Cleaner - who is BU?

[Okhmm]

Hi, I have a cleaner who is meant to work 11 to 4, so 5 hours. She is often at least 15 mins late, but always leaves on the exact dot at 4pm. She literally can't get out fast enough. 15 mins I can let slide. However, today she came at 11.30. I was here today, so as I saw her leaving at 4 exactly, I said, "Oh thanks for everything... so just 4 and a half hours today then?" She said, "No, I was here 11.15." I told her it was actually 11.30 and that I don't want to sound fussy, but 30 mins is £10 and to me, if I started 30 mins late, I would make it up the other end. Not to mention, she was talking on her phone when she arrived and always takes about 20 mins to get started anyway (but I didn't mention this). This isn't the first time I've told her about timing. Her work is ok, but not great tbh. So I've sent her £90 this week instead of the usual £100. To me, it's just the principle of the matter, and when people are like this it doesn't sit well with me. I'm very flexible with her otherwise and she seems a nice person. AIBU?

As we used to say growing up "Sounds like someone is taking the piss". It basically means someone is being a bit cheeky.

How refreshing to see a thread where an OP has actually dealt with something like this face to face and swiftly and fairly.

YANBU.

Every single person I know who has a cleaner nowadays says the same thing - it usually involves them starting late and leaving early.

I asked around some older friends who had cleaners many years ago (before mobile phones) and they all said there wasn't a problem with it.

I’d hazard a guess just about everyone knows what taking the piss means?! 😁

How big is your home/office that it requires 5 hours cleaning per day?

Oh, maybe it's 5 hours a week 😆.

My cleaner used to leave early and also had her husband pop in for coffee every day! This was before ring cameras. My next door neighbour told me. I made a point of coming home early one day and she had gone at least 30 mins early. I spoke to her about it and we agreed that she could work her full hours or she could reduce them. She chose to work on and do extras like cleaning a window or two . I also said that her coffee breaks were to be solely for her. She stayed with me for over 10 years.

She didn't say every day

We had 2 cleaners at the same time, they did an hour, so equivalent to 2 hours per week. They ended up leaving after 45 minutes, and one day they left after 35 minutes. I was WFH and on a meeting. I just got rid of them as they were taking the piss. I found a new cleaner and she’s amazing, if she finishes early she’ll ask if there’s anything she can do down the last 15 mins (or whatever), I’ve told her to go home a few times but she still asks. I’m increasing her hours now and her pay, so good work really does pay off!

Gosh - thanks for explaining. "Taking the piss" is such a strange phrase and almost nobody would have any idea what it means. Thank goodness that your family were so on the ball.

She’s taking the piss thinking we don’t 😂

@Okhmm I would have deducted every time she’s 15 minutes late too.

🤣

My initial cleaner left and her reason was that she was still getting the house done to a high standard she had just got used to it and felt devalued.

with my newish cleaner so often starts later and finishes earlier so I’ve decided to ask her some extra things to see if she can fit it in and inevitably she can!

Our cleaners do leave a bit early, but I look at the amount of work they manage to get done in the time, and I am comfortable with what we pay and the work they get done.

It does sound as if your cleaner is taking the piss, @Okhmm.

I’d get a new cleaner. She is paid for 5 hours of cleaning so she needs to do five hours of cleaning. She’s not paid for 3 hours of cleaning 15 minutes of late and 45 mins of pissing around.

Are you me?! I had exactly the same situation, although on the most recent occasion my cleaners left an hour early, and x 2 people, that is 2 hours less cleaning. I clocked them on my ring doorbell and questioned it when she messaged to say it was 5 hours/ £108. She said it was because her car broke down so she had to squeeze more cleans into 1 day. I sent £100 rather than £108 and she had the cheek to say she had done all the work. I replied, great we only need 3 hours in future. She said I owed her £8 and she didn’t want to rush so needed to be paid for 5 hours. I found another cleaner!

The thing is, I've said to her before that I don't mind when she comes - as long as she works what she's being paid to work! There was another time I gave her £90 rather than £100 because she left early and I texted her to explain why, and that I can see when she leaves on the Ring doorbell. I don't know, is this just young people today? Also, I don't think I'd arrive at a job on the phone, and continue chatting for 15 mins while I took my shoes off and put slippers on and whatever other faff with her bag she does. Then, she'll have her outdoor shoes on 10 mins before the hour, be faffing with her bag and phone again, as if waiting for the ping of the hour before she's off. What is wrong with people? Where is the common sense? I only ask her to vacuum and mop and some light dusting. The house is generally clean anyway, the floors are clear and there is never anything for her to move or pick up. Not even a shoe.

Thanks for replies.

I had a mother/daughter duo and the daughter would arrive much later than the mother yet they’d still charge for the full two hours. I let it slide when it was 10 minutes but complained when it was 20 minutes two weeks in a row. It did not go down well!

o good lord

Well I’d pay her for the time she works and she may pull her finger out but the 20 mins to ‘get going!’ Isn’t acceptable.
Find another cleaner.

Oh I've had this too. Except I had a team of 4. So rather than one person doing 4 hours, they would do a floor of the house each - 4x1 hour. But they would never do the full hour, so even if they were doing 15 mins less, it was actually an hour overall, because they would all leave together. I was constantly telling them that an hour should mean an hour. They then asked me if they could come 30 mins early to eat lunch in my house! Then, I found one lying in a bed with eating packet of crisps. So that was it. They actually seemed genuinely surprised to be sacked.

Of course you’re not unreasonable. I’d say she can either charge for the work or charge by the hour but she cannot charge by the hour and leave early citing the work being finished… if she is done with the usual jobs early you expect her to find something to clean.

NEVER pay by the hour. Only pay for the job.

Good for you. I can guarantee if you asked her to do something and it ran 10min over her time, she would expect payment.
I would do the same.