AIBU to think we should treat cleaners with a modicum of respect?!

[MrsGideon]

I know I am not being unreasonable but I need to vent.

I'm sick of working in an office in the City of London, where people think they are above basic consideration to other people. Despite many signs around the kitchen area asking people to put things in the dishwasher, by the end of the day the counters are still positively groaning with all the mugs, bowls, plates etc stacked untidily all over the place.

And then there are the toilets. There's one on our floor which is down its own separate corridor so tends to invite the kinds of people who require a bit of extra privacy (if you know what I mean...). The state of this toilet by about lunchtime every day absolutely boggles the mind! We're talking fearsome skid/splatter marks, greasy toilet seat, water and soap everywhere and... BOGIES wiped on the walls, the door - anywhere except the loo roll and sink where they could be disposed of cleanly! THESE PEOPLE ARE ADULTS!

Now, I'm aware that it is a cleaner's job to you know, clean up after people, but AIBU to think we could go a little way to making their lives a bit easier by not behaving like disgusting animals?!

I don't think it's even about the cleaners (of course they are the ones who have to end up dealing with that horror), it's simply being rude and inconsiderate for everybody else who have to share the building.

Many people are disgusting, look at the state of their homes when you go house hunting, it's incredible. They are even worst in an office when they feel removed from any responsibility. The reason I was given about the mess in our office kitchen (serviced office as well) was "that's what we pay them for"!

I am amazed and admire cleaners in this country, where the social system is such that the ones I know would be better off on benefits, but have pride enough to make an honest living. (however I do know a girl who works IN public toilets of a famous department store, and with the tips her earnings are surprisingly high! good for her)

It also bothers me how some people look down on cleaners and have an attitude of someone else will clean and tidy it up so why bother. Its lazy. The same goes for those who drop litter in the street. I don't understsnd why people don't treat their workplace, public places, etc, the same as they would expect at their own home.

1 IMO, toilet brushes should be thrown out every week or two - they only cost about £5 in Wilkos.

2 Everyone should clean up when they have been to the loo, should they need to. I have a cleaner at home but neither DH or I would expect her to clean up the loo or take hair out of the plug holes or wade through a vat of grease in the kitchen.

Our office kitchenette is always a mess - I don't know why because we are mainly an office of women all of whom have lovely clean homes!!

There was a bit of a spate of poo-in-places-poo-shouldn't-be at various law firms in 2013.

Roll on Friday wrote about it here and here and here and here

We also had someone (or a few someones) at my (private) school in the early 90s who thought it was appropriate to stick used sanitary towels to the cubicle walls in one particular set of toilets

itsme you can get them for less than 50p in Ikea. We buy them in bulk when we go (they don't take up much room under the stairs) and swap them out every couple of weeks (there's only me and DH at home, and he usually poos at work so they don't get much usage)

YANBU op, I agree. All those who look down on cleaners/waiters/minimum wage workers etc and treat them poorly would be a bit screwed if every one of them quit suddenly!

I remember staying in a travellodge type hotel a few years ago visiting extended family over Christmas. I always felt sorry for the cleaners who do the rooms as I've heard stories of the terrible states hotel rooms have been left in so when we left we stripped the beds and made sure the room was tidy. At the time I worked for a well known soap and bath product company and had loads of freebies so I left them a bath bomb each on the side for them and a note saying thank you :)

I personally think all work loos should be provided with a toilet seat sanitizer dispenser on the wall to encourage people to clean up after themselves, in addition to a bottle of bleach. I find that bleaching around the toilet bowl removes any skids/blobs of pooh hygienically, without the need for a loo brush. Also, a sign on each toilet door saying 'please leave this toilet as you would wish to find it' might make some people think twice about leaving it in a state. Unfortunately I do think there are those who intentionally leave the toilet in a mess for whatever reason.

Ynbu. No place could open with out the cleaners. They do a brilliant job.

I agree. If the cleaners went, we'd notice it far sooner than a lot of other roles.

I did have a go at a colleague recently, because he'd made porridge in the microwave, which had overflowed everywhere. He was making absolutely no effort to clean up after himself. It's so disrespectful.

"YANBU op, I agree. All those who look down on cleaners/waiters/minimum wage workers etc and treat them poorly would be a bit screwed if every one of them quit suddenly! " absolutely agree with this!

One of the good things I was taught by my parents -

everyone matters everyone is needed!

My mum had loads of different jobs as dad was military and we moved around. She just would take first job she was offered (and then keep looking for a better paid one as she was lucky enough to have a great work history and references). That included cleaning, retail, care work etc. The way some people treated her cos she was 'just a cleaner' was utterly disgusting and totally unnecessary.

Friend of mine runs her own company cleaning holiday lets. She sometimes will do the cleaning herself as needed. On occasions where she's discovered the clients are treating the cleaners badly she terminates the contract. She's lucky that her company is very much sought after and she can therefore afford to.

Baconyum, that is true as a cleaning business owner myself I also cover our cleaners and then you walk a mile in their shoes, luckily all our clients are either not there or if they are treat us as equals or even better as absolute treasures, but if I ever caught a client speaking down to a cleaner or making it hard for them I would terminate their service. I don't think it happens much in the domestic arena but I do remember the odd case a long time ago, I caught one out and I did just that. I value my staff so highly, they are hard to find and once trained, the ones that make it through our probationary period are indeed like gold dust.

With domestic cleaning there is such a high demand for services that none of that sort of thing need be tolerated, thinking about this now, I don't think I would have chosen to get involved in this industry if domestic cleaners were treated like that. I'm glad I didn't go down the commercial route now especially upon reading this thread, it's looking like in commercial, cleaners have to clean the most disgusting things and that they are classed as 'inferior' and are only paid minimum wage. The opposite is true in the domestic side thank goodness.

I also understand that commercial cleaning staff need to work anti-social hours such as early mornings and evenings to clean facilities. In domestic we are also privileged to be able to work the 9-5 day shifts.

Respect to commercial cleaning staff everywhere, you have my admiration.

I work in a huge office (around 900) and think the cleaners deserve a medal! We have people doing all sorts of grim things. I always challenge any crap behaviour I see (I am also in a support role so know how it feels to be dumped on).

We also have a cleaner at home, we value and respect her very much, our lives are so much easier now she works with us.

Yes it is. And I think they often deserve more than the modicum the OP suggests.

No it isn't. It goes way deeper than that.

Dear God, where do you all WORK? I mean really where do you?

I've worked in the same building of approx 150 people for 6 years and can't remember ever seeing what you are describing!

It's rare for a toilet to pong, let alone have stains or splashes or spillages.

The kitchen, yes people leave plates and bowls out despite notes to put them in dishwasher which is lazy, but people wipe the surfaces and keep it generally tidy-ish.

YANBU, some people are disgusting.

The culprit at our workplace has left now (or sorted out their disgusting hygiene) but the toilets used to be vile. Think diarrhoea all up the toilet bowl, period stains on the seat...it was awful. I get some people have IBS or other illnesses that mean you have...err, explosive poos sometimes, but surely you clean up after yourself?! It was horrendous.

Once (we have four ladies toilets), every single one was in such a state they had to close them for deep-cleaning for several hours. Bleurgh. I felt incredibly sorry for the cleaners, especially as our bathrooms have no windows!