A written weekly roster is a timetable — not the house-rules sheet
When helper asks for a written duty roster (Singapore) — or you decide to issue one — is the employer process for a clear weekly duty timetable: which blocks sit on which days, when work starts and winds down, where the rest day is marked, how much flex the week still allows, and how you review the sheet together. House rules (doors, guests, phone windows) live on the written rules sheet (#32). Fair workload volume sits in #28. One-off day swaps sit in #46. WFH quiet zones are a presence briefing (#185). This page owns the written weekly duty roster ask / issue process.
General guidance only. Soft MOM: mom.gov.sg. SmartMaid.com.sg is a marketplace. Licensed EAs place helpers. Platform ≠ agency. No invented $.
Neighbouring hubs:
- Privacy boundaries for live-in helpers (unique #29)
- Phone and social media boundaries (unique #31)
- Written house rules sheet (unique #32)
- Preventing burnout through fair workloads (unique #28)
- Managing schedule-change requests (unique #46)
- Sleep schedule expectations (unique #30)
- Briefing your helper when you work from home (unique #185)
- When co-employers disagree (unique #120)
- Domestic helper rest days in Singapore (rest-day hub)
- This article: employer process for a written weekly duty roster
Step 1 — Treat the ask as clarity, not confrontation
If she asks for a written roster, answer with a date you will draft and walk through it — do not leave the request hanging. If you issue one first, say why (shared calendar, school-run peaks, eldercare windows) so it does not read as sudden micromanagement. Co-employers agree one version before she sees it (#120). Keep house rules on #32; the roster is the week’s duty timetable.
Step 2 — List the week’s duty blocks, not every minute
Write weekday columns with main blocks: morning prep / school or eldercare runs, cooking windows, cleaning zones, laundry, evening wind-down. Name start-of-day and end-of-duty expectations. Skip minute-by-minute scripts that leave no buffer — that rigidity invites constant “exceptions.” Sleep windows stay on the sleep page (#30); phone / video windows stay fair (#31). Knock-and-wait privacy still applies in private rooms (#29).
Step 3 — Mark the rest day clearly on the sheet
Put the weekly rest day on the roster in plain language (full day / agreed half-day if you already use one). Soft framing on rest-day fairness on mom.gov.sg and the rest-day hub. Do not bury rest under “flexible if free.” Permanent rest-day weekday changes are a different conversation — keep this page to marking rest on the weekly roster, not rewriting the rest-day agreement.
Step 4 — Build in flexibility without erasing the roster
A useful roster shows the usual week plus how to handle peaks: which blocks can slide, which cannot (school pickup, medicine times). Ad-hoc swaps still use the schedule-change process (#46). If the sheet is packed solid every day, revisit workload fairness (#28) before you add more lines. WFH quiet hours, if any, can be a short note that points to the WFH briefing (#185) — not a second full roster.
Step 5 — Review together, then refresh on a standing cadence
Sit with her, read each day aloud, and invite corrections on timing she cannot meet. Date the sheet; agree when you will revisit (e.g. after the first fortnight, then monthly or when school holidays change the pattern). Soft MOM fairness language on mom.gov.sg. Platform ≠ agency. No invented $.
Soft MOM
Fair treatment, a clear rest day, and reasonable working hours still apply when you put duties on paper. Soft only on mom.gov.sg.
Checklist
- Ask answered with a draft + walk-through date (or you issued with a clear why)
- Weekly duty blocks listed; start / end of duty named (#32 rules stay separate)
- Rest day marked in plain language (rest-day hub + soft MOM)
- Flex vs fixed blocks labelled; ad-hoc swaps → #46
- Sleep / phone / privacy not overwritten by the roster (#30 #31 #29)
- Workload volume checked if the sheet is wall-to-wall (#28)
- WFH notes point to #185 if needed — not a second roster
- Co-employers aligned on one sheet (#120)
- Standing review date set; no invented $; platform ≠ agency; soft MOM
Scripts
To helper (when she asks): Thanks for asking for a written roster — I will draft a weekly duty sheet by [day] and we will walk through it together. House rules stay on the rules sheet (#32); this roster is the usual week’s timetable, with your rest day marked.
To helper (when you issue one): I am issuing a simple weekly duty roster so school / care peaks and cleaning blocks are clear. Rest day is [day]. Tell me which blocks are too tight before we date the sheet (#28 #46).
To co-employer: One shared weekly roster — same blocks, same rest-day marker — so she is not balancing two versions (#120).
At review: Here is what stayed the same and what we change from [date]. Ad-hoc day swaps still go through the schedule-change process (#46); permanent rest-day weekday change is a separate talk.
Bottom line
Answer a written-roster ask (or issue one) with clear weekly duty blocks, a plain rest-day marker, labelled flex, and a joint review cadence — keep rules, sleep, WFH, and ad-hoc swaps on their own pages. Browse on SmartMaid; place through a licensed EA under soft MOM rules.
