To sack off a client for asking my religion

[mrsgtobe97]

Recently been made redundant while on maternity leave from my oil & gas job and have started up self employed with a cleaning company. It has started off great and I have been fully booked with a waiting list already which is great. However, I I went to go view a clients house yesterday afternoon, arrived & was a massive mansion, thought okay this will be fine. The woman was nice however when I stepped in the home it was absolutely immaculate and I just got the sense from her she would be watching over my shoulder a lot. She then proceeded to take me to her second home down the hill which has a tenant, this woman was very prim and proper and after a few minutes she says oh it’s nice to have someone with a good background, are you Christian? I said emmm no would probably say I’m an atheist, then she proceeded to ask me if I had Christian values.
I immediately felt very uneasy and out of place, I just didn't vibe with them.
Upon reflection, I'm wondering whether to try shake them off, I just don't know what to do.
I don't necessarily need the money as I can replace the hours but I just feel bad, maybe I'm being too judgemental?!

She wants to make sure you don’t nick the silver whilst polishing it by the sounds of it!
If you don’t gel, you don’t gel. If you can replace the hours it’s fine to say to her that you don’t think it will work out.

I don't know what "sack off" means but why would you need to "vibe" with your client? Does sound like you're being judgemental to me.

You should tell her you’ve had a good think about what she said and you’re now a paid up member of the church of satan. And offer to bring her some literature.

Oh the irony!

Sack off = dump
Vibe = have rapport with

I mean it's entirely up to you if you don't really need the work.

But why does her having an immaculate house mean she might be watching over your shoulder?

You need to stop judging people. Yabu and Abit rude. Your business won't work unless you accept that everyone is different but honestly it doesn't matter.

I'd have to disagree there. She was being asked about her Christian values. That's none of her employers business.

No actual person would ever do that would they?

oP - it's not unreasonable to decline work when you're self employed if you don't feel it s going to work out

Yanbu. You are there to do your job. Her question is irrelevant to the job. You don't need a reason to turn down a job anyway.

Just say unfortunately it doesn't fit your schedule and you can recommend another cleaner.

your religion is irrelevant to the work. Asking about your religion is highly inappropriate. I wouldn’t work for people like that.

Find someone else. You don't need a client who's already signalling that she distrusts you.

As someone who isn't at all religious but has very high moral values, I've always found the idea that somehow 'Christian value' are some how superior to other people's values extremely offensive, especially given some of the 'values' that have seen to be held by certain people in some Christian organisations.

I am a Christian and I agree with you. I wear tiny crucifix bracelet (literally had been wearing it for years and my mum had never noticed, it's that small), but other than that, I don't take my faith to work. As for 'Christian values', I often find those who are in church all the time, crossing themselves more frequently than the vicar, are the ones with the worst values.

How so? OP seems to be judging this woman on how clean her home is (immaculate means she'll be looking over her shoulder), says she is "prim and proper" (poss ageism? judging someone on their accent/clothes/possessions? stereotyping?) and possibly on her religion?

I admit that the questioning about religion and values is odd but some people are just odd and awkward and say weird things that perhaps they regret later. Perhaps ask yourself if you would have been more tolerant of the questions if she were Muslim or Jewish?

I think the fact that the OP is worried she is being judgemental suggests that she probably is.

Perhaps see it as an exercise in tolerance and acceptance, and learning about different types of people. It broadens the mind.

I just find it strange that you would feel like you need to "vibe" with your clients otherwise you'll dump them. It's just not a great way to live your life IMO. A greater understanding and acceptance of others doesn't come by only choosing to be around people like you.

I'm just imagining the conversation: "you haven't cleaned the bath in a sufficiently Christian way. Please go back and redo it" 😂

This reminds me of the cleaner we once had who turned out to be a religious nut. Went through my children's books and expressed her disapproval at subject matter (science, animals that could talk), and became a total nightmare.

Unsurprisingly she also moaned about how her family live nearby and never visit her.

My comment on the irony of your post was more to do with the way your comment read.

Saying you didn't know what 'sacking off' means, when it's pretty self evident what it means, and putting both that and 'vibe' in inverted commas because of the way it was used, actually read as pretty judgemental.

They may not be terms you would use, me neither if I'm honest, but most people who use social media would know what the OP meant by them.

You mean you don't rinse with holy water? Shocked.

😂😂😂😂😂

If she doesn’t have the social intelligence to not ask about religion I would give a very wide berth. I find that demographic also hold a large selection of views I do share.

I don’t care about religion but their ignorance of discussing it in a professional capacity is a big no.

Everyone is different yes however I find asking someone's religion quite rude and to be honest very inappropriate - you don't need to be a Christian to know how to hoover!

So...you're judging me on not understanding what "sack off" means? And saying I'm judgmental for putting it in inverted commas? Because most peoppe on social media would know what it means. Right...

Have they actually offered you the work? Because it sounds like they might hold out for someone who gets that question "right"

Why do you need to share the same views as your client?