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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in not paying cleaner due to snow

212 replies

dietingagainandagain · 05/03/2018 12:34

Not long had a cleaner so not sure what the done thing is. Also we are not loaded and this is definitely a luxury.

Anyway due to the snow the lady wasn't able to come out last week.
Should we pay anyway for the missed week?

I go through a company and pay them a proportion by bank transfer but leave most of the payment in cash for the actual lady who comes. There isn't any contract as such.

I think paying is the right thing to do but DH thinks we shouldn't. Who is right?

OP posts:
Lovemusic33 · 05/03/2018 14:05

I wouldn’t.

I didn’t get payed for the shift I missed due to snow and I wouldn’t be expected too.

Rutsville · 05/03/2018 14:05

Tricky one. You're not obliged to pay her.
Is she a good cleaner? Good ones are hard to find. If she's good and you like her, I would pay her on the basis that she will really appreciate it and you will benefit this down the line by the work that she does.
When you value people you generally get the best out of them.*

small print: *doesn't work if they're an arsehole

Spicylolly · 05/03/2018 14:07

I'm a self employed dog walker, obviously had loads of cancellations due to the snow. I didn't expect anyone to pay as I didn't provide a service and no one did, it's just one of the perils of offering a service like this and being self employed.
If it's in a contract obviously that's completely different.

WizardOfToss · 05/03/2018 14:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BarbarianMum · 05/03/2018 14:08

She's self-employed not your servant. I wouldn't pay but I'd be happy to let her make up the hours if she wanted to.

allthgoodusernamesaretaken · 05/03/2018 14:09

I would pay.

JanQuadrantVincent · 05/03/2018 14:11

This is interesting because my husband is a gardener, and obviously couldn't visit customers scheduled last week because of the snow.

But not one has offered (or has ever offered) to pay for this now or on previous occasions, and we have never asked.

I would class this in the same sphere of gardening but wonder how many people saying pay the cleaner on this thread would readily pay their gardener in the same situation? Or any other visiting service for that matter, window cleaner for example.

theunsure · 05/03/2018 14:13

I'm paying mine - whether that makes it right or not I don't know, but I am doing what my conscience dictates.

I messaged her first as I knew how bad it was in our village and DH and I were working from home due to the weather - I didn't want her attempting the trip as I'd have felt awful if she'd had an accident, and also I didn't want her trying to clean while we were both trying to work, so I initiated the cancellation before she could, and added that I'd pay her for for 2 weeks next week.

I am 99% sure she would have cancelled coming anyway - but I wanted to get in their first just to avoid any issues.

FranticallyPeaceful · 05/03/2018 14:14

I paid mine because I want her to want to do a good job for me and not bare minimum. Lots of people moan about cleaners but treat them like shit. I really need mine right now with my pelvis falling apart from pregnancy and may need her when baby is born too just so I don’t have to deal with the house as much, not sure yet - either way I’d like her to want to be here

ifonly4 · 05/03/2018 14:15

It depends on circumstances, where all the roads blocked off to yours, could she have walked?

DH knows if he doesn't go in, it has to be taken as holiday. I have two jobs, one usually closes due to snow but pays (which I can easily walk) The other will only pay if I turn up at some point, last time it took me twice as long so I was late, but I was thanked for coming in.

SandyY2K · 05/03/2018 14:15

Well obviously not. She didn't come and clean. So she doesn't get paid. I don't really see the issue

I agree with this.
Any agency staff who didn't come to work due to snow aren't paid where U work...and we're a large organisation.

TheBookThief · 05/03/2018 14:17

Its interesting how many posters assume the cleaner is more desperate for the money than the OP. That may be true, but it also may not.
I have a cleaner and I'd say we earna similar weekly income.

I too am self-employed and missed being paid by several clients last week due to the snow, therefore if my cleaner hadn't cleaned I would not be able to pay her as much as I might wish to from a goodwill POV (as it was she came earlier in the week because we saw the forecast and she had space)

If the OP has the cash to spare then its a nice thing to do, but surely not expected.

saoirsesoige · 05/03/2018 14:21

I think since you got paid for not going to work then you should extend the same fortune to someone you employ.

BackforGood · 05/03/2018 14:25

I also think this is one of the perils of being self employed. General rule of thumb is you get a higher hourly rate, because it has to factor in the times you can't work (injury, illness, holiday or snow).
Around here you get around £7.80 an hour in a contracted cleaning job, or £10 an hour self employed. The employee gets paid monthly, come what may (well, until sick pay runs out etc., but including in a case like snow days), but the self employed person doesn't get paid when they don't work, whatever the reason for not working is.

ScreamingLevitation · 05/03/2018 14:25

I did pay mine.

We have a relationship with our cleaner that is different to say, an electrician. We trust her in our house alone every week, cleaning our mess, she has access to all our private stuff and has never abused our trust, we've known her for years. We want her to feel appreciated, because she is. The weather wasn't her fault, and, tbh, we get weather that bad about once every 30 years round here, so it's not like we'll be doing it once a month...

Sweetheart · 05/03/2018 14:25

I think it depends who cancelled - if I had cancelled on my cleaner at short notice because of snow I would have paid her but she cancelled with me so I haven't paid her.

ginch · 05/03/2018 14:35

So will you still pay the company who provide her services? If so, what is that money for?

MsChalloner · 05/03/2018 14:36

I would pay. Not her fault she couldn't come. And it is a kind thing to do.

YuleABUnREASTIEable · 05/03/2018 14:40

This is interesting. My dh is a gardener. He couldn’t work last week because of the snow and won’t get any money from his customers for when he couldn’t make it, infact, he lost a fair amount of money as he had to pay his employees for the day despite the fact they had a snow day at home.

I wonder if all these people who would pay for their cleaners who couldn’t come in the snow also pay for other regular visitors like gardeners who couldn’t make it.

ExFury · 05/03/2018 14:41

I paid mine. She is very good and I know she'll do a bit extra this week. If it was 4/5 weeks I'd have to re-think, but it was one week. Dh's employer decided to pay him when he didn't have too, so it's passing that on I suppose.

TheJoyOfSox · 05/03/2018 14:42

If you don’t pay her, you risk the reality that she will be looking for a new job. I’m sure she isn’t doing your cleaning for fun, but as a way to put food on her table.

ExFury · 05/03/2018 14:43

Yule I'd have paid our regular garden guy who cuts the grass. Wouldn't have paid for a bigger job not done, but regular guy if he'd been due I would. He only comes to cut he grass though so it's not a lot.

Redpony1 · 05/03/2018 14:43

@Aprilmightmemynewname
Self employed cleaner here!! I am hoping my customers are paying me this week for last week also!!

Really!? Wow!
People in full time employment may well not being paid for 'snow days' last week, nevermind self employed people expecting to be paid for work not completed!

Ginseng1 · 05/03/2018 14:45

I get cleaner every second week for 4hrs I said to her last Friday (we in the sticks n red warning) I don't expect u to come but if you free any day next week happy to have you (she's on her own, kids grown she works 20hrs in office + cleans 8 hrs per week) so if she wanted the money she could come but she said no I'll see u in 2 weeks as usual. I gave her chance to make hours up so I don't think I should pay her. But she owes me £10 from last time she didn't have change so I was going to say to forget about that. Shes not the best cleaner in the world but very reliable & trustworthy & nice person.

Aprilmightmemynewname · 05/03/2018 14:55

I said hoping not expecting!! I feel entitled to be paid by a customer who repeatedly locks me out even when I have driven to his home and fit him into a busy schedule I could have put someone else into. He is on his last chance on Fri!! I do over and above for my customers and we have a mutual appreciation and respect.