Cleaners increase in hourly rate

[user1478790138]

Hello

First thread here so pls be gentle.

We have a largeish house in the Nottinghamshire, 6 BR, 4 BA and a fairly large ground floor, 2 children and dogs. Have had a pair of cleaners who come twice a week (initially three times but then it was to hectic for us) for several months now and paid £12ph, they want to increase it to 13.5 now. They do the cleaning and tidying, of which there is a fair amount but I don’t limit them time wise. Not sure now how to react, we’ve had them since March, somehow an increase of 100+ quid a month seems a bit steep in such a short period of time? What would you do??
Thank you

You never tidy before they come? So actually the first part of their time is spent tidying before they can actually do their job and clean? That's pretty rude.

As if cleaners actually want to be able to afford to live, heat their homes and feed their families. The cheek of it!

As if 'unskilled' people have the nerve to ask for a decent wage for the luxury of staying alive and having a decent quality of life!

@madisonbridges I’m an unpaid carer for a family member as well so I can’t increase my hours.

You’re right though, I could just go and get a job as a gardener or cleaner. But then who would fill the skilled roles that people like me, nurses, teachers etc do? You might not think my job is worth much, but we do work for govt departments that make a difference to everyone through policy, in fact I guarantee one of the changes we pushed for will be benefiting almost every parent on here right now, there are so many unseen people behind how society is working.

That’s the risk, I’m all for improving living standards but if the real pay of people in skilled roles is eroded to the extent that they can earn more in an unskilled role then we become a very different society with some worrying implications for some of our most important sectors and services.

We have a large 4 bed. Cleaner does 4 hrs a week including ironing but no tidying. We are 2 adults and 2 small children, dog, 9 indoor guinea pigs. We tidy but don't really clean.
1st year cleaner asked for 8 per hour. 2nd year 10 per hour. 3rd year 12 per hour but I told her we're not going to 14 next year!
It would be nice if she came twice a week but we're ok with what we have now. It sounds like your pay increase is reasonable but I'd expect you to tidy before they clean and this would keep the number of hours down.

I work in An unskilled job, 75% of the team have a degree, you don’t need a degree and I do wonder why they all ended up working with me

Is it due to not everyone needing a degree but Blair pushing for everyone to go to uni?

Get used to it.
If you can find anyone cheaper, that is as good, reliable, and trustworthy...then I bet you can't.
The days of cheap menial labour are being consigned, deservedly, to the past.

[quote RoseStar]@BathMatToe

Your post doesn’t make any sense at all other than making you sound a bit bitter or deranged, hard to tell[/quote]
Awe. That's fine.
Sorry you were confused.

I'm just chuckling at the post. I obviously can't say upfront what I mean as I'll be deleted. You can guess.

@RoseStar. I have no idea what your job is so I'm definitely not saying your job isn't worth much. But presumably before you did and paid for three degrees, you looked at what wage you'd get? And you still decided that's the job you wanted to do. I don't have a degree but for 10 years I did a job for less money than that which was a very worthwhile job indeed. But then I left and without a degree, I did a job for about the same hours and pay as you. No degree. There will be people earning more than you with no degree but will be vital to society in a different way. You can't compare a cleaner or gardeners job to a nurse or a teacher. The latter get paid holidays, sick pay and a guaranteed, protected pension. The former get none of those and gardeners sometimes even can't work because of the weather. People have been paying these wages for quite a while but the amount of kids going to university increases every year. So I think we're OK for skilled jobs at the moment. However, maybe less requirement for people to get degrees and more on the job training and job specific certificates would be better in the long run anyway.

@ivykaty44

I work in An unskilled job, 75% of the team have a degree, you don’t need a degree and I do wonder why they all ended up working with me

Is it due to not everyone needing a degree but Blair pushing for everyone to go to uni?

I just cross posted something similar. But you said it shirter and better! Degrees - a con to get young people of the unemployment register.

I live in Brighton, pay £15 ph

You're taking the piss out of them tbh, OP.

Why are they there for 20 hours a week? That's not cleaning, that's housekeeping in which case you should be employing them, surely?

I pay £16 an hour. We have 2 ladies come in for 2 hours every two weeks. So pay for 4 hours in total.

I tidy before they come. Strip beds (they remake them) and try to clear surfaces so they can clean properly.

The cost of living might not have risen 12.5% since March but its been rising for months very steeply. So they were likely undercharging.

Cleaners are a luxury. If you don't want to pay their rate don't pay it. But don't haggle for a lower rate. Especially not when have a big house.

My friends mum once put a trainer in the microwave as the cleaner was coming. It's the norm to tidy before the cleaner comes and agree a set amount of hours that they are working for upfront.

I believe where I live £15/hour is the going rate (I don't have a cleaner but recently heard some neighbours discussing their cleaner had put prices up to £15 and others agreeing that was the going rate)
I think its here nor there how big your house is in terms of what you pay. I thought most people paid for x hours cleaning , x times a week. I guess its going to be more expensive if you've got a bigger house and want them to do all of it, unless you want to supplement with cleaning some rooms and leave them to do kitchen and bathroom for example.
The problem with percentage increases is that if working with small numbers it can get faffy and silly to do for example a 5% increase. Its easier to round up to nearest £ or 50p especially if some people pay cash. Finding change because their new rate was 12.60 for example might be a pain.

they want to increase it to 13.5 now

Why did they both want to increase their rate? Are you worried that they may be colluding in some way and may want to increase their rate again soon? This set up would make me slightly uncomfortable

Just as an aside, you may want to remove your post code from your OP, as it could be outing

@crossstitchingnana

I can't believe how much cleaners get per hour. I have trained for 3 years to become a therapist and I don't get that. 😥

Really? what kind of therapist? My friend is a therapist and charges around £65 p/h

Just realised it's not your post code Disregard my last comment

@mustlovegin

they want to increase it to 13.5 now

Why did they both want to increase their rate? Are you worried that they may be colluding in some way and may want to increase their rate again soon? This set up would make me slightly uncomfortable

Just as an aside, you may want to remove your post code from your OP, as it could be outing

I read it that they worked together. So obviously they'd want to be paid the same. No?

@seaandsandcastles

I’ve never tidied or cleaned ahead of cleaners as I see it as part of their job

That’s your problem - tidying is not part of their job. It’s actually really lazy of you to just leave the place a complete tip, not even bother tidying for them, and expect them to just come and sort it all out for you.

Gosh, I’d be mortified if I were you. I’d be so embarrassed if I hadn’t even made the basic effort to tidy so they could actually do their job.

Surely the ‘job’ is whatever is negotiated between the OP and the cleaners? OP has explained that they do not have a specific list of jobs, but work to keep her house in order. If that includes tidying, so what? Tidying away toys, putting clothes away is no more onerous than cleaning a bathroom, and they are paid for the tidying.

@mustlovegin. And 6BR is 6 bedrooms and 4 BA is bathrooms.

@Canii

If that cleaner worked full time then she’s getting paid more than the starting salary for a nurse! Either that’s too high for a cleaner or nurses are being seriously underpaid!!

Nurses are being seriously underpaid. But...

Nurses get sick leave, annual leave, study leave and maternity leave paid. If cleaners don't work they don't get paid. Even if the reason is that you cancelled them.

Nurses have good pay progression and possibilities for career advancement. Cleaners will be still on the same pay rate in 10 years time.

Nurses get a final salary pension with employer contributions. Cleaners will have - at best - a private pension which they pay for.

Nurses will not be paying for the equipment and materials they need to do their job. Cleaners likely will.

If the cleaner is through an agency, then that £13.50 won't be what they get. It'll be what the agency gets. The cleaner will get say £9 per hour.

If the cleaner is self employed, then they'll be doing a fair chunk of invisible hours (admin, answering queries, booking slots, buying cleaning spray). Nurses won't be.

It's not a high hourly rate is it?

They may not have increased their prices for a long time.

You sound happy with them, think you should hang onto them.

If you feel they're efficient, get whatever they choose to do done in a reasonable time, then I'd concentrate on the value rather than the price and yes I'd pay the increased hourly rate.

Good cleaners are like gold dust - you could employ someone else and find they get half the amount done.

If you want to limit the increase, then maybe agree set hours with them that you can budget for.

Both in on it? My goodness, whatis wrong woth some people? They work together, of course they discuss wages and want to be paid the same!

And what's with anyone coming on and saying other occupations don't get paid that much. Become a cleaner then, if you're that put out...
It's a worthy, hard working occupation but easy to get into.