A Singaporean mother of four was left in a challenging situation when her newly hired maid disappeared during her postnatal confinement period. The maid, an Indonesian national, had been employed for only around a month and a half before she went missing without a trace.
Ms. Alyannie, a 38-year-old designer, had engaged the services of a 27-year-old worker named Diyah through an agency in Indonesia, based on a relative’s recommendation. In anticipation of her fourth child’s birth on May 14, and with her hands full with three young children, hiring help seemed the ideal solution to Ms. Alyannie’s household needs.
The employment started on April 17; however, Ms. Alyannie was not fully satisfied with the new hire’s performance. She reported issues with hygiene and attention to her children, with Diyah frequently allowing the kids to play with her phone and neglecting to follow certain instructions. Despite these grievances, she chose to retain Diyah due to the pressing need for the extra help.
Ms. Alyannie had prepaid the agency $2,200, covering four months of Diyah’s salary. Unfortunately, this investment seemed to be at risk when Diyah expressed a desire to switch employers after a month. Although Ms. Alyannie managed to find another family willing to take Diyah on, the maid rescinded her earlier decision to leave.
Sensing that something was off on the evening of May 28, and after Diyah’s unusual inquiries about needing to go downstairs, Ms. Alyannie and her family went to bed, only to wake to the maid’s absence the following morning at 7am. Security footage revealed that Diyah had left the premises at 5am, not bothering to secure the property on her way out.
A police report was filed, and later that morning the Ministry of Manpower contacted Ms. Alyannie to relay that Diyah had approached them, articulating her intention not to continue working at Ms. Alyannie’s home — a one-bedroom flat where the maid was informed she’d sleep on a mattress in the living room, alongside the knowledge of the three children and another arriving shortly.
The unexpected departure of the maid left Ms. Alyannie without the help she direly needed during her confinement, forcing her to juggle the care of her children and household duties. Ms. Alyannie sought a refund for the prepaid but unrendered services, equivalent to $1,375, but the agency informed her that she would have to claim this amount from Diyah directly.
