Am I being a total cow?

[Rugrats2020]

Our cleaner just messaged cancelling our clean today because it’s going to be 26 here (which is a hell of a lot better than the 30 it’s been the last few days)

She then said that going forward, she won’t be working at all if the temp is over 25.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I completely get its physical work and there is no way I’d have expected her to work the last couple of days, but my worry is it genuinely hasn’t been below 25 degrees here for weeks and this could go on all summer.

I replied re today saying okay but if she’d rather work (and not lose out on the money) I’m more than happy for her to do half of what she normally does, or just whatever she can do if she wants to sit down for regular breaks etc. I always make her drinks if I’m here or tell her to help herself to drinks etc when we’re not. It’s a 2 hour slot. She messaged back saying thanks but she won’t be working at all if it’s over 25 degrees.

I had quite a major operation 2 weeks ago (which she knows about) and could really have done with her not cancelling today (as I said, if it was really hot like the last few days I wouldn’t have expected her to come)

I’m now wondering whether to look for another cleaner, but then does that make me a total cow? I get on pretty well with my cleaner and apart from cancelling a lot, she does a good job when she is here and I’d feel really guilty letting her go but I cannot see these summers of ours getting any better in terms of these ‘heatwaves’ where we live, it’s been like this for the last 4 summers now. I
doibt I’ll see her much more this summer if she’s going to stick to her 25 degree rule?

25? That's nothing. Even my son's outdoor sport doesn't 'heat out' till mid-30s.

What @thejelliclecats said

Good luck trying to find another decent, reliable cleaner! If you get rid of her now you will likely be without a cleaner for at least a month while you try to find a new one.

It wouldn’t be ‘another’ though, she already doesn’t have a reliable cleaner!

Without ac I wouldn't clean my own house. What you could do is ask her if she would like to come really early like 7-9 when it's not too hot. Or in the evening. That is if you like her and her cleaning.

I’m afraid I actually told my cleaner that if she felt it was too hot for her to work - cleaning properly is bloody hard and physical work if done properly - I would totally understand if she wanted to skip a week. Ball in her court.

I am not having anyone making themselves ill to scrub my loos and shower when it can wait 7 days.

Ill? At 25? Maybe if she's got some sort of medical or age issue.

You’re not a cow for getting a new cleaner. You’d be a cow if you were making nasty comments behind her back about her decision not to work in the heat (which it doesn’t sound like you are doing, but some posters are!)

She's not BU if that's what she needs to do then that's absolutely fair enough, but equally I would probably look for another cleaner. I couldn't be bothered with the potential prospect of quibbling over the exact temperature when it's close to 25 and not knowing whether or not she'll attend, or the prospect that the home will realistically end up not having been cleaned during the summer months.

A shame and she's done nothing wrong but it is what it is. By nature it's a regular service so if that can't be delivered then it's no longer suitable for your needs.

You pay a cleaner for the convenience of not having to do it yourself. Not knowing whether or not she will come makes it no longer convenient.

Our cleaner came on Wednesday.

Doing hours of physical work in hot weather can absolutely make you unwell, even at 25 degrees. Both DH and I have physical outdoor jobs and we have both come home feeling unwell on several occasions due to the heat.

It may be 25 outside, but is often hotter indoors in smaller properties, and yes she is NOT sitting having a cuppa but doing PHYSICAL work. Gyms etc are usually maintained at a temperature of 16-20 degrees; we are advised not to walk dogs at temps over 23; and yes, a cleaner MAY also have underlying health conditions that are absolutely none of your business as a client but mean they are advised to show caution in hotter weather.

If she is already a frequent cancel cleaner look for someone else.

was that necessary? Do you look down at people employing a cleaner, or any other service, because you are jealous , or are you just grumpy about the heat 😂

I wouldn't want to lose a good cleaner over this.

Even this year - which has been exceptional - it didn't get over 25 degrees until June. And it could be shit weather in August & September for all we know.

I would wait and see how it plays out over the rest of the summer and if she only ends up cancelling a few times, I would respect that it is too hot for lots of housework. My own house is messy at the moment because I can't be bothered in this heat to do much hoovering, etc.

Of course if she cancels week after week for weeks on end, then you will need to find a new cleaner but wait and see.

If she is not expecting to still be paid, it is annoying but you can't argue. You can find a new cleaner.

She's a cleaner, a perfectly respectable job, but she's not building pyramids in the middle of the day either😂

It's just cleaning, indoors, it's not that taxing,

Imagine if everybody refused to work, refuse to clean schools, hospitals and places that REALLY should have air con or more protection against the heat.

YANBU to find another cleaner. Look on We Casa for a one off clean. Hope you recover soon!

Is she still wanting to be paid?

If yes, she could come early morning or late evening when it's much cooler?

Our cleaner works regardless of temperature she’s a hard worker and just gets on with it. We all have to really don’t we. Yours sounds lazy and to be honest she isn’t meeting your needs to it’s perfectly fine to tell her you need someone more reliable and move on.

Cancel and find another cleaner. It sounds like she is thoroughly unreliable.

....or she could hire someone who will clean at 25 degrees which is a perfectly normal temperature in which to work.

Definitely not unreasonable. And she's not special just because she is good at the job she's employed to do

Fuck me, that is harsh - and so utterly classist and dismissive. And probably misogynistic.

Cleaning is a physical job. It’s hard work - otherwise OP would be able to do it, current health concerns notwithstanding, wouldn’t she? So yes, it IS taxing if you are doing 6-8 hours of it moving from one client to another and then, likely, going home to deal with kids.

It is also not salaried. No holiday or sick pay, no rights and protections, no coffee breaks or H&S assessments/protections - such as you get when in salaried employment at, say, a hospital where you work in a team.

Go check your privilege because your response is, frankly, quite despicable.

Agreed you are not friends, it’s a business relationship. Look for a new cleaner asap.