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?

My sister and I have a small cleaning business. We are in East Anglia and this week has felt like we were cleaning in the bowels of hell, we both have health conditions which make matters worse but we haven’t cancelled any of our customers even though we have felt like it because some houses we clean are stinky and stifling, the owners never open the windows or have any fans/air con but the show must go on, as they say.

I can totally understand your cleaner but also understand that you are the customer and you need the work completed. Moving forward, if we continue having these heatwaves year in, year out as predicted she will surely be unable to carry out her work 3/4 months of the year. Maybe she needs to start looking at other lines of work.

How has OP gone above and beyond!? I highly doubt OP bought the portable AC units purely for the cleaner!

THIS. Good grief, I've been going to work all week despite feeling almost sick with heat.

If she won't work over 25 thats absolutely her prerogative but you have every right to find another cleaner. Thats just business. Take emotions out of this because it's not relevant. She is providing a service and if she cannot provide the service you require then you will find someone else who does.

This isnt about her personally- she can choose to work whatever flipping patterns she likes- she could choose to work only in the autumn time or only on every other Tuesday if she wants but she cannot then expect others to hire her if thats not convenient for them.

As for people saying install AC 🤣 thats going to cost thousands, and by the time you find someone to book the job and actually install it, it will likely be cold weather again so will be completely pointless.

Er.... she's already without a cleaner so it wont make a jot of difference will it? 😂

It's been 36c outside here at times, and my house is around 22c all day. I am militant about keeping it cool with shade and closed windows as I don't have aircon.

OP offered to pay her the full wage for half the work.

are you quite ok?
so utterly classist and dismissive. And probably misogynistic. is that all? 😂

Most cleaners get on with it. Yes, it's physical, but not that physical. At worst you get a bit sweaty, is that such a big deal?

It is also not salaried. No holiday or sick pay, no rights and protections, no coffee breaks or H&S assessments/protections
well, quite. If someone then doesn't want clients in the summer, they can't be needing much of that income. Absolutely fine, but why is privileged here!

A good reliable cleaner who cancels once in extreme conditions? Fine. Someone who sets this kind of limit going forward, then I'd be looking for a different cleaner. it strikes me that this is part of the "women be kind" thing. Its not. Its a business arrangement. Its transactional in its proper sense. Neither of you is doing the other a favour.

Believe me, it really is quite taxing, I’m exhausted at the end of the day normally let alone in a continuous heatwave.

Try cleaning 4+ houses a day in sweltering conditions, having to peel off your bra at the end of the day because you’ve sweated half your body weight away and then come back and tell me it isn’t hard going at times. It’s not fluffy work, tinkering about with a feather duster and a squirt of polish. As we all know, most U.K. houses are built to keep heat in and few people have decent fans let alone air conditioning.

It's her choice not to work, and it's your choice whether you find that acceptable or not. How hot is it in your actual house?

I find it a bit weird that she wants to lose out on work all across the summer. There are plenty of jobs that involve working in much hotter environments- cooking in a kitchen, gardening outside, agriculture. You adapt, drink lots of water, work slower as needed.

I have AC in my house (necessary in Japan) and quite often don't run it if I'm home alone. My house sits about around 27c, 28c in the middle of the day.

absolutely this.

I’m self employed (not a cleaner) and I’m frequently told on here I was aware that being self employed meant no holiday or sick pay etc when I chose the job so I can’t complain about that as you can always choose something else. Which is true really. If you want the employee benefits including being part of a team then everyone is free to get a job that includes those. You can’t exactly call people privileged because they chose employment over self employment. It is a choice.

Which is fine- noone is saying she must work.

But then dont blast the OP for finding someone else.

If this woman can afford to take the whole summer off work then good for her- I'm actually jealous and wish I could do the same

you have NOT sweated half your body weight away

Sorry, this is nonsense, I know people in the UK are unused to the heat, but Its not 25 degrees inside your house with fans & portable A/C.
How do people survive in Southern Europe. ? Its currently 27 degrees inside my house as I type, with A/C on ! Its hot, but I would happily do the cleaning.
Just find another cleaner, she’s not reliable.

Yes, but not all homes are made the same. I was just in Windermere. The temp outside was 25 but the room that we were in, was 28 and that’s with fans etc.

It depends on so much. If it’s an old stone home or a new build with lots of insulation. If it’s a detached house of a flat. If there’s a loft conversion, if the main windows of the home are facing N/E/S/W. How many windows and the size of them.
There's too many variables to say that just by closing the curtains and putting on a fan means that you can keep the temp comfortable. Many people do this and it’s still too hot.

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.

She isn't refusing to work, she is choosing not to and letting her clients know, as a self employed person who can make those choices for herself, she knows the choices may mean that she loses clients, but she obviously isn't concerned about that.

My attitude around work changed a lot around lockdown.. because it had been ingrained in me that my health and happiness revolved around working my fingers to the bone, for someone who ultimately doesn't give a toss about me as an employee. I do feel for the people stuck in that life with employers who couldn't care less, but I've made my choice now to be self employed. It doesn't make me lesser of a person to pick and choose what I'm prepared to do and what conditions I'm prepared to work in, I still work really hard for my clients, but on my terms.

OP by all means look for a new cleaner, if the arrangement isn't working for you, it's not working, but I can't fault her one bit.

I'm well aware - I live in Cornwall, in a South facing, 1970s mid terrace, surrounded by hot tarmac. I have blinds, curtains, shade sails, ceiling fans and a militant approach to opening and closing doors and windows. It's working but it's been a long slog to get to this point.

Anyway, OPs cleaner obviously makes enough income not to work on a nice day, so that's her choice. OP also has a choice to use someone less flaky.

Her rules are fine, and you sacking her as a result is also fine.

As you are unable to fulfill your duties, I will be terminating your contract and employing someone else. Thank you for your service.

You may find she changes her mind. If not, get a new cleaner.

I’m with others in that probably time to move on.

i have a lovely lady who has some health issues and we have an open dialogue - a couple of the days she hasn’t felt able to do my place and that’s fine. Other days she has. Weirdly she did the hottest days but some of the cooler ones she just couldn’t manage. But a blanket rule of over 25 is just arbitrary - sometimes there’s a breeze, sometimes not. That makes me feel she’s just being unreasonable and yes, in june - august temps over 25 most days are normal

She's self employed and she can make this choice. It's the beauty of being self employed if you can afford it.
I'm a bit on the fence about whether it's very professional or not but if getting a good cleaner is as hard in your area as it is here, then I'd suck it up and go with it.

I would look for another cleaner

I think you are blind to the realities that others face with the difficulties of keeping their homes cool. Well done to you though, keeping your home comfortable and telling everybody about it.

Yeah, that’s not on. Isn’t she instead asking to work early and and later on instead? Your house sounds quite well set up too for this weather and better than some of her other clients I’m sure! She’ll lose clients and have less income as a result of this, but her call 🤷‍♀️

It’s a business, your choice and you aren’t a cow- she isn’t providing the service you need- especially as you are recovering from an op. Sack her and get a new cleaner.

Yes, I would get a new cleaner if mine did this. I don't have time for things like that. She's NBU to operate her business how she wants to, but it wouldn't work for me.