Maid In The Philippines

(First of two parts)

We Filipinos are so lucky. Our culture and the structure of our society allow us to have maids even if we are not extremely wealthy. Simply put, if in the States one would have to have an income level that’s way above the average to afford a maid, here even families with modest incomes can afford to have two maids. It’s because labor here is relatively cheap – workers are not paid by the hour as they probably would be abroad.

The point I’m trying to bring across is that we are blessed as we have easy access to an extra pair of hands that help us get through the chores of the day. And because of help that our maids give the least we can do is to treat them well.

All too often we hear about horror stories of employers who beat up their poor wards, pay their salaries late, not give them the amount agreed on, or worse, not pay them at all. Worst, some maids are not fed well. There is a prominent and filthy rich family that thinks nothing of giving their househelp one, teeny, weeny piece of galunggong per meal. Galunggong is tasty but not when it’s rationed and taken three times a day, seven days a week, that’s too much. It’s not enough that you feed them, you have to feed them well. Hey, you don’t have to give them prime rib but be compassionate enough to let them have some variety in their meals. The fact that they’re maids doesn’t mean they have to have the cheapest meals all the time. Have a heart.

One might take their existence and presence for granted – you might not even know them by any other name but inday – because some people see them as an extension of their appliances and cleaning tools. As far as they’re concerned they exist for just one purpose – to make your life and that of your family’s comfortable. But maids are not machines, they have feelings too. You don’t have to baby them but neither is it enough that you pay them and assume that your duties as an employer towards them are over. Because they live with us, whether we like it or not we are responsible for their welfare and well-being.

I’ve listed a few things that we, as employers, can do to make our maids feel good. Really, it won’t take much from us but kindness and sincerity on our part will do a lot to make inday happier in her working environment and consequently, more productive and efficient. See, it’s a win-win situation here!

• Smile – Sincerely please. Hers is probably one of the first faces you see before you start your day. A smile will simply show that you acknowledge and appreciate her existence in your household. Often, employers hold back being nice to their maids because they think letting down their guard is tantamount to opening a well of familiarity that will only lead to abuso. But that is not always the case. Everyone is different and the character of one maid will not hold be true for all of them. Just because you’ve been had by one maid who seemed to have been born with abusada or fresca as her last name is no reason to start being unreasonably cold and distant to all of the other maids.

• Reprimand In Private – Of course there are times when you have to reprimand inday. But maybe it would be best if you do so privately unless of course it was a collective mistake on the part of all the indays in your household; in which case it would save you time and effort to just talk to all of them at one time. There is no point, however, in humiliating an erring maid in front of your guests or her peers. Be careful with the words you choose when you reprimand her (refrain from using such terms as tanga, boba, gaga, inutil) because when she’s told this repetitively she will start to believe that she is really what you say she is and this will show in the work she does. On the other hand, it’s far from being a bad idea if you were to praise her for a job well done. The rule of thumb is to be picky with words when you’re mad, frustrated, or disappointed but generous with praise.

• Let Them Enjoy Perks – Depending on how long your helper has been with you, how trustworthy she has proven herself to be and how happy you are with her performance, allow her to enjoy some perks. It can be as simple as giving them extra cash to watch a movie, giving them some of your clothes that you know will be put to better use by them (read: they can and will enjoy it more than you probably ever really will), buying them pasalubong (even when there is no occasion) when you go to the mall and find some really good buys. It would also be nice to know when their birthdays are because it’s not easy being far away from home and on that their special day, it will do their heart good to know that they are remembered. I have a friend who even goes out of her way to either get a cake for the yaya of her son complete with a "happy birthday, yaya Razel" scribbled on it or buys a present that she personally wraps. You can also give them cash so they have some extra money at their disposal. In our household, I’m lucky to have a very efficient cook who just plans the menu day in and day out. So when we sit down for a meal and see a whole spread of lechon manok-barbecue-pancit canton-ice cream combination we immediately know that one of the helpers is celebrating her birthday. It serves as a gentle reminder for me to check my list to find out which of them is the celebrant because even if they have been with us for years, they are still bashful when it comes to things like that.

If you have super-extra money to spare, you can either get your trusted and most loyal help life insurance (you shoulder the premium, naturally) or maybe help them purchase a parcel of land in their province. No rules here, just give whatever your heart and your conscience dictates, within your means.

When your helper gets sick, don’t be so stingy that you will actually make them pay for every single paracetamol tablet they need. Or if they have to be hospitalized for one reason or another, it is just right that you shoulder their bill most especially if their ailment is work-related. On that note, I cannot say often enough how logical and convenient it is to secure healthcards for not only the members of your family but your helpers as well.

If you like getting a massage at home and you have someone to service you, once in a while you can treat your yaya to a well-deserved massage, too. It’s physically taxing to have to take care of a child so a good rub-down will really be a welcome treat to the yaya of your child.

• Day-Off – Please don’t deprive your help of their right to a day-off. They need that, they deserve that. Just like us when we are all stressed out from work, we can benefit a lot from taking a break to recharge. When we do that, we are well-rested and more loving towards our family. When inday asks for a day-off, don’t take advantage of that opportunity to ask her to run some errands for you. Let her day-off be exactly that – one she can truly call her own. At the most, just ask her what time she will be back and let her know that you expect her to be home at the time specified.

• Secure Their Future – Inspire your househelp to save for their future. Although most of them will have to send money home to help their parents or their siblings, teach them to set aside a little for a rainy day. It would be nice if you could deposit their salaries to an ATM account so they will get the feel of how it is to save money while at the same time have each withdrawal documented courtesy of the white slip the machine dispenses. If your helper has been with you for a long time and you want to increase her salary from say, P3,500 to P4,000, instead of giving her the P500 difference you can safekeep it for her so that when she goes home for her yearly vacation you can give the accumulated amount to her in bulk. Which means to say at the end of one year she will be assured of P6,000 that you saved up for her in addition to whatever extra you normally would give as pabaon. Normally, most employers give an extra month’s salary in addition to securing transportation fare for the vacationing inday. (To be continued)