to say something to cleaner leaving early and what do I say?

[Trioofprinces]

New cleaner started about a month ago. We agreed she would do 3 hrs. She said that after getting used to it she thought it would take 2-2.5hrs, but we agreed to stick to 3hrs for the time being.

A couple of weeks ago she left after 2hrs 45mins so the following week I said something along the lines of "you seemed to be doing ok for time last week so if you have time could you please do x this week".

This week was the first time I left and let her lock up. I know she got here at 9.30 and the alarm shows her leaving at 11.50, so she stayed for 2hrs 20mins only. She took the money for the full 3hrs. (It would have been easy to take for 2.5hrs as she charges £8ph and I left £24, so she could have taken £20 and left a note).

Now, obviously if I didn't have the alarm I wouldn't have known when she left, and I doubt she knows that I can see the entry and exit time of her keyfob.

She came highly recommended so I don't want to naff her off but I also want to make the point that I am happy to pay for what she does, whether that be 2.5hrs or 3hrs but that I expect her to work the time I have paid.

We are also going on holiday next week and she is due to do 6hrs while we're away, now clearly if she thinks my house can be done in less than 2.5hrs, there is no way she is going to work all 6hrs we're away.

So, what do I say to make her realise I can see how long she's here without sounding like I'm monitoring her, and what do I do about the holiday time?

WWYD?

Thanks

I have been suspecting my cleaner hasn't been staying for 3 hours recently either - now that she knows I am out so don't know. I wish I had an alarm that would confirm it for me!

But she does do a good job and I am awful at leaving the house a state so I have let it go. I am going to focus on learning to get it all done myself so I can reduce it to once a fortnight and then eventually just an occasional clean. Then I can't complain!

Get yourself a motion dectector spycam, they are great, I misplaced mine. I got it to catch food thief child.

Motion detector spycam?!? Blimey, that's taking it a bit far!!

I think I'll leave a long list of jobs for while I'm away and see how long it takes her. Then I'll ask her whether we should go down to 2.5hrs or ahe'a prefer extra jobs.

She comes recommended enough and is bought of as trustworthy so I feel I shoul give her a chance and hope it's not a recurring issue. I'll also know exactly when she's been in while I'm away as each key fob has a different code which comes up on the activity log.

FFS, really, a spycam?

If I was her I'd just do all the cleaning work and then do some extra while I was being paid for 3 hours, maybe make a start on windows, or pull out sofas of something not on the list like the inside of the fridge - I would just add a few bits and bobs to the list if I was you.

also I think I would let her know that you can see the time in and out, so she knows that the time is logged, else that may come out later down the line and she may feel a bit

MattDamon* You've got the money, there are plenty of others willing to do the job.

Not true unfortunately- like MrsJR I've found it really difficult to find a cleaner I was happy with, and my standards aren't high, I just want someone to do the hours I pay them for and speak enough English to read a note!

I've worked as a cleaner before and if I finished before the time was up I'd find other jobs to do (or ask the client what else they wanted me to do). I too can't understand why others here think it's acceptable to take money for hours you've not worked, it isn't. I'd go with marriedinwhite's suggestion on how to broach it.

When I used to do cleaning jobs I would sometimes speed up and get everything done in a shorter amount of time. I did the same amount and quality of work, but I worked at a pace that I would not have been able to sustain throughout the whole day IYKWIM.

It never occured to me before, that the cleaners may be able to read for whatever reason, that may explain why things were ignored.

YABVU - if she is doing the work that you asked her to do in less time, thats good for her. You are getting the work you want done at the price you agreed. Why does it matter how many hours she does?

People like you are the reason i wouldnt do cleaning for a living

Lucyellensmum99. The OP's cleaner is paid by the hour NOT for the job.

My DP is a tradesman - he mostly does work for people on a price, which means the if the job is priced at X he will charge X, if he gets it done sooner, then the price was agreed so thats great. The jobs often take longer though, as unexpected issues arise - i can't imagine his clients would be too pleased if he said "oh it took me an extra hour/half day" and charged his hourly rate on top. Works both ways, you see.

I would see cleaning as a price job, i would expect a list of cleaning to do within an agreed time (so id get £30 for three hours i assume, is that what cleaners charge) i would do that - if it took me less time, thats ok, if it takes longer, i wouldnt be charging the client more!

Well then leander, if she hasn't finished it one day by the time she has done her alloted time, she is perfectly entitled to leave it unfinished then, or charge extra. It is just a matter of common sense.

Lucyellensmum99. Err, yes, that's correct, that's generally how being paid by the hour works........

Oh, well, thats ok then - because if i were the OPs cleaner, id just drag it out to the three hours if it was really that important but i certainly wouldnt be doing any more than i was contracted to do.

Did you have to go to school to learn to be that condescending?

How can - i want you to do XYZ = being paid by the hour? Surely you tell your cleaners what you want done and their wages are BASED on how long you agree it will take?

With ALL my clients, over the years, I have had a set time and general idea of what to do, and if I have had time left over, have filled it by finding things to do.

Mostly there is no 'end' to cleaning IMO and it has never occurred to me really to rush it to get away.
On the other hand, if for some reason I ran out of time I leave a note, as I think it would be presumptuous to do extra time and 'expect' to be payed for it.

If a job is specified as a set amount with no time specified then yes, it is a matter of getting the job done, to the standard required.
But to me, an hourly rate is exactly that. So if you don't work the hours, you don't get paid. It is not 'salaried'.

I'm sure that there are unscrupulous cleaners out there but as one myself I can assure you that cleaning is no easy feat!

I work 5 - 6 hours a day and it is physically exhausting. Today I was in a rush as my dc left school an hour early, therefore I left both my cleaning jobs half an hour early. I already work at a pace that leaves me breathless, today meant working even faster but just as thorough in order to get the jobs done. End result, I'm now collapsed on the sofa too tired to even make myself tea.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as I got the job done didn't cut corners, then i'm happy. I lose track of the amount of times that I end up working an extra 10-15 mins because the house has been much untidier than usual but would never consider charging my customers extra. I make sure I guarantee a good hourly rate and am prepared that at times I'll over-run.

Op if you're happy in general with what your cleaner does, I wouldn't make a big thing over the odd 10-15 mins but as others have said, maybe reduce the time.

And incidently. I won't work for people that don't treat me with respect or have ridiculously high expectations of what i can do in the allotted time. It works both ways and there are always people that need good, reliable, hard working cleaners.

I used to have a cleaner who did my 2 bedroom flat in 2 hours. She may have taken less time, I don't know but as long as she did everything I'd asked her to, I didn't care.

Really, £8/hour isn't much more than minimum wage. You're not paying tax or NI I presume? So penalising your cleaner for being a fast worker seems massively unfair if you're happy with the job she's doing.

This thread is a bit like reading Upstairs Downstairs

Oh - and of course you should pay her when you go on holiday - it's hardly her problem that you aren't around is it?

Don't be a tightarse - it's really horrible behaviour

'And incidently. I won't work for people that don't treat me with respect or have ridiculously high expectations of what i can do in the allotted time. It works both ways and there are always people that need good, reliable, hard working cleaners.'

I completely agree with this..

I rarely terminate a 'contract' but did recently because the person wanted very hight standards because they had paying guests who paid 'enormous amounts of money for perfection' (her words) but wanted to pay the minimum wage.
She was welcome to pay a decent rate for perfection but NOT the minimum wage which is insulting to ANYONE.

*high

mmm thanks leander - im starving an whilst normally i wouldnt touch a jammy dodger with a bargepole, i graciously accept.

I just cant help but think that the OPs new cleaner is managing to do what her old cleaner managed to do in 3 hours (ok, 2.5) so the OP is already saving money and shoudlnt be looking a gift horse in the mouth

her old cleaner did it 4, i should have said

[Brew] for pickledpenny

I think she's being unreasonable to work for two hours 20 mins (without telling you), but to take money for 3 hours. (the rate agreed by both of you - which as someone else pointed out was hourly, not by the job - also you made it very clear to her, quite reasonably, that you'd rather she did more work if she had extra time.)
Why is it being a "tightarse" not to want to give away fivers every week?

Personally I wouldn't expect a cleaner to run themselves ragged (for the cleaner who said she was exhausted rushing around doing a thorough job, I would be horrified to think someone I employed felt like that), and it wouldn't bother me if they didn't get everything finished because they ran out of time. But it would really bother me if they left early but took the money - because like someone else said, there are always other cleaning jobs that need to be done!

I would be very wary of someone who did this, despite the recommendations you had. She could have told you it only took her that time, or suggested you gave her more to do to fill the time. But she took over 5 pounds of your money without saying anything. Sorry but to me that's dishonest, and I would probably not want to employ her after that.