Cleaners hung out to dry - times article

[Itwasntme1]

I have just read an article in the times about people not paying their cleaners.

My very wealthy friend stopped paying his cleaner on day one, this lady has cleaned his house for years. I had just employed a cleaner, she had only come twice, but I am still paying her.

I realise I am taking a risk, she might not come back when lock down is lifted and I have now paid her for more missed sessions than she has cleaned. However morally I would struggle with stopping payments.

Is the times article right, have most people stopped paying their cleaners?

It can't be a 'one size fits all' approach though, can it.

We've had the same person help with our house for 7 years. She does 6 hours a week and sometimes more, we know her well now and she's very valued. There's no way we would stop paying her until we could no longer afford it.

If I had an agency who sent different people each time / those that I had no relationship with though, I would have ceased payment after the relevant notice period.

Never used one but I don’t think I’d be paying a self employed person for a service I wasn’t getting.

The government has schemes in place to help the SE based on previous tax years.

DH and I are both fortunate to be still working from home so still being paid our regular wages. Our cleaner normally comes x2 a week and , for me - she is an important part of our family structure. In normal times, we can both fulfil our work commitments and maintain our home and sanity (!) partly because of her hard work and skills. It’s not her fault she can’t come to work right now and has a family of her own. I am paying her in full each week during lockdown. I would be ashamed of myself if I did not , considering my income has not changed. Appreciate it’s a different conversation for families who have been economically affected. You do what you can.

Sorry, I read it in the paper version.

Link below, but it is behind a pay wall

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cleaners-hung-out-to-dry-as-middle-classes-stop-paying-them-dzc7xgvx9

I am paying mine at 40% because that's what I can afford following a recent temporary pay cut. Some people I know can't afford to because they have other higher priority outgoings they have been forced to make choices about.

@TuscanGreen Same here, I don’t know if it’s the cleaners or the company.. last time around they tried to charge 5 hours they were here an hour and 10 mins and only 1 cleaner.

I feel bad only paying mine 50% as both she and her husband are self employed so taken a hit, but can't afford the full 100% as my DH is also self employed and we have also taken a hit (I am still earning but had my job load increased massively so could argue that I have had a pay cut for the amount of hours I'm doing now). I felt it was better offering something so that we (hopefully) get her back at the end.

We are both still earning so we are paying our cleaner. It didn’t cross our mind not to. She is very grateful.

My DM is paying her cleaner the full 6 hours in return for the cleaner to get her supermarket shopping. That is a nice compromise.

Did the article say why they are missing out op? Can they not claim the self employed assistance?

Unless they only just started or hadn't set themselves up as self employed I am bit unsure why most won't get the SE help for 80% average profit.

I do appreciate that the SE help won't kick in from the government until June which is rubbish but I guess it takes a while to set up.

This has been discussed on a previous thread and there was general surprise that cleaners are not still working. The government advice is to carry on working if you cannot work from home. Therefore cleaners can still go to work. Surely you could go to a different room when the cleaner is in and they can carry on working?

I am still paying our cleaner. As long as we are getting paid, then so will she.

I'm still paying my cleaner in full because it was my decision for her to stop coming. I'm in the shielding group so can't risk anyone coming into the house. My income hasn't changed so I can afford to pay her.

I’m still paying my childminder ;). Not their fault that they can’t work. And my employer is still paying me for sub-standard work (2 kids at home...), so not paying them would be profiteering

You could apply that to every employer whose staff have been "furloughed

yes, but the government is paying 80% of their wages, not the employer, not really a fair comparison since its not coming out of their pocket!

I dont judge people who cant pay their cleaners- maybe their wages are suddenly non existent, not everyone who has a cleaner is mega millionaire rich.

I actually would feel quite touched if any of my clients would have paid me . I’ve been with the majority of them for the three years I have been in business and not one has offered . It makes you think how undervalued you are . So hats off to all those you are looking after your cleaners , because your cleaners will be coming back to you

Are people still paying their hair dressers/barbers or beauticians?

We are paying ours - my DH is still earning. I'm in the unpaid portion of my maternity leave but that was always budgeted for so CV has had no impact. I feel it would be very wrong to not pay if we can afford it.

I have a couple of clients in between working another job and neither are paying me.

One is in her seventies and I have been going to her for over two years, she has seen no difference to her income, several pensions etc, not hard up in anyway.
I have also bent over backwards with regards to being flexible.

I have decided not to go back to either of them after this is over.

@InDubiousBattle when lockdown kicked off here in NYC, I thought of my wax lady and sent her a $50 “tip” when I would normally be gong her a $5 tip. She was really happy and grateful. I told her that I hope other clients send her bits of money too. It’s been a few weeks so I think I may send her another $50 “tip” pretty soon, especially after I get a payment from one of my own clients. I’m self-employed and worried about cash flow but that woman is a single mom trying to provide for her family. Every little bit helps.

My income is secure, so I don’t feel right benefiting financially from this situation while the lady who scrubs my toilet suffers

Statements like that make you sound like Lady Muck.

I pay an Agency well over what I would pay a cleaner directly partly because it’s part of their terms and conditions that I can skip any appointment with a week’s notice.

I’ve never met the actual cleaners and if I kept paying the agency, I have no guarantee it would reach the actual cleaner(s).

Therefore, I have stopped paying.

And the abuse starts. I deliberately didn’t put this on AIBU to try and avoid the nastiest.

I’m out now.

BTW, she works at a waxing place, so not self-employed but the shop had to close as it’s non-essential. She’s likely getting unemployment but still, every bit helps.