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.

I’ve had house cleaners since I started FT work.
In my over 30 years experience a 3 hour clean has never worked. It’s a long time to clean well. I now do 2 and a half hours. My home sometimes needs extra cleaning so I book the occasional extra day.
3 hours just doesn’t seem to work. I had one cleaner who wanted a break ever hour. I don’t mind if the work is done well. I always have tea and coffee if they wish.
I don’t like cleaners coming in pairs. My house, my rules and it just doesn’t work for me.
It’s only the very occasional hiccup that’s happened over the years.
When you have a good cleaner, treat them well. I hope I have. They become invaluable.

Why employ her for the last 8 months? 😳

I am surprised you are asking the question! Find another cleaner.

Hang on. She’s pissed off that you’ve said no more after she cancelled, and that she’d factored that money into her Christmas spend, but she cancelled, but you’re in the wrong?

regardless of anything else, she cancelled and you needed a service she had lacked in providing previously but you continued to pay for, nope. Sack her and bill her for 15 minutes for each visit since she started. Absolute piss taker.

Yanbu
You don't owe her a penny
There is no such thing as. Notice being required when someone fails to turn up for work !
She's running such a scam

Block her number and get a better cleaner
Next time don't tolerate this level of poor service, dishonesty and unreliability. You are well rid.

Don't pay when someone is off sick. She is self employed. She took advantage of you. Nothing to do with Xmas. She expects paying for doing nothing??

YANBU. If I wasn't doing my job, and my boss/customer had already made their concerns clear, I'd be sacked regardless of the time of year. I sacked my cleaner a few months ago for similar reasons and ultimately that's the nature of the job. There's no guaranteed security so if you're taking the piss it serves you right.

You are not sacking her unless you did employ her . That would mean you issued the contract. She comes exactly when you want. Can’t send someone else . You pay holiday pay.
I expect she was self employed and gave you her terms of service .Has multiple clients , works times acceptable to her and tells you when she is unavailable. Can send someone in her place .
You have cancelled her service .

Stop replying. Get your key back and walk away. Good luck in finding a good cleaner!

No, YANBU. You’ve given her ample opportunities, and still she is messing you about. You owe her nothing at all, don’t give in to her blackmail. Above all, pay her not a penny that she hasn’t actually worked for.

I don't understand why you paid her when she called in sick! It was kind of you, but I suspect it backfired as it would have actually encouraged her just to call in sick when she felt like it! I also would have fired her after the hoover incident

My Late Mother had a wonderful cleaner, who did all sorts of things to help her, other than just cleaning and she never charged for time off of any description. They are out there!

Such a middle class issue

So what is if it with is? Do you comment on the threads about benefits and the housing association with "such a working class issue"? But some people have cleaners because they aren't physically able to do it themselves regardless of their "class".

I always paid my cleaner straight after she has finished. £45 for 3 hours.

She started turning up 15 minutes later, and leaving 30 minutes earlier and after a few weeks, I only paid her £33.75 for the time. Neither of us mentioned it , but the following week she did a much better job and arrived/left on time.

Don't allow CF to get away with anything.

I’ve done cleaning in the past, in three hours your house should be gleaming. You certainly shouldn’t be feeling bad about sacking her,

As a self-employed person, there are often grey areas around the question of whether someone is self employed or an employee - but this isn't one of them.

I always take issue with the "can send someone else in their place" - well maybe, but not always. I know and trust my cleaner and I would not be happy if a randomer pitched up to clean my house saying cleaner had sent them. Similarly, in my field people come to me because I have experience in their type of job, or they've worked with me in the past and trust that I will deliver as promised. I can't then pass work on to a friend and think that's OK. In SOME areas that might be fine - if you're hiring a man with a van for a one off job for example, and Dave turns up instead of Steve. It's still a man with a van. But in general, it's fairly poor criteria. Better criteria for many situations is that you work for several clients over the course of a week, set your own hours, set your own charges, can refuse/accept work as suits you etc.

It's just one criteria and the answer in itself doesn't say whether someone is self employed or not. Its just part of the overall picture. Several different criteria are looked at together, and no one aspect should be looked at in isolation.

As you say, a substitute cannot always be used, especially if specialised etc.

YANBU however you should pay the notice you agreed.

If her standard hours are 3 hrs per week, you should pay her the 6 hrs. Saying you've paid for more hours than she's done in the past so that's her notice, is not fair IMO. You chose to pay her when she wasn't doing the full hours. You chose not to let her go when she was clearly not doing what you paid for. That's on you, not her.

I'd maybe say that you'll go e her half ie 3 hrs pay, as this isn't notice - you're sacking her for not doing her job properly and for not stepping up after numerous Frank discussions about expectations.

She has clearly been taking the mick since day one.

YANBU - she has been taking the piss out out of you for the whole 9 months and will continue to do so. Well rid.

The cleaner is very much a CF. I'm assuming that the OP is embarrassed, or unwilling to have a confrontation, so gave in and paid. People saying that she should give her severance, or that it's her own fault for paying in full for a short shift etc probably just don't get that.

YANBU. I’d have got rid when I found her standing around with the vacuum sets just switched on for effect, what a pisstaker.

You are not a charity.

@Daffi I clean for 2 ladies that pay me from PIP as they're physically unable to do it themselves, neither are middle class so not necessarily a middle class problem at all!