survey from 2018 revealed that 70% of arrangements offer a private room, 16% shared with a kid, and 10% shared with another helper. As many apartments come with a “helper room” or “maid room” which are smaller, be sure to install a sofa bed or a custom bed and ensure proper ventilation as most of these rooms do not have a window nor air conditioner.
Developing Trust
Mishaps and misunderstandings often happen when there is little trust between you and your helper. As employers most likely have language and cultural differences with the helpers, miscommunications would occur easily. Help them to be a part of your family and do their work better by treating them with genuine respect and concern, and value their work.
Sociologist Raka Ray and anthropologist Seemin Qayum argue in their book, Cultures of Servitude, that children growing up with helpers learn about inequality among class, gender and ethnicity as they’ve witnessed that their helper’s needs, opinions and aspirations are less valued and valuable than others. To alleviate this problem and act as a model example for your household, show that you value her contribution and let her know that you trust her like other members of the house.
Respecting their privacy
Unlike most of us who get to leave our workplace after work, domestic helpers stay in their workplace 24/7. We all know how stressful it is to be stared at by our boss. Yet, only few employers can relate and feel for their helpers. After a tedious working day, we should allow our helpers to have some private leisure time. Whether it is playing mobile games or scrolling through social media, as long as they are not doing it during working hours, employees should not infringe on their privacy.
Some employers prevent helpers from calling their family members. As most of the helpers are also mothers, leaving their own children and travelling a long way to look after your family. They easily feel homesick and miss their children. Chatting with their children can bring them a lot of soothe and comfort. Being compassionate and respectful would go a long way.
--
At the end of the day, when helpers feel appreciated, valued and satisfied, their work performance would be better, aiding your life at home. Building a strong bond of trust and loyalty will surely help create a home sweet home.
Source:
https://www.aware.org.sg/2014/03/modeling-good-values-by-treating-domestic-workers-with-respect/
