HOW TO CONDUCT AN EMPLOYEE EVALUATION

   中文 

Many of us hope that our domestic helper will eventually become a "member of the family". Although we hope to have a good, close relationship with our helpers, it is also important to remember that they are employees and we are employers.  At Arrow we talk to employers every week. They give us feedback on how the helper is doing. Most employers (including me) do not regularly sit down with our employeesand do a "job assessment".  Instead, we allow little "irritants" to build up and finally "lose our temper" over some relatively minor offense. It would be much better if we set aside some regular feedback time (once every two weeks for the first two months; once a month after that). 

Establishing a "feedback habit" will ensure that    

• you and your helper are moving in the same direction,
• will help them to understand your goals and priorities, and
• will establish a regular forum for communication

Before you do an assessment you need to be clear: What do you hope to achieve?  Clarify expectations? Communicate your priorities? Give performance feedback? Encourage? Listen?                                

I did some homework (on the internet at ehow.com) and found some good tips on how to do an employee assessment.  Here is what I learned:                       

How to Conduct an Employee Evaluation 

Step  One : Write a simple job description
Be sure that your employee has been given a job description and knows what he or she is being evaluated against. Write a job description and use your first meeting to discuss and modify it as necessary. It is okay to say"I'm sorry I didn't give this to you when you first started working for us. I was too busy, and I know it wasn't fair to you, but now I want to let you know clearly what our expectations are. I apologize for not doing this earlier."  We suggest you keep your job description to one page only. Some employers are "big picture" kind of people who say "I want the house clean and tidy". That is okay, but please describe a bit more about what you mean by "clean and tidy", so they know the standards you are aiming at. Other employers tend to "micro-manage", and list 15 steps to complete each job.  Whether you are "big picture" , "micro-manager", or somewhere in between - make sure your DH has the resources (time, supplies, money) etc. to do what you are asking them to do. They are responsible for the work, but you are responsible to "enable" them to do the work in a timely way.                                                                                 

Step  Two: Employee Self-Evaluation
Give the employee a blank copy of the evaluation form and have  her evaluate/rate herself. You will need an evaluation form. The evaluation form should reflect your values and priorities. Here is a simple example: 

Rate yourself for 1-5, 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest:

• Housecleaning ______
• Marketing _______
• Cooking _______
• Laundry ________
• Childcare _______
• Carwash ________
• Communication________
• Attitude _______
• Carefulness/Thoughtfulness _______
• Other: ________

If punctuality is important to you, include it. Personalize the evaluation form, but keep it simple.  Allow the employee to "self evaluate" first, then you can agree or explain to them how you view their performance in these areas. 

Step  Three :  Set up a time and place to meet so that you'll have privacy and quiet. 
Take your helper out on a Saturday morning to a "dai pai dong", have some breakfast, and talk about her performance in a friendly and positive way. You want her to succeed!                                                

Step  Four: Leave adequate time. 
Set aside at least an hour, even though you might not need it.  You've spent the time and money to bring your helper from her home country to Hong Kong. By investing  a little more time for feedback, you will increase both your and your helpers productivity tenfold.                              

Step  Five: Have a clear goal 
What do you hope to achieve via this evaluation time? Do you want  to improve theemployee's performance? establish new performance expectations? focus on one specific area? receive feedback? 

Step  Six:  Dialogue. 
Avoid doing all of the talking. Ask questions and let the employee tell you how they feel and what they need.   You might want to ask, "What can I do to help you succeed at your job?"They are responsible for the work, but you are responsible to "enable" them to do the work by providing the supplies and time necessary. You are also responsible to make sure that they have adequate food and rest. Arrow employers have a reputation of "caring for their employees".  By listening, caring and accepting feedback, you will find that your employee will work much harder to please you.                                      

Step Seven:  Help them relax. 
Do your best to put the employee at ease, or anxiety will keep her from hearing what you say. Let them know that you plan to do this regularly, that this is a mutual feedback time and not a "judgment". Let them know that your goal is to establish good positive communication, increase your teamwork and to help them "succeed".                                

Step Eight: Start and stay POSITIVE.   
Avoid focusing only on areas that need improvement. Every employee wants and needs to be praised, so spend just as much, if not more, time describing what he or she is doing right. This is crucial to keeping a good employee around! Your helper has left her family and home country to come and serve you. If all they ever hear is negative feedback, they will probably decide that the money you are paying them is not worth it. 

In my limited experience as an employer, I have come to understand that "appreciation is more important that money." Employees, all employees, want to be appreciated and they would rather work in a low paying job where they are praised and appreciated than in a high paying one where they are regularly  criticized. Your DH is no different. Your positive feedback is more important to her than a $1000/month raise. 

Take time to sit down with your helper and do a "job performance evaluation". Stay positive. Do it regularly. If you do this well, you will avoid a build up of negative feelings, increase your worker's productivity and happiness, and your whole family will experience greater blessing as a result.

From Parenting.com 7 ways to bond with your baby

http://www.parenting.com/article/7-ways-to-bond-with-your-baby?src=twitter

The Hong Kong Family Race to the Top

by Cora Ha

You’re pregnant and people tell you that you better register your child in a kindergarten before all the spaces run out.  And before they can enter kindergarten at the age of three, your child better know how to speak, read and write in at least two languages, play an instrument and be good at least one sport.   Don’t forget the toilet training – no nappies allowed!

By the time your child hits primary school, the day looks something like this:  up at 6:30am, eating breakfast half asleep and on the school bus by 7:00, in school from 8:15-3:00 and then straight to math tutorials.  Following math is violin lessons and then home for a short 30 min break before sitting down to 1 hour of homework.  Thankfully, it’s dinner time for the child and the parents and everyone sits down to eat at 7:30 while watching TV, playing on an Ipad, and reading messages on the Blackberry.  Dinner is over and it’s time to really get down to business.  More homework and then violin practice.  Phew!  Done, just in time for bedtime stories at 10:00pm and ‘talking’ for relationship building at 10:30pm.  It’s lights out at 11pm. 

Exhausted, everyone falls into bed and the crazy race to the top starts all over again.  And that is not even during exam time!

Let’s throw into the mix an exhausted, confused helper who is being asked to do the job of 3 adults:  cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, chauffeuring (even if by public transport), and child-minding  - all this on less than 6 hours of sleep.

Could there be more to family life than this? 

Is more of everything really better?

Can you give your children the ‘edge’ by optimizing your children’s learning, and growing in other ways?

Here are four simple tips to help increase learning while decreasing stress:

1.     Sleep:  In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Marc Weissbluth, MD, provides these insightful comments on the functions of sleep:

"Sleep is the power source that keeps your mind alert and calm. Every night and at every nap, sleep recharges the brain's battery. Sleeping well increases brainpower just as weight lifting builds stronger muscles, because sleeping well increases your attention span and allows you to be physically relaxed and mentally alert at the same time. Then you are at your personal best."

2.     Open-ended, unstructured play:  Allowing children to play promotes active problem solving, creative thinking, and greater social-emotional stability.  These factors socially more balanced individuals whom studies show have increased capacities for higher learning in areas such as math and sciences down the road.

David Elkind, author of The Power of Play, writes: "Children's play – their inborn disposition for learning, curiosity, imagination, and fantasy – is being silenced in the high-tech, commercialized world we have created. Toys, about which children once spun elaborate personal fables, now engender little more than habits of passive consumerism. The spontaneous pickup games that once filled neighborhoods have largely been replaced by organized team sports and computer games."

3.     Relationship:  Studies show that children who have a healthy relationship and connection their parents and peers are more confident and generally have a greater chance of excelling in academic pursuits.  Cultivating “talk” around the dinner table takes a bit of practice but will yield great relational, emotional and academic rewards.

4.     Quiet time:  The amount of grey matter (for higher level processing) in the brain can be increased through having quiet time while thinking positive thoughts.  Recent U.C.L.A. studies (2012) are finding more evidence to prove that taking time out to “be still” is not only a nice luxury but also something that will enhance mental capacity and potentially physical health as well.​

Cora Ha is a Certified Parent Coach and Educator. A pioneer in parent coaching, Cora Ha is a firm believer in laying down a firm family foundation based on core values. In her sessions, she guides you to define your family’s core values, and helps you implement your own guiding principles to navigate the joys and perils of parenting. You can reach Cora at cora@coraha.com OR fill out our contact form using the subject "Cora" or "Cora Ha" and we'll have Cora contact you directly. Mention "Arrow" and receive a 30 minute telephone consultation absolutely free.  

Introducing Cora Ha

​Cora Ha is a parent coach, who would love to serve you and your family.  When you contact Cora mention "Arrow" and receive a discount on her coaching services. 

Cora has natural enthusiasm, intuition and an open heart that is passionate about walking with others on the parenting journey. This spirit, infectious and inspiring to friends and clients, led the way for her to become a highly effective mentor and role model to many here in Hong Kong.

A pioneer in parent coaching, Cora Ha is a firm believer in laying down a firm family foundation based on core values. In her sessions, she guides you to define your family’s core values, and helps you implement your own guiding principles to navigate the joys and perils of parenting.

Compassion, humor and candor are fundamental pillars in her life. Drawing from her own challenging experiences as a person raised in Canada, marrying into a more traditional Chinese family in Hong Kong, she is inspired to help others find their own delicate balance between idealism and practicality in interpersonal communications: between parent and child, between husband and wife and as a family.

Understanding and bridging generational and cultural gaps speaks to the needs of many families local and international alike.

Her ultimate cure for any ‘bad day’? The sound of her sons’ laughter. “You know…the contagious laugh that comes from the belly? That is the best release of tension and the cue to celebrate life!” she says with a hearty, “Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Prior to and in conjunction with coaching (hundreds of families), Ha has taught over two decades at international schools in Hong Kong, from toddlers in preschool to young adults in high school allowing her to gain rich experience with families from multi-cultural backgrounds and children from a wide range of age groups. She also worked as a children and family ministry director for over 5 years at an international, interdenominational church. Cora holds two degrees from the University of British Columbia and is a Professional Board Certified Life Coach. In her free time, Ha is cooking, catching up with friends or ‘chillaxing’ with her husband and sons.

You can reach Cora at cora@coraha.com OR fill out our contact form using the subject "Cora" or "Cora Ha" and we'll have Cora contact you directly. ​

Moratorium on sending helpers

A trade group of Philippine recruitment agencies ​known as SHARP have organized a moritorium on sending helpers to Hong Kong. (Arrow & its partner MRH are not part of SHARP) At issue is the Philippine government policy of "zero placement" fee. That means the Philippine government believes that HK employers should bear the full cost of deploying workers to HK. Because the cost of doing business in HK is high (salaries & rent) - you should expect to pay more than $10,000 to hire a helper. We could ask the helper's to pay part of the fee in Hong Kong, so that they wouldn't be in violation of Philippine laws, but the Hong Kong government says that agencies here can't receive more than 1/10 of one month's salary.  The only recourse seems to be to charge a ridiculously high fee to the employer. 

Historical note: the Philippine government passed the zero placement fee policy in 2007 AFTER HK implemented the 10% policy. They felt if HK only allows agents to receive 10% then we must do better than that - so ZERO PLACEMENT FEE POLICY.

How can this situation be resolved? Any ideas?​

Happy Companies make more $; what about happy families?

There is clear evidence now that companies who rate high in employee satisfaction and happiness are also more profitable.  Every year Fortune magazine publishes a list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For", and up until now people have treated it as "Well that's nice. So what?"  

In 2005 Jerome Dodson started an investment fund, Parnassus Funds, to invest in companies that rated high in the "100 Best Companies" list.  The results were mind-blowing:​

“To Dodson—and Moskowitz’s—delight, the Parnassus Workplace Fund proved immediately, enormously, and enduringly successful. Since the fund’s inception (April 2005-January 2013) it’s had a 9.63% annualized return. This compares to the S&P Index which has earned just 5.58% during the same period. “Our fund has had returns over 4% better than the S&P Index every year,” Dodson noted. “Eight years later, the performance of the fund confirms what I’ve always believed. Treating people well and authentically respecting them does lead to far better business performance. We proved it works.””

So how does this relate to domestic helpers?​ You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. Employees who feel respected and valued, who are treated well - produce more. ​Employees who are constantly driven and treated poorly don't perform well. When the employees perform poorly the companies perform poorly.  If you want to have a highly efficient home, then focus on creating a happy work environment where people can develop their potential, enjoy a certain amount of freedom and where they will feel valued. Clear job expectations, adequate rest and food, a fair wage with opportunities to earn bonuses, and above all - appreciation and kindness - go a long way to ensuring that a workplace is a "best practices workplace". Clearly, it is in our self interest as employers to treat our employees well. 

For more on this topic read the article on fastcompany.com

Employer who underpaid helper sent to jail

I'm sorry this happened and I'm glad that this was not an Arrow customer.  Arrow employers are famous for treating their employees with fairness and dignity.

The following report is from the HK Government information service as reported on the 7thSpace Family Portal. ​

Employer of foreign domestic helper jailed for committing wage offence

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - The employer of a foreign domestic helper was sentenced today (February 28) at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts to three months' jail for underpaying wages to her helper. She was also ordered to clear the outstanding wages via the court. The prosecution was initiated by the Labour Department.

The employer failed to pay wages according to the minimum allowable wage of $3,580 as set out in the employment contract signed by both parties in 2010.

The total amount underpaid was $34,952. 

"Employers of foreign domestic helpers should not pay their helpers below the minimum allowable wage stipulated by the Government. Furthermore, employees, including foreign domestic helpers, who are owed wages should promptly report to the Labour Department, assist in investigation and give evidence to protect their interests.

The Labour Department does not tolerate wage offences and spares no effort in prosecuting employers who defy the law," a spokesperson for the Labour Department said.

The spokesperson urged employees who were owed wages to call the department's complaints hotline on 2815 2200 immediately.

Source: HKSAR Government

Is the cost of hiring a helper going to rise drastically?

Recruitment agencies in the Philippines, as of today - Feb 28, 2013, are putting a moratorium on sending domestic helpers to Hong Kong. The reason for this is that in 2006 the Philippines government imposed a "no placement fee" policy, insisting that recruitment agencies in the Philippines either 1) work for free or 2) convince HK partner agencies to charge the HK employer the full cost of recruiting from overseas.  Hong Kong agencies and HK people have been unwilling to do this, so recruitment agencies in the Philippines have been forced to close or work outside the law.

Let's assume that the total cost of bringing a worker from the Philippines is around HK $10,000.​ Are you willing to pay that expense with no guarantee on the quality of the worker?  If you can hire a worker from Indonesia for $4000, will you consider a worker from the Philippines for $10,000? 

The agencies in Manila are asking their government to allow them to charge a fee equal to one month's salary, $3920. That seems reasonable and fair, but the POEA is insisting that the Philippine recruiters should not charge, but rather receive a fee from HK employment agencies.​ If that policy is enforced then HK agencies will have to charge more, much more.

Below is the article from the Malaya Business Insight website along with a link to the article.​

THE Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP) yesterday announced it is imposing a moratorium on the deployment of household service workers (HSWs) until recruiters and employers in that territory could address the issue of high recruitment costs.

SHARP president Alfredo Palmiery said at least 30,000 employment opportunities are expected to be lost with the self-imposed moratorium which began Wednesday.

He said the decision was reached by the SHARP general assembly last month due to what it claimed was a continued lack of action by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on its June 28, 2012 plea to reconsider its policy of disallowing the collection of a placement fee equivalent to a one-month salary from HSW applicants to Hong Kong.

SHARP said there has been an “alarming increase” in the number of claims filed against them by household workers asking for a refund of recruitment costs passed on to them by Hong Kong recruitment agencies.

SHARP said Hong Kong employers have not been paying the total recruitment and deployment costs.

POEA administrator Hans Cacdac said government is not inclined to suspend the no-placement policy despite the moratorium set by SHARP. He said the policy for domestic helpers covers all host countries, including Hong Kong.

Cacdac said government would continue to deploy domestic helpers in the former British colony. 

- See more at: http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/25346-high-fees-dampen-hk-job-placements#sthash.0yckr4vW.dpuf

如何提昇家傭工作效率？

你希望家傭工作時能更集中精神

、更有記性嗎？你想她工作更有效率嗎？你希望看到她的整體表現逐步有改善，而不是緩慢且漸漸退步呢？對許多家傭而言，有一個簡單的方法能有效提昇她們的生產力：充足的休息。

美國佛羅里達州的人類行為研究所指出，改善休息的質和量是其中一個最有效的方法去提高人的工作效率。基本上，當有充足休息，我們的思想會更正面，工作時間可以更長、更專心，更富有創意和更有果效。

1.避免頻繁給予新的任務，或更改你的指令，因這會打擾家傭，令她不能專心工作。該研究又稱，人若有90分鐘可專心工作，其效率將提高。無論是在辦公室或家中，不斷的干擾只會損害其生產力。如果你是全職家庭主婦，請不要經常性地打斷家傭的工作。即使你想到了什麼需要她幫忙，也不代表你必須每次都立刻提出。相反，你可以把新任務根據其優次列寫下來，待家傭能有60-90分鐘時間專心完成現有的任務，然後把才把新的任務清單給她。

2.每日安排至少3-4個約10分鐘左右的休息時間給家傭。固定的小休（即使只是飲杯水、坐一會也好），可有效減輕壓力，讓腦袋有時間去整理和儲存不同信息。就個人而言，我發現若離開辦公室一會，可令我工作更最有果效。一杯咖啡可讓我頭腦更清醒，想起要做的重要事情（我會把它寫下來），以及重新聚焦於那一刻最重要的事情。奪去家傭固定的小休時間，將令她無法有效地處理家中的事務。

負責能源項目的托尼·施瓦茨Tony Schwartz)表示，若我們認真地休息，我們幾乎肯定會完成更多的事情，工作表現會更好，思想會更準確，收入可能會因此而上升。

3.認真對待家傭的睡眠時間是非常重要的。大多數成年人每天需要7-8小時的睡眠，身體功能才能完全恢復。如果你的家傭的工時是朝六晚十一，她的睡眠時間有多少？七個小時？當然沒有。她需要淋浴，待頭髮乾，發送信息予親人等，結果她每天只能睡約5個小時。一週過後，她缺少的睡眠時間已累積約12-14個小時。

現在想像一下，若她負責照顧你兩歲多的孩子，你真的安心讓一個長期缺乏睡眠的人照顧孩子嗎？你希望讓這種人駕駛校巴嗎？如果你的答案是「否」，那麼你需要改變常規工作或需求，使家傭可得到充分的休息（午間小睡可能是另一個選擇）。無論如何，這是你需要處理的事情。你不能否認，我們每天平均需要7-8小時的睡眠，身體才能運作良好。固定睡眠時間（並非孩子們才需要）、在關了燈的房間裡睡覺對家傭休息是有幫助的；鼓勵她關閉其手提電話，及任何會發出嗶嗶聲的電子產生品，這將增加深層睡眠的時間。那樣，家傭睡醒後，將必會感到更精神。

4.確保她每星期至至少可獲一整天的休假。在你家傭的放假日，不應要求她做家務。但大多數家傭離家前，都得先洗碗筷並清潔家居。如果你的要求遠不止於此，你便是欺騙自己，使自己得不到充滿活力、「醒目」的幫手。香港法例要求每個雇主每星期至少要給家傭一天休息，她需要那段時間來使自己重新有力應付工作。

你家傭的表現，是隨着時間而變得更好還是更差？如果她的表現正在惡化，其中一個可能是缺乏足夠的休息。何不試做個實驗？請確保你的家傭連續三十天得到足夠的休息，看看她的效率是否提高。意下如何？工作表現與休息有關係嗎？歡迎向我們提出評論。

以上的溫馨提示乃受Forbes.com上一篇關於「休息的重要性」文章的啓發而寫成的。

Jealous moms

This morning the SCMP had an interesting article on when moms get jealous of their helpers. Read it here: http://m.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1156136/insight-when-mothers-are-jealous-helpers

A simple way to increase helper productivity

Helpers crashing on their day off

Do you wish that your helper would focus better and not be so forgetful? Do you want her to work with a higher energy level and accomplish more in a shorter period of time? Do you hope to see a gradual improvement in her overall performance, rather than a slow and steady decline?  For many helpers, there is a simple way to achieve these productivity goals: MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ADEQUATE REST.

“According to the Human Performance Institute in Florida, improving the quantity and quality of rest is one of the most effective ways to work more efficiently. Basically, when we are rested we think better, can work longer, can concentrate more, are more creative and achieve more.”

1. Avoid frequently interrupting your helper as she works, or constantly redirecting her work. Research says that working in 90 minute bursts boosts productivity.  Constant interruptions, whether in the office or home, hurt productivity. If you are a stay at home mom, try not to always interrupt your helper with new tasks. Just because you think of something, doesn't mean you have to say it right away. Write it down, and after she has been able to concentrate on the tasks at hand for 60-90 minutes, then add the new task to her list of things to do, according to its priority.

2. Plan at least 3-4 ten minute breaks during your helper's work day. Regular breaks reduce stress and give the mind time to process and store information. I, personally, find that some of my most productive time is when I take time away from the office. Over a cup of coffee my mind reminds me of important things to do (and I write them down); and I regain a focus on what is most important at that time.  Robbing your helper of regular rest times will make her less effective in managing your household affairs. 

“Tony Schwartz from The Energy Project has shown that when we take rest seriously we will almost certainly get much more done, our work will be of a higher standard, our thinking will be more accurate, and as a result our incomes are likely to rise.”

3. Treat your helper's sleep as very important. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep per night to function at 100% capacity. If your helper works from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., how much sleep is she getting? Seven hours? NO WAY. She has to shower, wind down from the day, send messages to her loved ones, etc. After all of that she may only sleep 5 hours a day. Over 1 week, her sleep deficit is already 12-14 hours.  Now imagine that she is in charge of your 2 year old child. Do you want someone who is chronically short on sleep  watching your 2 year old? Would you want this person driving a school bus full of children? If your answer is "no", then you need to change your routine or your demands so that the helper gets adequate rest. A midday nap may be one alternative, but however you achieve it - it needs to be done. You can't cheat nature - we need 7-8 hours of sleep per day to function well.  Having a set bed-time (its not just for kids) is helpful, as is sleeping in a dark room. Encourage your helper (wouldn't hurt you either) to turn off her phone and gadgets, and anything that glows or beeps. This will increase REM sleep, and she will awake feeling more rested.

4. Make sure she gets at least one whole day off each week. Don't require your helper to do a lot of chores before she goes on her day off. Most ladies will wash up dishes, and tidy up a bit before leaving for their day off. If you are requiring much more than that, you are only cheating yourself out of an energetic smart helper. One day of rest per week is the minimum required by law. Your helper needs that time to renew her strength and focus.

Is your helper's performance getting better over time OR worse? If it is worsening, one possible factor may be the lack of adequate rest. Why not do an experiment? Make sure your helper gets adequate rest for 30 days, and see if her performance improves.  What do you think? Are performance and rest related? Leave us your comments below.

The above tips were based on an article on the importance of rest, that I read on Forbes.com. 

Hi, I'm Allan Smith,owner/manager of Arrow Employment Services. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, Ione and we have 2 wonderful daughters and 1 amazing grandson. We love serving HK families by providing them with good helpers, and the support they need to maintain a happy family in our crazy busy Hong Kong. 

好雇主，是你嗎？

English

好僱主，是你嗎？                                                                                 林麗琼

常聽到僱主說他們很想聘請一個好家傭。事實上，每位外籍家傭也十分渴望遇到一個好僱主。在銀禧國際菲律賓團契(Jubilee International Filipino Fellowship) 每次主日崇拜開始前，我們都有菲傭基督徒姊妹見證神在她們身上的恩典。我們常會聽到菲傭感謝上帝給他們好僱主。從他們的分享中，我希望你也能發現自己擁有最少一個好僱主的特質，且正在運用它(它們)來管理你的菲傭：

1耐性-- 理解和接受你家傭的弱點和不完美。家傭也是正常人，也會犯錯，特別是在頭三至六個月的適應期，她們犯錯的機會特別多。很多菲傭衷心感謝她們的僱主願意耐心地教導她們、糾正她們、又與她們做工作檢討，給她們機會知道自己在哪方面做好、做得不足或做錯，給她們機會解釋、改過，以致能做得更好，而不是立即終止合約。

2體諒-- 一些菲傭感謝神賜她們有體諒她們的僱主。家傭離鄉別井，來港打工，一方面要適應與家人分離並思郷之苦；另一方面又要適應香港的文化、語言、工作、居住環境、並與一群陌生人一起生活等，會承受很大壓力。有些僱主願意體諒家傭的困難，願意花時間關心、聆聽和敎導。若見家傭工作表現轉差，僱主會先了解其原因，不會只知責怪她們。若知是因家傭家人患病、或遇重大困難等，僱主會安慰、鼓勵她們更要為家人而努力。僱主的體諒，對家傭能否安心工作，關係重大。

3同理心-- 如果你的家傭是第一次到海外工作，我們可以理解到她會很想家、會遇到很多文化衝擊。若她在菲律賓時未做過傭工、不用做家務、不用煮食，在香港的生活、工作真會帶給他們極大的震盪。故此有些新來港的家傭常常「面黑」(面無表情)或常常哭泣，或令自己忙於家務以減少思鄉。有些僱主明白到家傭的限制，不時問候家傭，了解她自己或其家人所遇到的困難。這些僱主的關懷、安慰，可助家傭快點適應香港的生活和工作。

4支持 – 有些菲傭感謝僱主的鼓勵、又盡力安排她們星期六或日放假，讓她們可返敎堂，參與崇拜和事奉、或參加一些有助其個人/靈性成長/提昇工作技能的查經、講座或硏討班等。這些裝備可助菲傭從中獲得更多的信心和力量努力工作，也減少她們思鄉之情。

5慷慨-- 在工作的第一個月，菲傭還未有薪水可領取。有些菲傭居住地點距離我們教會較遠。即使可獲星期六或日放假，有部分人亦因為沒有足夠金錢購買食物和支付交通費而不敢或不能去教堂聚會。但有好些傭工分享，她們感謝其僱主主動給他們零錢，讓她們可到教堂僱敬拜神、參加小組、並接受各方面的培訓。

同時，有些菲傭則感謝僱主不嫌他們能力有限，願為她們報名、付費，讓她們可學習廣東話、英文、煮中國菜或嬰兒護理等，使她們可更有效率、更有信心地工作。

6互相尊重-- 一些菲傭感謝神賜她們好僱主，能教導子女尊重菲傭。僱主同時也在孩子面前樹立良好的榜樣。，們從不呼喝家傭，即使她們做錯事，僱主也不會向他們發脾氣、破口大駡或悪言相向。這些僱主也不會容讓自己的孩子說話/做任何事情戲弄、侮辱家傭。家傭來香港打工，並非做奴隸。她們也是人，也需要感受到人家的尊重。受僱主尊重的家傭通常會工作得更快樂、更能堅持工作至約滿。

7信任-- 中國人有句話：「用人勿疑，疑人勿用。」意思是：要相信你任用的人，不要任用你懷疑的人。信任傭工對於維持長久僱傭關係是非常重要的。有菲傭感謝其僱主信任他們，相信她們說的是真話，而非藉口/謊言。僱主對傭工的信任可直接提昇她們工作的自信心和歸屬感。

8 允許工作有自主權、自由度-- 如果你所聘用的家傭並非第一次做家傭，她們較其他新手傭工需要在工作中有更大之自主權。一些組織、管理能力較強、有主見的家傭，若可讓她們彈性安排家務的優次、步驟，其工作滿足感通常會更大、工作表現更有效率。很多菲傭都不約而同地感激她們的僱主允許他們有自主權、自由度去安排工作。這令她們感到能在其僱主家中工作是幸福的事。

曾有位在香港工作了四年多的菲傭說:「一個好僱主能塑造出一個好家傭。」我衷心祝願所有精薦的僱主都能成為一位好僱主！

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 Kathy LAM is an early Arrow customer. Her helper has been with her for almost 5 years now.  Kathy is a registered nurse and mother of three children. She teaches infant care, baby massage and  breastfeeding.

Are you a good employer?

中文

We often hear employers say they want to hire a good helper. In fact, domestic helpers also long to have a good employer. Every week before the Sunday Service, the Filipino helpers (sisters in Christ) in the Jubilee International Church share and witness the grace of God. A lot of helpers thank God for giving them good employers. Below are some items we usually hear from their sharing. I hope you can find yourself having at least one of these, if not all of these "good boss" characteristics. 

Be Patient, Understanding and Accept the limitations and weaknesses of your helper- No one is perfect. Domestic helper will make mistakes, especially in the first three to six months. They are really thankful for their employers willing to teach and correct them patiently, give them chance to explain their side, improve, instead of terminating the contract immediately.

Be Empathetic- If this is your helper’s first time to work overseas, it is understandable that she will feel homesick, or have culture shock etc. It can be observed by their lack of facial expression,  they look like they want to cry,  keep themselves very busy in housework, etc. Sometimes you can ask the helper how she is adjusting to Hong Kong’s life and work. Comfort your helper when necessary. 

Be Considerate- a good employer is compassionate, knows how to sympathize when his/her helper is suffering and will have a strong desire to help.

Be Supportive - Helpers praise employers who encourage them to participate or engage in activities for personal and spiritual growth, such as activities offered by some churches or other associations. This will equip the helper to gain more confidence and minimize the feeling of homesickness.

Be Generous- In the first month of work, the helper has not yet received salary.. Some helpers living far away from our church dare not to go to church because they do not have enough money for buying food, paying the transportation fee. But, quite a number of helpers thank God for having generous employers who gave them some pocket money so they can go to church, receive training, worship God, and join in a support group, even if they do not have salary yet.

Respect your Helper- some employers teach their children to respect their helper, and set  a good model for the children to follow. They will never shout/yell at the helper even if the helper does something wrong, nor will they let their children say/do anything to insult helper. Helpers, like all humans need to feel that they are being respected, too. Shouting, yelling or screaming will not help the helper to do better, it will only make them often feel frightened of you, cause their performance to worsen and they will begin to think about resignation.

Allow Autonomy at work- If it is not the first time your helper work as helper, it’s good to give your helper more autonomy at work. Allow her arrange the work priority, steps of doing some housework as long as the outcome is good. Sense of freedom and autonomy at work results in your helper being happier, and thus becoming more effective at work.

Trust your helper- there is a Chinese saying, ‘trust the person you hired, do not hire the person if you are in doubt ” Trust is important to keeping a long term relationship. Usually, helpers like to work for those employers who trust them as this increases their confidence at work. Your helper can sense if you trust her or not.

One helper working in Hong Kong for over four years says, “A good employer helps to mold a good helper.” I believe all Arrow’s employers have potential to be a good employer. What do you think? Please give us your feedback.

Cooking Class - not bad! not bad at all!

Last Sunday we had our 2nd cooking class: breaded pork chop and eggplant was on the menu. As the manager of Arrow, I felt a solemn obligation to ensure quality control,  :-p so I tasted all the food. It was all good, but the eggplant & beef dish was especially delicious. If you aren't sending your helper for training, please don't complain about her cooking.. I also sat in on part of the Infant care class taught by Kathy Lam. Wow! She imparted a lot of practical knowledge to the ladies who attended.  

She said, she said

What do you do when your customer, a Hong Kong person says "it happened this way" and your client, a Filipino worker, says "No, it happened that way"? When a helper leaves her employer before the end of the contract, there are sometimes accusations of poor performance from the employer, and of mistreatment from the employee. Who should we believe? We don't have an investigator in our company (although in a past life, I did work as an investigator). The helper wants another employer and the employer wants another helper.  Does the helper deserve another chance? Does the employer deserve another helper?

Helper: "Do we give the helper another chance? introduce her to another family? Will she succeed the 2nd time around if we match her better? At Arrow we let the lady rest for a day to calm her emotions, and then I have my staff, usually Bolen or Kathy debrief the lady to discover what went wrong. We review all of our follow up records and often call the employer for more insight about what happened. If our staff thinks they deserve another chance, we will try and find them a situation better suited to their abilities and personality.

Employer:  Do we give the employer another helper? If there really is mal-treatment, can we, in good conscience, put another helper in that home?"  95% of the cases where we give replacements, we don't need any discussion at all. The helper was homesick, did something serious, was obviously treated fairly and given many chances to succeed, etc." But in a small percentage of cases we have to wrestle with this question "does that employer get a 2nd chance?" For example, an employer fires the helper in less than 2 weeks because grandma doesn't like her; OR the helper resigns after one month claiming she is given only leftovers to eat and works til 2-3 a.m. every day; OR we discover the employer has had 5-6 maids in 2 years. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. 

When we receive wildly differing reports from the employer and the employee (she said, she said), we try to debrief both parties, asking them what happened. We review our follow up records, and talk to our staff about their interactions with the HK customer and Filipino client.   We look at the employer's record: how many helpers have they had? (not just Arrow). Did their previous helpers finish their contracts? You might say "Wait a minute. I never fired my helpers? Is it my fault they all quit?" The answer is "maybe." Why can't you keep a helper? What is going on that makes them not want to work for you? We ask the helper to tell us what happened. What did the helper say about the employer after she left their employ? We know that may be feeling bitter, so we have to sift through what they say to try and understand what actually happened. We will talk to the employer about it and try to determine:  "Was it mostly cultural? miscommunication? or was mal-treatment involved?" And yes, constant verbal haranguing might be abusive. In the vast majority of cases the problem is cultural or related to mis-communication. More importantly,  Is the employer coachable? Are they humble enough to accept some advice on how to manage Filipino workers? OR Will supplying another worker, simply result in more  verbal abuse and an early resignation? 

Recently we have had a customer call up and loudly yell at our office staff. They even started swearing.  If they treat us that way, what treatment must their helpers be suffering?  When the employee resigns (they almost always will when working for someone with a temper), should we put another helper in an employment situation like that? How do you make a decision?  

Arrow: Finally, we look at our role in the relationship. Did we follow up complaints promptly? meet with the helper for coaching? What other things could we do to better serve customers and reduce their stress. For example this month, we are offering cooking classes, Cantonese classes, English classes and Infant care classes for helpers. The cost is $100 for a 2 hour session.  We constantly review our 1 week orientation in the Philippines with Ma'am Nely to see what ways we can improve it. 

Most of the cases we deal with are pretty clear, but occasionally we're faced with a "she said, she said" situation, where it is very difficult to know what to do. In those cases we especially need wisdom and courage.

How to get your child to sleep

" With my first baby, I discovered that there really is a Land of the Living Dead. It's populated by zombies whose children don't sleep. My son had a voracious appetite, so he (and I) would be up every two hours so he could eat. My daughter was a tough one, too --every time I put her down, she howled like a wet cat. Still, by the time they were toddlers, we were all sleeping through the night pretty well. Then came baby number three. Aidan hatedgoing to bed and woke up every time a breeze blew on Pluto. I didn't sweat it, though --I knew all babies eventually sleep through the night."

The above excerpt is from an excellent article by Holly Robinson on parenting.com. Read the whole article here:

Hong Kong to scrap the levy completely

"Hong Kong may scrap the so-called maids' levy, which was introduced in 2003 but has been on hold since 2008, a Hong Kong news site reported late Friday.

A report on Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) cited sources who said Chief Executive C.Y. Leung may make an announcement in his upcoming policy address.

"The waiver on the levy is due to expire in July this year. But sources say Leung will instead announce its scrapping in his policy address next Wednesday, in a bid to ease the financial pressure on Hong Kong's middle-class," it said.

It noted the levy was introduced in October 2003 but put on hold in 2008."

LBG, GMA News

Hong Kong police forum

Today I attended a forum given by HK police on problems commonly faced by Filipino domestic helpers. Jonathan Close senior inspector for Interpol was the speaker. He began by remarking about how safe HK is. There are only 1108 crimes per 100,000 population, which makes us a very safe city. Singapore has a slightly lower crime rate (darn that Singapore! Always beating us by an iota.)

He mentioned that if you are a victim of crime you can report the crime to the police by SMS, fax, phone or in person. The best way is in person at a local police station because then they will arrange a translator.  In HK the police make the decision to prosecute a crime or not, so once you make a report, you can't then turn around and say "I don't want to press charges." It is no longer your decision.

If you are arrested you'll be taken to nearby police station and an interpreter provided. You have the right to have a lawyer (at your own expense) or call the consulate for help.

A portion of the talk was about regulations for keeping order at public events like protest marches. Boring stuff for employers, but helpful to groups like churches (we have our own Jubilee church) Gatherings of 10 or more people in public don't have to reported to the police. Religious gatherings don't have to be reported unless there are more than 50 people. If there are more than 50 people, the police should be notified. In private premises you can have up to 500 people before the police need to be notified. A procession is a group that is moving along public roads. If you have more than 30 people on a public highway you need to notify the police in advance by 7 days notice.

Inspector Close devoted a large section to drugs, obviously wanting to discourage people against drug use or trafficking. When it came to human trafficking, he said that prostitution was legal in HK, but many other activities (like advertising for sex) associated with prostitution were illegal. And, of course, doing any kind of work, on a domestic helper visa is illegal and will likely result in arrest, incarceration and deportation.  We've never had a case of an Arrow lady acting as a prostitute. Most of our ladies are recommended by other ladies, so they have a strong support network, that helps them in time of desperate need, so they won't have to turn to something like prostitution.

One of the dark subjects covered was "what happens if you die in HK?" Turns out, the body is taken to the mortuary, id'd by friend or family member. The coroner decides whether an autopsy is needed (in most cases Not), and when all procedures are finished the body is released to family.

In the Q&A time, a lady asked about Filipinos who use their passports as collateral at loan sharks to get loans, and then tell the police that they lost their passport. What to do? The room erupted in laughter when she let slip that she her motive was that she was the guarantor on loans for other people. Duh!  The Inspector pointed out that the rear cover of the passport states that it is the property of the Philippine government, and is NOT to be given into the possession of any other person.  He pointed out that with another person's passport it would be relatively simple to get other information about them, take out credit cards in their names, and commit Identity theft. The message from the police department was, keep your travel documents in your own possession.  If you are holding your helper's passport, remember

1. It is the property of the Philippines government and they are breaching the conditions of the passport when they give it to you.
2. They can, on their day off, simply report it as lost, pay a fee and get another one; leaving you holding a useless document.

At Arrow, we will include information about the Identity Theft, and safe passport handling in our briefings. Safekeeping a helper's passport for her can be helpful as long as she fully agrees, has easy access to it when she needs it, and doesn't feel compelled to do so as a condition of work.  Your employee should not have to argue with you to gain access to her travel documents. 

Toxic work environment

"the work is so easy, but the job is so difficult because my employers constantly attack me emotionally" From a testimony at Jubilee church.

What kind of work environment is your home?

如何幫助我們的傭工在冬季照顧嬰兒/兒童

ENGLISH

在冬季，很多雇主經常抱怨他們來自菲律賓的傭工，沒有給他們的孩子穿足夠的衣服，導致他們的孩子著涼。為何類似的投訴如此普遍？這問題可如何改善呢？

由於菲律賓是一個在熱帶國家，那裡的人從來沒有經歷冬天。故此, 正常、新來港的菲傭都缺乏知識,不明白冬天季節的變化與孩子健康多的關係，如: 睡覺/外出時,應為嬰兒/兒童穿多少件、多厚的衣服。若在香港土生土長的雇主期望菲傭能立即掌握、明白如何在冬季照顧少主人的衣著,以避免令他們著涼,那恐怕是不切實際的期望。

然而，作為雇主的我們,應如何導我們的菲傭更有效地在冬季照顧我們的孩子,不致因人為疏忽而著涼、生病？下面的一些知識，我們應該耐心地教我們的傭工：

如何檢查孩子，確保他們穿足夠保溫的衣物

•  檢查嬰兒/兒童頸背和/或腳(板)底。如果孩子有足量夠溫暖，當觸摸他們的頸背/腳(板)底時,它們都應是溫暖的。如果孩子的頸背/腳(板)底是冰冷的，這意味著他們身體不夠溫暖，我們應該立即幫助他們加穿衣服。
• 平日放一條小毛巾在孩子的頸背。如果孩子們太熱了，出汗，小毛巾可以吸收的汗水。我們只需更換孩子背部的小毛巾，他們便沒那麼容易因為大人未能及時替他們更換被汗弄濕的衣服而著涼。
• 如果菲傭與孩子在同一個房間睡，應教菲傭在睡覺前，檢查孩子童頸背和腳(板)底。若孩子童頸背有汗水/背部的毛巾是濕的，菲傭應替他們更換頸背的毛巾。如果孩子的頸背及腳是冰冷的，菲傭應替他們幫助他們穿上襪子、加衣服/蓋被。當然，雇主應敎菲傭，她們若不清楚應替孩子加蓋被子，或是加穿多少衣服/哪件衣服，應直接問雇主。

我們也有責任教導菲傭，在不同季節、氣溫下，應替孩子穿多少、多厚的衣服；甚麼衣服/外套只可讓孩子在家穿，甚麼衣服/外套只可讓孩子外出時穿。

• 我們應該教菲傭，若孩子們外出，必須給他們準備好外套/包被(孩子們的衣服,特別是外出時穿的，最好是雇主預先選定，這可避免菲傭因準備了不合雇主心意的衣服而引起不快)。
• 在冬季，不論室內還是在室內，菲傭應不時檢查孩子們的頸背。這可確保孩子若是太熱、冒汗，菲傭可儘快協助他們脫下外套，以防他們不會穿過多衣服。同時也可減少孩子因穿衣不足而著涼之機會。

如何防止嬰兒在洗澡時著涼

•  保持室內溫暖: 在冬季，關閉(你將要給嬰兒洗澡、更換衣服的)房間裡所有的窗。若家中有調較室溫功能,可把室溫調較至25 ºC左右。
•  必須在放水在嬰兒浴盆前，,準備好所有嬰兒洗澡須用之物品。雇主應給菲傭一張嬰兒洗澡的清單，並把它張貼在廁所或嬰兒的房間，讓菲傭時刻都清楚嬰兒洗澡前要預備好什麼物品，然後才去較水。
• 必須試過水溫，才可開始替嬰兒洗澡。如果你有一個浴缸溫度計，水溫應為36-38ºC。另一有效測試水溫的方法:用手肘(elbow) 浸泡在水中，試水的溫度。若手肘認為，水是夠溫暖的，這意味著水是適合嬰兒洗澡。
• 當一切準備好，這才抱起嬰兒，檢查的尿布，若有大便，立刻替其清理。然後才為嬰兒脫下衣服，立即給嬰兒洗澡。
• 限制嬰兒洗澡的時間。由為嬰兒脫下所有的衣服，到用乾毛巾包裹洗澡後的嬰兒，整個過程應在5-10分鐘內完成。若讓嬰兒坐在水中超過10分鐘，時間太長，這可能會嬰兒著涼，也令嬰兒皮膚變得更乾燥。
• 如果我們希望菲傭為嬰兒洗澡時，使用電暖爐，必先確保家裡的電暖爐是安全的。雇主有責任清楚說明如何使用電暖爐、為嬰兒洗澡時，電暖爐應放在哪裡、注意事項和不安全使用時可能引致什麼後果等。

當然，孩子是上天賜給父母的禮物。我鼓勵作為父母的雇主，不要輕易把為嬰兒洗澡這寶貴親子時段，輕易交給菲傭(除非你真的太累、太晚才回家或生病)。父母與孩子關係之建立，實有賴日常為孩子洗澡、換片；與傾談、玩耍等生活瑣事中, 共同累積美好回億。菲傭可以成為得力的好幫手，但是需要時間和耐心教導。作為雇主，讓我們成為好雇主，為自己在家訓練一個的能幹，專業的菲傭。

冬天來了，衷心祝福所有雇主與菲傭合作愉快、相處融洽。

Kathy Lam是一個早期的精薦顧客。她的傭工已經和她生活接近五年。她是一名註冊護士和三個孩子的母親。在精薦，她負責支援僱主或家長。另外，她在一家私人公司教嬰兒護理和母乳餵哺，她以母乳餵哺自己的三個孩子共七年。如果你想在母乳餵哺有更多訓練，聯絡我們，她會致電給你及介紹她的服務及所需費用。