To think that this is absolutely not in my job description?

[CatThiefkeith]

I work in an office. As a receptionist / Administrator. Due to a cock up (not mine) there is one man working outside today rather than the usual three, and two women in the office instead of the usual three. And both bosses are on holiday.

Someone seems to have put a load of poison down in the yard, and now customers who store things here (difficult to explain without outing myself) have begun reporting smells. This morning it has transpired that there are several dead foxes out in the yard, and it seems they have been there a while. They are crawling with maggots. Boak.

Anyhoo - Picking them up is a two person job - one with a shovel, one with an open black sack. Office manager has tried to send me out with yard man and I have point blank refused. Surely that is not unreasonable? It does say in my contract I can be asked to perform extra duties, but surely I can't be expected to pick up dead smelly animals? Office manager has gone off with black bags muttering darkly about me not being a team player and waiting til the boss gets back.

'A great opportunity to show team spirit and muck in'

So if you find a dead bird or animal in your garden, you call out Pest Control to dispose of it? I have dealt with this in my large garden. Not a nice job though. But basic things such as gloves and hand washing make it safe.

Boss is back tomorrow and is going to go ballistic about the poison. He is a total animal lover. None of the staff would have put it down, it must be a customer.

I have an idea which customer, as he complained that foxes had foulded near the thing he stores here a few months ago, but obviously I can't prove it.

Have you got any CCTV?

Cleaty, there is clearly a difference between a small bird and a fox

Though, I'd just shout at DP to do it as he's got all of the equipment and training to do any of it. Companies employ pest control for a reason, because they cannot expect staff to deal with it.

There is denying a fair and reasonable request from management and then there is saying "no, I shan't collect a potentially disease and parasite ridden animal the size of a dog that had been poisoned with I don't know what..." That is neither reasonable nor fair.

We do have CCTV, but the foxes appear to have been dead for at least 2-3 weeks, amd it is a big area so chances of finding the poisoner on tape are slim.

Apparently one had two very small babies next to it.

Have I misunderstood, or did you just need to hold a bin bag while someone else put the dead animal in?

What on earth are they planning to do with the corpses? Presumably they need to be disposed of properly - not just sent to landfill where they poison will be consumed by other beasties.

It's surely a health hazard. Don't do it

I have... taken a urine sample from the bosses dog though

Tell us more

I did need to hold the bin bag while someone else shovelled it in Worra. However since the foxes are now mainly liquid and maggots and I am wearing open toed sandals I declined to do so.

Queenbean The bosses now deceased elderly dog needed a urine sample sent to the vet. Boss had his arm in a cast at the time so delegated the job to me. Took her out for a walk, waited til she went for a wee, shoved the bottle in the stream, got dog piss all over me. Job done.

If you manage specialist staff, you are always asking people to do things you can't do yourself. I can't work out payroll, but I ask others to do it. So not a good principle.

Not prepared to do yourself, I said. You hire people with specific skills to do things you can't do yourself. But if you don't fancy handling a scabby, dead fox you shouldn't expect anyone else to either.

PerspicaciaTick They are currently in bin bags in a shed, and when we have a full complement of staff on Monday apparently they are going into a great big hole on the wasteground we call no mans land.

YANBU!
As PP said, the company should pay for proper sanitised disposal.
Frankly am surprised at the number of YABU's here

"Boss is back tomorrow and is going to go ballistic about the poison. He is a total animal lover."

I'm glad it wasn't him or any other staff. Poor foxes

Eugh! Not in my job description to get a sample of anything. Yeuch!

I wouldn't have done it either Keith. No fucking way. And I am not squeemish.

Poor foxed. Especially the baby ones you saw. Probably anot her litter of cubs or 2 will starve to death as well as its breeding season. Cruel bastard who poisoned them wants it.doing to him.

I didn't mind Queenbean, she was a lovely old thing. I have no issue whatsoever with live animals, and I've even moved the odd dead rat, but a putrid fox is a very different thing.

YANBU definitely not and I would seriously hope that your boss will give the office manager a flea in the ear for asking you to do it. Not only is there a major health and safety issue that the office manager appears to have overlooked, it cannot be unreasonable to refuse to do something that, quite frankly, would have made me heave all over the yard. Would you then have been asked to clean up your own vomit too?

I wouldnt have done it even and I have to deal with rank smelling urine samples at work so I'm not exactly squeamish.

YABU - doing this task is not in anyone's job description, someone has to do muck in and get it done - the office manager can delegate these tasks. Refusing to do this will probably come back to bite you on the behind, I'm afraid. Your decision has forced the manager to do something unpleasant, this is not a good position to be in.

susan I will take my chances I think.

The office manager should have done it without asking you first.

We run a small company and the boss/manager should muck in themselves before asking others to do something outside their normal job. (Unless for some very important reason, they are unable to)

Yabu! If something like this happens everyone whos able mucks in to help. Where is your team spirit!?! Yes its not nice but this needs sorting.