Tag Archives: communication problems

How to get the best cleaner

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1293173_excellenceIt can all seem very straightforward when you decide to get domestic help. You think through a list of requirements and either write a brief add to go on your local shop window or call an agency. However your initial interview with a cleaner, whether agency sent or found through other sources, quite often can become a one way communication with clients firing out requirements and failing to listen or ask. This then very often leads to problems in future and eventually cleaner leaving. There are lots of factors that might determine your decision on which cleaner to choose such as experience, knowledge of language, general attitude and many more.

If you are going through the agency and pay an agency fee you expect to get all the factors named above taken into consideration and all the requirements met in return.

One of the most common requirements for clients will always be having a cleaner come on a specific day and time. Here at Amy cleaning we have discovered that most of the clients would like their house cleaned before the weekend. Therefore Thursdays and Fridays are our busiest days. Good cleaners get fully booked for those days very quickly. We do of course understand and follow your preferences at all times, however our aim is to offer a cleaner who will stay with you long term. Flexibility with day gives clients a much wider spectrum of cleaners to choose from and therefore possibility of getting the very best that the agency has to offer increases dramatically. Clients would often choose end of the week regardless and we are very happy to serve such clients too but we always advise to take the above into consideration before making your final decision.

Clients do also prefer cleaners with fluent English. Most of the agencies will not have cleaners who do not speak English, however it is important to understand that levels of their knowledge might vary greatly. Poor English may not necessary mean a bad cleaner. In fact, it is often quite the opposite. Cleaner who does not speak well, will always try her hardest and will go the extra mile for client as she will be aware that there are others with better language skills who can replace her very easily. Such cleaners are also more likely to look at cleaning as long term job rather than a temporary stop over between changing jobs therefore they will stay with clients a lot longer.

Here at Amy Cleaning we also have a very multicultural office staff that is always happy to help with passing on instructions or any specific messages to your cleaner in their own native tongue in those rare cases when you may have trouble communicating to them.

Cross cultural communication (3)

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Do’s and don’ts to avoid a fight with your foreign domestic cleaner:

1- Do not think that there is only one right way (your way!) to communicate.

2- Learn from generalisations about your cleaner’s culture, but do not use these generalisations to creat stereotypes.

3- Practise, practice and practice!. If you don’t, you do not learn.

4- Do not think that communication problems happen because other people are on the wrong. Always search for new ways to make that communication work.

5- Listen actively and empathetically. Put yourself on her shoes and you will improve your communication skills.

6- Try to look at the situation as an outsider. Analysing the situation as a “third person” will give you more in depth and will help you to resolve the problem quicker.

7- Remember that cultural norms might not apply to the behaviour of your particular domestic cleaner. We are not only shaped by our culture; the ethnic background, the family or the education influence how we grow as individuals.

Cross cultural communication (2)

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On this post you will find some explanations about why your cleaner does not act and react on the same way as you do. Please, do not learn them by heart; as with all researches regarding culture and human behavior it is impossible to decipher the truth. Use them as a way to start knowing and understanding your cleaner with open mind.

1- Communication styles. Cultures use language on different ways. A yes in one part of the world can mean a no on the other side; this can create communication problems. Non verbal communication is also important. A gesture can be rude in one culture or a sign of friendship in another. For example, it may be that on the first meeting with your domestic cleaner you will consider appropriate to keep a physical distance between you two, but in some cultures, such as African or Hispanic, people tend to get closer from the beginning as a sign of friendliness and acceptance of the other.

2- Attitudes toward conflict. Some cultures consider conflict as something that has to be avoided; other cultures think that it is a positive thing. In a lot of European countries, conflict is consider embarrassing and needs to be tackle quietly, avoiding discussion. So, there are more possibilities of an east European domestic cleaner accepting quietly your concerns or complains regarding her work than someone from a Latin culture, who will try to speak with you to find a common solution. Again, this is a general idea and does not mean that there are cultures that will find conflict at any cost leaving their work on one side.

3- Approaches to completing tasks. Asian and Latin cultures tend to consider more important to develop relationships at the beginning on a new job, leaving the completion of the task for the end. European Anglo-Saxon cultures tend to concentrate on the task first. An Asian or Hispanic domestic cleaner would tend to speak with you more often, not because they do not want to do the job, but because they consider essential to get to know you better. This does not mean that domestic cleaners from different cultural backgrounds are more or less keen to do their job or value relationships more or less; it just means that they do their tasks differently.

 4- Attitudes toward disclosure. In some cultures, they consider that being honest about your own feelings or thoughts is not appropriate. Keep this in mind when you are talking with your domestic cleaner regarding a complaint or any other issue of her work; be aware that your domestic cleaner may not be comfortable revealing some information and a question that is so common or natural for you may not be for her.

Hope this helps a little bit on your way to understanding your domestic cleaner. Do not use these cultural differences to create prejudices but to create a better relationship with her.

Keep checking the blog for some tips on how to positively develop your cross-cultural communications with your domestic cleaner!

How to resolve problematic situations

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Here are some excellent tips on what to do if you are having problems with your cleaner

“The house does not look clean when I return home; I think my cleaner is not doing her job properly”.

If you are in this situation, first speak to the cleaner to raise your concerns, try to understand and get an explanation from her of why she is not able to do a professional job.

Normally your cleaner will give you great information and the problem is easily solved.  However if not, speak to your agency, for example  http://www.amycleaning.co.uk have a group of professionals able to re-train or coach your domestic cleaner to improve her job.

“My domestic cleaner does not pay attention to detail; she always forgets to hover underneath the bed and sofa”

Before you rush to blame your domestic cleaner for the state of your house when you return from work, ask yourself some questions:

  • Are my expectations too high? 
  • Does she have enough time to clean my house?

Sometimes your domestic cleaner can struggle with the hours and the amount of work that she has in your house. All cleaners, even the best ones, will find it difficult to finish on time and do a good cleaning on the first visit.

  • Is she wasting time doing things that are actually not important to me ?

Very often we find that the cleaner is spending a lot of their time doing something that is not important to that specific customer.  This is often something that one of their other customers wants, but you do not feel is important.  Once they do this task less often, then they have time to do what you actually want. 

For example your cleaner may be deep cleaning your oven on every visit, when actually you only want it done once per month.  this change means they now have lots of time to iron all your shirts.

 
 
 

 

 
 

It is always a good idea to leave a note with the tasks that you want your domestic cleaner to follow. This way she will find it easier to re-organise her work the way you expect it.

If this “soft” approach does not work, call the agency to explain them the situation.

“She keeps re-organising my stuff!”

You will need to do some preventive work on this one. Speak with your domestic cleaner on the first visit to establish some rules: “if you find something underneath the bed, put it on top”; “if there is any paper/documents on the desk, leave them on the same place”; “dust the shelves in the bathroom but leave bottles on the same place”;…

Each customer will have different requirements on this issue and without communication the cleaner has to guess which one you like, sadly the odds are never high on guessing what you like.

“The watch has disappear from my room”

There is never an excuse for theft.  If you use a good agency that has vetted your cleaner then this is not something that happens.  This usually happens when someone has hired a house cleaner from an ad in a newsagent window and has not taken the time to vet them properly.

This is a concerning issue though and an event like this is very distressful.

If you are thinking of hiring a domestic cleaner then it is always right to minimize temptations.  It is not nice for the cleaner if there is money, expensive jewellery and other things about.

Do not leave your valuables on sight. It is not about not trusting your cleaner, but trying to avoid temptation.

If you already have a domestic cleaner and suspect that she has taken something, make a list of everything that have gone missing and contact the domestic cleaning agency in case you hired the cleaner through them.

However do always be careful to check things out first, as most accusations are later followed by the client finding the item in an unexpected place.

 “It is impossible to speak with my cleaner, she does not speak English and she does not understand me!”

It will not take too much time until your domestic cleaner starts having good level of English. Meanwhile, just make sure that you leave a note for her with the tasks that you require for the day; always write short sentences that would be easier to understand.

It is far easier for a cleaner to read and write things as they can do this at their own speed.  This is because with verbal communication the cleaner has to keep up with the speed of hearing what is being said and giving a prompt verbal response.

Generally domestic cleaners with not a lot of English knowledge tend to have strong domestic cleaning skills; they know they need to give their best on their job as they have no possibility of finding work on any other sector where English is required.

“I have lost so many days off work! My domestic cleaner is never on time!”

Prevention is essential on these situations. When you first meet your domestic cleaner make it clear that time keeping is essential for you, that you will not tolerate any unexcused absence.

If there are any issues, it is always best not to ‘tell your cleaner off’, just express that regrettably you are not able to work with them if this issue happens again.  There is no need for conflict, it is simply that you are not able to wait around as you have other things to do.

If your domestic cleaner is still arriving late to the appointments, you may need to think about changing the cleaner if you hired her directly. If you use a domestic cleaner through a house cleaning agency, it is even easier to change your current cleaner for a more reliable one.