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???

It sounds as if you want to get rid of her because she doesn't do a good job and is unreliable. This is not unreasonable.
However it sounds as though rather than expressing these issues to her you want to avoid them and blame it on minor things charging a phone and taking a drink of juice as if she has stolen from you. For that YABU

There's also the possibility that the kids have had the stuff and they've had so much grief about it being drunk so quickly that they've marked above the actual line or marked it and then finished it. Kids can be very savvy about ways of avoiding further grief without appreciating quite what the impact may be upon somebody else.

I wouldn't care about the phone or the juice. You can't be sure about the salmon so I'd let that go.

Do you not offer her a drink?

Why are you letting your children get involved?

I think you’re focussing on the wrong things due to feeling guilty.

If she was a thoroughly competent and reliable cleaner, would you care that she is charging her phone or having a drink of juice whilst she’s working? Hopefully not.

You're paying her to do a job and if you think she’s not doing it to a reasonable standard then you ask her to leave. It’s as simple as that.

Are you serious. ? What's wrong with her making a drink for gods sake. And your kids drawing a line they sound really lovely kind people. When I go out I say help yourself to drinks thats human courtesy. As for charging her phone what's the issue with that ? You need to check yourself and how you are bringing your kids up to be so petty and mean.

Your kids marked the bottle? That’s bloody awful and not something you should be praising, or encouraging.

You discuss at the beginning what she is allowed to have or not to touch!

Why wait two years?

Utterly bizarre that you would employ someone for two years who does a shoddy job and helps herself to food and drink!

This

This.

I'm horrified that you think it's OK for a child to treat an adult like this. You are basically teaching them that they are better than a cleaner.

@Shadow743 Do you not offer her a drink?

YANBU about the rest of it

I think charging devices is 100% ok, i think having the juice is also not to bad of an issue but i personally wouldnt do it

Eating the Salmon - Hell no

If shes already flaky and doesnt do a good job anyway, then get rid!

I would not begrudge my cleaners having a drink or charging their phones. YABVU imo.

I’d get rid.

not because she’s charging her phone and drinking cordial which seems entirely reasonable but because she’s unreliable and doesn’t empty the bin

2 parts to this…

You have an unreliable cleaner who doesn’t do a very good job, on that basis you shouldn't feel guilty replacing her.

However, you are very unreasonable to begrudge her a drink whilst cleaning your home. I always offer our lady a bottle of water when she’s here and make sure the house isn’t too hot! It’s thirsty work.

Wow you sound a delight to work for… maybe if you offered her a drink she wouldn’t need to take the cordial. And I’m sure the kids marked it… not you…

I always offer my housekeeper tea coffee water sometimes even breakfast when she arrives. You must think I’m an absolute snob because she comes 3 x a week and helps with the children too!

Op, please speak to your children and explain it is fine for the cleaner to have a glass of squash when she’s working. And that anyone in your home should be treated with respect. And that it was very wrong to try to catch her out having something as paltry as a glass of juice., she should have been offered.

I offer my cleaner a coffee every morning when she comes in.and make it for her. She’s been with me over a decade. If I wasn’t going to be there,I would leave instruction for her to help herself. She charges her phone sporadically, if she needs it she will plug it in. This is all pennies.

ultimately we should treat people with respect. You have clearly been talking about the cleaner having a glass of juice to your kids, and either encouraged them to do this. Or discussed it in such a way they felt it was acceptable. Think carefully about what you’re teaching them. It is far from ok.

I’d be annoyed at the salmon but charging her phone and having some squash, she can fill her boots.

Get rid though if you feel she’s taking the piss. (The salmon I’d be pretty angry about).

You don’t even know for sure she ate the salmon? At least be sure before you accuse her.

Charging her phone - absolutely fine and a little odd you think otherwise.
A drink of cordial is also fine IMO (although I’d probably just stick with water unless specifically offered something else).
the salmon is not okay.
But ultimately, that stuff aside, if she’s unreliable and just not a very good cleaner there’s not much point keeping her on.

It's not juice, OP, it's squash.

If someone was necking fresh juice from the fridge you might have a point, but squash???? Come on....

We've had the same cleaner for 10 years. She's bloody marvellous and if I'm home, I make her tea after tea.

If I'm not home, she makes her own.

She knows she's welcome to help herself to drinks.

I can't imagine a situation where she'd be hungry, but if she was there over lunch, she'd be welcome to make herself a sandwich.

You don't like her work or trust her - you should let her go.

You begrudge her a drink of squash when she's cleaning on a warm day?! Charging her phone costs pennies, maybe she needed it for the trip home.
Fair enough on the salmon but you don't have proof that she ate that.
You sound awful tbh I wouldn't want to clean for you!

Surely you'd offer her a drink in your home if you were in? Have you never told her to help herself? I leave stuff out for our cleaner if not in, including biscuits.
The salmon thing is weird. Are you sure your kids aren't pulling your leg?