Cleaning Lady

[susie100]

We have a (historically) fab cleaning lady. Has been with us for 7 years and we have given her a few payrises so we now pay her £10 an hour (in London).

We have recommended her to lots of friends and she now has aboout 10 people she cleans for through us.

I have noticed over the past few weeks that things have been getting sloppy and she does not finish the ironing etc.

She is meant to do 5 hours but from a conversation with a friend about when she arrives at her house and knowing when she arrives at my house, it is clear she is not doing anywhere near the hours we pay her for.

So - should I confront her?
I hate this sort of thing and I do trust her implicitly. I don't want to put my friend in an odd situation as well.

Should I just accept that this is what happens if you are not in the house?
I do feel a bit miffed as we pay her more than anyone else and given her so much business (which is probably why she is now pressed for time)

How would you approach this? (feeling wimpish)

she is taking you for a mug, take a deep breath and count to ten and say

please can you let me know if you have been working 5 hours a day? Is this too much time for what you have to do?

I have noticed that some work has been unfinished, can we have a chat about this?

then breathe out. Us brits are so shit as this thing. my non brit friends are sooo much better at handling the staff!!!!

she has alot of work through you so its not in her interest to fuck you off is is?

be tough

To be honest that's the same that I was paying my cleaning lady here in Colchester, so I don't hnoestly think the money per hour is an issue so much as her taking from you more than she is actually working. A couple of ways you could approach it might be for either you-or partner, MIL etc -to go round to your house on some pretext of dropping off/picking something up about an hour or so before she would normally finish to actually see if she was still there, alternatively you could ask-jokingly- how she manages to fit everyone in and doesn't she find herself running around like the proverbial blue-a*d fly? Other than that there's not a great deal you can do other than be up front and say that your friend just happened to mention,as she was talking about how impressed she was with the cleaning,the hours she was at the other house so could she just clarify if she had changed your hours at all. I don't think she could take offence at any of that.
Good luck!

Yes you are all right, I have to just deal with it and be tough! Gutting as she has been so great in the past.

My friend has agreed to text me when she arrives at hers this week. I know when she arrives at mine so can say for sure if she is cutting hours our and could always say I popped back and she was not there.

The fact she has left ironing etc is also something for me to bring up.

I would hate to deal with this as am also a wimp.

I would love a cleaning lady though

To be honest it sounds as though you're going to be very reasonable so unless she has a really guilty conscience she shouldn't be offended or rude to you-and I certainly don;t think she'll up and leave as she'd be losing £50 a week-maybe more if she thinks you may tell the others she now does thanks to you that she has been cutting her time short. I reckon it will just make her pull her socks up a bit and maybe work a bit harder at your house.

I agree redwiner, sometimes we all need a bit of a nudge at work and its almost a relief when someone notices (I know I am like that!)

Ladyanonymous, must say its fab, come home on a friday and all is sparkling and DH's shirts all ironed, bliss! I know I am very lucky.

Ok gals, wish me luck.....