To complain about the office cleaning lady?

[TERFousBreakdown]

She seems nice enough, I don't know her personally and I have absolutely nothing against her in general.

But she doesn't knock. She doesn't take no for an answer either. Holding a meeting in the conference room? She'll pop in and start hoovering. Sitting in a room giving a performance review? She'll open the door and begin to dust. She'll also leave the door wide open when she leaves a room - despite there being three companies within this building and our facilities being access controlled (which obviously won't work if the door is left open).

I've asked her to knock a gazillion times. She won't. I've asked her to come back later when she has disturbed important stuff. She'll huff and puff and will need to be asked at least twice before actually stopping whatever it is she's doing. My colleague had a talk, too, about the door being left open for anyone to look right at our whiteboard with confidential calculations for a sale. Nothing seems to work.

And, yes, she does understand. It's not a language issue. She just doesn't seem to be arsed.

I get that this woman is paid a lot less than myself and my colleagues and that she probably has kids or a life to get back to after her shift. I really don't want to get her into trouble. I do desperately want her to be minimally considerate of the people working here, though.

So, AIBU to complain to the building manager?

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?

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'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.

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......

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

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?

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