To want my cleaner to work New Year’s Eve?

[Merryoldgoat]

This is obviously a first world problem - I’m not ‘seething’, ‘in a quandary’ or ‘really concerned’. I’m just not sure so asking for opinions.

My cleaner works for us on Thursdays. This year Christmas Eve and NYE are Thursdays.

I’ve already told her I don’t expect her to work Christmas Eve - I will pay her as normal.

Should I give her NYE off too? If I did I’d pay her.

On the one hand we’ll all be home so cleaning won’t be so easy for her, on the other the hand it will need a good going over by then.

The money isn’t an issue - it’s more will I value the clean or will it be more hassle to get the house in a reasonable state to clean beforehand?

YABU - of course you should give her NYE off

YANBU - NYE is a normal day for most so let her come.

Also concerned about the household mixing - normally no one except for DH is here when she cleans - I don’t want to put anyone at risk unnecessarily.

I don’t pay when my cleaner doesn’t work & I leave it to her to decide whether she works or not on those days or chooses to come at another time.

The fact I don’t pay makes that a simpler decision. I also give a Christmas bonus which means I don’t feel bad that she’s short, she can choose whether to have all her income plus a bonus or whether to treat the bonus as money for the days she’s not working (without needing to work them).

The fact you pay for non working days makes it trickier.

HitthatroadJack you think the cleaner is the OPs 'employee'?

This is very easy to sort out.

Text: “hi, are you taking any time off over exams and new year?”

Done.

Exams?? Xmas!!

It's a normal working day, and I don't know any business giving the day off to their employees, at best you leave 1 hour or so early.

Both DH and my employer give us the days between Christmas and New Year as free paid holiday - non-contractual but it doesn’t come out of our holiday allowance.

I wouldn't expect her to work. Or want her to work because I'd be getting food and stuff ready for the evening and getting dressed. You'd be in her way, she'll be in your way.

if she's self employed then its her choice really, so yabu.
Also, when I worked for an employer I never worked xmas eve or new years eve, except when I was younger doing bar work and I got paid double time for working those days then.

@CrotchBurn

'Ave an 'eart, guvna!

@Smallsteps88

This is very easy to sort out.

Text: “hi, are you taking any time off over exams and new year?”

Done.

Sorry if I’m not clear - she will happily come NYE.

I’m wondering if I should tell her not to as we’ll all be here, we’d need to get it clear (post-Christmas toy carnage) and there’d be household mixing more than usual.

I am happy to pay her whatever.

Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are not Bank Hols. Of course she should work, especially if she’ll be finished by midday.

As a self employed person I'd happily work NYE if I could be on and out by the afternoon.

Presuming she is self-employed, its up to her whether she works or not.
It's not up to you to "give her a day off".
Unless you are paying her tax, NI and pension?

Our employees have CE, CD, BD, NYE NYD off at least. It comes out their holidays though. The days in between are on-call days, which they usually dont work but dont come out their holidays.

[quote Ohtherewearethen]@PerveenMistry - Be kind?! Really? What if all staff, all over the country wanted the day off, paid? And as for asking why the family can't do the cleaning, well, cleaners would then be redundant wouldn't they?

You'd best best is to just ask her. She is self employed and can dictate her own hours of work and Ts&C's. It might be that she'll prefer to come in, it might be that she would appreciate being able to be flexible with when she comes in or she might be very glad of a day off before Christmas. It's not really up to us to decide.
I actually don't think it would be bad to keep to her days and expect her to come in on Christmas Eve and New year's Eve but I would give her a little extra.[/quote]
Yes, really.

One reaps what one sows.

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

Presuming she is self-employed, its up to her whether she works or not. It's not up to you to "give her a day off". Unless you are paying her tax, NI and pension?

No, but I can say ‘it’s ok cleaner, I don’t need you NYE but obviously I’ll pay as normal’

I’m not trying to be lady bountiful - just trying to balance what I want, what I need, and what’s convenient.

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

Presuming she is self-employed, its up to her whether she works or not. It's not up to you to "give her a day off". Unless you are paying her tax, NI and pension?

But it is up to the OP as to pay or not.

I'd pay. Especially during a pandemic when she'd be in the house with extra people.

No harm in being a bit kinder to service workers than is actually "required."

@Laiste

HitthatroadJack you think the cleaner is the OPs 'employee'?

It's hardly an insult to be an employee!

No, I was merely making the point that businesses/shops/ surgeries are opened and working as usual, people working as normal so it's not unreasonable to expect a self-employed person to work - unless they have already warned you they are off that day.

Schools are shut, everybody else is pretty much opened.

New Year's Day is a bank holiday, not New Year's Eve.

It's not a bank holiday so I don't see why she shouldn't. I get New Year's eve off as my workplace shuts down for Christmas but I have to use it out of my annual leave allowance.

I'm not sure how this works but I presume if she's self employed then if she wanted time off at Christmas that would be in the contract? My childminder takes annual leave, she sends the dates out well in advance.
It sounds like she's working New years eve so if you need her to clean then have her clean. If you don't want a clean of course you should pay her as you're booked in and she's willing to work.

If it was me I'd ask her not to come and pay her.

Same here - Thursday is the day that the cleanse comes. She is happily coming Xmas Eve & NYE. I'll be giving her double pay as a Xmas bonus

Sorry if I’m not clear - she will happily come NYE.

I’m wondering if I should tell her not to as we’ll all be here, we’d need to get it clear (post-Christmas toy carnage) and there’d be household mixing more than usual.

I am happy to pay her whatever.

Right. No that wasn’t clear. So this is really about whether you can be bothered clearing up mess and clearing out of the house on NYE to let her clean properly.

If you want the house done well then yes, you should make the effort. Depends how much you want that cleaning done.

Personally as a cleaner I wouldn’t be comfortable cleaning with the family in the house, particularly with the covid risk of lots of Xmas socialising.

Christmas Eve is not a bank holiday either, but it's considered nice to be more flexible, knowing that things will also be shut for at least 2 days after, and it's a family thing etc.

It's usual to let people leave early unless they are absolutely necessary.

No such thing for New Year's Eve.

You are in a very fortunate position if you get the extra days as "paid leave" which don't come out of your annual allowance. Both those days are normal working days for most people; I shall be working and my DH has to take the days between Christmas and New Year as part of his annual allowance, whether he wants to or not. (He doesn't).
I would assume your cleaner is happy to work as normal unless she has said otherwise. Give her an extra bonus if you wish to.

Merryoldgoat Just say that then. I think many of the snotty answers here (including mine) are aimed at the posters who seem to think somehow they are an employer when they are in fact a client.

Christmas Eve and NYE are normal working days, no?