If you have a cleaner would this bother you?

[Gymmum82]

We’ve had a cleaner for maybe the last 6 months. I pay her for 2 hours a week. She’s great. Does everything I ask her to and does a really nice job, I’m very happy with her.
However in the beginning she’d stay the full 2 hours and now today she was here 1 hour and 10 minutes. Most weeks it’s between 1.10-1.20.
I know because we have a doorbell camera so I see her come and go.

Would this bother you?
Part of me thinks I’m paying for 2 hours. But the other part thinks why should she be penalised for being efficient?

YABU she’s taking you for a mug and you should sack her

YANBU she’s doing a great job and good on her for being efficient

I think somewhere in between.

Having had a few cleaners I think it is normal that they get quicker as they become more familiar with your house.

I would make a list of big jobs like inside of the oven, fridge, windows, inside cupboards and start asking her to do one of those each week. Even better if she could iron or do laundry?

If give her more tasks as other posters have said. If she still leaves early, and doesn’t do the tasks, and lies about leaving early then I’d lay her off. My cleaner, albeit I’m usually at home, asks if there’s anything else to doing she finishes early, or she’ll just go ahead and do a room I’ve not asked her to do. Occasionally she’ll leave a bit early (only 5-10 mins) but she’ll also stay a bit sometimes to finish what she’s doing - I got rid of the last cleaners who took the piss with time, they disnt speak much English so I couldn’t explain so just let them go

Mine is doing carpet cleaning with DH next week. I'm recovering from surgery so thrilled that the carpet in the sitting room, our bedroom and the office are being done. We have two dogs and a cat. I usually do the carpets.

If you're paying for 2 hours she should be there for 2 hours. If she's getting whatever you'd agreed done in 80 minutes you should give a list of other things she can tackle

Why don’t you use your initiative to find something to do in the extra time?

There are 2 ways to employ a cleaner - job and finish, or by the hour. Where it gets difficult for people is that they say "we would like a cleaner for 2 hours a week" then provide a list of jobs that don't take that long (once a good cleaner has got on top of things) and the cleaner, very reasonably, thinks oh, I've done everything they asked me to do. And leaves. If you are happy with her and what she does, then think of it as job and finish - after all, if she'd taken 2 hours to do the same work we wouldn't be having this chat. If you have other work you'd like her to do, add it on to the job list. What I dud with my mother's cleaner was ask her to stay for 2 hours and gave her a list of jobs to do on rotation, ie many more things that can be done in 2 hours but which don't need doing every week. Though she's so good that by now she manages most of them. But the point is that this was agreed on day 1 so everyone was clear.

It depends if you’re paying for the hour or for the job. I prefer to pay cleaners for the job. That way, they are incentivized to do it quickly. I don’t see any benefit in a cleaner taking longer to complete the same job.

This would bother me, it is effectively theft. Either sack her or let her know that you know what she's up to, and give her a list of extra tasks to do.

She misses out 50 mins! If she can’t stay the full two hours,then she shouldn’t get paid for two hours.

Just give her more jobs. Cleaning out cupboards, windows, ironing, deep cleaning, cleaning light fixtures. I wouldn’t be happy with mine leaving that early. There’s always jobs to be done.

That’s not ok. I’d tell her you’ll pay for the hours she works. I’ll give her more tasks

Good cleaner. Keep her on

I don't need to use my initiative. I've agreed with the client what they want me to do and I've quoted them for how long I think it will take me..2, 3, or 4hrs. I don't just turn up and wing it.
My husband is a builder if he quotes you for a job based on how long he thinks it will take and he finishes 20 mins early he's not going to use his initiative and start building and extra wall is he?

@WhatFlavourIsIt But what happens with the OP's situation? The cleaner has clearly suggested 2 hours (120 minutes) to do the tasks the OP wants her do, yet she is doing it all in almost half the time. The OP believes her cleaner is there for 2 hours (120 minutes) as the cleaner is paid for this, and seemingly needs that time to do the tasks the OP wants her to do. Yet she is doing it in 1 hour and 10 minutes (70 minutes) and finishing 50 minutes early. And then leaving!

So it looks like the cleaner has either misjudged how long the tasks will take, meaning the OP needs to reduce the 2 hours (120 minutes,) to say, 1 hour 10 minutes (70 minutes) OR she knew it wouldn't take as long as 2 hours (120 minutes,) and lied about it, and is robbing the OP.

Whichever one it is, the OP needs to reduce the cleaner's time at her home, or give her extra tasks to fill up the other 50 minutes. At the moment, whether the cleaner is doing it deliberately or not, she is stealing from the OP.

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Yeah I wouldn’t stand for that. Either she chooses to be paid for the set work or by the hour, if she’s chosen by the hour then she stays the full hours. Our cleaner started to arrive 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early. It was starting to annoy me, she wasn’t a good cleaner so when the opportunity arose to have an extended break, I just didn't get back in touch

I haven’t got a cleaner, but most of my friends do. They have the same cleaner. She charges a minimum of £38, for the first 2 hours. £16ph after that. If it takes an hour, you still pay £38. They all seem quite happy and have spotless houses!

I was clever at exams (I sussed what the examiners wanted and jotted the main points straight away, and then wrote it all out) so I always left my 'O' and 'A' levels halfway through the allotted time. So if your cleaner has worked out how to get everything done fast and efficient, more power to her!

If she's a good, reliable cleanet, she's worth a lot ... But I agree, there may be some extra tasks she should do! Maybe say something like "I realise that some weeks are better than others .. if you get the chance maybe you could clean the . For context, I had a cleaner when I had young children .. when they went to spend the holidays with their grandparents ,(so she had less to do), she would clean all the cupboards and sort out my underwear! And when the IRA tried to.bomb the bridge between our houses ... She took 3 buses to get to my house and left a note apologising for not doing the full 3 hours! A keeper!

You should give her a list of things to do for the next 2 weeks to last the additional 50m, and just keep cycling back through the list:
Deep clean 1 room: vac under the sofa, inside the cupboards and drawers, clean out the fridge, scrub the kickboards, the splashbacks, the extractor hood, descale any scale build up, wash the windows, scrub the skirting boards, scrub the doors and door frames and door handles, pull out the beds and bedside tables to vac and dust.

There are very few homes that wouldn't benefit from a full 2h clean a week!

Not the same at all. I’m paying a tradesman to build a wall or plaster a ceiling or whatever, and various factors may impact on the time that takes to a certain extent. I’m paying you for two hours of cleaning my house and that’s what I expect you to deliver, unless I’m paying you to e.g. clean the oven in which case I don’t care how long you take as long as you meet the required standard. Most regular cleaners are hired for a certain number of hours and paid an hourly rate and often will be the ones who look at the schedule and say how many hours are required. Overstating the hours and getting paid for longer than you know it’s going to need is dishonest.

I don’t think she should get away with this. I don’t have a cleaner (can’t afford one) but if she can do a good job in an hour and 20, why pay her for more time? Either that or you give her more tasks to do and review it after a while.

Middle class guilt over paying someone to clean up one’s crap is at the root of overpaying for cleaning. Assuming you pay her a decent wage with holiday wages, maternity leave, insurance, etc, why pay her for time she does her own thing in? It’s mad.

If you’re serious, then the award for most slappable poster has a well-deserved winner.

I think this depends a bit on whether you are paying for the job or paying per hour. Personally I’m happy for our cleaner to leave early when they’ve completed the work to do. We have had the same cleaner for 5 years and have at times been quite messy due to disability. They are a rare cleaner who is happy to tidy and/or clean. So if sometimes it’s much faster, that’s fine with me. They are flexible with us and we are relaxed with them and trust them to take the time the need.

I suppose it depends on whether you look at it as paying the cleaner to do 2 hours of work, or paying the cleaner to get your house clean.

If the latter, then does it really matter if she leaves early? - you agreed a price initially for her to clean your house, and if she’s still getting the house clean to an acceptable standard for you, then you are getting the job you wanted done at the price you agreed for it.

And as I always say on threads like this, compare and contrast with the attitude of people who WFH and claim that it doesn’t matter that they take time out of their working day to do the school run, to do multiple loads of washing, to walk the dog etc, because “I still get all my work done” 🤔