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EWmums

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Proper Maid Etiquette?

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2192

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 11:39

I always make tea / coffee and a plate of biscuits or a bit of cake for anyone who works in my house including the guys that change the light bulbs or need to check the sprinklers ! they think its wierd but ive always done that for builders in the UK ! Mind you, I did once say to one of the agency maids that she can help herself to something to drink and she went through a couple of cans of red bull and a glass of grape in the space of 2 hours.. she was very giddy ! Oh mp's this made me giggle! I'm also in habit of giving the guys tea and biscuits especially to my gang of gardeners or ice creams and cold drinks in summer.....they are always happy to receive after a hard days work. At Christmas they came knocking on my door with a calendar for me and it really made my day. Treat people with the respect they deserve is my motto as what goes around comes around :) ah thats lovely !

391

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 11:10

Start off with showing her around and fully explain what you need doing. If you just assume she knows how you want things done you might not get the result you want. This goes for any job. People aren't mind readers. Different people have different expectations. One a room is done you can just go in and fetch something from that room to give it a quick glance. I would leave the "full inspection" until she's gone and if you found anything you didn't like you can then next time go through it.

rebellodubai90321

23

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 11:01

I've got an agency maid coming for the first time too and have also been wondering about the etiquette. As it's the first time I want to see her methods but in a respectful way. Any tips on how to check she's doing things properly without looking like I'm spying on her?

232

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 10:54

I always make tea / coffee and a plate of biscuits or a bit of cake for anyone who works in my house including the guys that change the light bulbs or need to check the sprinklers ! they think its wierd but ive always done that for builders in the UK ! Mind you, I did once say to one of the agency maids that she can help herself to something to drink and she went through a couple of cans of red bull and a glass of grape in the space of 2 hours.. she was very giddy ! Oh mp's this made me giggle! I'm also in habit of giving the guys tea and biscuits especially to my gang of gardeners or ice creams and cold drinks in summer.....they are always happy to receive after a hard days work. At Christmas they came knocking on my door with a calendar for me and it really made my day. Treat people with the respect they deserve is my motto as what goes around comes around :)

2192

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 10:39

I always make tea / coffee and a plate of biscuits or a bit of cake for anyone who works in my house including the guys that change the light bulbs or need to check the sprinklers ! they think its wierd but ive always done that for builders in the UK ! Mind you, I did once say to one of the agency maids that she can help herself to something to drink and she went through a couple of cans of red bull and a glass of grape in the space of 2 hours.. she was very giddy !

178

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 10:26

Thanks for the help, ladies! I think HeyJude put it best, I should treat her the way I'd like to be. I'll go ahead and offer her what I have.

4393

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 10:26

Yes I agree, [b'>make sure to tell her she can use the/any toilet if she needs to[/b'>, and that she is welcome to take water from the cooler. In my experience she will not be likely to take food, or make herself a tea and definitely won't sit at your dining table or on your couch to eat/drink it but she might take you up on a can of pepsi or a biscuit etc if you leave it out for her and say it is hers. I have always been astounded at how little water my maids have seemed to drink. I initially found the maid thing super awkward and always used to try and get out of the house or be busy doing something as I felt really rude just sitting there while someone cleaned, I also struggled with being called madam, but after a while I realised these were my issues not theirs and got over them. Best is to be polite and direct. Speak very simply and specifically because you will get a lot of "yes madam"s that translate to "I have no idea what you mean". So simple things like "clean out the kitchen cupboards" can be wildly misinterpreted. After a while you will settle in to being a lazy expat like the rest of us and lift up your feet while she vacuums under them. ;) Please do stress this as I saw my neighbours maid 'going' in the garden one morning and then using the leaves off the tree to clean up. Obviously I called and told her (she was very embarrassed about it) and when she spoke to the maid, the poor girl hadn't been very well and was scared to even ask to use the toilet.

dolleymadison85571

514

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 10:18

You all need to treat her like any other employee. Just because she is in your house doesn't change how you behave towards her.

kiwispiers15400

2782

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 10:15

Yes I agree, make sure to tell her she can use the/any toilet if she needs to, and that she is welcome to take water from the cooler. In my experience she will not be likely to take food, or make herself a tea and definitely won't sit at your dining table or on your couch to eat/drink it but she might take you up on a can of pepsi or a biscuit etc if you leave it out for her and say it is hers. I have always been astounded at how little water my maids have seemed to drink. I initially found the maid thing super awkward and always used to try and get out of the house or be busy doing something as I felt really rude just sitting there while someone cleaned, I also struggled with being called madam, but after a while I realised these were my issues not theirs and got over them. Best is to be polite and direct. Speak very simply and specifically because you will get a lot of "yes madam"s that translate to "I have no idea what you mean". So simple things like "clean out the kitchen cupboards" can be wildly misinterpreted. After a while you will settle in to being a lazy expat like the rest of us and lift up your feet while she vacuums under them. ;)

654

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 09:59

Make sure you leave her a tip. They will be happiest with a nice tip.

87

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 09:54

Coming from the West, I'm new to this whole "maid game" and don't want to be offensive or rude. I have a maid coming from an agency, if she comes early in the morning (7am), do I offer her something to eat/drink? If she's staying for the whole day (4 hours or more) do I offer her lunch/snacks? Sorry if this sounds silly! I just feel bad since she's constantly working for so many hours at a time with no breaks and I'm sitting down to a cup of tea, etc. over here. @BintNizam, you are right, this are some of the issues we discuss on this forum. Just treat the maid well, some of them even getting food is a problem, she might be shy to ask or accept your offer fearing that you might report in the office, but its good to give a cup of tea and even lunch if its a vailable.

391

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 09:40

I agree with Heyjude. Offer her drinks. If you have a water fountain, ask her to just get water whenever she wants to. If you make coffee, offer her a cup too. I would also let he know that she can use the toilet. Yes, I know it sounds silly but I've heard that some madams actually don't let maids use the toilet. The treatment that some maids get is just shocking.

254

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 09:18

If you treat people the way you would want yourself to be treated, you can't go too far wrong. I would show her where the tea facilities are and let her make her own. You may find that she won't feel comfortable availing herself of your stuff, not everyone treats their helpers nicely. Don't worry about being offensive or rude, the fact that you have asked the question indicates that you will be just fine. Good luck with your maid

IzzyOnTheSeat82823

5334

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 09:17

If i am making myself a coffee, i offer her one too. Lunch they usually bring their own but i have been known to shout her a BK when i have ordered one for myself.

178

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 March 2014 - 09:09

Coming from the West, I'm new to this whole "maid game" and don't want to be offensive or rude. I have a maid coming from an agency, if she comes early in the morning (7am), do I offer her something to eat/drink? If she's staying for the whole day (4 hours or more) do I offer her lunch/snacks? Sorry if this sounds silly! I just feel bad since she's constantly working for so many hours at a time with no breaks and I'm sitting down to a cup of tea, etc. over here.

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