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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not pay our cleaner?

27 replies

SandlakeRd · 29/10/2020 12:02

Our cleaner has just had a well deserved holiday to a place that requires quarantine on return. This has been re arranged from earlier in the year. She had a full refund so it was her choice to go now. I say well deserved as she has had a pretty rough 12 months.

Our normal arrangement is we pay her when we go away etc but not when she has time off. We paid her in full all through lockdown and she re paid a few weeks when she got the self employed grant. We get on well and everything is amicable

She has not mentioned quarantine - she seems very relaxed about Covid. We will enforce it if she doesn’t it though. My question is should we pay her? DH is firmly a no that it was her choice to go and it is part of her “holiday” I am a bit more unsure possibly because I know her better.

What do people think? AIBU if I don’t pay her?

OP posts:
MudSmudge · 29/10/2020 12:04

No, don't pay her. If she's choosing to go on holiday then the quarantine is her responsibility too. She's your cleaner, you pay her to clean, if she's choosing not to clean then you shouldn't pay her.

m0therofdragons · 29/10/2020 12:05

Nope, she’s knowingly taking holiday to a place needing to quarantine so no payment required. If the rules changed while she was away I’d be inclined to offer half but not full as that’s a risk you take at the moment.

ireallyamthewalrus · 29/10/2020 12:06

I wouldn’t even consider paying under these circumstances.

Ohtherewearethen · 29/10/2020 12:09

No, it wouldn't enter my head to pay her and she really, really shouldn't be expecting you to (not that you've suggested she is).

SarahAndQuack · 29/10/2020 12:11

She's probably not mentioned it as she thinks it's obvious you won't pay, if that's your standing agreement. I wouldn't worry until you need to.

NorthernBirdAtHeart · 29/10/2020 12:13

No, I wouldn’t pay her either

Original poster
SandlakeRd · 29/10/2020 12:15

I am probably overthinking it! It’s just she didn’t mention quarantine at all when she told me the dates she would be away. I had to google to see if the place was part of the quarantine regs! Will see what she says! I hate conflict! What a wimp I amSmile

OP posts:
ChippyTea16 · 29/10/2020 12:19

Agree you shouldn’t pay. Can you just clarify with her when she will next be round? And if it’s earlier than expected you can bring up the quarantine requirements? If she says she’s not planning to quarantine just say you’re not comfortable so won’t require her till x date. Then she will know she can’t come round and she won’t be getting paid

KitKat1985 · 29/10/2020 12:23

I wouldn't pay for a quarantine period. Nor will my workplace (NHS) if you go somewhere knowing you have to quarantine on return.

Emmelina · 29/10/2020 12:24

No. If I go on holiday, I get paid holiday pay. If I choose to go somewhere I’ll need to quarantine on my return that’s on me. My choices would be book that quarantine time as holiday (so a week away, plus two quarantine = three weeks holiday used) and get paid for all, or my two weeks quarantine would be unpaid leave.

ThePluckOfTheCoward · 29/10/2020 12:24

I agree with your DH that she chose to go to a holiday destination that would mean quarantining so presumably she has factored into that decision that she will not be paid during that time. However you sound like you know something about her life that your DH doesn't. If you feel so strongly that she needs or deserves this money, then maybe compromise and pay her half pay for the quarantine period.

Whammyyammy · 29/10/2020 12:25

Agreed, you shouldn't pay her.

Original poster
SandlakeRd · 29/10/2020 12:26

The rough 12 months have had a positive financial impact for her so it’s not about the money - more that the holiday was much needed and not just a whim iyswim?

OP posts:
Brighterthansunflowers · 29/10/2020 12:27

YANBU

It was her choice to go away when quarantine was required. It’s not your fault and you shouldn’t pay her when she can’t work due to her choice to travel

Original poster
SandlakeRd · 29/10/2020 12:27

I suppose I need to know if I need to have a difficult conversation that I am in the right I guess.

OP posts:
MrsSDK · 29/10/2020 12:32

I'd pay for the holiday but not the quarantine. My PILs paid their cleaner holiday pay and she cried and said she'd never had paid holiday in her life, not sure that's relevant Smile

Coffeecak3 · 29/10/2020 12:43

Just get in touch with the date you expect her to return after quarantine. See what she says.
If you're a wimp get dh to deal with the cleaner.

rosie1959 · 29/10/2020 12:52

I presume your cleaner is self employed in which case she would only be paid per visit which she cant do when in quarantine.
Normally self employed do not get paid holidays

Cloud21 · 29/10/2020 12:55

No, it’s part of the T’s & C’s of the holiday, isn’t it?

Mustbe3ormorecharacters · 29/10/2020 13:11

You don’t need to but if you can afford to, why not?

MudSmudge · 29/10/2020 13:24

@Mustbe3ormorecharacters

You don’t need to but if you can afford to, why not?
This is such a weird attitude. Do you pay your builder when they haven't built anything just because you could afford it? Do you pay restaurants when you haven't bought a meal? Why would you pay a cleaner who has chosen not to come and do their job?!
listsandbudgets · 29/10/2020 13:45

8"Why would you pay a cleaner who has chosen not to come and do their job?!"

And that's the essence of it... she's chosen. She chosen to go to a country knowing she'll have to self isolate on her return.

I paid my cleaner for 10 weeks of lockdown because although she COULD have come out to work (I think) I CHOSE to cancel her until things were a bit clearer . She then CHOSE to come and do very much needed deep clean for free.

Its all about choice and who makes the choice.

LindaEllen · 29/10/2020 13:55

Absolutely don't pay her. Drop her a text and say you hope she had a nice holiday and she can tell you all about it when she's out of quarantine in 2 weeks (or whatever it is).

If she says she doesn't want to quarantine, say that's up to her, but you won't be having her clean for you until after that period is up.

Don't pay her, as your holiday plus quarantine should be assumed to be your time off unless expressly discussed otherwise before the holiday.

roastedsaltedpeanut · 29/10/2020 14:16

Depends on how well she cleans and looks after the house. Good cleaners are like gold dust. It’s not about the money but keeping her so she isn’t snatched away by the other women 😂

If she is mediocre and easily replaceable then absolutely do not pay her and start to ease in another cleaner on alternate days just in case.

Crankley · 29/10/2020 14:30

I also paid my cleaner all through lockdown and always pay if I have to cancel her for any reason. She has recently had a month's holiday to return to her home country and then a 14 day lockdown on her return for which she wasn't paid. It so happens that I had to cancel her for two visits after her lockdown. Today was her first day back and I paid for today and the last two weeks which I cancelled..

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