Should your cleaners see what customers pay for each clean? It is a question many cleaning business owners never think about until it causes a problem. A cleaner works out they are paid £13 an hour for a job the customer pays £25 for, and suddenly they feel underpaid, without seeing the travel, products, insurance, training, admin and software that sit in the difference.
For that reason, many cleaning companies choose to keep job prices confidential. This guide explains why, the pros and cons, and how to control what your team sees.
Why owners hide job prices
- Avoiding misunderstandings about pay: staff naturally compare their hourly rate with the customer price, without seeing the costs in between.
- Reducing the risk of customers being poached: a cleaner who knows exactly what a customer pays has an easy figure to undercut if they ever go it alone.
- Keeping different prices private: long-standing customers may pay different rates from new ones. Staff seeing that can create awkward questions.
- Keeping the focus on the work: cleaners only need the information that helps them do a great job: the time, the address, the notes and the checklist.
- Protecting commercial confidentiality: commercial contract values are often sensitive, and clients may expect them to stay private.
Explaining the gap between price and pay
Whether you hide prices or not, it helps to explain to your team what a customer’s price has to cover. A simple example for a regular domestic clean:
- The cleaner’s wages, holiday pay and employer National Insurance
- Pension contributions
- Paid travel time between jobs
- Products and equipment
- Insurance
- Training, uniforms and checks
- Office staff, software, marketing and admin
- Profit to keep the business going and growing
Most cleaners accept the difference once they see it laid out. Being open about how the business works, while keeping individual job prices private, often strikes the right balance.
The case for showing prices
Some companies prefer to show prices, and there are good reasons in certain situations:
- Staff paid a percentage of the job value may want to see the price to understand their pay.
- Cleaners who take payments on site need to know the amount to collect.
- Some owners like full transparency as part of their culture.
There is no single right answer. The important thing is that you choose deliberately, rather than letting your software decide for you.
How to hide job financials in ProCleanerUK
ProCleanerUK has a Hide Job Financials setting in staff job settings. When it is switched on, staff do not see job prices or related financial information in their app. They see everything they need to do the work: the time, address, customer notes, access information and checklist. Prices, invoices and financial details stay visible only to admins and authorised managers.
You can change the setting at any time, so you can try it and see what works for your business.
What staff still see
Hiding prices does not mean hiding everything. Your cleaners can still:
- See all their jobs, in route order, with addresses and notes
- Clock in and out, take breaks and complete checklists
- Take before and after photos
- See their own payslips, holiday balance and tips
- Submit expenses and mileage
Other ways to protect your business
Keeping prices confidential is one part of protecting your customer relationships. Others include:
- Keeping customer contact details and messages in your system, not cleaners’ phones
- Using a shared WhatsApp and SMS inbox so customers contact the company, not one person
- Introducing a second cleaner to regular customers, so the relationship is with your business
- Including a reasonable non-solicitation clause in staff contracts, checked by a solicitor
Read more in our guide to who really owns your cleaning company.
Percentage pay and confidential prices
If you pay some cleaners a percentage of the job value, they will reasonably want to understand how their pay is worked out. You can keep individual job prices hidden in the app while still showing each cleaner a clear breakdown on their payslip, or you can show prices to those staff only by adjusting your approach. Whatever you choose, be clear and consistent, so nobody feels anything is being hidden from them unfairly.
Managers and office staff
Think about who in your office needs to see prices. Admins and managers who handle quotes, invoices and customer queries will need financial information, while supervisors who mainly check quality may not. Keeping financial access to the people who need it is good practice for confidentiality and for data protection.
Talking to your team about it
If you are introducing hidden prices for the first time, explain why before you switch it on. Present it as protecting customer confidentiality and keeping the focus on great work, not as a lack of trust. Most staff accept it easily when it is explained well.
Pay fairly, and show it
The best way to avoid resentment about pay is to pay fairly and accurately. Make sure travel time between jobs is paid where it should be, that payslips are clear and that pay is always right. Customer tips, paid straight through payroll, and recognition for great work help staff feel valued. The National Minimum Wage rates are the legal minimum, and many cleaning companies pay above them to attract and keep good people. See our guide on how to retain your best cleaning staff.
For more on staff management, see how to manage cleaning staff.
Take control of what your team sees
Start your 28-day free trial and choose exactly what your cleaners see in their app, or book a free demo and we will walk you through the settings.
FAQs
Should cleaners see what customers pay?
Many cleaning companies choose not to show job prices, to avoid misunderstandings about pay and protect customer relationships. Others show them for transparency. The right choice depends on your business.
How do I hide prices from staff in ProCleanerUK?
Switch on Hide Job Financials in staff job settings. Staff will no longer see job prices or financial details in their app.
Can staff still see their own pay?
Yes. Staff can always see their own payslips, holiday balance and tips.
What if my cleaners take payments on site?
If cleaners need to collect payment, they will need to see the amount due. Choose the settings that suit how you work.
Is it unfair to hide prices?
Not if you pay fairly and explain what customer prices have to cover. Many staff are more interested in fair, accurate pay than in seeing each job’s price.