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???

This 😂

I’ve found it’s more dependent on the industry than your level in the organization.

I work in tech and software development places are pretty generous but when I support software on site it can be very different. In most retail and factory sites I’ve had to bring in my own if I want it. Public service and smaller offices have normally had some sort of kitty. More corporate places have tended to provide. A brewery I worked for had free tea, coffee, juice, soda, hot chocolate, etc. and a free canteen with free beer on tap (30+ years ago, mind, maybe not now!). Finance places also pretty generous with free canteens sometimes. Charities some free, some kitty.

Drinking (alcohol?) on the job is a no-no.

Not doing a good job is a no-no.

Not being reliable on a regular basis is a no-no.

Rummaging through someone's fridge and cupboards, eating food or drink that hasn't been offered is a no-no. Akin to stealing. What else would she help herself with?

All sackable for me. If she can't see the boundaries she's crossing there, I wouldn't trust her in my home.

Charging devices using an empty electric slot is not a problem at all. She doesn't need to ask.(Assuming she didn't remove something that was there first and could be important, just to charge her phone. That, she needs to ask first).

I would be sacking this person since she seems to take more than she gives and you pay her while at it. Find a better cleaner.

She is there to work. Offering beverages or food is fine but not an entitlement. You don't owe her anything. I wouldn't go to work in someone's home expecting them to give me something besides the payment they owe. I'd do my job, bring my own stuff or ask if I need anything that I can't do without.

Can’t believe your kids marked the bottle. Maybe they could put sixpence under the carpet as well 😬

I’d let her go for being unreliable. Couldn’t care less about a glass of squash or charging a phone. Eating the salmon is a bit odd but you’re not sure she did that.

@Lizzie67384 you sound unimaginative and a bit naive, but no doubt we're both wrong

Naive? Please do elaborate

We have a cleaner, we make her a cuppa when she gets here, we have a quick chat and tell her to help herself there's diet cokes in the fridge, then she cleans.

She can come anytime on the days she comes, and has even brought her toddler when childcare fell though.
I showed her where all the baby toys were kept and all the kids snacks, told her to please help herself.

You think you above her, but remember she's cleaning up after you! Have some respect!

Er yes, it’s normal to say to anyone working in your house - help yourself to tea, coffee, and if you happen to have it, squash.

The salmon thing is nonsense - the OP says she doesn’t know who ate it.

I agree with those that say don't keep her if she doesn't do a good job .
I always offer drinks eg tea and coffee but would be fine with squash being drunk. She left the bottle out thoughtfully so that you knew it was finished. I think it is fairly normal to plug one's phone in at work.
If she took food I would feel differently I think.most people would ask. My family ask if they want something from the fridge in case I have it planned for a meal.As you aren't sure about this I don't really think you can put it in the 'negative' column.It isn't really a sacking offence in any case as a one off just let her know that you rely on knowing what is in the fridge.
As far as your DC are concerned I would be shocked if mine showed so little respect for someone else and would be very clear that their behaviour was unacceptable.

No, I wouldn't like it. I wouldn't want her snooping through my fridge either unless she's cleaning it. She's only there a couple of hours so I wouldn't expect to have to provide drinks etc. I'd get rid, you want to feel comfortable with whoever is coming into your family home.

It is perfectly reasonable for her to charge her phone and have a drink when she is working.

Never had free tea and coffee at work. We pay into a kitty. Always have had to pay at all workplaces. We also aren’t allowed to charge devices other than laptops and only if they are Pat tested.

Water is free obviously. I keep a bottle of squash in my desk drawer.

Unreliable and not showing up isn’t good .
Charging phone , drinking juice and eating a snack also fine but she should let you know that she’s eaten from the fridge so you know to replenish the item .
Not doing a good job ?? Maybe 2 hours isn’t enough time to do a good job ?
I don’t have a cleaner , I did have one when I’d just had my baby and had her for a short time to help ( I also have other children to look after )
3 hours in our home wouldn’t get it all done I don’t think 🤔
All Bathrooms would be clean and kitchen.
Bit of dusting , hoovering and mopping.
No skirtings cleaned or inside anything or inside windows in that amount of time

It's very split in here.

For me, phone charging is ok... but I'm very hygienic, I wouldn't want someone cleaning and then touching my food. I'd happily offer tea and biscuits though -but laid out, not rummaged through.

Even if the employment rules do not apply in the case of a cleaner who only comes once a week, does that mean you would deny refreshment? Any cleaner or carer worth having, wouldn't eat or drink of an opened pack or bottle. There could be anything in it: would you?

How would you treat helpers who have your life and well being in their hands?

If you want to be on good terms with your employees, then show that you appreciate them. Why does the fact that I supply individually wrapped portions of snacks and drinks be worrying to you? What abuse is there if I tell them they can help themselves. I never see them gorging themselves: they don't have time anyway.

Another thing which will HORRIFY you is that I don't drink water from the tap, and I don't expect anyone else to either. The lowest salt contents in bottled water is Evian, and that is the one I buy, and I would not expect them to drink from a tap when I drink the bottled.

Minimum wage is wrong for people you owe your life to. I start new people off with £20 an hour and a rise each year. My DLA would stretch to more hours if I paid min. wage. I don't think I miss out, with less hours.

I must be doing something right, or they wouldn't stay five years, when agencies and social services cannot get workers..

I always ask tradesmen if they want a cup of tea: don't you?

1. Don’t feel guilty for having a cleaner.
2. She / he should have been fired ages ago.

I would not care about them charging their phone. I do care about them helping themselves to products in the fridge. That’s outrageous and I would label that theft and fire them.

Was she left in the house alone when the salmon when missing..?

I wouldn’t be getting my knickers in a twist for her having a drink or charging her phone, seems a bit mean.

I’m a cleaner, I might charge my phone if I was running low but I’d never help myself to food and drink!

Not a poor cleaner at all. Which is the point. Paid well above the usual rate. Could help herself to drinks and snacks. I had Cokes in the fridge just for her as she liked them. I don't. I even lent her money to pay for a car repair - got less than half of it back. This was a last resort after months of seeing less and less being done. I was young, worked insane hours, and didn't have the confidence I do now to pull her up on it.

She spotted me, correctly, as a sucker. Do you think cheating an employer is ok? Seriously, what's wrong with you?