Cleaner - holiday pay? Post Reply

[Bubs]

Could I ask what you would consider to be usual when you are going away on holiday, and so do not need your cleaner for a week or two.

Do you pay her for that time, since it is not her fault that she cannot work? Half pay? No pay, since it's cash in hand/no contract?

What do you all do?

Thanks!

[Jen66]

I don't have a cleaner at the moment, but in the past I've always paid when I'm away. That's someone I've hired and paid direct, and not through an agency.

[SWpoet]

In the past we've always had our cleaners come while we're away on holiday and tackle extra things that they wouldn't normally have time for, like cleaning out the fridge or using wax on the leather sofa and chairs.
At the moment the cleaner we have isn't very skilled and doesn't seem to be able to cope with instructions to vary her routine. While we're away she just cleans and re-cleans the unused bathroom, kitchen etc. So, with regret, we no longer have her come while we're on holiday and don't pay her then either.

[actuallyadad]

I think the best thing is to get them to do some extra jobs. Otherwise I let them have a bit of a bonus by not doing much work one week!

If they are reliable and hard working and you want to keep them, I take the view that it's harsh on them to reduce their income when you want a holiday. For the sake of a few quid best to err on the side of generosity to the people who have your house keys I say!

[Bubs]

We have quite a complicated alarm system, and my husband worries about it not being set correctly and/or being set off accidentally. So having her come whist we are away isn't an option.

Perhaps I should pay one week of the two ....

[actuallyadad]

well up to you of course, but I always think that the money probably means more to her than to you, so I'd just pay the cleaner as usual and think of it as the price of a couple of extra drinks at a holiday bar!

[Bubs]

Thank you everyone. Petal - that made me smile, I actually did sit and think "gosh, I don't drink THAT much"

I've offered to pay one of the two weeks this time, as its short notice & I feel bad. But I'm not sure I feel especially obligated every time. But now I worry a precedent has been set. Oh dear, Im not v good at all this!!

[MummyWalker]

In answer to the original question, we pay our cleaner when we're on holiday but she still comes and uses the time to do spring clean type jobs (also, if we're only away for a week, unless she cleans on the day we leave, the house always needs a bit of a clean from the time we've been there and ditto the following week).

We've also had a couple of occasions where we've asked her not to come at short notice (husband and I both home with a horrible sick bug, just arrived home from hospital with a new baby) and have still paid her. But on those occasions she's effectively made up part of the time by arriving an hour or so early / staying an hour late on one of her subsequent visits. Depending on her schedule, you could perhaps ask your cleaner to do something similar? I find there's loads of ironing to do post holiday so extra help the following week is always useful.

[Bubs]

That's a really good point re: post-holiday extra work.
We really, really like her, and she's fab at what she does so I think I was just torn between wanting to pay for all, and not actually having the financial freedom (since stopping work) to do so. Really appreciate all the input.

[Daffodil79]

Why wouldn't you pay her??? It's how she pays her bills.
If you can afford to go on holiday and it is short notice you should pay her.
Like others have stated she could come an do extra but your choice again not to have her come in. A good cleaner is difficult to come by so if you want to keep her you should respect her.

[firsttimerSW11]

I pay when I am taking holiday but not when she herself is away.

[actuallyadad]

well I didn't necessarily LITERALLY mean a round of drinks/ weekly clean is couple of quid etc...

But a weekly clean (£60 in my house) isn't much for you in the context of a two week family holiday, and the cleaner has still got to pay her rent!

[NateG]

We use a company to do the cleaning and that's why we don't pay when we're away and we get a professional clean for practically the same rate.

[Balhammumwithbabies]

I give her one week a year paid holiday when we're away but otherwise (depending on the days when we leave/ return relative to her normal day) I'd get a normal clean while we're away and then the week we get back get a huge pile of ironing done or would leave her with a list of spring cleaning type jobs to do while we're away.

[GWcouns]

I believe we should pay our cleaners when we go on holiday - its not as if they can just conjure up some extra hours paid work when we are on holiday. Maybe they could - but if you have an arrangement that you will pay someone to clean your house on Tuesdays every week for 5 hours or whatever then that should be honoured even when you arrange to take a holiday. To not do so is basically the same as offering a zero-hours contract, and my opinion of zero-hours contracts is that they are immoral and de-humanising.
I think anyone who can afford a cleaner can also afford to pay them for a couple of weeks when they are on holiday - whether the cleaner comes in or not when you aren't there. Personally I pay my lovely cleaner even when she is away - some of you might think thats potty but she has been loyal and trustworthy for 8 years now and I am happy to think she can take a break knowing she still has a bit on money going in the bank - in the same way anyone in regular employment does.