To say no to my cleaner coming over Christmas?

[ettyz]

My cleaner who works 5 days a week doing 6 hours a day for us and gets above the average wage for a cleaner, has said that she needs to work next week. I said no to working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday as obviously it’s Christmas and no to Friday as I have people over. She’s obviously self employed and we are her only cleaning job, but I don’t really fancy someone cleaning when Me and dh not at work, all the kids are at home and we just want to relax without anyone in the home. She said it’s too much money for her to lose out and she won’t be able to afford to not work those days. she hates Christmas and doesn’t have any family to spend it with so was actually asking to do Christmas Day! It’s not my fault she hasn’t budgeted for it but we had told her when we first took her on in April that we don’t need her services over Christmas. Aibu to say no to her working those days next week, I don’t want to upset her. We are hosting Christmas at ours so no time when we won’t be at home next week for her to pop in and clean, plus I’m at home so I’ll be able to do it anyway!

Actually, I've read your other responses - you sound really unpleasant..

You would pay her but you're offsetting it against things she has damaged? Does the contract give you the right to offset damage against her wages?

I've had cleaners break things, my rule is as long as they tell me it's fine. They don't tell me and I find out (like the champagne glass that was wrapped and hidden under stuff in the bin) then they get fired, they get two chances.

Your friend 'who works in this sort of thing' (wtf that even means) is wrong, so very wrong.

Pay the woman her holiday pay, and invite her for tea one of the days over the Christmas period.

Is this a disguised brag ?

When you said in April you didn't need her at Christmas, did you specifically state which days? Maybe she understood this to be Christmas Day only and not the whole week.

Interesting first post with your 7 bathrooms OP.

This poor woman, she has no friends or family to spend Christmas with can't you let her come and clean. With all the visitors and the DC making a mess, l am sure she will have plenty to do . If not then can she do some cooking/mending/shopping/polish the silver/brass/gold/door furniture for you?

If you can afford to pay someone to clean your house for 30 hrs a week you can surely pay her over the Christmas period.
My cleaner is wonderful and sometimes, bank holidays etc I tell her no need to come in but I pay her anyway.

I'm employed part-time, but the nature of my job means that I don't work over the school holidays. This suits me as I have young children, but I don't get paid when I don't work, so I have to be careful with budgeting and make sure I'm not left short.

I don't think this is that unusual really.

I would pay her for the missed days next week but I haven’t charged her for the things she’s damaged since being with us as that would seriously put her out of pocket and I’m not that mean.
She's self employed but has no insurance? Tut tut.
She's a 'cash in hand' cleaner isn't she?

I'm self employed - I certainly don't get paid if the client cancels unless it's a very short notice.

I would pay her in full for those days. If you don't and she challenges you she's bound to be a worker if not an employee. Google Pimlico Plumbers or Sash Windows employment tribunal claims and have a readZ. False self employment could mean she's entitled to 20 days' paid hols per year and back pay for every year she didn't get it. Add to that your paye responsibilities that you're not complying with, penalties as well.

If you can afford her 30 hours a week you can afford to pay her for the days she's not working.

Most on here give their cleaners a Christmas bonus of a week's money so I think you're out of kilter there too.

who has 7 bathrooms?

Snow White?

And the OP clearly needs some of those helpful birds and bunnies to clean her house

OP - your cleaner is almost certainly your employee, whether you or she like it. Of course you should supply the cleaning products, given your specialist requirements. You need to get the floorboards properly treated - washing them daily is perhaps the worst thing to do with wooden floors. And if she breaks something valuable, she should claim it on her insurance - which surely, as a self-employed cleaner, she has?

Come on OP! Where’s the good will? Pay the lady.

Even telling her you wouldn't need her over Christmas doesn't mean you shouldn't pay her. It's your choice not her. I would pay her. I'm paying mine!!

If I was your cleaner there would be a “accident” with one of your antiques in the New Year.

It would be cheaper to just pay her

Ffs! Pay her! Are you a Tory?

Look at your life and look at your cleaner's and get a fucking grip on the disparity and PAY HER.

Jesus indeed fucking wept.

Fuck me, are you Jacob Rees-Mogg's wife by chance?

I think everyone is being a bit harsh.

We have a housekeeper (not in UK) and I'm not paying her for the days that I don't need her to come over Christmas (which I guess will be Christmas day and perhaps boxing day).

I pay her per hour for the hours I need her. I don't pay sick pay or holidays that she chooses as a general rule, although I do pay her for her Christmas equivalent holiday and I paid on days when she had family bereavements etc . She gets a Christmas present and a new year bonus and I pay reduced hours if we're away for a long time.

She expected this and budgets accordingly.

We can afford to have her help us, but it's not nothing to us financially.

For what it's worth, if I take a sick day or a holiday I also don't get paid.

All legal issues aside, OP, I'm with those posters who suggested you tell her that you understand money is tight for her and you'll pay her but she needs to make up the hours in the new year.

I'd also have her come on Thursday to help clear up from Christmas and get ready for the weekend.

Missing the point, distracting myself from ridiculous non-sleeping baby:

What sort of wood floors, how are they finished, and what are you treating them with? I’m intrigued by wood being washed every day.

Back on topic: after Christmas get a contract agreed with your cleaner specifying what happens if she can’t come, or if you don’t want her, and how much notice of that should be given on each side.

Can she not double as a cook/ maid?

Kindest response: pay her and invite her to Christmas lunch
Second kindest: pay her but give her the days off
Third: Pay her and have her do washing up etc rather than cleaning

You could also throw in a present

Not paying her is really mean and unfair, regardless of whether she is your employee or not

Our floors get mopped every day and that itself is a half hour job, as the floorboards are creepy old and needs two products on it so they don’t rot

Who mops wooden floors? And in a house big enough for 7 bathrooms, half an hour to mop all the floors using two products sounds like lightning speed.

OP, if she's broken goods to the value of more than a week's salary, why is she still there?

Well, obviously she's an employee and HMRC would not be happy with this set up.

But, if she's a self employed cleaner and you provide the cleaning products, I'm fairly sure you need to complete those chemical safety sheets. But you'll have done all that, right?

Well I guess this is how rich people get rich