My Cleaning Help | Imamother

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

My Cleaning Help

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amother

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:34 am

I BH have really reliable cleaning help. she comes a few hours a week and is super quick so she ends up getting to clean my entire small house. She isn't very thorough but the reliability is really important to me so I'm happy with her.
I pay her per hour. but its not down to the minute at all. like if she came 5 minutes late, she usually just makes sure to rush and finish and I pay her for the full hours each week.
Recently she's been leaving a good 10-15 minutes early. and even more recently she started coming late too. at the beginning of her late arrival, I mentioned a few times that she can please stay those minutes later and of course she said yes. But, she doesn't! she comes late and leaves early. And rushes like crazy to finish early. Many times that adds up to a good 20/25 minutes of her not working. she can easily do a nice amount of works in those minutes...
the ones I share her with have basically the same problem, but they don't want to say anything to her.
DH is really mad. And many times I am too! On one hand she does all the basic cleaning (and sometimes a bit more) but then again, I'm paying her for so much extra time that she doesn't work (almost $100 extra a month!) and I really don't have the extra money. at least let me get my monies worth.

WWYD?

rivkam

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:35 am

I've had this problem multiple times with cleaning help. It stresses me out

B'Syata D'Shmya

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:36 am

If I was happy with her work, I would consider the minutes off from her break or instead of a raise.

sarahph1

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:48 am

Going through the same thing… soo annoying

amother

cornflower

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:53 am

I'd start paying her for only the time she worked. She'll get the picture. But only do that if you're OK with the possibility of her leaving and finding someone new. The fact she's not even doing a perfect job makes a big difference. If she was thorough I'd let it go

amother

Firethorn

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:53 am

If she is good at cleaning plus reliable, I would look away… it’s really hard to find good help. I’ve had help where I felt like I was throwing away money too but not for this reason, rather because they were just so awful at their job.

wife101

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:55 am

In lakewood there is a surplus of cleaning ladies so you have less to lose by making a fuss and paying her only for the time she worked... I don't know about other locations

amother

Marigold

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:57 am

How much are you paying per hour?

rae

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 11:59 am

Depending on the time and day. If I’m giving her lunch, I would say something. If not, I consider it break time/breather which they’re entitled too.

amother

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:06 pm

She used to religiously leave 10 minutes early. And even though she only comes for a few hours a week, I just looked at it as a lunch break. it is what it is. now that its a good 20-25 minutes, that's a huge amount of time! she can fold my huge pile of laundry in that time!

It does sound like there's a lot of cleaning up around that may be available, but for me reliability is very important. She's not the greatest cleaner but not beyond terrible. I've had worse.

I feel like if I say something or deduct pay, it needs to be done jointly with the ones I share her with. but no one else wants to rock the boat...

amother

Chambray

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:06 pm

wife101 wrote:

In lakewood there is a surplus of cleaning ladies so you have less to lose by making a fuss and paying her only for the time she worked... I don't know about other locations

Is Toms River considered Lakewood? Because I can't find anyone decent.
There might be a surplus but I tried so many and they don't know basic cleaning. I'm really not a clean freak I'm very relaxed in that area but some things are just basic common sense and the language barrier makes it so hard to train, even with Google transalate.
Op I would just deduct it from the pay. If she comes 15 min late and leaves 15 min early she doesn't get paid for half hour.

amother

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:07 pm

amother Marigold wrote:

How much are you paying per hour?

$21

amother

Beige

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:08 pm

When she comes to tell you she’s finished, you can point to your watch and say” oh there’s a few more minutes, can you please…” and ask her to do an extra job that normally does not fit in

amother

Petunia

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:09 pm

Are you home when she’s there? I have mine. Text me when she comes and when she leaves to open the garage and I pay her based on those hours so it’s super obvious when she is cutting the time short.

amother

Marigold

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:11 pm

amother OP wrote:

Do you all share her back to back?

amother

DarkKhaki

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:14 pm

amother OP wrote:

$21

That’s a lot! Stop paying her for the time she doesn’t work!

amother

Charcoal

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:14 pm

So let her go and find someone else.

amother

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:15 pm

amother Beige wrote:

When she comes to tell you she’s finished, you can point to your watch and say” oh there’s a few more minutes, can you please…” and ask her to do an extra job that normally does not fit in

I'm home when she comes. generally not home when she leaves, but I know she leaves early. and I do come check sometimes or have been home with a sick kid etc.

rarely I'll tell her to do something else, but I know she gets mad. like if I'll tell her to do the pile of laundry, 20 minutes later she'll leave and I'll see that she folded barely a few items. she was probably busy with her phone instead...

and the other day I came home to check on her she still had 20 minutes left of her time. but she was already walking down the block. and I came in to see that she didn't even finish one of the jobs I gave her! and once or twice I'll send her a text like oh I see you didn't have time for xyz did you have to leave early? and she'll respond 'no, I stayed until regular time of xxx I work as fast as I can and can't always finish. errr!!

amother

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:15 pm

amother Marigold wrote:

Do you all share her back to back?

yes

Highstrung

Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:19 pm

I went through this with my cleaning lady . She then started showing up a full half hour late and not making up the time afterward and leaving early and I was paying her for the full hour . At a certain point I felt very taken advantage of and got rid of her.
I then timed myself cleaning the house thoroughly and discovered that I clean my entire home in half the time she did and I did a much more thorough job. I am happy I got rid of her .
She started off being so reliable and prompt and thorough and after 6 months she felt comfortable enough to start slacking off .

Last edited by Highstrung on Tue, Jan 16 2024, 12:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

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