Caught Cleaner clipping her Nails in our Bathroom..

[Naliny]

…with my nail clipper.

AIBU to fire her over this?

(Also - have never done an AIBU before and can’t figure out how to do the poll).

I can confirm, I am not a bat (I did double check before responding!). It really isn’t as complicated as you might think it is, I promise! Continue analyzing the situation if you wish, but for the sake of this thread let’s just assume that yes, I am 100% sure that she was clipping nails!

I'm interested in how closely you were watching her and why you thought that was necessary.
Perhaps you simply don't trust her.

That’s not really comparable though is it? My cleaner helps herself to drinks/microwave etc but she’s in my home and has been told she is welcome to do that.

using my things without asking would piss me off. I’m not sure I’d fire her because like OP’s cleaner, she’s lovely and local. But I would send her a message to tell her that I don’t like her using my things.

Mine even makes herself a coffee and refills her squash before she heads to her next job. Off with her head!

Ugh. Make sure you disinfect your clippers, OP. I heard a woman on a podcast say she'd had a manicure where the beautician hadn't disinfected the clippers and she got a fungal infection in all her nails and they all fell off. I haven't been able to get over that!

What a horrible thing for her to do!
Why would anyone think this is appropriate
Perhaps OP you should question why she thought it was OK to do this.

I feel the fear of this 'huge number of people who have fungal nail infections' is overblown. The same people who get alarmed by eating nuts out of a bowl because of blah blah stats about guys who don't wash their hands. Seriously. It's nail clippers, not sharing a hypodermic needle. Disinfect them yourself if it's so alarming, no need to instruct her to do it as if you couldn't possibly. Laugh it off and lighten up. There's many more things to genuinely worry about.

Sounds like the nail clipping is just the tip of the iceberg as you say she doesn't clean that well. Often we accept poor work for too long and then don't know how to bring it up and something quite small really irritates us because we are irritated already.

Would you mind if her cleaning was thorough? Maybe not?

Perhaps try and address the cleaning standard with her and see if you can accept it.

I let go of a cleaner for washing a sandwich press in the sink like some pan and not seeing their mistake but even that followed many times of boundary crossing that we mentioned to her. And another for strong BO and for not washing her hands after each wee despite going on to make my bed. Her cleaning wasn't good either and I had to look for my things every week even though I asked her to leave everything in the same place.

Unless she had broken a nail then yes sack her. She’s there to do her job not waste paid time.

It’s a nail clipper though. Not a precious jewel or something that gets used up. I’d expect to be dropped as a customer if I sent my cleaner a snotty message telling her I don’t like her using my things over a nail clipper.

If you want to lose your lovely cleaner and emergency babysitter, fire her. Otherwise just make her aware that you heard her and request her to ask if she needs to use something of yours.
Don't just cut off your nose to spite your face

For me this us a complete non issue. I thought she actually did something terrible for a moment.

I expect she broke her nails or something like or they were irritating her. She should be the one who is peeved by getting caught by someone who might be ocd about something perfectly normal

That's not comparable at all.
You've obviously ok'd her to that , or at least she knows she is doing it with your full knowledge.
Totally different to using your employer's personal items without their knowledge.

I am astonished that it's even something you're concerned about! And even more so that lots of people agree that nail clipping is a sackable offence.

After the thread yesterday with the poster having a fit of the vapours because her cleaner dared have a ciggie out the back door, I'd assumed this was a piss-take about the oiks getting above themselves and taking blasted liberties.

But no.

I think people just want to shit on the OP.
Why couldn't she have ASKED - and the OP would have said yes/no?

Personal items? They’re nail clippers, it’s not a vibrator. To me this is akin to her using my scissors to cut off a tag or a scratchy label. So much of a non issue I can’t believe I’m even responding to this thread.

I am by no means precious but I wouldn’t be ok with this. And obviously the sound of clipping nails is loud and distinctive. If she sneaks off to do this, is she also helping herself to your toiletries, popping on a bit of blusher with your makeup brushes?

But why does it even matter? The nail clippers aren't going to get worn out. Nail clippings aren't toxic. Her peasant nails aren't going to infect the clippers...

It's no big deal. If you really must, just ask her not too, problem solved. Firing her is a massive overreaction.

Well, I wouldn't sack her. Perhaps she tore her nails when doing your housework? Be reasonable, it's a nail clipper. If you are THAT worried stick it in the dishwasher. Not as if she was cleaning her teeth with your toothbrush. Do you make sure you make her cups of tea, stop for a break together etc. and treat her as a human being?

Personally I don’t think I’m shitting on the OP, I’m shitting on these batshit responses. Some of you are so precious I don’t know how you get through the day. It wouldn’t occur to me to that I needed to ask permission to use a nail clipper, perhaps she’s the same.

Charming. Not content with being snobbish you are also accusing someone totally unknown to you of theft. I wouldn't work for you in any capacity, be assured.

I couldn't get excited about this. The hygiene issue is neither here nor their imo andonbterms of time, it's no different to attending to a bit of personal admin whilst doing your desk job.

I isn't believe you'd consider sacking a "lovely" and reliable cleaner and babysitter over it.