A simple file beats a messy WhatsApp scroll
Singapore employers who keep a light, factual folder for their migrant domestic worker (MDW / FDW) spend less time hunting for Work Pass screenshots, medical dates, and agreed rest-day notes. Employer record-keeping for MDW employment files is about calm organisation — not building a surveillance dossier.
This page is general employer guidance. Ministry of Manpower (MOM): confirm live document and employment requirements on mom.gov.sg. SmartMaid.com.sg is a maid search platform for biodata. Licensed employment agencies (EAs) run placement.
Neighbouring hubs:
- Dispute documentation habits: Proper documentation during dispute resolution
- Written house rules: Creating a simple written house rules sheet
- When to loop the EA: When to loop the agency into early issues
- This article: what employment files to keep day to day
What belongs in a basic MDW employment file
Keep copies / notes you are entitled to hold as the employer (your EA will guide specifics for your case):
- Work Pass / FIN details and expiry reminders
- EA name, consultant contact, contract references
- Insurance / security bond confirmations as provided through proper channels
- Medical / 6ME scheduling notes (dates, clinic, outcomes at a high level)
- Agreed rest-day pattern and any written swaps
- Salary payment method notes (figures on this page — record *your* agreed terms privately)
- Orientation / house-rules acknowledgement if you use one
- Key incident notes only when factual and necessary (see #53 for dispute tone)
Store digitally with clear filenames, or a thin physical sleeve — consistency beats volume.
What does *not* belong
- Gossip screenshots and group-chat pile-ons
- Secret phone recordings used as threats
- Medical gossip beyond what hiring/employment already requires through proper channels
- “Punishment logs” meant to humiliate
- Passwords to the helper’s personal accounts
Record-keeping supports fairness and compliance conversations. It is not a weapon.
Folder layout that works in real homes
Suggested top-level folders:
- `01-work-pass-and-ea`
- `02-insurance-bond`
- `03-medical-sixme`
- `04-rest-day-and-leave`
- `05-house-rules-orientation`
- `06-notes-incidents` (sparse, factual)
One shared drive folder for co-employers beats two conflicting email threads.
Cadence: what to update monthly
- Check Work Pass / related expiry dates
- Confirm levy GIRO / payment method still works
- File any new MC / medical visit summaries you legitimately hold
- Refresh rest-day calendar if swaps happened
- After any EA call, add a 3-line note: date, who, what was agreed
Privacy and access
- Limit access to co-employers who need it
- Do not post documents in public chats
- When employment ends, follow EA guidance on what to retain vs destroy
- Helper may request clarity on what you store — answer calmly and lawfully
When good files help
- Work Pass renewal / replacement conversations with the EA
- Insurance claims pathways (EA/insurer process)
- Clarifying a rest-day misunderstanding
- MOM or mediation preparation — factual timelines only
- Handing context to a new co-employer in the same household
If a dispute is forming, switch to the tone in proper documentation and loop the EA early when needed.
MOM reminder
Document expectations and employment rules can change — confirm live on mom.gov.sg. Emergency: 995 / 999.
Copyable employer checklist
- [ ] Create six light folders (or equivalent)
- [ ] File Work Pass + EA contacts first
- [ ] Add insurance/bond confirmations from proper channels
- [ ] Keep rest-day agreements written
- [ ] Monthly expiry glance
- [ ] No gossip fileson public pages
- [ ]
Sample scripts
To co-employer: “I’ll keep the shared MDW folder updated — Work Pass, EA contact, rest-day notes. Please drop medical appointment dates there too.”
To EA: “Please resend the latest contract/insurance confirmation PDF so I can file it under our employment records.”
Bottom line
Employer record-keeping for MDW employment files is a small monthly habit: keep the documents that prove agreements and compliance, skip the drama archive, and you’ll move faster when the EA — or MOM processes — need clear facts. Browse helpers on SmartMaid; keep employment files as the employer of record through your licensed EA.
