That's where I'm at today. This week was both good and bad. I enjoyed myself on my day off Tuesday and was able to get alot accomplished, and felt really good about it! Wednesday and Thursday were frustrating!
Lemme give you a little back ground info to kind of "catch you up". I started working a couple of weeks ago for a friend. He decided to start a cleaning business and hired me as his "manager", meaning that I pretty much run it, he just makes sure I have everything I need so that I can get the job done. It's been great, and I've really enjoyed it. It's given me a sense of feeling like I'm contributing.
BUT
He also hired another girl to help me. Now don't get me wrong, I like her and she's fun to work with. But I guess I feel like I carry a little more "knowledge" into doing this because it's the same thing my mother has done for over 25 years, since my father passed away.
I know the do's and don'ts of being hired to clean. I know what you should and shouldn't do and what is and isn't correct. I know that if you are hired to clean an occupied home, you go in and clean every inch of everything that can be seen, and even some of the stuff that can't be seen. I know that you don't touch personal items and you don't go through their personal belongings.
On this past Wednesday and Thursday my co worker and I went into an occupied home to give it a very thurough (sp?) cleaning before they had out of town guests come in for a special occasion. We worked 6 1/2 hours on Wednesday and 5 on Thursday. On Wednesday the "lady of the house" was at home for the first part of the day, then had to do some running later on while we were still there. After she left my co worker suddenly "disappeared". A short time later I found her in the guest house going through drawers. When I asked her what she was doing she said "Straightening the drawers". I then told her that wasn't what we were to be doing today and that we still had alot of work to do and would she come help me. I kept her busy for a little while longer then she "disappeared" again. This time I found her in the basement on an exercise bike just riding away. I didn't say anything this time, I just simply walked away.
On Thursday the lady's husband answered the door when we got there. His wife had to make an emergency run to the vet for her dog, but had left us a list of things she wanted us to do while she was gone. Shortly afterwards, the man left for work. Once again, my co worker "disappeared". A few minutes later, I heard her calling my name, so I went to see what she wanted. Now mind you, we are supposed to be cleaning this house. She aannounces "OMG, there is a check for our boss out there for "X" amount of money". I'm like, where did you find this, and she says she found it in a pile of paper she was "straightening up". I told her that I really needed her to be with me to get the things done that we needed to get done that day, so she came with me.
About an hour or so later she walked out of the room we were currently cleaning together and once again disappeared. I called her name, but she didn't answer, so I went looking for her. I found her in the master bedroom, once again going through papers. At this point I was ticked and asked her what she was doing. Apparently, she didn't hear or see me come into the room and I startled her and she said "Oh, nothing" and quickly put the papers down. She then went into the closet and started cleaning and I told her "that's not on our list of stuff to do" and she said "that's ok, I'm going to straighten it up anyway". I looked at her and said "Well, that's fine, but I'm going by the list". She got such an attitude towards me that she didn't say another word to me until just before we were leaving for the day.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm a perfect person, because I'm far from that. But you don't walk into someone's house to do what we are hired to do, and start rifling through their "stuff", that's WRONG! I don't think she's doing this to steal, I just think that she is curious as to what kinds of "things" people who live like this have. I mean, I am awestruck sometimes at the beauty of the home and all of the neat things I come across while I'm cleaning, but I don't go out of my way to see what they have.
I sat down with my boss on Thursday night and talked to him about this. He suggested that I try to talk to my co worker about this and explain to them that we simply can't be doing this, and I agreed that it would be a good idea. He then gave me our paychecks and said "You can call her and tell her you have her pay, that will give you a reason to have to see her". Friday morning I called her to tell her I had her check and asked her to give me a call and let me know when she'd be home. I called 3 more times through out the day, each time leaving a message on her machine. Finally, last night about 7 p.m., she called. She asked if I would be home and I said yes, and she said she'd stop over and pick up her check (she lives about mile down the road from here). My thought was "kewl, when she comes I can offer her a pop and we can sit down and talk. But that never happened because she came down with a group of girls in her car who were quite rude and very obviously drunk. When I tried to ask my co worker where she was going, someone in the back seat said "Just give her her damn check bitch". So I gave her her check and walked away.
My boss says it's up to me what happens with this girl. He says if I don't feel comfortable with her going into the occupied homes I can simply only call her to work when we're going into the empty apartments. He also said that if I feel like she's not working out, I can also fire her. Her work is "OK", not as good as I wish it would be, she cleans around things rather than moving them and cleaning under them, and I see where she rushes to get something cleaned quicker, rather than taking your time so it's done right.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point. I know that I tend to be a bitch myself, and I know for a fact that I am anal about how things are done, especially when it comes to work. I know that it bothers me what she's doing in the occupied home we clean, because I feel it is a personal reflection on me. I just need some time to think about it. I've never been in a position before to decide whether or not someone gets to keep their job. It's a huge decision, and I'm just not ready to make it yet without some substantial proof of what I'm seeing.
Other than that, everything is "ok". Things could be better, and they could be worse. Ric and I are kind of "nipping" at each other today, but that's a whole different story!
Hope everyone's having a great weekend. Tomorrow is footbal!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BENGALS!!!!
2 comments:
With all of the identity theft and stuff, that girl would make me nervous!
Plus, she called you a name. How beyond rude!
Oh, I feel for you. Stick a fork in, you have every right to feel done.
That's a hard choice to make. I feel for you. Personally, I think you should try the unoccupied apt. thing for awhile and not take her to places that are lived in currently. If she still gives "attitude" (cuz that what it seems to me) then I would have to consider firing her ass...that and the fact that one of her "friends" called you a bitch...But anyway you handle it, you still probably should sit down and talk with her about why you feel this way (i totally agree with you btw what she's doing is an invasion of privacy and completely wrong in my book) cuz otherwise she'll never know what she is doing wrong and it will never change...*hugs*
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