i started a property management company that’s been growing fast and getting a lot of attention locally. because of health issues i couldn’t run it completely solo, so i brought in someone who’s worked for me for a few years already. he’s 23, i trust him, and i genuinely want him to succeed. i offered him a path to becoming a partner over time as the business grows.
He also chose to take on our cleaner role as a way to get paid consistently in addition to the partner role.
he’s paid hourly but guaranteed 40 hours a week even if he works way less than that. some weeks it’s closer to 20–30 hours. he also has a company vehicle so he has no car payment (Tesla Model Y). i wasn’t trying to be strict about hours at all, i just care that the work actually gets done.
the cleaner role isn’t just the cleanings. we provide all linens, so that includes keeping the laundry area and storage organized and keeping the work van clean. this is a short term rental business so details matter.
the problem is he wants the freedom of being a partner but none of the accountability of being an employee. things get forgotten constantly. laundry piles up. the van and workspace fall behind. when i bring it up he tells me i should just fix it myself instead of making it a big deal. i don’t have time to follow behind him and this has already caused some bad guest reviews.
he said he was stressed about money and needed a raise. i agreed and bumped him to $18/hr which is what we would pay any cleaner without the car, still guaranteed 40 hours, still with the vehicle. i told him very clearly expectations needed to be met. they still weren’t. i ended up being the one keeping laundry from sitting wet on the floor or the van from becoming unusable.
communication is also rough. if there are no cleanings he just won’t come in, even when there’s clearly other paid work behind. a lot of times he won’t respond when i ask what his plan is, nor has he been open to morning meetings, or asana for scheduling tasks.
this blew up when he spent the entire morning doing side work without telling me, while i needed help and also wanted his input on a new workspace we’re looking at. he said he didn’t need to tell me because he had the cleanings covered. I tried to plan the night before so he wasn’t caught off guard (he just never responded).
he says i’m expecting too much and treating him like labor. from my side it feels like i’m getting stuck with part of someones job they’re being paid for. If we had any other cleaner, I wouldn’t be stuck doing extra things unpaid myself.
aita for expecting him to actually do the job he’s paid for and to communicate? Even though he may be doing 40-50 hours work combined with his partner portion (that i equally do and do not get paid for).
This guy is not ready for business ownership and you just need to cut losses with him and move on. Sooner better than later. He will not change his attitude with anything you say, he needs to come to the realisation himself with some cold hard reality.
NTA, but you would be one to yourself if you continue on with the arrangement hoping it will change. He is what he is, not your job to “fix” him.
NTA. Fire him, hire someone else. Seems obvious.
Fire him. You made a poor choice in this person. He does not want to actually work, he wants to be partner as long as someone else does the actual work. He is not a hard worker, will never go above and beyond, and your business will eventually fail if you keep this person on your payroll.