Cleaner left 40 minutes early because I wasn't home

[Scarletthoo2]

Our cleaner only did 1 hour and 20 minutes when I pay her for 2 hours. She doesn't realise I have a ring doorbell and majority of the time I'm working from home so I know when she arrives and leaves. However, I'm away for work and she is aware of that. I caught her arriving at 11:33 and leaving at 12:53. I'm obviously really pissed off about it. Do I mention it to her and let her know I can see her or just send her half of the money? She left 40 minutes early.

You also can’t give a cleaner “the sack”.

You’re simply paying for a service they provide which you can stop using at any time.
In that sense, I agree with others- the hourly rate is a guide to the cost of a clean- it may take slightly longer or on occasion slightly less time.

Most self employed will charge by the hour- ie if I was asked to do an extra 40 mins, I would charge a full hour. I’d also round down to the nearest hour if it was an extra 15 mins or so.

Of course if you’re employing them on a contract with sick pay, holiday pay and a pension then you can fire them for breach of contracted hours.

Politely ask, as PPs have said. I'd probably ask whether she wants to come back later in the week or whether she'd like to add the missed time onto the next time she scheduled to clean for you.

If she has got everything finished in that time I'd change your agreement and payment to 1.5 hours going forwards as she doesn't seem to need the full 2 hours.

Totally agree with this. But she shouldn’t have lied about it. There will probably have been times when she has stayed longer and it will even out.

I've done cleaning and some days I could do all jobs needed to do in less time so left early because everything was spot on and I'd fulfilled my jobs.

@SmileyClare . Yes totally agree with what you have said as I’m also a self employed cleaner! I never leave early as I like to complete the clean to a good standard . I work over my time and never ask for any more money . It’s seems on mumsnet if you are a cleaner you untrustworthy, useless at cleaning and cant use your initiative . so if that’s the case why does everybody want a cleaner . And if you have gone through more than 25 cleaners than there is something seriously wrong !

I was thinking exactly the same!
I am a cleaner, I always make sure I do the full hours I am paid for. Like others have said, there is always something you can find to do.

@Wavinggoodbyetoo

yeah op! You should pay her the full amount. Plus maybe a little bonus too!

How dare you complain?!

you should just be grateful you have a cleaner!

@worryingalot

would you? Even though you might be being ripped off? Why?!

@YukoandHiro

well yeah, most of us can’t just leave work when we feel we have finished! There is always other stuff to be doing. And if we can’t identify what then our boss sure will.

what wealth got to do with it?

Perhaps you don’t work in a job with a bit of autonomy, more of a drone eh @LuckySantangelo35 ?
I treat my cleaner with a bit of human understanding, we all want to bunk off sometimes!

No need to resort to hyperbole.

Most people suggested pulling her up on it and giving her some sort of verbal warning, and asking her to make up the extra time.

It does seem heavy handed to end the whole arrangement when there’s never been a problem before? And start inferring that she’s not to be trusted around anyones belongings?

Its not ideal to bluff your way out of leaving early I agree. MN want to label her as a liar a back stabber and a thief based on this one off event.

All the decent cleaners are fully booked with waiting lists in my area so it’s true that it’s not easy to find someone new. I can afford to be quite picky when taking on a new customer.

Hello to fellow cleaner @Hocuspocus99

I never time our cleaner it's more about is the job done surely. Also depending on how much money you have it's a bit petty to penalise someone if there is a significant gap in earnings. Our cleaner had toothache the other day and left after a 1/4 of job for emergency dental app. I still paid full amount because we can afford to and times are tough for most at present.

@Oaktree55

that is a completely different situation to OP’s

Not really as I said I wouldn't dream of timing someone. Is the job they normally do done? I would not expect someone to start emptying cupboards etc if they had "spare" time. This is beyond a normal clean. I do ask our cleaner to do extra jobs when we are on holiday etc but would not expect them as part of a standard clean.

Harsh! Surely the fact you are away at the moment means the house needed less of a clean?

@Oaktree55

finishing the job to standard 5-10 mins earlier than expected- yeah fine. Believable. No issue.

finishing the job to standard 40 mins earlier than expected - Nah don’t believe it! And in the real world most people would have an issue with it

You’re quite invested in getting your pound of flesh aren’t you? Not everyone takes the piss constantly, I’d hate to work for someone like you, talk about beating with a stick. Fortunately I have my own company, and let my employees have lots of freedom. Seems to work well, even if they do bunk off occasionally!

It seems like a one off and perhaps all the cleaning had been done. If it was a pattern of behaviour I’d be more concerned. I don’t think it’s worth it for this if generally happy with the cleaner. The job was presumably done to an acceptable standard for her to leave.

To everyone saying I'm being harsh or mean, not only did she leave 40 minutes early, she also was given the chance to explain why she left and she lied directly to me even though I told her I had evidence, she just blamed it on her messing the timing up. She didn't even have the audacity to text me to let me know she was leaving early and tried wriggling her way out of it. She's a good cleaner but I'm also very good to her too, I let her have a coffee when she arrives, we chat and have a good working relationship. Wasn't worth the lie and I won't ever trust her again now

Ignore the idiots people saying you were too harsh on a liar who worked for 20% less time than you paid for.

As if Tescos/Sainsburys/ MollyMaids etc would be happy with people being paid for an 8 hour shift and then leaving after 6 hours! To cries of "oh be fair", "she does a good job when she's here", "be thankful she worked for you in the first place".

Why does this cleaner get a "pass" for dishonest behaviour when 99.9% of the rest of us don't!

Her partner is still there and in contact with her about it.

Very few people live alone in this day and age.

lokienji · Yesterday 14:25
Was 2hrs of work done in 1hr 20 minutes though? Depends how clean your house looks when you get home. I’d send the full amount for now and not invite her back if it’s not done to standard”

How does that work? 2 hours of work is what you can get done in 2 hours, surely?

I don't believe for one second you either pay your employees 20% more than their contract wage or just let them just not work for 20% of the contracted time.

If you do then you either business unsavvy, a doormat, very rich or of interest to the tax man because your doing something very suspicious.

According to the Oxford dictionary:

The Sack = informal
dismiss from employment.

Employment = noun
the state of having paid work.

OP is dismissing her from paid work therefore she gave her 'the sack'.

Definitely? Or could this be a weird time difference thing as your abroad?

How good is her cleaning? If she's brilliant I'd let it slide?