To have sacked cleaner so close to Christmas ?

[rubbishcleaner]

I’ve had a cleaner for approx 9 months and literally only the first 2 visits were ok.

Every single other time she’s been 5/10 mins late (sometimes 15 mins) and leaves between 15-30 mins early.

The first visits the cleaning was to an ok standard but then things started going downhill . No dusting done at all so I asked could the dusting and hoovering be the priority . Then for a few visits she spent 80% of the time upstairs continuously hoovering so I went up one day and the hoover was just on - she wasn’t actually hoovering! I asked could we please have a chat and I’d let her know my expectations and she could let me know what was and wasn’t working for her as I wanted to give her another chance. We drew up a list of what was achievable in the 3 hours and I mentioned again about it being a full 3 hours as on average she had been doing 2hr 15 min or 2hr 30 min when I booked 3 hours .

Nothing changed and I had to ask again for her to stay for the whole time and if she couldn’t find something to do to just please ask and I could let her know what needed doing.

Then she started cancelling on the morning she was due to come saying she had an appointment (so not like an unexpected illness something she could have told me about the week before ?)

I booked in an extra 2 days for the week before Xmas and she agreed . Now she’s cancelled and I’ve had to say that’s it. Apparently I’m out of order for sacking someone so close to Christmas when I had booked extra hours and she says she had factored that in and needed the extra money for Xmas but I’ve tried to be reasonable and I’m getting nowhere at all.

You owe her nothing and she’s clearly not your employee.

i have a brilliant cleaner right now but had one from an agency that properly took the piss. I canned it very quickly and gave notice to the agency as I didn’t trust them not to replace her with someone better. One week she did 1h30 and a shoddy job when I was paying for 3 hours.

I used to be a cleaner. I'd like to think I was a good one! She is taking the piss. She should be arriving slightly earlier to get her cleaning supplies ready and assessing what needs to be done. She should be finished before her finishing time to double check everything to make sure there's nothing that has been missed. You are paying for a service, perhaps she needs to look for a different job that doesn't require an eye for detail! Hope you get a better cleaner in the new year OP

Of course yanbu , you gave her ample opportunities to change, to discuss work problems and she chose to do neither.
And no, you don’t owe her money either.

I’m a cleaner and sometimes late due to traffic ext
but your one is taking the Pisa leaving the hoover on pretending she is doing something is not okay tbh
I always do extra things like clean windows ext but sometimes do leave early or leave later at no charge.

Whenever you had sacked her, she would have found a reason you were unjustified in doing so - the Christmas thing is just the current one. People like that never change and think the world owes them a living. Get rid, ignore her bleating and get a better cleaner.

Leaving the hoover on but not hoovering? 😂 Not overly professional, was she?

Merry Christmas and you can look forward to a new year without a hopeless cleaner.

Good cleaners are out there. We had one for years who, if she did turn up late, would work the extra 10-15 minutes to ensure she was working the full agreed time. This was her doing, we didn't insist on it at all! She'd do extra jobs like ironing without being asked. She'd let the dogs out if we couldn't make it home at lunchtime, would house-sit/dog-sit when we were away on holiday etc. Needless to say if ever she was off ill or on holiday we still paid her. She's still a close friend of the family. Sadly she retired and we've tried various agency cleaners since and it's been the usual mobile phones, cigarette breaks etc etc when they're only there 2-3 hrs.
Usually SE local cleaners are preferable as it's their reputation on the line if they mess up. Agency cleaners don't seem to care as much. Also I hate the idea of randomers in my house every week who I don't know from Adam.

It would be only be acceptable for her to have left the hoover running when she felt ill if she was having a heart attack. It isn’t a normal response to leave it on - you’d automatically switch it off and then sit down unless you were very ill. She was taking the proverbial and I would point that out.

Where are all these clients that pay cleaners even when they don't show up?! I'm a cleaner (a bloody good one) and I've never been paid for sick days or holiday. Although, I've only been sick once and had 1 holiday in 2 years. Perhaps I need to start calling in sick more to see who still pays! 🤣

The only unreasonableness was not sacking her a while ago.

Its for similar reasons I no longer employ a cleaner.

@Quveas This is not true, please check your facts. The cleaner will be self-employed.

Same story for each and every cleaner I’ve ever hired. I’ve given up now and spend the saved money on gin. If you drink enough you can’t see the dust.

“so I went up one day and the hoover was just on - she wasn’t actually hoovering”

Why were you so wet back then?! 😳
I can understand someone seeing the best in others or trying to be kind about standards - or even accepting lateness cos they’re desperate for a cleaner. But you actually caught her running a vacuum cleaner to trick you, and didn’t tell her not to come back then? 🤣

in shock that she wants to be paid for hours she has cancelled herself!!
I’ve never heard such cheeky entitled nonsense in my life!!!

You did the right thing

"Overview
You’re usually considered the employer of a nanny, housekeeper, gardener or anyone else who works in your home if both:

you hire them
they’re not self-employed or paid through an agency
This means you have certain responsibilities, like meeting the employee’s rights and deducting the right tax."

www.gov.uk/au-pairs-employment-law

That was easy. You owe her nothing.

Unfortunately my friend has been through 3 awful agency cleaners who quite clearly didn't want to be doing the job at all. Decent ones are worth their weight in gold.

It may be the law in your tiny mind, but it certainly isn't uk law. A cleaner is self employed so employment law does not come into it. Unless there is a contract in place setting out notice periods, there is no notice needed, no holiday pay due because self employed people don't get holiday pay. Quit giving legal advice unless you actually the law.

Tell her to do one. What an absolute piss taker.

I agree with everyone. She was lucky you kept her for so long ...... and I can't believe that she expected paid for the extra hours that you asked her to do when she had no intention of doing them!! Incredible.

Wow, she saw you coming. U paid her when she cancelled, you still paid the full 3 hours when she was late and left early and allowed her to never actually clean? No wonder she was taking the piss out of you, you facilitated it.

A cleaner who:
has several clients at the same time
sets their own fees
chooses when they are available and can cancel or rearrange
can send someone else in their place (eg lots of cleaners sometimes bring someone else with them to do the same hours in half the time, or offer a replacement if they are ill)
might provide their own equipment

certainly passes the criteria for self employment.

I booked in an extra 2 days for the week before Xmas and she agreed . Now she’s cancelled and I’ve had to say that’s it. Apparently I’m out of order for sacking someone so close to Christmas when I had booked extra hours and she says she had factored that in and needed the extra money for Xmas

  Er,  in that case why did she cancel the opportunity to earn more? :-)

She's been playing you for months, sacking was long overdue.

I hope she hasn't got keys to your house

I would have sacked after first incident

As someone who is self employed also (not a cleaner though) it sounds like she doesn’t really want to go your house so I wouldn’t feel bad about it