Cleaner drank the juice, ate the salmon and charged her phone

[Shadow743]

I have a cleaner who has been coming for 2hrs a week for approx a year. She is unreliable, often texting the day before with a wide selection of reasons as to why she can't make it, and she doesn't always do a great job. I've been thinking about getting rid of her for a while but I have a lot of guilt around having a cleaner in the first place, as it feels like such a luxury and I feel like a bit of a snob for having one. I've come home whilst she's been there before and seen her charging her devices, noticed that the cordial seems to have been drunk and a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure (but can't be 100% certain) that she finished of the smoked salmon from the fridge. Today, my kids marked a line on the juice bottles as a little experiment and lo and behold, I've come home to find not only has she drunk the cordial, she's finished it AND put the empty bottle on the top of the bin.
Am I being unreasonable to be furious and feel like she's taking the mick now or am I overreacting to some minor issues which I should overlook because a little bit of juice and a little bit of electricity here and there won't kill me???

Get rid of her

YANBU to get rid if she’s not doing a good job but YABU to begrudge her a drink or to charge her phone. Good lord

I can't see the issue with someone making a drink when working in my home. If I was in I would offer one.

Did you stipulate in her contract that she needs to provide her own drinks?

I’d not have an issue with her having a glass of juice whilst she worked or charging her phone and am a little disturbed about how you’re treating her over that.

I wouldn’t have an issue with the phone or drink but I wouldn’t be impressed with the food.

This.

She wasn’t hiding the fact that she was drinking the cordial.

I’d gladly give my cleaner the choice of anything in my fridge but that’s because she’s wonderful and we love her. You don’t seem as keen.

Fire her for her unreliable service not for petty phone charging or juice drinking.

I wouldn't think twice about the phone - I charge my phone at work because it is handy. I am not trying to save a penny or two in energy costs.

But if she ate the last piece of smoked salmon and I wanted that for my lunch, she would be dead to me.

Being a bad cleaner yes get rid. Drinking some juice and plugging her phone in? So what? Not a sackable offence!

Why the fuck are you putting up with this, let alone paying for it??

Fucking hell you begrudge her cordial and to charge her phone?

Mmmm. Really.

Cleaner here.. The most I have ever 'taken advantage' of are the refreshments offered when I first started-tea /coffee /biscuits possibly. If juice was on the worktop I would have a glass (dilute type). I would never take anything from a cupboard or fridge.. Once had an awkward moment with a regular customer.. She offered me a chocolate (box for her new home from ndn).. She text me that evening protesting I wasn't to have taken the box home. I had put it in a cupboard when using cleaning products in the kitchen... She was mortified.. We laugh about it now. Salmon? Invoice her or dock her wages then sack her.

I wouldn't worry about her charging her phone. That costs about 1p.

If she drank half a bottle of cordial, I'd be annoyed, but if she just had a little bit then I'd be OK with that. Obviously she shouldn't eat your food - are you sure she didn't think the salmon had gone off and thrown it away?

You're really out of order involving your children in this.

I would have fired her for not turning up, but certainly not for charging her phone.

You are being awful to mind about her charging devices and drinking a bit of cordial. Getting your kids to mark the bottle was not nice - if she noticed the mark she probably felt pretty insulted to be honest.

If she is a bad and unreliable cleaner, you do have the right not to use her. Ideally give her a bit of notice so she can try to fill your slot, as she may rely on the income.

I’m horrified your kids marked the bottle. What on earth are you teaching them. You should be teaching them you treat people in your home. Guests or workers , with respect. You should offer a drink. Or if not,then let her have a glass of cordial , it’s hardly champagne. And you don’t know if she ate the salmon, I would guess not.

treat people with respect. Of course she can charge her phone or have a glass of squash.

You begrudge someone doing a manual job a glass of squash on a hot day? And I would have no issue with her charging her phone.

Sack her if she’s not doing a good job, not because you’re being tight (and aren’t even sure if she took the salmon).

phone charging I could let go of, and an odd drink but she is crossing lines at eating food from the fridge.

I know it is a bit irrational but ‘put the empty bottle on the top of the bin’ would be the final straw. She is a cleaner, men put empty things on top of bins.

YANBU to ditch.

She's taking the piss and she's not very good. Sack her. I wouldn't at this point bother with talking through any reasons.

Next time though, get your expectations up front in writing - eg I have zero problem wuth charging a phone, making up to 2 hot drinks and a ten minute paid break. I would be incandescent if someone ate my food or (obviously) was slack with security or ignored my cleaning priorities (I give a list of essential jobs every week plus a list of jobs to be done occasionally if there's time). If you set that up you can then go back easily if there are issues.

I found an amazing small agency when asking for a really deep one off clean, and have used them ever since. They deal with any issues, not that there have been any. We pay well, tip generously (Christmas I mean) and give plenty of notice for any holidays (actually we still like a clean when away). Domestic cleaning is a decent job, don't wiry about it.

I'm a self employed cleaner.
Some of my clients have said that I can help myself to whatever I want to drink. I never do though - I just take a bottle of water with me. Wouldn't dream of helping myself if they have never offered.
I wouldn't charge my phone either - I think that's really cheeky!

but I have a lot of guilt around having a cleaner in the first place, as it feels like such a luxury and I feel like a bit of a snob for having one.

Do you know what 'snob' means?

I'm guessing you don't.

Having a drink when she's cleaning my house for two hours - no problem at all.

Charging devices - even less bothered.

Eating my food - I'd be letting her know she needed to ask.

Not cleaning well and being unreliable - that's worth letting her go for.

I'd be annoyed about her leaving the lid on top of the bin. She's supposed to leave the place more tidy not less.

Eating your food is not on but no proof of that.

Stop engaging her because you don't like her cleaning and you don't trust her. That is sufficient reason not to have someone in your house.