Commentary: The uncomfortable reality of hiring live-in help in small homes - CNA

Singapore families caring for children and the elderly may have the strongest reason for hiring a helper, but also struggle the most with space, says writer Annie Tan.

File photo of a foreign domestic helper. (Photo: TODAY/Najeer Yusof)

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Annie Tan 16 Sep 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 16 Sep 2026 08:02AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: In a recent viral post, a woman showed how she set up her domestic worker’s quarters in her 4-room Build-To-Order (BTO) flat, by putting a bed in the home office and adding a partition between the bed and work desk.

Netizens reacted harshly, bringing up issues of the helper’s welfare, privacy and dignity. 

The woman clarified that the work desk is only used during the day, and her helper has full use of the room at night. She felt this arrangement would be better than the helper sharing the room with the baby, so that the helper can rest undisturbed.

The internet was unappeased. A few users argued that if families do not have a spare room for a helper, they should not hire one.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less But one wonders if it is precisely dual-income households, in average-sized flats with young kids or elderly parents, who benefit most from hiring live-in help.