MBS - Big company but small heart

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has been around in Singapore for more than two years. The company hired a large number of local employees boosting the job availability in the hospitality sector here. I view that as an encouraging sign because the company has not only provided a support for the country’s employment sector but also help to promote the tourism sector of the country.

In the recent survey which I can’t really recall, MBS is named as one of the top employers to work with in Singapore. There is no doubt that they can really pay well to their employees. I know this because I have a lot of friends and relatives working in the company as a casino dealer or cage cashier.

Despite the higher salaries given to its employees, the turnover rate there is quite high too. One problem with the company is with regards to the employees working schedule. The company has employed a diverse group of employees from different races and religions. When comes to festive holidays like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali or Christmas, most of their employees are forced to work on those days. Nobody is allowed to take leaves.

One peculiar scheduling of their employees is that some of them who are not celebrating the festivals are given their day offs while those who are celebrating are required to work instead. For an example, some non-Chinese employees are given day offs during Chinese New Year while their Chinese employees are required to come to work.  This is definitely not a fair practice. With a little bit of tweaking, I am sure the off days can be given to those who really need them. Selected employees who are celebrating their festivals should also be given day offs on a rotation basis.

I hope a big company like MBS can improve the working schedules of their employees and be more sensitive to the needs of their employees with diverse ethnicity when comes to the festive seasons. If not, the turnover or employees absenteeism rates will remain high.

Hiring a transfer or direct maid

I am planning to hire a transfer or direct hire maid who can start working in my house from August 2013. I have two daughters aged 7 and 3 years old.

In order to save costs, I am willing to do by myself all the legal documentations to obtain a maid permit from the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore. For a direct hire maid, that means you need to leave your country as a tourist but you will enter Singapore with a maid permit. We can discuss and make arrangements for your travel to Singapore.

Here are the requirements that I am looking for:

1) Experiences with cooking, cleaning and taking care of children.
2) Able to speak English.
3) Filipino or Indonesian maids preferred.
4) Pleasant looking and aged 23 to 35 years old.
5) Minimum 8 years of formal education (educational certificates required). See list of approved schools.
6) Not registered as a maid with any agencies of your country (for direct hire).
7) Valid travel passport.

If you fit the above requirements, kindly send me an email by attaching a recent photo together with a description about yourself.