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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Cleaner is refusing to soldier

390 replies

biscuitbrown · 05/02/2019 21:45

I've been lucky enough to have a cleaner help out once a week since my first DD was born, we pay her well and we've always been super flexible, she works the day that suits her (rather than a Monday or Friday which I'd actually like). I've always thought we we had a friendship based on mutual respect and flexibility. She's not English and I've gladly helped her with insurance claims/mobile provider issues / school issues /hospital appointments etc. We give her a generous bonus at Christmas, we look after her. I've just gone back to work 3 days a week (long hours) and we've taken the huge step of getting an au pair, which is the first time we've had any childcare. Our au pair is brilliant - capable, trustworthy, hardworking, helpful, she cooks when I'm working, keeps their rooms tidy, washes their clothes, babysits etc. We found her through an agency and they explained how it is a cultural exchange, gave us guidance on what you can and cannot expect an au pair to do.

Anyway to cut to the chase, we pay our cleaner well to clean the whole house. But now we have the au pair she outright refuses to clean her room. I am only asking her to vacuum and dust, not tidy or touch her things (and au pair is SO tidy). I asked her why (this was all on text) and she said the au pair is old enough to look after herself. She's 18. But cleaner is paid to clean all the rooms and has been doing so for years... AIBU?!

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 06/02/2019 14:35

So the cleaner says ap is old enough to clean own room and that’s why she says no

It’s not up to cleaner. It’s up to you

You tell the cleaner what to clean

You are employing her for her services

She is not full filling her role to you

Ultimatum time

She cleans the room you you stop using her

blueshoes · 06/02/2019 14:37

I am not sure how the OP has been so flexible with her cleaner. Giving the cleaner the days she wishes to work is pretty standard. Good cleaners are in demand. It does not sound like the OP is her main customer since she only requires cleaning once a week. OP has to fit around the cleaner, who is self-employed. As for christmas bonuses, that is standard too with staff.

OP should feel free to get rid if she feels exploited and taken for a ride by her cleaner. I doubt the cleaner will have difficulty finding another small customer.

AryaStarkWolf · 06/02/2019 14:41

Hence, if the cleaner seems a little OTT in not doing certain things which hurt her pride and self-respect, I can understand that and live with her terms.

Are you for real? Her job is to clean the house, not decide who's rooms she wants to clean depending on who's they are. Wait, are you the OPs cleaner? Hmm

blueshoes · 06/02/2019 14:44

Are you for real? Her job is to clean the house, not decide who's rooms she wants to clean depending on who's they are. Wait, are you the OPs cleaner? hmm

Yes, I am for real. No, I am not the OP's cleaner.

DarkYearForMySoul · 06/02/2019 14:46

@OftenHangry you sound angry
I understand au pairs won’t qualify for pre-settled status (and of course healthcare, driving licences etc). And if you believe there won’t be a £30k salary floor (except not for some essential workers) that’s your prerogative but that would mean the politicians and media were lying to us.
Don’t assume you know which side if the fence I sit on. Thus is just important information for those with au pairs (and other low wage, non uk employees) so they can prepare.
Anyway it’ll be a great opportunity for UK boys and girls to travel and work in different bits of their own country after A’levels

Somethingsmellsnice · 06/02/2019 14:54

If the cleaner is saying the au pair is old enough to do her own room then the OP and her DH are presumably old enough to do their cleaning too!

Of course the cleaner is out of order. You merely need to reply that he duties include doing that room too and from now on she must please clean it as part of her regular duties as before.

MrMeSeeks · 06/02/2019 14:54

I am not sure how the OP has been so flexible with her cleaner.

Think you’d agree op has probably gone above what a lot of people would do for their cleaner

I've gladly helped her with insurance claims/mobile provider issues / school issues /hospital appointments etc. We give her a generous bonus at Christmas,

FinallyHere · 06/02/2019 14:57

Wot @Mymycherrypie says

  • “Hello xxx, I noticed the small bedroom wasn’t hoovered or dusted this week. Could you please make sure you get round all the bedrooms, thanks”

No need to mention anything else.*

Mymycherrypie · 06/02/2019 15:00

None of my friends give their cleaners Christmas bonuses Hmm

Laiste · 06/02/2019 15:03

Oh this thread has it all ! I love it !

We've got
class issues,
culture issues,
staff and the having of them issues,
pride issues,
age issues,
language issues,
method of communication issues,
and we've even had brexit shoe horned in!!

Really all we need now is someone involved to be a vegan and perhaps a MIL and we're in peak Mumsnet heaven GrinGrin

Laiste · 06/02/2019 15:04

Christmas!
Christmas is in here now too - how could we have missed that out till now?! Grin

ifonly4 · 06/02/2019 15:06

I she's refusing because the Au Pair is old enough to do it herself that's not on. If it's because she'll hae to hoover, dust, clean more in that room and it'll take more time, then it would be good to find a mutual solution.

WildfirePonie · 06/02/2019 15:15

If the au pair is so tidy, then do you really need a cleaner?

blueshoes · 06/02/2019 15:15

I've gladly helped her with insurance claims/mobile provider issues / school issues /hospital appointments etc. We give her a generous bonus at Christmas,

I do that for my aupairs if they need help due to language issues and don't make a big song and dance about it. No difference with helping out a cleaner. As for not giving Christmas bonuses, that is your friends' prerogative but again, a bonus is not something that is so special it needs the cleaner to be falling down grateful.

blueshoes · 06/02/2019 15:18

My comment about friends not giving Christmas bonuses was directed at mymyCherry.

MyShinyWhiteTeeth · 06/02/2019 15:22

We had a tea lady who made and delivered drinks for all the bosses (except the female boss), kept the drinks room replenished and washed cups. She refused to touch the cleaner's cup. She got moved to another position in the main canteen for a number of reasons.

mirialis · 06/02/2019 15:23

I have lived/worked in staffed houses (we're talking proper staffed houses, not having a cleaner and an au pair). I have experienced a couple of occasions where the nanny or housekeeper (always women older than me with whom I've had a friendly relationship) have had their backs put up when it's been seen by them that I'm being treated more like a member of the family than the rest of the staff. Also had an issue with one male chauffeur once... after I turned down his advances Hmm

I think you need to say to the cleaner that you have asked the au pair to make the cleaner's job easier by keeping the dc's room immaculately tidy. If the au pair needs to clean/hoover her own space then it gives her less time to look after the dc and their space and you'd really like it if the whole family could work together as a team.

Obviously if she then digs her heels in you're going to have to re-think the scenario because I wouldn't keep a cleaner on who refused to clean a room unless they had a great reason and I desperately wanted to keep them. She doesn't have a great reason.... how desperate are you to keep her?

Pissedoffdotcom · 06/02/2019 15:24

Definitely a new one for me.

Cleaner looking for work, will clean bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, lounges. Will not clean au pair bedrooms - they are old enough to do their own.

If everybody had the 'old enough to do it ourselves' attitudes many cleaners would be out of a job

AryaStarkWolf · 06/02/2019 15:24

She wouldn't make drinks for the female boss?? whaaat??

Bubblewrapandwine · 06/02/2019 15:28

I would just tell her to do it, if she doesn’t get another cleaner

MsTSwift · 06/02/2019 15:30

Blue shoes as a business owner wouldn’t want you “managing” my staff you sound a total pushover! Also cleaners aren’t in demand in my city you can’t move for cleaners offering their services it’s hardly a niche skill.

Nativityriot · 06/02/2019 15:32

I am from a working class background and have had au pairs and cleaners to help facilitate being at work at odd hours (DH working away, no family support at all)

Eh. Au pairs come and go (although your one sounds AMAZZZZZZINNNNGGG.) good cleaners are hard to find. The au pair won’t mind doing her own room. I always maintained total privacy for au pairs rooms so never opened the door to see if they were tidy/messy whatever - just implored to have no rotting food.

I have now given up complex job (just commented on this in other thread) and au pair and cleaner because it was all too stressful! Just been peacefully scrubbing the house this morning, so much easier!

blueshoes · 06/02/2019 15:44

Blue shoes as a business owner wouldn’t want you “managing” my staff you sound a total pushover! Also cleaners aren’t in demand in my city you can’t move for cleaners offering their services it’s hardly a niche skill.

MrsTSwift Shame your area has lousy cleaners. You clearly don't value cleaning but just as well, you don't get the choice anyway.

You must dreaming that I would work for you "as a business owner". I doubt you could afford me.

blueshoes · 06/02/2019 15:51

NativityRiot, my experience chimes with yours, including about aupairs having privacy and not leaving food about!

Having staff and household help is a doubled-edge sword. If you look at it in the round, you have to add on the time taken to arrange and co-ordinate them. I don't blame you wanting to do it yourself. I do enjoy a therapeutic scrub.

Hence, when I find a good help, I'd move mountains not to let let go. Rubbish ones are more plentiful and easy to let go, just the disruption of hiring a new one and the transition period.

mirialis · 06/02/2019 16:04

Shame your area has lousy cleaners

eh?

Blue... calm down.

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