To be uncomfortable with my cleaner bringing her child

[Panapan]

We have a cleaner who comes for a couple of hours a week. Sometimes she brings a colleague and only stays an hour. Today she brought her teenage son - said he was going to help her as he’d finished his GCSEs. I assumed he’d just be hanging around with her but she then only stayed for the hour and charged me for two (ie she charged me for her son). He worked hard and didn’t do a bad job - not perfect but adequate - but I’m not completely comfortable with paying a 15 year old the same as I pay his mum. I’ve paid and won’t say anything as I’m hoping it’s a one off. But if he comes back next week, would it be unreasonable of me to gently suggest that I’d rather he didn’t come the next time?

Your issue aside, it’s awesome that a 15 year old lad helps mom with cleaning and actually knows what to do, you say he did a decent job. That would make me think highly of the cleaner and her family, he must be a good lad to do this (im sure he could just have stayed at home and done nothing in that time.

Maybe see what happens next time and raise it as an issue if it happens again? Is he a nice lad?

YANBU your contract of employment is between you and your cleaner. There was no prior or formal discussion about her son and at GCSE age he probably would not be employed by a cleaning firm or agency. The fact that she stayed for half the time and still expected the same wage was inappropriate even if her son did “help”. Was she supervising him as he cleaned? It can be easy to use the wrong product on the wrong surface and cause damage or staining.
If he comes again state that he is welcome to sit and wait but not to work or come in future.

Yes you are right it’s great that he was doing it. She did say that he wanted to earn some money. He seemed like a nice boy. I guess my issue is just that other teenagers wouldn’t be getting £18 for an hour of work. But absolutely no issue with the boy himself.

From your title I was expecting your cleaner to be bringing around a toddler due to lack of childcare.

As it is, YABU. You get the job done, whether 2 people do it in 1 hour or 1 person in 2 hours. At least the teen is developing healthy working habits.

As for not paying 15 year old the same as adult in the same post you admit he did an adequate job, go and have a word with yourself.

Why is the work of a fifteen year old worth less than that of an adult?

I wouldn’t raise it unless he comes again and even then only gently with his mum afterwards. I wouldn’t want him to feel criticised in any way.
No she wasn’t supervising him (she couldn’t as she was cleaning her parts of the house).

It’s not for your cleaner to decide that they’ll invite someone else into your house to do a job you’ve asked them to do! I’d be telling them you don’t want a repeat.

Honestly I’d be happy with this if the job was good!

You have agreed a cost to clean your home. It’s clean.

The son is getting a good work ethic and helping his mum. This is golden!

YABU, if you don’t mind her bringing a second person I don’t see what the issue is. If you didn’t want her bringing anyone else then I’d understand.

Some helpful points made. Thank you. I wasn’t totally sure if I was justified in feeling uncomfortable so am happy to read that others would be fine with it. I guess my mind went to things like insurance etc. It’s not so much that his work is worth less than hers @MiriamMay as the fact that I think minors are treated differently legally. But I take your point.

I agree with you, I wouldn’t be happy with this arrangement, (I’m surprised at the number of posters that would be totally fine with this!) he’s only 15, when you took your cleaner on you agreed that you would be paying an adult to do the job with the necessary experience, and not a child, particularly unsupervised.

She sounds like a good mum.

Sounds like shes raised a great son. But I wouldnt be happy with a cleaner bringing colleagues/relatives/friends without my say so. And i wouldnt want to pay them for work I hadnt asked them to do either.
I would be firm rather than gentle tbh.

That’s really cheeky of her, you employed her, not her son. She doesn’t have the right to give her work away when it’s taking place in your private home. How would she have felt about it last year if her sons teachers decided to hand over their job to their kid because they’d just finished university?

This is Mumsnet where cleaners are glorified and can do no wrong so expect some weird responses. I don’t see why cleaners shouldn’t be expected to follow the same professional standards as everyone else.

I'd judge based purely on the quality of his cleaning.

If you're happy with it, if it's as good as she does it, then it's fine. As long your house is clean, it doesn't really matter whether it's the boy or his mum who have wiped that particular surface. If he isn't doing a good enough job then I'd say something to the Mum. You shouldn't have a less clean house because he needs to earn some money.

i would not like this - you employed her - not her son or anyone else for that matter

i once fired a dog sitter for saying sometimes it may be me, sometimes my partner (who i had not met!) nope!

I wouldn't be particularly happy if a second person I didn't know rocked up to clean my personal space, son or friend or otherwise.
I'd also question whether she has the relevant insurance for a 15-year-old to work with her. I'm surprised so many people think this is perfectly fine.

I do find some of these cleaner threads weird.
Some OPs seem frightened to say anything when their cleaner does something unreasonable. And some posters seem to let their cleaners get away with any and all behaviours.
The cleaner sometimes bringing a colleague is one thing, if that's what OP has agreed to in the cleaning contract. Bringing a 15 year old boy, who presumably had no previous cleaning experience, without OP giving prior consent, is not professional and is taking a real liberty. Is this boy insured to be doing the work? What happens if he has an accident working there or he causes damage?
If I was OP I would be telling her cleaner this arrangement is not suitable at all.

How do you know she was giving her son the full £18? She might of given him a cut of what they worked for. But you had 2 cleaners there for 1 hour instead of 1 cleaner for 2, regardless of how old he was you said he done a good job so i hope she did give him the full amount for the hour, it’s hard work esp when you have 2 or 3 jobs on and especially in this heat, I’m a cleaner so I know what it’s like. If you don’t want the additional person in your home then tell her that but don’t be arsey about a young boy trying to make some extra money, good on him!

Another chapter in the occasional MN series of 'assume the worst in everyone'.

I wouldn't care as a one off. If it happens again I might ask some questions.

It's OPs home and she is paying the wages. She has every right to be " arsey" about an untrained boy coming into her home if this is not what she previously agreed to. It's not on her to provide work experience for her cleaner's son.

My company pay under 18s less than over 18s. I don't agree with it but it' perfectly legal. There are different levels of the minimum wage depending on your age.

Tech as cleaner is I assume se / she can swap Someone in for her if need be

That's one of the huge diff between se and employees

So he did a good job esp for his age

I don't see the issue

This^
I would message her in advance that you had chance to think about this and prefer her to come on her own as she’s employed by you. Otherwise he ( and she) will get his hopes high for the next week and you might end up in a tricky situation.

Unless the job he did wasn't worth £18 I'd not be bothered. His mum/colleague should've ensured same standard of work