Domestic Help

Domestic Help
Living in Indonesia without domestic help is a contradiction in terms.
Newly arriving expatriates sometimes are reluctant to contract a maid, a driver, guard or a gardener reasoning that domestic work exploits the local human resources.
Reality is that unemployment in Indonesia is a very serious problem. Unemployment goes hand in hand with low levels of education. Therefore, hiring domestic staff definitely helps reduce the unemployment problem.
The major part of the wages of your domestic helpers will most likely find their way to relatives in faraway villages where the money helps to keep children in school, improve homes, pay for medical needs and help the relatives survive.

In several cities there are official employment agencies for domestic staff and you are required to pay at least the local minimum wages. Usually domestic help will be available for 24 hours and 7 days a week.
An alternative way to find staff is through recommendation from other expatriates, neighbors or co-workers.

Most domestic staff don't speak English. Patience and a sense of relativism and humor will go a long way in establishing a good working relationship.
Whatever happens in your relationship with domestic staff, don't ever shout at them. Your staff will loose face and, just as important, they will appreciate you less and less, because with every emotional outburst you will be loosing face too.
The test whether your staff are happy to work for you is when they return after the Idul Fitri break or stay away and never get in touch again, not even to collect their severance pay.

When the employment is terminated, whatever the reason, employers are required to pay severance to the amount of one month's wages for every year of employment with a maximum of five years.
Talking about wages, culture requires that employers also pay for their meals, soap, toothpaste, lodging and so on. For Idulfitri employers provide a bonus of a additional month's salary, a new shirt and allow the staff to visit their relatives for at least one week (please pay for their transportation).