Cleaner on phone all the time

I clean faster when talking on the phone or listening to a podcast.
In some cultures, extended families stay all day on a group conversation when they have jobs that are compatible. In the last few weeks I’ve noticed a painter, taxi driver and corner shop owners doing this. So I could find it plausible that she is on the phone for 5 hours.
Address the part that disrupts your life/work and forget the rest.

It's more the every time aspect, I'm sure she doesn't save a 5 hour conversation every week just to have at OP's house 😂😂

Not sure why you find this hard to believe?! I could easily talk for 5 hours with a friend! (DP couldn't though he'd hate it! We're all different).

Perhaps she has a friend who also cleans and they keep each other company on what can be a lonely job otherwise.

Agree that the OP sitting in her office getting annoyed isn't helping anyone though!

Same, I have ADHD and talking / listening to music etc helps me concentrate while cleaning, rather than distracts me.

My mind is busy and needs input. Cleaning is so utterly dull, I feel like my brain will explode from boredom if I don't have something else keeping me going while cleaning. Cleaning in silence makes it really hard to focus, for me. My brain desperately wants to do something else, if I'm not also keeping it occupied.

OP the talking might actually be helping her focus, rather than distracting her.

Like others say, you should focus on whether she's doing a good job or not. If she is, you need to accept it as a quirk I think. Asking someone to be silent while cleaning is unreasonable unless it's actually distracting you, but it sounds like you can keep out of her way if you choose to.

She can't talk on her phone for the full 5 hours every time she's there surely.

It sounds like she's on the phone sometimes there's no denying that, but she actually gets the job done and doesn't distract you you just object to it and are embellishing the story.

If you're happy with the job she does let her crack on, you sitting seething in your office isn't achieving anything

What's that for to do with anything? The cleaner is working for the OP she's perfect entitled to not be happy about any aspect of the way she works and choose to stop using her.

I wouldn't want anyone talking continuously in my house either for 5:hours, I'm surprised at the replies here, well not really as posters on here often seem out of step with real people

Our cleaner comes in for 10 hours per week. What is shocking about that. We like things properly cleaned, bedding changed , deep cleaning, ironing. We don’t live in a mansion but do like a very clean home.

When I was a housekeeper I got a serious bollocking cos not only did I look at my phone sometimes (they had cameras in the house and watched me on them) but I dared to plug my phone into the already plugged in charger!! I left that day i got the bollocking

if your cleaner can manage to clean your house whilst on calls, why don’t you do the same? Problem solved. You can have the cleanest house ever and save yourself 100 pounds a week.

The only thing that matters is ‘is your house clean’

if not raise it with her. I’m perfectly able to clean my own house while chatting away.

You could clean your house yourself? 🤷‍♀️

You can talk and clean at the same time! Except when hoovering. If you are in another room and you can't hear her and the cleaning is good then I don't see the problem.

You would hate my cleaner then. She talks on the phone, stops now and again to talk on the phone if it’s urgent eg her dc school or her dh and she listens to music and sings quietly along. Often I’m at home and if she has taken a phone call and it’s something interesting or some gossip, she will come and tell me and we chat about it for a couple of minutes while she gets on with cleaning tasks. I love having a bitch and moan with her.
That said, she’s only here for 2 hours every two weeks and wouldn’t disturb me of I’m on a meeting etc:..

I'm beginning to think the OP lives in Buckingham Palace. If so, then hi, your Majesty!

I am wondering both of those things too.

My DD has ADHD, she is more productive while chatting. We have each other on loudspeaker while cleaning etc. It stops procrastination.

I agree with this 🙂

Well if you feel that way, get rid of her. She will have plenty more customers eager to hire her.

When I know there are people in the house I am cleaning, I avoid receiving phone calls (as in, if I get one, I keep it to a minimum) and I will almost never make a call. If people are out, then it's fair game. I wear headphones, which are bluetooth connected to my phone. If I am not on the phone then I am listening to a radio show, a podcast/a youtube video but without watching, or music.

In five hours of cleaning there must be some noisy work she has to do (such as vacuuming) so I don't see how she can be talking over that. You also ask if the use of the phone has an "impact" on her work. Well you've seen it, what do you think? I know when I'm cleaning and on the phone, I get loads done, and properly - cleaning is 2nd nature for some of us.

when I do my own cleaning indoors I talk on the phone it doesn’t affect my cleaning.
Also I talk on the phone when working from home to people - not work related so don’t see a problem with talking on the phone as long as the work is carried out.
Unless it’s disturbing you I don’t see the problem.

This definitely wouldn’t bother me at all. I’d assume a cleaner would listen to music or a podcast or whatever. Unless it’s disturbing your work and then it’s fair enough to say that you need a quiet space to focus so can she not be on the phone when cleaning in the same room as you or whatever. Cleaning doesn’t require total silence

Me neither - good cleaners are like gold dust

definitely do this 😂

Here's an idea - if it's not acceptable to you, tell her. She can then decide whether to stop doing it or find a different client to fill those five hours. Problem solved!

What on earth can she find to talk about for 5 hours. Also 5 hours to clean a house, do you live in a mansion?

It's totally possible to clean and focus on a conversation at the same time, I always listen to podcasts when I clean, it's just two different areas of the brain, so no problem here.

I wouldn't be able to do that whilst doing a spreadsheet or any sort of "intellectual" work.

Anyway, if it annoys you, just tell her really. You WFH, so good arguments that you need a minimum of calm