Talk

I think you are completely within your rights. It would be good practice, I reckon, to pay her a month's wages though?

although quite honestly if she is messing you around...our last cleaner put a note through our door to sack us, I should add.

We don't have a cleaner. But if we did, and she was behaving like that, I would definitely let her go and find someone more reliable.

I have a similar problem except mine does turn up every week. I will follow your thread with interest. I suppose if she does not give you notice that she is not coming you could ask her to leave on those grounds.

We have had mine since DS was born 2 and a bit years ago (Congrats present from DH). She definitely does less now than then and yet because DS adores her I feel unable to ask her to leave. I could easily do what she does in half the time though! How do you intend to tell yours (I am a bit of a wimp about these things admittedly).

I am a little bit reluctant to pay her four weeks' money (which would be almost £100) - could I just give her a month's notice instead? That way she's got a month to line up a new job?

do you pay her weekly- if you do then a weeks notice is enough to give - unless you want to be generous and give her a months it's up to you.

you should give a week's notice for every year she has worked for you - no need to pay in lieu

would it be worthwhile pointing out what you are not happy with first so you can give her an opportunity to fix it

I would simply give notice (possibly only 2 weeks), and realistically not expect her to turn up in the notice period.

she has a statutory right to a week per year of work if she is an employee

highly unlikely she is an employee.

oh, motherinferior - i got sacked too - i asked, very nicely, for the cleaner (it was her first time at our house), to wipe over the tiles in the shower and above the basin in the bathroom, and she said "I don't do tiles - they are not part of normal cleaning" .... and then she said "Do you want me to come back next week, because, quite frankly, I'd rather not"

don't agree bossykate, unless she is entitled to send a substitute along to do the work...

yes, she sends along substitutes to do the work when she goes home for extended holidays

Give her 3 weeks notice, and if she turns up, pay her for that week, and if she doesn't, don't! That's what I would do, I think. And tell her you don't need anyone anymore.

ah, then she may not be an employee, would give three weeks' notice to be on safe side anyway. theoretically to avoid risk, you would also take her up on her failings, give her opportunity to improve etc but the risks of her taking any action are probably slight

She probably wouldn't be an employee anyway if she works for a number of different clients -- she'd be self-employed.

We had a cleaner like that once and I just dithered for months rather than say anything. Then we did something minor and she got in a huff and said "maybe I'd better not come any more, then" so I took her up on that right away! I'd like to think I'd be more direct now (if we had a cleaner) but I still feel desperately uncomforatble with that kind of working relationship.