WWYD cleaner lying about time spent cleaning

[sleepingflower]

We have had the same cleaner for about 5 years now. She's really nice we get on well and in the last few years she's also started cleaning for a couple of other family members. DH and I are usually at work when she comes but sometimes we are working from home when she comes.

We leave a notebook in the hall and she writes in the book how long she's spent that day (and whether she needs any more cleaning products) and I leave the appropriate amount of cash based on her hourly rate for her to collect the next week.

I left the house at just gone 8am and DH (who wasn't at work today) came home just after 11am. The cleaner wasn't there but it was obvious she had been. The notebook says she's spent 3 hours cleaning which given our comings and going's doesn't seem to be possible. Out of curiosity he checked our CCTV cameras - they show she arrived at 8.40 and left just before 11am, so 2 hours 20 mins. It's not a huge difference but I'm really disappointed she hasn't been honest.

How would you handle this?

You either fire her or you tell her you know she arrived at 8.40 and please to make up the time. Ten minutes here or there would be fine but the best part of an hour is not ok. I’ve had the same situation and I fired her.

I wouldn’t mind if she had rounded 2hrs 20 to 2.5hrs, but adding a whole extra 40 minutes seems quite a lot.

If she did a good job I’d just pay it, unless it was hugely unreasonable. If she pretty standard I’d make her aware I knew and ask her not to return.

Did she clean what you wanted cleaned? IMO the time spent is irrelevant. The more familiar you are with a place then the quicker/ easier it is to clean and takes less time. In my work I charge for the job done not the time spent.

Yes that is not on.
Tbh I'm surprised she even tried it knowing that you have CCTV cameras! Surely she would know you may find out?
I'd be checking back a couple of other weeks out of interest. It is lying and if she can lie about that then what else?

I’d want to observe over a few weeks to see whether she always adjusts up. I’d feel bad sacking her on the basis of one week. What if she sometimes does 3h15 and charges for 3, what if she worked particularly hard this week and took no break. You need more info imo.

If the cleaning is up to standard then I would tell her that you have realised she can do it in 2.5 hours so either reduce hours and pay or leave a list of extra jobs

I clean and would be sacked if I left early. Drop it into conversation next time that your cctv is finally up and running again blah blah blah and make her aware she’ll be caught, see if it changes anything. If she leaves early again sack her or tell her to make up the time.

I wouldn't care about rounding up to the nearest number of hours. People doing work in your house aren't a commodity, one is not the same as another. I'd be worried what I was going to get if I replaced her. if I was overall happy with someone's work, I wouldn't dispute small amounts.

I wouldn't even call it dishonesty, I think she just has a slightly cavalier rounding policy. The alternative scenario is that by working more quickly and efficiently than another cleaner might, she's doing herself out of money.

I'm a cleaner and have been told I get more done in 2 hours than other cleaners they had did in 3 so I would probably base it in how much she charges and how well the job is done
and then just casually say oh just so you know cctv is working again just so you know it's recording all the time

Thanks everyone. I would have no issue with rounding to the nearest 1/2 hour but 40 mins does seem cheeky. We've checked back a couple of weeks and she was honest then. I think I'll leave the money for the full 3 hours but put a note in the book to say she may have made a mistake as she was there from 8.40 to before 11am. That will hopefully make her think before doing it again

Rather than flagging it thus time, how about giving her extra jobs if she finishes early and check the cameras.

I would focus on the service she delivers and not the time. If your happy and three hours seems about right for the level of work then I would just pay. She could go really slow or faff on her phone and still charge you for 3 hours etc

I think you have to look at the work done rather than the time spent. Some cleaners may work very fast but thoroughly, they shouldn’t be penalised for it.

I look at work done. When I hired my cleaner, we discussed what I wanted done & agreed how long was reasonable in terms of hours per week. How long she stays varies a bit but she does 3 hours worth of work at a reasonable persons pace, just some weeks the woman is a blur and gets it done very fast.

I'm paid for my work not my hours so I don't see why she shouldn't be.

Did she clean everything to the standards you expected her to? If so I would pay her the 3 hours, effectively you are wanting her to be penalized for doing a good job in less time than what would be expected, if that’s the case I bet she will stay the 3 hours but just purposefully stretch out her work and faff around so she doesn’t lose money.

Ffs, these people earn next to nothing. In central London I pay £12/hr and if she does the job what do I care how long she took. Also the level in the port decanter (I'm posh, me) is always lower than I expect after her visits, so into the bargain I have someone else to blame for my drinking. Result all round.

It's the cleaner's choice to charge by the hour. If that is how she wants to structure her charges then that's what she gets paid. If she gets faster, then she gets paid less. She cant charge for 3 hours when she worked for less than 2.5 hours.

If she wants to charge per job, then the responses on here would apply. But they dont right now.

I would t do a thing to be honest. If she has done a good job and you’re ok paying it then it’s money well spent.

Originally, we asked our cleaner to do two hours per week and we pay her £20 for it. It takes her about 90 minutes most weeks but I’m happy with the job she does and paying £20 is worth it to me. I’m not going to penalise her for being efficient. She could take twice as long and charge you more!

Ffs, these people earn next to nothing

Maybe your way or in comparison to you. £12 an hour is a £20k + job. It’s not mega bucks but nor is it ‘these people’ earning ‘next to nothing’.

When I get my highlights done and my hair cut, I don’t demand that the hairdresser massages my scalp or something to plump the time up.

Likewise, if she has cleaned, then her job is done.

£12 an hour is a £20k + job

No, it isn't. Because most cleaners bring and pay for their own supplies, insurance, plus lose time & incur costs for travel between clients, plus they get zero pension contributions, zero paid holiday. It works out barely above living wage.

It could be a 20k+ job if you constantly worked as physically hard as your body would allow. (And as NoIDont stated, that doesn’t include supplies, insurance, pensions, holiday/sick leave.)

Say a cleaner worked 7hours a day (which is surely the max you could do for a physical job? But remember they also need to travel between clients and have some sort of unpaid coffee/lunch break - so really this is a hypothetical 8/9+ hour day of physical labour.)

7 x £12 = £84 a day
£84 x 5 days a week = £420 a week
£420 x 48 working weeks = £20,160 (before tax)

Still think it’s a 20k+ job @PeridotPassion ?

I’m paid by hour. If I want to leave early, I a) have to ask b) forfeit part of my money. I don’t understand these people saying it doesn’t matter if she only does 2hr20 rather than 3 hours and the op should still pay her the full 3 hours. Op can leave a list of jobs and ask her to do more time, up to the 3 hours she’s meant to do.

There is a move to go away from cleaning for an hourly rate, and instead for the job. Some weeks are faster, some weeks more needs doing. Maybe just pay her the 3 hour rate and as long as she gets things done, what does it really matter?