diff --git a/e2e/lib/k8up.bash b/e2e/lib/k8up.bash
index 774593c46..1b1b67a0d 100755
--- a/e2e/lib/k8up.bash
+++ b/e2e/lib/k8up.bash
@@ -149,6 +149,9 @@ given_a_subject() {
 	kubectl apply -f definitions/pv/pvc.yaml
 	yq e '.spec.template.spec.containers[0].securityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .spec.template.spec.containers[0].env[0].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_CONTENT) | .spec.template.spec.containers[0].env[1].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_NAME)' definitions/subject/deployment.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
 
+	# Let's wait for the deployment to actually be ready
+	kubectl -n k8up-e2e-subject wait --timeout 1m --for=condition=available deployment subject-deployment
+
 	echo "✅  The subject is ready"
 }
 
@@ -167,6 +170,9 @@ given_an_annotated_subject() {
 	kubectl apply -f definitions/pv/pvc.yaml
 	yq e '.spec.template.spec.containers[1].securityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .spec.template.spec.containers[1].env[0].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_CONTENT) | .spec.template.spec.containers[1].env[1].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_NAME)' definitions/annotated-subject/deployment.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
 
+	# Let's wait for the deployment to actually be ready
+	kubectl -n k8up-e2e-subject wait --timeout 1m --for=condition=available deployment annotated-subject-deployment
+
 	echo "✅  The annotated subject is ready"
 }
 
@@ -176,6 +182,9 @@ given_a_broken_annotated_subject() {
 	kubectl apply -f definitions/pv/pvc.yaml
 	yq e '.spec.template.spec.containers[1].securityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' ' definitions/annotated-subject/deployment-error.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
 
+	# Let's wait for the deployment to actually be ready
+	kubectl -n k8up-e2e-subject wait --timeout 1m --for=condition=available deployment annotated-subject-deployment
+
 	echo "✅  The annotated subject is ready"
 }
 
@@ -187,6 +196,9 @@ given_an_annotated_subject_pod() {
 
 	yq e '.spec.containers[1].securityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .spec.containers[1].env[0].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_CONTENT) | .spec.containers[1].env[1].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_NAME)' definitions/annotated-subject/pod.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
 
+	# Let's wait for the pod to actually be ready
+	kubectl -n k8up-e2e-subject wait --timeout 1m --for=condition=ready pod subject-pod
+
 	echo "✅  The annotated subject pod is ready"
 }
 
@@ -198,6 +210,9 @@ given_a_rwo_pvc_subject_in_worker_node() {
 
 	yq e 'with(select(document_index == 1) .spec.template.spec; .containers[0].securityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .containers[0].env[0].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_CONTENT) | .containers[0].env[1].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_NAME))' definitions/pvc-rwo-subject/worker.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
 
+	# Let's wait for the deployment to actually be ready
+	kubectl -n k8up-e2e-subject wait --timeout 1m --for=condition=available deployment pvc-rwo-subject-worker
+
 	echo "✅  The pvc rwo worker subject is ready"
 }
 
@@ -209,6 +224,9 @@ given_a_rwo_pvc_subject_in_controlplane_node() {
 
 	yq e 'with(select(document_index == 1) .spec.template.spec; .containers[0].securityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .containers[0].env[0].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_CONTENT) | .containers[0].env[1].value=strenv(BACKUP_FILE_NAME))' definitions/pvc-rwo-subject/controlplane.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
 
+	# Let's wait for the deployment to actually be ready
+	kubectl -n k8up-e2e-subject wait --timeout 1m --for=condition=available deployment pvc-rwo-subject-controlplane
+
 	echo "✅  The pvc rwo controlplane subject is ready"
 }
 
@@ -324,14 +342,10 @@ given_an_existing_mtls_backup() {
 	wait_until backup/k8up-backup-mtls completed
 	verify "'.status.conditions[?(@.type==\"Completed\")].reason' is 'Succeeded' for Backup named 'k8up-backup-mtls'"
 
-	for i in {1..3}; do
-		run restic dump latest "/data/subject-pvc/${backup_file_name}"
-		if [ ! -z "${output}" ]; then
-			break
-		fi
-	done
+	run restic dump latest "/data/subject-pvc/${backup_file_name}"
 
 	# shellcheck disable=SC2154
+	echo "${backup_file_content} = ${output}"
 	[ "${backup_file_content}" = "${output}" ]
 
 	echo "✅  An existing backup is ready"
diff --git a/e2e/test-12-annotated-failure.bats b/e2e/test-12-annotated-failure.bats
index f4b26683b..0b72e8375 100644
--- a/e2e/test-12-annotated-failure.bats
+++ b/e2e/test-12-annotated-failure.bats
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ DETIK_CLIENT_NAMESPACE="k8up-e2e-subject"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 DEBUG_DETIK="true"
 
-@test "Annotated app, When creating a backup, Then expect Error" {
+@test "Given annotated app, When creating a backup, Then expect Error" {
 	expected_content="expected content: $(timestamp)"
 	expected_filename="expected_filename.txt"
 
diff --git a/e2e/test-13-cleanup-empty-jobs.bats b/e2e/test-13-cleanup-empty-jobs.bats
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7c01b092
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/test-13-cleanup-empty-jobs.bats
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+
+load "lib/utils"
+load "lib/detik"
+load "lib/k8up"
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+DETIK_CLIENT_NAME="kubectl"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+DETIK_CLIENT_NAMESPACE="k8up-e2e-subject"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+DEBUG_DETIK="true"
+
+@test "Given empty namespace, When creating multiple backups, Then expect cleanup" {
+	given_a_running_operator
+	given_a_clean_ns
+	given_s3_storage
+
+	kubectl apply -f definitions/secrets
+	yq e '.spec.podSecurityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .metadata.name="first-backup"' definitions/backup/backup.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+	yq e '.spec.podSecurityContext.runAsUser='$(id -u)' | .metadata.name="second-backup"' definitions/backup/backup.yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+	kubectl -n "$DETIK_CLIENT_NAMESPACE" annotate backup/second-backup reconcile=now
+
+	wait_for_until_jsonpath backup/second-backup 5m 'jsonpath={.status.conditions[?(@.type=="Scrubbed")].message}="Deleted 1 resources"'
+
+}
diff --git a/operator/backupcontroller/controller.go b/operator/backupcontroller/controller.go
index a192aa0e7..bf4a39c3e 100644
--- a/operator/backupcontroller/controller.go
+++ b/operator/backupcontroller/controller.go
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ func (r *BackupReconciler) Provision(ctx context.Context, obj *k8upv1.Backup) (r
 		log.V(1).Info("backup just started, waiting")
 		return controllerruntime.Result{RequeueAfter: 5 * time.Second}, nil
 	}
+
 	if obj.Status.HasFinished() || isPrebackupFailed(obj) {
 		cleanupCond := meta.FindStatusCondition(obj.Status.Conditions, k8upv1.ConditionScrubbed.String())
 		if cleanupCond == nil || cleanupCond.Reason != k8upv1.ReasonSucceeded.String() {
@@ -110,6 +111,7 @@ func (r *BackupReconciler) ReconcileJobStatus(ctx context.Context, obj *k8upv1.B
 	} else if numStarted > 0 {
 		objStatus.SetStarted(message)
 	}
+
 	obj.SetStatus(objStatus)
 
 	log.V(1).Info("updating status")
diff --git a/operator/backupcontroller/executor.go b/operator/backupcontroller/executor.go
index dfbfeb99d..ff488b6f0 100644
--- a/operator/backupcontroller/executor.go
+++ b/operator/backupcontroller/executor.go
@@ -289,6 +289,13 @@ func (b *BackupExecutor) startBackup(ctx context.Context) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if len(backupJobs) == 0 {
+		status := b.Obj.GetStatus()
+		status.SetSucceeded("nothing to backup")
+		b.Obj.SetStatus(status)
+		return b.Client.Status().Update(ctx, b.Obj)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/operator/reconciler/reconciler.go b/operator/reconciler/reconciler.go
index 31f99e721..8f98932d4 100644
--- a/operator/reconciler/reconciler.go
+++ b/operator/reconciler/reconciler.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func (ctrl *controller[T, L]) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, request controllerr
 	} else {
 		res, provisionErr = ctrl.reconciler.Provision(ctx, obj)
 	}
-	if apierrors.IsConflict(err) { // ignore "the object has been modified; please apply your changes to the latest version and try again" error, but requeue
+	if apierrors.IsConflict(provisionErr) { // ignore "the object has been modified; please apply your changes to the latest version and try again" error, but requeue
 		log := controllerruntime.LoggerFrom(ctx)
 		log.Info("Object has been modified, retrying...", "error", provisionErr.Error())
 		res.Requeue = true