Have I been miserly with our cleaner?

[romanfriendsandcountrywomen]

We have a cleaner twice a week. 2 hours Monday, 3 hours Thursday. Pay her £80 a week.

She's here today (Monday ) but obviously won't be here Thursday. I've paid her £100 for the week- for her 2 hours today and the rest a Xmas bonus. DH says that's a bit tight.

Should I give here some more?

I think it kind of depends how much you have your cleaner. I have mine for 2 full days per week. It would be really mean of me to not let her work those days AND not pay her. It would be a huge dent to her income at the most expensive time of the year.

And as others have said, if I can afford a cleaner twice a week, I can afford to give an annual bonus to someone who helps our lives run like clockwork (and she knows it!).

I was pushed off because I gave her 600 , 100 for the cleaning but she cleaned the kitchen and that was it .. no bathroom bedrooms etc .. she normally does all of that so I’m guessing she’s not coming bad and that’s why no thank you .. I would have thought 500 would warrant a thank you but they all end up the same in the end. It’s like human nature stops you being generous as people can’t help themselves.

Wow why would even want her back. Good riddance.

If she comes back say no.

I think it is dependant on the house and financial situation. If you have a smaller property and have a cleaner to help out because you are busy working then your tip is generous.

If you have a mansion and plenty to spare, I'd probably have rounded her up £200.

I think that it depends what you can afford. I have literally no cash and am overdrawn so if I had a cleaner I wouldn't be able to tip anything.
I think it's a nice thing to do to tip if you can but I don't think you have to do anything would be nice.

I'd be over the moon with a fiver! Never had a bonus!

I don't understand tipping culture. So many of us are on minimum wage and don't get it. You don't need to tip anything, just pay the wage.

They?

So are refuse collectors by your reasoning though surely?!

My postie is lovely, always smiling, bouncing around doing his thing, and he does go above and beyond making absolutely sure anything delivered when we're out is left in a safe, dry place. His stand in when he's away is the total opposite of him and he wouldn't be getting a tip from me ever.

Gave the lady who helps withy garden £50 extra, she normally earns £80 a week from me and she seemed very pleased. She's brilliant too, she's my luxury and I tell her that. I appreciate good people and want them to know that they're valued.

Give her notice and I’ll come clean for you instead.

Im not a cleaner, but similar profession. Most I’ve been tipped is £10.

You should have paid her for the hours she worked that week, plus a whole week’s extra pay as a bonus, plus a card signed by each person she cleans for (including kids/pets) and small gift e.g small box of biscuits, chocs or hand creams type thing.

Bloody hell. Glad I will never have this problem.

Maybe offered her DH a blowy as well.

I think its because cleaners are in people's homes. My cleaner has cleaned for me for over 15 years. When the kids lived at home she used to clean three or four mornings a week. She is brilliant, I've literally never had any issues with her at all and I think we both genuinely like each other.

I see her Christmas bonus more of a gift than a tip.

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Well I did say ‘I wouldn’t tip people in salaried roles with pensions and benefits unless they went above and beyond for me.’

Your postie sounds like a good one.

I tip the refuse men because they come in to the side of the house to take the bins and recycling if DH and I have forgotten to take them out to the end of the drive.

That’s fine as a Christmas gift. I imagine that you are a good family to work for - regular hours, normal cleaning so it’s fine.

No its fine though confused if its 20 or 68 .but both are fine. I give postie and bin men 20

I want to tip the refuse collectors but how do you leave it for them without it being stolen overnight? Ours come first thing so I can't run out

I doubt they can contractually accept cash anyways.

Just flash your norks at the bedroom window.

Good grief, as if anyone would know! They're hardly likely to declare it just like the Postie or gardener wouldn't

Honestly, please don’t worry. In your circumstances I wouldn’t feel bad at all. I don’t think a cleaner expects Christmas money from everyone at all. I only started giving my cleaner extra Christmas money when I could afford it and not before . So for years I didn’t pay her anything extra at Christmas at all . Maybe you could leave her a box of Celebrations or something if you can stretch to it but honestjy don’t worry

In all honesty in local government he'd be on a disciplinary for not declaring that sort of thing. Sad I know but welcome to Blairs Britain.

This. I don’t think of these as tips, they’re gifts and bonuses. I generally make a real effort to be a great person to work for (both in my professional life and as a service-user in my non-work time), but for the people that work in my private spaces around my family on a regular basis it’s particularly important to me that they feel valued and know that we recognize all the little intangible things they do - pausing to pet the dogs and telling them they’re good boys for staying out of the way of the vacuum, asking our DC about some event/exam she knew was coming up, putting a kettle on and insisting I have a cuppa because she could hear me coughing in the other room, walking in just after my toddler’s wee’d on the floor a meter from the toilet and never dropping her smile while she goes and grabs cleaning supplies, etc. I don’t delude myself about the fact that it’s paid work for them but if they think “well if I’ve got to go to work today at least it’s for this family” then I’m content.

Some of this is a practical knowledge that people put more into jobs where they feel valued and some of it is just my own human desire to be liked (or at least not resented) by people who have that much access to my life, and to not feel like this person who knows which underwear I wear most frequently isn’t a stranger. So we’re very generous within our means and that feels like a good use of a financial position that we’re fortunate to be in.

This is what I do