Housekeeping chuckles

So we've got a housekeeper, sort of. I've come to accept that this is not the most stellar example of the employment pool. But this is who answered the ad. We're coping. (Apparently the unemployment rate this year is very low and it shows. All the stores in town are looking for help, too.)
What I do everyday is go back thru the rooms when she's gone and I put everything back where it belongs because she insists on moving things around no matter what I say.
If I say the curtains should be open, she closes them. Trash can should be next to the dresser, it's behind a chair. I'd say the guests are doing this except it's every day. If only she could do every day what I tell her to do.
I'm testing my theory tomorrow that she does this stuff deliberately. If I can get to a particular guest room first I'm going to place everything out the way I want it and see if she moves it.
Years ago, heck weeks ago, this would have had me tearing my hair out, but now it's like an episode of Fawlty Towers.
Next year. Ah the dreams of the innkeeper. Next year I'm hoping for 4-5 applicants so I can pick 2.
The lament of the innkeeper. (I am laughing so don't worry I'm cracking up.)

Excellent. Tell her where you don't want things, see if she puts them there ... which will be closer to where you really do want them.

seashanty said:

Excellent. Tell her where you don't want things, see if she puts them there ... which will be closer to where you really do want them. .

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seashanty said:

Excellent. Tell her where you don't want things, see if she puts them there ... which will be closer to where you really do want them.

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LOL
My 2 girls are killing me to with their teenage drama. But!!! they do a phenomenal job. I check, with them when they are done for the day. Have them bring Wind ex and paper towels so that, when I point out things, they do it while I am there.

Is she doing this just to p*** you off, if so may be time to assert your authority.

Have you gone with her through a room while she actually does the work? When she puts it in the wrong place...tell her you expect it to be done YOUR WAY!

Have you tried carrot? A bonus in cash if everything is in the right place? Like $1 per room bonus for everything being in it's place? Or maybe a $10 bonus the first time everything is in it's place the first time she manages to get it? With a $1 lost each day it isn't until the bonus is lost?

To me having a housekeeper who won't listen is worse than guests stealing my mugs - because I'm paying her to do what I want! My last one refused to put stuff where I wanted them - she thought they looked better where she wanted them. Drove me crazy. And she ruined the carpet in my most expensive room by dropping pure bleach on it which we never have pure bleach in guest rooms, knocked a painting off the wall in a hallway and the frame shattered on the floor (that's a first, who the heck walks so close to the wall that they are knocking off paintings) and just irritated the heck of me for a year until I happily gave her her last check a week after she said she needed a $1 an hour raise to be able to stay on - boy was she shocked. But I was so happy she was gone and I didn't mind doing the work myself for a while until I got my new one.
My new one is great but I did have to have a talk with her yesterday - the work day is 10-4 and 5 of the last 6 days she added on overtime to get another couple hours in. We aren't crazy busy so yesterday I mentioned that unless we agree prior to her staying that she needs to keep it to 10-4. Otherwise, I'm so much happier that I got rid of the other one and spent over 2 months finding a replacement. It felt like I was never gonna get a good candidate as we had several people with rap sheets -- heroin, home invasion/burglary, theft -- but I held out knowing a good person would eventually come along. Good luck.

EmptyNest said:

Have you gone with her through a room while she actually does the work? When she puts it in the wrong place...tell her you expect it to be done YOUR WAY!.

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Agreed. Training is always step one. Then correction, then termination

Awesome story!! LOL
Our high school girl just asked for next week off. WHAT??? her friend is coming to visit.
I said, you get off at 1 or 2, you can spend plenty of time with her. DH simply said, "I need the coverage."
Later, we remembered when we were kids with high school jobs. I missed my uncle's funeral because I worked as a waitress at a small place and there wasn't coverage for me to be gone 4 days. We worked when we were told to work. geeze.

Ours always puts the dishes in the wrong places. Every evening, I move them back where I want them.

TheBeachHouse said:

Awesome story!! LOL
Our high school girl just asked for next week off. WHAT??? her friend is coming to visit.
I said, you get off at 1 or 2, you can spend plenty of time with her. DH simply said, "I need the coverage."
Later, we remembered when we were kids with high school jobs. I missed my uncle's funeral because I worked as a waitress at a small place and there wasn't coverage for me to be gone 4 days. We worked when we were told to work. geeze..

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I have no patience for this stuff - I had a paper route at the ages of 10-14 and never, ever missed a day delivering 5 days a week. Weather or illnesses didn't matter, I got the job done. And of course as an innkeeper there are no sick days or days off to just go to the beach for a summer weekend. So it totally irks me when people think it's just OK to bug off on their job responsibilities.
The second housekeeper I hired along with this last one worked for 1 1/2 days and then told me she needed 3 of the next 7 weekends off (she only was hired for Friday/Saturday) as she had summer weekend plans. A single mom with a 2 year old who told me when I hired her she needed the money to support him because her other job was just 4 days a week. She figured when she took the job that she'd get those summer weekends off and then be good after that. When I told her no to one of the 3 weekends, she quit - again just had worked 1 1/2 days. I guess having fun on the weekends with the new boyfriend was more important than money to support her son. I offered my other new housekeeper to pickup other days she was available and it's worked out. This one however just wrote on the board in the kitchen the other that she needs August 16th off - didn't come to me and ask, just left me a note. When I spoke to her the next day, she said she had planned her son's birthday party for that day. I reiterated that Sundays are a huge turnover day for us and mentioned that perhaps she could have those parties on Saturday which is her day off. I hope she got the message that you plan stuff on your day off, not for a work day and then leave a note taking that day off.

MtnKeeper said:

TheBeachHouse said:

Awesome story!! LOL
Our high school girl just asked for next week off. WHAT??? her friend is coming to visit.
I said, you get off at 1 or 2, you can spend plenty of time with her. DH simply said, "I need the coverage."
Later, we remembered when we were kids with high school jobs. I missed my uncle's funeral because I worked as a waitress at a small place and there wasn't coverage for me to be gone 4 days. We worked when we were told to work. geeze..

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I have no patience for this stuff - I had a paper route at the ages of 10-14 and never, ever missed a day delivering 5 days a week. Weather or illnesses didn't matter, I got the job done. And of course as an innkeeper there are no sick days or days off to just go to the beach for a summer weekend. So it totally irks me when people think it's just OK to bug off on their job responsibilities.
The second housekeeper I hired along with this last one worked for 1 1/2 days and then told me she needed 3 of the next 7 weekends off (she only was hired for Friday/Saturday) as she had summer weekend plans. A single mom with a 2 year old who told me when I hired her she needed the money to support him because her other job was just 4 days a week. She figured when she took the job that she'd get those summer weekends off and then be good after that. When I told her no to one of the 3 weekends, she quit - again just had worked 1 1/2 days. I guess having fun on the weekends with the new boyfriend was more important than money to support her son. I offered my other new housekeeper to pickup other days she was available and it's worked out. This one however just wrote on the board in the kitchen the other that she needs August 16th off - didn't come to me and ask, just left me a note. When I spoke to her the next day, she said she had planned her son's birthday party for that day. I reiterated that Sundays are a huge turnover day for us and mentioned that perhaps she could have those parties on Saturday which is her day off. I hope she got the message that you plan stuff on your day off, not for a work day and then leave a note taking that day off.
.

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MtnKeeper said:

I have no patience for this stuff - I had a paper route at the ages of 10-14 and never, ever missed a day delivering 5 days a week. Weather or illnesses didn't matter, I got the job done. And of course as an innkeeper there are no sick days or days off to just go to the beach for a summer weekend. So it totally irks me when people think it's just OK to bug off on their job responsibilities.
The second housekeeper I hired along with this last one worked for 1 1/2 days and then told me she needed 3 of the next 7 weekends off (she only was hired for Friday/Saturday) as she had summer weekend plans. A single mom with a 2 year old who told me when I hired her she needed the money to support him because her other job was just 4 days a week. She figured when she took the job that she'd get those summer weekends off and then be good after that. When I told her no to one of the 3 weekends, she quit - again just had worked 1 1/2 days. I guess having fun on the weekends with the new boyfriend was more important than money to support her son. I offered my other new housekeeper to pickup other days she was available and it's worked out. This one however just wrote on the board in the kitchen the other that she needs August 16th off - didn't come to me and ask, just left me a note. When I spoke to her the next day, she said she had planned her son's birthday party for that day. I reiterated that Sundays are a huge turnover day for us and mentioned that perhaps she could have those parties on Saturday which is her day off. I hope she got the message that you plan stuff on your day off, not for a work day and then leave a note taking that day off.

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She has Saturdays off and planned a party for a Sunday? That's just dumb.

EmptyNest said:

Have you gone with her through a room while she actually does the work? When she puts it in the wrong place...tell her you expect it to be done YOUR WAY!.

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EmptyNest said:

Have you gone with her through a room while she actually does the work? When she puts it in the wrong place...tell her you expect it to be done YOUR WAY!

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At least 5 times after the original training period of 3 days. At this point I need the extra hands to get the work done. Once the summer is over, that's it. That's another 5 weeks. One week of which we're closed. If employees were thick on the ground I'd have let her go a month ago. Right now no one seems to be able to keep anyone on.

Morticia said:

EmptyNest said:

Have you gone with her through a room while she actually does the work? When she puts it in the wrong place...tell her you expect it to be done YOUR WAY!.

Click to expand...

EmptyNest said:

Have you gone with her through a room while she actually does the work? When she puts it in the wrong place...tell her you expect it to be done YOUR WAY!

Click to expand...

At least 5 times after the original training period of 3 days. At this point I need the extra hands to get the work done. Once the summer is over, that's it. That's another 5 weeks. One week of which we're closed. If employees were thick on the ground I'd have let her go a month ago. Right now no one seems to be able to keep anyone on.
.

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Well then I guess the best you can do is just Chuckle along for the next few weeks and then she is gone.

About 18 months ago I hired a young woman whom I had known from the time she was in elementary school. It was as much because I felt sorry for her. Her brother was killed in an auto accident when she was about 12. Emotionally and mentally she sort of was "stuck" at age 12 although she's 38. Someplace along the way she "acquired" a daughter who is about 8 years old.
So, my story is a 2-parter. E had a list she was to use when cleaning rooms. I had to print out a new list every day for a couple of weeks, finally gave up. I couldn't have her do the ironing. She understood ironing but was never too keen about folding...Also, when her daughter was not in school, E brought her along for me to entertain. I discovered that the only times I really made an impression on her (that is to do things like I told her to do them) were the few times I got mad and yelled at her. (Embarrassed myself) Come to find out that when a teenager she and her mother yelled at each other (I doubt if I would have survived my teenage years if I had yelled at my mother). Somehow she was always applying for jobs but never getting them. Managed to not go to every job fair I told her to go to. Finally she got another job last week.
The second part is about our state's unemployment tax that I now have to pay. Have to file and pay online. Every quarter things have gotten worse. First time they assigned me a user name that had too many characters to be allowed by the website, but the response made it seem like I was using the wrong password... This time the website wouldn't tell me whether It had accepted the payment I made. When I tried to call the state office, the phone tree led me to a recording that said sorry, but there are no representatives able to help you today (mid-day mid-week). Not only was I crying, but I was also hyperventilating. I realize that it's a total over-reaction, but I think it's just a combination of knowing all the extra crap I have to go through for the rest of time even if I never have another employee (just report quarterly that you don't have any employees until the business is permanently closed) and the ridiculous amount of non help I had from this girl who I think had no intention of trying to find a "real" job (had plenty of public assistance to fill in the gaps) until her family made her.
Would I ever hire another housekeeper? NO. I'll try out every cleaning service in the state before ever having to deal with all the paperwork. I'm on my own again, not real happy cleaning all those bathrooms, but that's about all E seemed to do well.

Our town has been without a downtown hotel for the past 10 years or so. This has hurt the downtown convention center because of the lack of overnight accommodations downtown. The old hotel was elegant, built in the 1930's, main complaint was too close to the RR tracks, train noise, etc. Interestingly, (there's much more to the story but I will be discreet) an advocacy group has chosen my town to build a hotel that will serve as a training center for mentally disabled persons. They envision a training period of between 4 and 16 weeks. Hotel is closer to the RR tracks than the previous one. Due to open Oct or Nov. I'm interested to see if it will be successful. "It's never been done before" I can guess why.

My main housekeeper notoriously forgets to turn of the AC units and ceiling fan. Just yesterday I told remained her that there are no arrivals to the bedrooms she was working on - all off please. Came back to find to find ceiling fans on. In the other suite she left the AC on 61 degrees for the whole night! I just can not trust her and need to check every time.

April said:

My main housekeeper notoriously forgets to turn of the AC units and ceiling fan. Just yesterday I told remained her that there are no arrivals to the bedrooms she was working on - all off please. Came back to find to find ceiling fans on. In the other suite she left the AC on 61 degrees for the whole night! I just can not trust her and need to check every time..

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try giving her a checklist of the major things that need to be done...

I tell my staff very clearly: I have four children, a wife, an ex-wife and two spoiled dogs. I don't have to PAY THEM for drama -- I get it everyday for free.

My housekeeper nearly managed to kill herself today - asked her to make sure she hovered behind the 4 poster bed in room 12 as its a real dust trap - came back to find she had pulled out the desk in a fit of keenness which I had meant to do myself with DH as it really is a 2 person job and she had caught the flex of the bedside lamp and pulled it into 2 parts from where the switch is on the cable - nearly electrocuted herself.
So came back to non fixable lamp - had at 1.30 then to go to the shop for 2 more as they don't make them to match any more then back again 2.10 to find she had checked the guests into that room, not knowing if she had left live wires stuck out! (she hadn't) but then we had to wait for them to go and sneek in and change the lamps.