To complain about the office cleaning lady?

@Chries - is there any particular reason why you are resurrecting zombie threads slagging off cleaners on MN? 3 now?

Yes complain. She is being rude and difficult. It isn't hard to just clean somewhere that isn't being used, or accept that some parts have to be left uncleaned if that is what the client wants/needs. It isn't like anyone is taking her to task for not doing her work.

I've been a cleaner and an employer so do know the ups and downs of both sides. She should follow instruction just like anyone else has to.

She could clean out of hours, but you wouldn't want her as a keyholder either would you! Probably why she has been given this particular job rather than another one that is out of hours.

I think a lot more companies have suddenly woken up to the fact that out of hours cleaners could be, and are in fact anybody. Not Mrs Teaandcake from 3 doors down who everybody knows.

I have worked keyholder positions and had access to all manner of confidential things - I'm trustworthy but it was absurd to put that level of blind faith in the 'cleaning fairies'. Perhaps that is why more cleaning is being done within office hours?

.

The firm employing the cleaner probably tell her to clean everywhere she is employed to clean and no cutting corners ralfeesmum

Depends on what she is contracted to do and when. If expected to do x,y,z, within a certain time then you will be holding her up and this may either generate complaints from companies in building or if employed by Agency, if the cleaning isn't carried out as expected. Why don't you schedule these especially important meetings when you know the cleaner isn't going to be popping in. As to leaving the door open, that certainly needs to be addressed more formally.

The firm employing supplying this cleaner surely doesn't instruct her "do it when you like, how you like, and don't give an arse for confidentiality."

A P45 would put her straight......

She's employed to clean that office space
You're renting that office space
You both physically need that space at the same time for different reasons which is not doable(same situation in my company) You are not her boss or her direct employers so she will carry on regardless of what youre doing as you're 'in her way' iyswim.
Your issue IS with building manager who you rent off as it is HIS responsibility to provide you with a usable office space which meets YOUR needs and for which you are paying. They're also respossible for organising the cleanliness, doesn't matter if theyve outsourced it - they chose the contractor so know what/how/kind of service they provide.

Btw your suggestions sound really good and more than fair plus also agree with a sign off sheet to say if a room can't be cleaned due to restricted access that day. The door open thing/security is a complaint issue though, no need to do that, just have a tick sheet.

I'd hand over your requests to building manager to deal with and tell them this is what you need them to provide for the office space you are using. Secure environment, restricted access, cleaned intermittently.

Cough, comments about her attitude because she's ' miffed at being a cleaner'. Also another cleaner 'thinking she was clever' at blocking a corridor with her equipment. 'Get her sacked'.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't find comments like that very pleasant.

She will probably have a list of things she has to do between X o’clock and Y o’clock. If you kick her out she may have to stay longer than the hours she is paid for. Have you tried offering to do that room for her after you’ve finished in there?

In what way have comments been ‘unpleasant’, Pingu?

It can be pretty stressful if your shift ends in a few minutes and there are still areas to be cleaned which you can't access as they are in use.
The op has said that she is more than happy for the cleaner to leave the area uncleaned, but I would imagine most employers would be unhappy with this.

The cleaner does seem to be going about things in a heavy handed way, but she has a job to do. The op has said that she doesn't mind the room being left uncleaned, so hopefully a solution can be found.

I think the op has listened to some sensible advice on this thread, but some comments about cleaners in general from other posters have been pretty unpleasant.

"Strygil

You should never complain about the way someone does their job unless you are willing to change places with them."

And if you have a bad experience giving birth? Or bad surgery? Or bad experience with a divorce lawyer?

I've never read such rubbish. Think before you post.

There was a case where the cleaner and security man had been able to access social services eg confidential desks/whiteboards paper ready for shredding...

Highly sensitive child protection stuff....

Eg query taking x child into care...
Joe blogs suspected paedophilia?
Etc. Etc

They were then selling the information on to their neighbours who the notes concerned... Went on for 6 months til social services realised where breach is!

This women is taking the P*ss !!
I would report her behaviour! It’s unprofessional and down right disrespectful
I once worked for a company and the cleaner would whack my chair with the hoover as I was speaking with a customer. I reported it because at the end of the day it’s not right and she must have known it was completely inappropriate, she never did it again and I was able to do my job.

If you really don't make much mess than I'd just decline the cleaner altogether. It will be easier to manage in the long run. You could always get your own cleaner in on a Friday or something just to hoover and dust, etc.

More than etiquette here. She is a security and privacy risk. You could quote gdpr; leaving doors open and not leaving when you are discussing people and business is not on. Think about what she is seeing on screens too.
I know she has a job to do but the current arrangements are not working for you. i would speak to the building manager about privacy, discretion and data security, I would.

I suppose we can’t send a bad meal back in a restaurant because we’re not professional chefs!

You should never complain about the way someone does their job unless you are willing to change places with them.

So, if I go somewhere to get my car washed and they start scrubbing it with steel wool, I should just sit there at watch them ruin the paint job since I choose not to wash my own car??

Ridiculous

You should never complain about the way someone does their job unless you are willing to change places with them.

What a load of bullshit.

People are trained and employed to do a job at an acceptable standard and with a certain level of professionalism.

Whether or not you could do a better job has fuck all to do with it.

Why should she not do this because of
you? Oh yes. It's because you feel your role is more important

Oh FFs, there’s always one, isn’t there?

No, it’s because meetings / interviews are often confidential and it doesn’t maintain a professional example for the cleaner to be running through with a hoover. It’s basic common sense. Get a grip.

Apart from leaving open the access controlled doors, I don't realky think she's doing much wrong. She will be under huge pressure to do the whole building in a ridiculously short time period so she has to get on with it. I think you're being a little dismissive of her job.

You should never complain about the way someone does their job unless you are willing to change places with them.

No, thought not.

It really does sound like the issue is with whoever has decided that cleaners should be operating throughout office hours.

Just out of interest, OP if said cleaner, who seems to have been contracted to clean during working hours for X number of hours, has to wait outside in the corridors, because of meetings, etc... will she be paid for those wasted hours? Seems more like very poor management of staff, and that they need to contract a cleaner to come MUCH later, to ensure that they are free to do their cleaning, after you have been free to have your meetings, etc. Not really brain surgery, and shouldn't be a personal matter between you and the cleaner, rather, you should raise this problem sensibly with management and make sure that the cleaning persons hours are altered.

I used to clean at a school. Our hours were 4.00 - 6.30 pm and no matter now awful the rooms were, we had to finish within that time frame. Teachers who stayed late always worked in the messiest room so that you had to whizz round extra fast to finish on time. Very inconvenient.

I can see this from both points of view. She needs to get done and you need to get your work done too. The only solution I can think of is that you tell her to ignore the rooms you are meeting in and try to leave them in a reasonable state when you leave them. Could a big note be put on the doors saying something like, 'Private meeting'?

Could some sort of spring be put on the door hinges to make them close automatically? Or would that breach H&S rules?

And yes her job is JUST as important as the OP's otherwise it wouldnt exist!

So you’ll be happy if your local hospital decides to cut the numbers of doctors and nurses instead of the number of cleaning staff or canteen workers, because all jobs are equally important by virtue of their very existence?