Cleaner leaving 1.5 hours early

[IwaswasntI]

We have/had a very efficient cleaner. She wanted as many hours as possible so we paid her twice a week for four hours a time.

She started off brilliantly and did lots in that time including tidying as well as cleaning but since moving further away, she has really cut down what she does to a basic clean and leaves after 2.5 hours. I offered to reduce her hours or days and said it was fine if she wanted to go elsewhere as the travel time is long but she insisted she likes coming to us.

She was really struggling with cost of living and health issues so I did not force the issue until she had fully recovered.

Last week she left really early - 2.5 hours - and I noticed the top floor barely looked touched and sent a text - her English is minimal.

I started by praising things she had done well but added I noticed the floor upstairs looked untouched and that it may be the vacuum bag needed changing but also saying I noticed she was only staying for 2.5 hours and wondered if she wanted to change her hours as there is always something to do to fill the time. I listed a few things eg making sure the bins are emptied (which she has stopped doing). I said that if she needed to leave half an hour early, I could accommodate as I know she tries to work between school hours.

The tone I thought was friendly. Her English is not strong enough to have this conversation face to face and she is always racing out the door.

Do cleaners get paid per job rather than per hour now? The quality of most her work is good for the time it takes but the house is too big to clean it properly in 2.5 hours - even twice a week as inevitably the main rooms need going over again.

We pay £14 an hour but it’s more like £20 when you look at the hours worked.

She has not replied to my question of whether she is coming today or tomorrow so suspect she has binned us.

AIBU in (gently) calling out the hours worked?

I will message later to say I hope she’s not offended as that was not my intention. DH thinks she’s taking the piss. I think she is very understandably thin-skinned having learned a bit about her background. I tried to be as nice as possible in delivering the feedback. Argh!

The reality is the standard of cleaning is really poor from most people we have used and I can’t entirely blame them as it is a job I hate too

So do I OP, but then that's why I do my own but don't hire myself out to clean

Nobody has to do this as a job and they don't get to call themselves "professionals" if they're going to behave in a thoroughly non-professional way

Do not text her asking if you've offended her. See if and when she turns up. It sounds like you have been accommodating and she has taken the piss, which is unfortunate. Hopefully, that message will have got through and she'll up her game again, even if she doesn't acknowledge that's what she's doing.

I think some flex on hours for a good, reliable cleaner is fair enough - same as with any job really. But there's flex and there's taking the piss and she's tipped over. My cleaners left early last week. I'm okay with it as a) the house was still clean and b) they were here a bit longer the week before. But if it happens consistently, that's a different issue.

Cleaning is generally something that women fall into because they’re not qualified or they’ve been out of work for a while. Or they have mental/physical health problems and need something flexible.

They probably start off well because they have more energy but it really is an exhausting job, especially in hot weather so they burn out very quickly. I don’t think they’re deliberately taking the piss.

“I wish I was one of these OCD type women”

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

I think last weel where she dashed off because her son had a fall should be met with some compassion. However if she's always leaving early and there's still things to do then a firm but fair approach should suffice, which is seems like your text was. Don't go grovelling an apology to her OP but do make sure your expectations for what needs to be done in those hours are crystal clear to her.

@Nazzywish It certainly was met with compassion and full pay. It’s just that this week she left early again and has done so for many months as explained earlier.

Apols for the OCD comment - did not mean to cause offence. It must be a horrendous condition and I know it can often mean the opposite of making you more efficient. I was using the term very carelessly.

All good 🙏thank you for the acknowledgement - you're clearly not a nobhead, just a moment of carelessness like we can all have.

I understood what you meant OP

We noticed our cleaner was doing this when we weren't there ( we usually work from home) when I went on the front door camera for another reason.
I was shocked and checked the next time we weren't there. She did it again. She probably did it lots of times before we wfh. As you say, there's always lots to do
I told her not to come back and why it's a pity but tough as it's basically theft
We've now got a brilliant cleaner who is really well appreciated

Your contract is for 4 hours, she should be there, working, for 4 hours. You are paying a reasonable rate, sound like an empathetic employer, she's taking the piss.