‘Do not lock your room’: Video of employer’s ‘rules and regulations’ list for domestic worker stirs outrage

May 27, 2022

One employer’s comprehensive list of house rules for their domestic worker has received backlash online for what some netizens described to be “slave” conditions after it was posted on social media.

In the Instagram video shared by the Singaporean account Sgfollowsall on Thursday, a person filming a handwritten list on a white board proudly claims it “Took me 45 mins to write all these rules & regulations and the helper to-do lists.”

The clip shows a list of twelve “rules & regulations,” a daily checklist of 10 chores and a weekly calendar with additional notes about what needs to get done.

While some of the rules appeared reasonable, such as not opening doors to strangers and keeping the house clean, netizens found others to be unreasonable.

Other regulations listed included only being able to use a phone for one hour at night after all the “kids are asleep” and not being able to leave the house without permission.

Another one stated that the worker should sleep by 10 p.m. at the latest, wake up by 7 a.m. and “only stay at camera,” most likely referring to a CCTV camera, “when we are not home unless bathing or doing housework.”

“Crazy,” wrote one user. “Did you lay down all these upon yourself when you don’t have a helper? If you can’t manage these housework and rules, what makes you think a helper can? To my knowledge a helper is also human like us, not robot.”

Several netizens compared the rules to slave conditions.

“Domestic helper is to help you not your slave.”

Others were more sympathetic to the employer, arguing that the helper was hired to work.

“Those who have helpers will understand more,” wrote one user with a smiley emoticon.

Featured Image via Brut America

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