Cleaner

[UnderTheF1oorboards]

Our cleaner has worked for us for about 2 years. She comes for one morning a week. Good worker, no issues, although she isn't left alone in the house for long periods. She doesn't have a key so someone has to be at my house to let her in.

She is self-employed, not agency. I pay her the rate she asks which is a fair bit above the living wage and I also instigated an arrangement whereby I still pay her if I cancel her coming, but I don't pay her if she cancels. We arrived at this after some persuasion because I wanted to give her sick pay plus an agreed number of weeks' holiday pay like a normal British employee (she isn't British), but she wouldn't hear of it - said it would be immoral to take money for time she hadn't worked.

So this week I had to cancel because, unavoidably, I couldn't be there to let her in. I don't do this often. Under our arrangement she still gets paid for this week.

She replied with two texts in her language followed by one in English apologising, saying the others were meant for her daughter and wishing me a good day. The two texts in her language mentioned my name so out of curiosity I had them translated and it turns out her opinion of me is pretty low! I was shocked because I've always tried to treat her well.

I no longer feel like this is someone I want in my home or around my DC, especially for spells when I'm not there. WIBU to give her a month's pay in lieu of notice and fire her?

Lots of confusion about employment status on here

well yes, but personally for me I've not been too careful with that because the principle for me has not been "have I been within my rights to terminate the service contract/fire an employee" but, should I?! To which the answer is… absolutely if you want to! Do it and don't feel the need to blink! Just don't assume that any other cleaner you get who turns up on time, does a professional job and is pleasant and professional to your face is not, once in a blue moon, going think you're being a cow who has no idea what it is to be in their shoes.

I have had to deal with similar in the past 6 months. DH - who is the nicest, most reasonable person on the planet - was all for sacking… Once I'd got over the initial shock/hurt I decided to just have a very quick chat to get to the bottom of it. I recognised the momentary frustration so much - having been in that position - and made it clear we could just call it a day and I'd give them a bit of time to find something else with no hard feelings… but actually they were highly apologetic and their work and attitude was beyond what I could have asked for subsequently (to the point where I had to say 'really, it's ok, you don't have to run yourself ragged, we all have a bad day and let rip sometimes, you don't need to spend the rest of your time here making up for it'. Both DH and I have been so glad we gave them the chance because they do an ace job.

And for this her dishonest, backpedaling, term-of-endearment-in my country-honest bullshit would seal her fate. I can't stand oily fucks who try to wriggle their way out of stuff instead of doing the right thing by just owning it and apologising I'd say you cannot overlook the power dimensions at work here - she's not trying to screw someone over; she's trying to hold onto her job after a monumental screw up… the OP has NO obligation to see or accommodate that of course but, yes, the cleaner is making a desperate stab to hold onto her job rather than stab someone else in the back...