Cleaner on phone all the time

[waitingforever]

My cleaner who charges £19/hour is on the phone the entire time she cleans (5 hours). She is working ok nothing exceptionally good or bad but it annoys me so much that she continuously talking while doing her chores. I am not sure of any other job where you can talk on phone and work. Am I unreasonable? Or should I mention it.

My friends a cleaner. If her clients are not home she will take calls/send voice notes or listen to music or books.
She would never do it if a client was at home though.
It would bother me if I was home, not if I wasn't

Do you think that it is having an impact on her work? Is it disturbing you?

i don’t like it. She talks softly but continuously talking for 5 hrs must have an impact. How can you focus on two things perfectly. Her job should come first right?

Doesn’t help that me and my husband are on calls for work and when we come out she is talking on phone

YABU if you are objecting out of principal (which it sounds like you are). If she is disturbing you, that's different.

If she was good at her job it wouldn't bother me.

If it's actually disturbing you both working from home, one of you will have mentioned this to her, yes?

Otherwise how is she going to know?

If she was playing loud music that was disturbing your work, I'm sure you would've mentioned it?

It’s not disturbing but more annoying (background of someone talking for 5 hours). And maybe more on principle too - when at work you work right not chat on phone. Doesn’t matter if you believe you can do both.

Is she cleaning for you or carrying out brain surgery on you?
I assume she can clean well and talk at the same time and it helps her pass the time.

Have a word with her, but fill it with puns about cleaning:
"There's something we're going to have to 'clean up' ... I'm afraid I can't just 'brush it under the carpet' ... 🤔
Prob'ly won't make a blind bit of difference, but it might be amusing 😀

It's totally possible to clean and focus on a conversation at the same time, I always listen to podcasts when I clean, it's just two different areas of the brain, so no problem here.

I wouldn't be able to do that whilst doing a spreadsheet or any sort of "intellectual" work.

Anyway, if it annoys you, just tell her really. You WFH, so good arguments that you need a minimum of calm

What on earth can she find to talk about for 5 hours. Also 5 hours to clean a house, do you live in a mansion?

Here's an idea - if it's not acceptable to you, tell her. She can then decide whether to stop doing it or find a different client to fill those five hours. Problem solved!

definitely do this 😂

Me neither - good cleaners are like gold dust

This definitely wouldn’t bother me at all. I’d assume a cleaner would listen to music or a podcast or whatever. Unless it’s disturbing your work and then it’s fair enough to say that you need a quiet space to focus so can she not be on the phone when cleaning in the same room as you or whatever. Cleaning doesn’t require total silence

when I do my own cleaning indoors I talk on the phone it doesn’t affect my cleaning.
Also I talk on the phone when working from home to people - not work related so don’t see a problem with talking on the phone as long as the work is carried out.
Unless it’s disturbing you I don’t see the problem.

Well if you feel that way, get rid of her. She will have plenty more customers eager to hire her.

When I know there are people in the house I am cleaning, I avoid receiving phone calls (as in, if I get one, I keep it to a minimum) and I will almost never make a call. If people are out, then it's fair game. I wear headphones, which are bluetooth connected to my phone. If I am not on the phone then I am listening to a radio show, a podcast/a youtube video but without watching, or music.

In five hours of cleaning there must be some noisy work she has to do (such as vacuuming) so I don't see how she can be talking over that. You also ask if the use of the phone has an "impact" on her work. Well you've seen it, what do you think? I know when I'm cleaning and on the phone, I get loads done, and properly - cleaning is 2nd nature for some of us.

I agree with this 🙂

My DD has ADHD, she is more productive while chatting. We have each other on loudspeaker while cleaning etc. It stops procrastination.

I am wondering both of those things too.

I'm beginning to think the OP lives in Buckingham Palace. If so, then hi, your Majesty!

You would hate my cleaner then. She talks on the phone, stops now and again to talk on the phone if it’s urgent eg her dc school or her dh and she listens to music and sings quietly along. Often I’m at home and if she has taken a phone call and it’s something interesting or some gossip, she will come and tell me and we chat about it for a couple of minutes while she gets on with cleaning tasks. I love having a bitch and moan with her.
That said, she’s only here for 2 hours every two weeks and wouldn’t disturb me of I’m on a meeting etc:..

You can talk and clean at the same time! Except when hoovering. If you are in another room and you can't hear her and the cleaning is good then I don't see the problem.

You could clean your house yourself? 🤷‍♀️