A neat and tidy home is no doubt a necessity to the vast majority of us. In Hong Kong, the task of keeping a household neat and tidy is very often undertaken by foreign domestic helpers, largely coming from near-by countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. They have for a long time been very popular among families in Hong Kong and are in fact contributing significantly towards the economic development in Hong Kong. With their help in house work, working men and women are able to focus their time and concentrate on activities in their workplaces.

However, apart from the obvious obligation of wage payment, employers of foreign domestic helpers are bound by statutory requirements imposed by immigration and Labour Authorities in relation to the employment of helpers recruited from abroad. They are required to provide helpers with free accommodation and food, paid leave, free passage between Hong Kong and the place of origin, medical and employee compensation benefits, etc.

As an alternative to foreign domestic helpers, many working couples, especially those having no child to look after, employ part-time helpers to assist in their house work. These helpers are usually paid on an hourly basis and may undertake a wide range of duties like cleaning, cooking, laundry and grocery shopping. There is also great flexibility in the terms of their services and apart from paying their hourly wages employers are not required to provide the helpers with other benefits as in the case of foreign domestic helpers.

As cleaning has always been a predominate element of domestic work especially after the SARS crisis, people are more aware of hygiene and cleanliness of their home, a more recent trend is for families to seek assistance from home cleaning companies. The operation scale of these companies varies from a business operated under franchise from a large multi-national group to a small local firm. The company recruits cleaning staff and provides them with professional training, both in-house and on-site. Attractive cleaning packages are tailor made to meet the specific requirements of various customers.

Customers can thus enjoy the peace of mind, because they are no longer required to discharge their obligations as employers as in the case of foreign domestic helpers. The company is responsible for their insurance cover, wages and other benefits like holiday pay, paid sick leave and provident fund. There is also no longer any worry about a particular helper becoming sick or unable to work at any time, because a replacement can always be arranged easily. To ensure first-class quality of work, reputable companies also conduct quality checks and customers surveys to monitor services quality on an on-going basis.