To sack cleaner for this?

[Katrinawaves]

My husband and I had a mix up today and both left cash out to pay the cleaner. She has taken both lots of cash so double her normal payment for the day. Would I be unreasonable to sack her for this? My husband is saying we should just not pay her next week but I am concerned now about her honesty. What would you do?

I don’t think it’s dishonest to take cash that was left for her, most people would assume it’s a bonus. Sounds like you guys are embarrassed about making such a dumb error and are blaming her to feel better about it.

Just tell her there was a mistake and don’t leave out any cash next week.

Just message her and say “Hi x, Just realised DH left you money out as well as me for today. Let’s offset against next time. See you next Friday”

You’re not very kind, @ExpectMore

I never cease to be amazed on this site of the number of posts, supposedly from professional adults, whose staff management and communication skills disappear when it comes to dealing with cleaners and nannies.

I agree. Women are socialised to feel guilty about not doing their own domestic labour so they don't manage nannies and cleaners as well as they should. You see all kinds of excuses made for blatantly poor behaviour from cleaners and nannies and women are expected to be kind and nice and grateful.

You need to be able to trust someone with a key to your home.

YABU

Like others, if I'd picked something up from a specific location and it reappeared an hour later in the same location, I'd have assumed that I hadn't already picked it up.

If you can't contact her to clarify, then she can't contact you either.

It sounds innocent to me.

I don't understand why you'd not speak to her.
If not you'll never trust her.
She shouldn't have taken two lots of money. I certainly wouldn't arbitrarily sack her with no conversation.

How often has she been with you op?

mine with me for 10 years. I trust her implicitly. She could take £1000 from the kitchen counter and my first instinct would not be theft but simple misunderstanding. And I would be floored if I was wrong.

Good god. Thank god I don’t work for someone so idiotic as to think of sacking me for their mistake.

bloody hell it must be awful.

Bloomin heck Op. I knew I remembered your user name. You are THE most forgiving person on the planet if you’re still with your DH, so I’m gob smacked you are being so quick to want to sack your cleaner on a suspicion

Are you quite certain that absent minded DH actually left the money? I think there might be a question there.

Especially if he's got form for being slippery (never saw any other thread).

You'd assume that money that wasn't left with your normal payment and placed there afterwards was a bonus and wouldn't check? You'd just take £100 instead of £50 because it was in a certain place so it must be yours?

Absolutely this!

If you know the Op from previous threads, you will know your DH is a very very competent liar who is pretty morally abhorrent

That’s stealing in my book.

Presumably two separate piles of notes.

I’d definitely not want her back on trust issues alone.
( Have never had a cleaner though)
But they should be trustworthy.

She knows her rate of pay. She took double.

Speak to her.

I think this is the only way to deal with it. Maybe she thought you were paying for two weeks for some reason.

And you need not to assume someone is a thief, simply because they are not family or they are subordinate in your hierarchy.

You wouldn't do that in the workplace (well you might, if you fancy a visit to a tribunal) so why would you do it in the home instead of having a simple conversation? Especially when your DH has form for lying.

I agree she should have asked,maybe you were on a video call? But as you left it there in these circumstances she maybe thought you'd left a thank you bonus?
You need to ask her to her face to read her true reply.

Well said.

@ChaosDemon

It sounds like both lots of cash were in two separate places, otherwise whoever put the second lot down (Dh or the OP) would have seen the first lot?*

It says it was left on the hall table both times.

Ah, but in a subservient position like cleaning you're not allowed to make simple mistakes or be absent minded like this.

If you're in that kind of job and do something like that it automatically makes you a thief, and you have only done it because you're trying to trick everyone else out of their hard earned cash because you're too lazy and uninspired to work hard enough yourself.

And a known liar and incompetent who is not in a subservient position is believed instead.

I have a cleaner. I leave her money on hall table
I also leave money in a sort of fruit bowl on hall table for my teenager.

My cleaner would NEVER touch a penny that doesn't belong to her. Never

Wonder if the OP set this as a test. If not, communication and organisation skills, are lacking.

I once got left £60 for a £50 clean. I took it but immediately spoke to the cleaning company I worked for to tell them that I didn't have change and to ask the customer to take it off next week's payment.

I don't think I'd be concerned that she took it (maybe she's got a big bill this week, maybe she just had a brain fart?), but I would be upset that she didn't communicate it to you via a quick text or something.