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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think this is pretty shit of my workplace?

66 replies

fedupofficeworker · 03/08/2016 21:41

I've nc for this because it will out me completely.

I work in the head office of a very well known company, but it's frankly a bit of a craphole. Some of the lifts don't work (not a problem for me, but a real issue for staff with mobility issues, as they have to walk further to access lifts, or struggle with stairs) and haven't for 6+ months. The toilets stink, don't flush properly and are often blocked (when we complained, facilities sent instructions on how to flush the toilet Hmm). On our floor we have 3 toilets for over 100 women. Our hot drinks machine (no kettles, it's all vending machines), break once a week because of overuse (1 machine for nearly 200 people) when we complain we're told they're looking into ordering a new one.

The floors in the office are never vacuumed and desks never cleaned. Allegedly this is because there's 'stuff' on our desks. How difficult is it for cleaners just to wipe them, even once a week?!

The last straw today was when a chair broke in half (back just came off and fell on the floor) when a pregnant colleague was sat on it. Luckily she wasn't too hurt, and baby was fine. But this isn't the first time chairs have fallen apart. Facilities were contacted and said they'd look into it. By 5pm nothing had been done.

It's shit isn't it? The business spends millions on advertising and we're sat on broken chairs. No unions, there's an employee group but they have no power. I'm sick of working like this, it's now dangerous not just unsanitary. But the message is always it has to be left to faculties etc, except they never DO anything!

OP posts:
Autumnchill · 03/08/2016 21:48

Can't really offer any advice other than speaking to whoever appoints the facility company and asking for a meeting but under HSE guidelines you don't have enough toilets for 100 women (recommended 5).

MsJamieFraser · 03/08/2016 21:56

Vending machine is a non issue for me, it's a luxury, not a necessity!

Toilets I'd be going to HR and also the faulty equipment about these are health and safety issues.

MummySparkle · 03/08/2016 21:58

Depends if they're allowed kettles. If the only way of getting tea is from a vending machine then I think they should at least be operative

charliedontsurf · 03/08/2016 21:59

I honestly wonder if we work for the same company! Our office has the same issues. We also have an automatic revolving door entrance that is really narrow and is an accident waiting to happen!

Littleallovertheshop · 03/08/2016 22:00

Mummy is right Re kettles - there should be some way of getting hot water. Sounds grim.

ilovesooty · 03/08/2016 22:03

There is nothing to stop you from joining a union.
Most of these concerns are health and safety issues.

vulgarbunting · 03/08/2016 22:03

I have literally exactly the same at my company. To the point where I wonder if it's the same one. I actually didn't have a chair one day and facilities told me it was too expensive to order one (bear in mind I work for one of the world's biggest and I expect most profitable companies). Absolutely ridiculous.

JudyCoolibar · 03/08/2016 22:04

Contact the Health and Safety Executive about the loos and the chairs, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission about the lifts?

TheGingerBreadWoman · 03/08/2016 22:05

I'd say contact the HSE - they are quite keen on employee conditions.

antiqueroadhoe · 03/08/2016 22:08

Sounds appalling. Angry

juliascurr · 03/08/2016 22:08

free advice
www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-issues/health-and-safety

fedupofficeworker · 03/08/2016 22:09

We're not allowed kettles. There is a cafeteria but most people can't afford to buy hot drinks all day. The vending machines are the only way to get a hot beverage.

Facilities are just a dept of our company, not a separate entity.

HR didn't even take a report of today's accident afaik.

How could we call a meeting? Because of the size of the company, it's all 'log a problem by email'. The manager of our dept occasionally gets a meeting with the head of facilities but nothing seems to get resolved, at best we get instructions on how to flush a loo!

OP posts:
DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 03/08/2016 22:10

Do you work for the police? Sounds like my most recent force.
But we have kettles.

fedupofficeworker · 03/08/2016 22:11

Could we contact HSE anonymously? I think people (me included) would be worried about being the whistleblower.

OP posts:
Judydreamsofhorses · 03/08/2016 22:13

I teach in a college which has two lifts for a huge tower block, thousands of students, many with mobility issues (staff too), and for months of each year only one lift works. Management wonder why people - staff as well as students - are frequently late for classes. No advice, but I feel your pain. (Management offices are all on the ground floor in my place, funnily enough!)

Judydreamsofhorses · 03/08/2016 22:16

Oh, and we're not allowed kettles, and the canteen facilities are on the lower ground floor. Staff bring flasks of hot water so they can get a coffee as it's virtually impossible to get from class/canteen/class in a 15 minute tea break.

Autumnchill · 03/08/2016 22:16

You can contact HSE for advice.

Do you have a H&S Manager (not HR) that you can raise concerns with?

EssexMummy1234 · 03/08/2016 22:17

Is your company owned by share-holders? privately owned? any way of leaking a story to the local press? or national?

but can't see why you can't wipe your own desk.

Audreyhelp · 03/08/2016 22:17

Can't you take a flask ?

fedupofficeworker · 03/08/2016 22:18

Not the police.

V well known company, tv ads featuring hollywood actors. But no money to fix a coffee machine or loo, or lift, or buy chairs, apparently.

OP posts:
OlennasWimple · 03/08/2016 22:20

We clean our own desks

The rest sounds grim and illegal

Anonymous letter to HSE? Doesn't have to include incidents like the broken chair which could be identifying

fedupofficeworker · 03/08/2016 22:24

Should we have to buy cleaning products to clean our desks? There are no cleaning products in the office. If anyone spills something we wipe it up with tissues. The usual joke is desks are then cleaner than they were before.

I'm not aware of a h&S manager but will check with colleagues who will know.

OP posts:
midsomermurderess · 03/08/2016 22:25

If the work place isn't unionised it is quite a big deal to set up a union branch. Where I work they keep reminding us of this when trying to drive up membership.

PigletJohn · 03/08/2016 22:25

if conditions deteriorate to this level, having previously been reasonable, it is a clue that the company has a cashflow problem and is on the way out. Other signs are training budget being cut, the window-cleaning contract cancelled, recruitment stalling and needing high-level approval, and the stationery cupboards being unaccountably empty.

If it's been like that a while, it indicates that the company views the workforce as disposable crap.

Either way, anyone who can find a better job ought to be looking.

travailtotravel · 03/08/2016 22:29

I was going to say whistleblowing HSE or something.

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