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!

In the real world, when people aren’t making up posts, it makes no difference whether someone wants to be employed or self employed. It all comes down to the type of employment taking place. HMRC would confirm someone in this situation is employed.

You need to pay her.

As a stab in the dark I'd say she doesn't want to be employed as she'd have to pay tax.
Therefore the "benefit"* of her being self employed is more money in the bank, the downside is no holiday pay.
(though its illegal)

So if she wants to be self employed then she needs to find the work elsewhere

If this is real....just pay her for having Xmas week off. You say she "hates xmas".....Can't think why!

My cleaner tells me that the more well off her clients, the tighter they are.
I can well believe it.

promise I’m not a messy cow!

Just a mean one.

I can’t believe any very old floorboards benefit from daily mopping of any kind. [misses point of thread]

We pay our cleaner for Christmas week and so should you.

You’re being massively tight and unreasonable.

30 hours cleaning a week - you must be a really messy lot! I would hate to have someone tatting around in my house for 5 hours a day. If you were at home (I assume you work), would you seriously spend 5 hours a day cleaning!!?? How big is this house!!??

I took on a cleaner 2 hours a week recently, as OH was granted higher rate Attendance Allowance and this seemed a good thing to spend some of it on - there were things she did that had not been done for 2 years - and we seem to have survived!

I would just pay her - you are clearly not short of a penny or two.

(I mean she has the week off but we pay her anyway).

I would love to be able to afford a cleaner to come in and tidy 5 days a week! I would get her to come on Christmas Eve , your house will be a mess after the weekend! but I would also question if she really hates Christmas, Christmas can be a very lonely time and you may be the only people she talks to all week. If your job pays you next week then you should pay her. If you value her as a cleaner you should pay her and I would never charge if she broke anything.

Just pay her

My cleaner tells me that the more well off her clients, the tighter they are.
I can well believe it.

The lady who does our cleaning has a very wealthy client who is very stingy. She boasts constantly about her wealth and once spoke about the terribly expensive perfume she’d been given. She said to the cleaner, “You may smell it but I’m afraid I can’t spray some on you as it’s very expensive. I will spray a tiny bit on myself and you may smell it on me.”

The cleaner was like “wow, thanks for the honour.”

The cleaner is also pretty well off herself and owns more perfume than anyone I know. All at around £50 - £150 a time.

It was a common perfume too 😂.

Cleans the windows every day! - every day!!!

You told her she won't be needed over xmas and she is self employed so it isn't your problem.
I am self employed and the clinic is shut for 2 weeks over xmas every year during which time I earn no money, if I told my employer the same story he would laugh in my face.

@madcatladyforever

I’m not sure I understand your post. You are self-employed and have an employer?

Not sure why so many think this has been made up? Wouldn’t waste my time on making a made up post.

Also not sure why so many are mocking the fact I have a cleaner for a significant amount of time during the week, ie saying I must be dirty. Me and dh can afford it and we need the help, so why not. I don’t have the time to do the cleaning, however next week I will, and don’t worry my horrible antiques and floor boards will be looked after when my cleaner isn’t there. Sorry I haven’t gone into why we need a cleaner for the hours she does, as I don’t really think that’s needed for this post.

I’ve asked my friend who works with this sort of thing and she says everything I’ve done is legal, and it’s fine, (she knows every detail of my situation) hmrc won’t be knocking at my door any time soon. Shame!

If you can afford a cleaner 30 hours a week then you are being tight on this one.
Her bonus is less than a weeks work and you don’t pay her any holiday pay. That’s a poor show.

Plus that level of cleaning is insanity.
We have 7 bathrooms and 8 bedrooms but they don’t all need a full clean daily nor do the floors need mopping daily. I have a cleaner twice a week for three hours each and it’s loads of time.

And I’m giving her two weeks full
pay as a bonus for Xmas. Because we can and she’s lovely.

I employ a nanny for 6 hours a week.... I've been told that she is an employee and I have to pay her holiday pay etc. I also pay PAYE and NI. So I'm afraid your friend is wrong. If your cleaner is declaring her income as someone who is self employed, HMRC may ask her to prove she's self employed> Working a set number of hours for one person would immediately have her changing her status to employed. By you.

But I'm still not convinced you're in the UK.

Could she muck out your unicorn stables next week?
Cheers OopsInamechangedagain - just choked on me tea.

First world problems...! 🙄😆

Isn't it usual for the homeowner to supply the cleaning products, I do?

With regards to paying, if it's my decision that my cleaner doesn't come we still pay her, if it's her decision we don't. She shouldn't be out of pocket because I don't want her on a particular day

She doesn’t sound like a cleaner but a housekeeper.

She clearly does everything in those 6 hours. So not just cleaning. But running the household I guess.

The mind boggles at 7 bathrooms? Do you switch up which one you use for fun?

It’s not unbelievable that someone would hire a cleaner for 30 hours a week - that much I buy. But that someone hires a cleaner for 30 hours a week and wouldn’t just pay them Christmas money to not come in? Or they they are not properly employed with those hours?! Come on...

You’re being right.

Her Christmas bonus is less than one week’s pay? Tight.

You think you’re doing her a favour by buying products for her to use to clean your house? Tight.

You are entertaining over the holidays and she wants to work, but you won’t have her come over for a few hours to wash up, change sheets, clean a couple of bathrooms? Tight

You know she has nobody to spend Christmas with but you won’t offer her a glass of sherry after a half day in Christmas Eve? Tight

You’re not a decent employer. You see her as a service provider, not a human being. She’s cleaning your toilets and picking up your breakfast crumbs, and has told you she has no friends or family over Christmas, ffs.

Have some decency.