Cleaner

[littlemousebigcheese]

Hi! We use a cleaning company and have had the same great woman come out for over a year now. The company have recently switched us to a new woman who seems lovely but we are struggling a bit with one thing.
We have three hours cleaning once a week and our old cleaner would do the three bathrooms, mop downstairs floors, hoover upstairs landings and bedrooms and general pottering about. The new one, however, keeps stopping for breaks. She spent twenty minutes reading a magazine with a cup of tea yesterday!! She washed up the cup obviously so whatever but it's strange?! She also takes a five/ten minute break at other points as well where she will sit down with her phone and watch a YouTube video or something. I asked her about this as it adds up to about thirty minutes of the three hour session and she said legally she is entitled to these breaks so I backed off but husband said that's ridiculous. That three hours doesn't warrant a break like that?
I'm not an ogre, if the woman wants a break that's fine but she's just not getting the same amount done as our old cleaner and I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable me or not to expect her to not have as many stops during the clean?

I'd complain to the cleaning company and ask for someone else. Surely her breaks should be done between hoisecleans and not during the time you are paying for 🤦‍♀️

She’s talking rubbish. There is no legal entitlement to a break in a 3 hour stint.
From Gov.UK : Rest breaks at work
Workers have the right to one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than 6 hours a day. This could be a tea or lunch break.

The break doesn’t have to be paid - it depends on their employment contract.

I’d complain to the agency, tell them to send someone more suitable.

Im a cleaner and most of my jobs are 3 hours. I certainly dont take nor need a break. I would say she sounds a lazy sod. Some customers, if home offer me a cuppa or we might chat for 5 minutes but that is that, then its time to crack on. I would definitely report to the agency.

Our cleaner comes for 3 hours and works solidly - no breaks! I mean I wouldn't mind if she felt like she needed a quick break but she doesn't. I assume she has time for breaks between houses.

I'm a cleaner too and i'd say lazy cow!
No breaks here, i might have a cuppa while i'm doing a 4hr clean, but thats periodically sipping, not stopping (tbh it usually goes cold before ive finished)
If you pay for 3 hours work, you should expect 3 hours work, defo complain!

Arg!, your cleaners a lazy cow, not me

Me

My parents had an agency cleaner the other day. She said she did a "deep clean" and was angling for a tip. She took 2 hours to clean downstairs instead of the 3 they'd booked (but they only paid her for 2 thankfully). There were crumbs still on the kitchen counter! (My parents can't see that well). The kitchen was filthy... I'm not sure she'd touched it. It took me an hour to do it properly. She could have used the 3 hours and actually done it properly but too much elbow grease clearly.

You

Your DH is correct, and you’re not an ogre! As @Ohtoberoavingagain says, legal entitlement to breaks come in at the 6 hour point - if you’re using an agency, she is their employee, not yours, so up to them to organise when she should be taking her breaks, and in between jobs is logical.

I’m guessing she must be VERY new to this?

Our cleaners (there are 2 who work together) only come for 1 hour cleans now but their first session was a 3 hour deeper clean. Neither of them took a break and worked solidly, phones nowhere to be seen. I offered biscuits / tea a few times but they kept declining! Your cleaner is crap!

Alwayyyys
And forever!

Address it with the company immediately. She's entitled to breaks, yes, but not breaks that you're paying for. She should have them between calls.