To ask them to use the other stairs?

[ThrowAwayQP]

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think I was bu; but I’m willing to be told if that’s the case.

So I’ve recently started a part time job cleaning for a bit of extra income. It’s in a large corporate environment. The building is quite large with only two stair cases; one at either end; but to be honest I think walking between them would only take five minutes at most.

The other day I was mopping one of the stair cases and two of the department managers came walking down it. They were both looking at a laptop and deep in conversation, so I assumed they just hadn’t seen the wet floor sign. I asked them if in future they could use the other stairs this one was being cleaned and they both mumbled a “sorry” before carrying on.

The next morning one of the senior team pulled me aside and told me he was “sure experienced staff could decide if they wanted to take the risk of walking down wet stairs.”

I was quite shocked at being ‘put in my place’ so to speak? Was I actually being unreasonable? All I asked was them not to walk where I was currently mopping!

Yabu. Time is money in some jobs. 10 mins to you is nothing. 10 mins to them might be a lot at the end of a long day. When I leave I have to get a specific train. Perhaps they are in the same boat?

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to say mind your step. You are trying to do your job. The cleaner at my work jokingly bollocks me about never taking my cups to the kitchen, I would never complain it's my job, not his. I don't think you're unreasonable. Why is an Exec more important than a cleaner.

I think walking down wet stairs particularly while doing other things is dangerous. If I knew an area had just been mopped I wouldn't walk over it and create more work for the person, and I certainly wouldn't go telling on you.

okbobble your phrasing tells me very clearly exactly where you think cleaners are in comparison to executives.

You can try to bang on about equality all you like, your meaning is crystal clear.

When I first started in my place of work, cleaning was done early first thing before most people came in and the equivalent in the evening. Now toilets are cleaned at lunch time, I spend my day walking the long way around because of a floor being washed or trying to time my phone calls so there's not a Hoover blaring in my ear.

I don't get why people think it's ok to waste the cleaner's time by dragging dirt through the freshly mopped floor but heaven forfend the fancy besuited ones waste their precious time.

People are busy, and cleaners are included in people, despite what some of you seem to think.

I don't get why people think it's ok to waste the cleaner's time by dragging dirt through the freshly mopped floor but heaven forfend the fancy besuited ones waste their precious time.

Because they earn more money so are worth more, valued more, think they deserve more.

Op has clearly stated that to her 10 mins is not a big deal. Fair play. She has to accept others care about 10 mins because to them it is.

One of our offices is a long thin building. It's actually a quarter of a mile from one end to the other so you would asking them to take a half mile detour (about right for ten minutes). That's quite a bit in the middle of something urgent!

Our cleaners are brilliant and during the day move to another task, eg if you come into the kitchen to make a drink when they are cleaning. The same with the loos. I think they know we are all rushing about and on the clock (law firm, so we charge by the hour).

I'm surprised the stairs aren't closed during mopping though, for safety reasons.

Yabu. Just a quick the stairs are not was enough. You took it too far saying dont use the stairs.

iano if 10 minutes is a big enough deal that you feel you can waste another person's time and effort, then you need better time management.

Yeah YABU unless you’ve been told you have to close the stairs for cleaning (which seems v unusual)

Eh, we have to account for every 6 minutes on our timesheet, some people’s charge out rate would mean a10 min detour added £100 to the client code - Your are being unreasonable

*I think you might need to remember that you are there to make their life easier, not the other way around.

You clean the building so they have a pleasant, sanitary environment to work in.

But what they do is actually the work of the company - they’re the ones that make the money that ultimately pays your salary.

So (as long as they’re polite about it) they could legitimately tell you that you’ll need to do a meeting room later, because they’re using it. You can’t tell them to get out of a meeting room so you can clean it. Because ultimately their work is the more important work and they need to be able to do it.*

FFS! Are you for real? Nobody should believe that their 'work' is more important than somebody else's work. These men were being disrespectful. The cleaner was in the middle of doing the stairs, they walked down the wet stairs meaning she would have to go over them again. Cleaners get paid a shitty wage for doing not very nice jobs in many cases. Then they are treated like invisible shit by people who just happen to earn more money! Being respectful of each other costs nothing. OP, I would have used the other staircase had I been there. Can't believe some of the superior attitudes on here today!

I can see why having to walk to the other side of the building was a pain; so I suppose really I’m asking was I being unreasonable enough to be reported?

Yes. You can’t decide a policy like this by yourself. You can’t decide nobody should use the stairs whenever they are being cleaned.

Your wording of “in future, use the other stairs” sounds quite pissy. The kind of thing I’d say to a child, not to someone at work.

Much as people don’t like it, there is a hierarchy in business. There are things it isn’t your place to do. I’m management and there are things that aren’t my place to do.

I’d have spoken to your boss if you did this to me.

OP, I would have used the other staircase had I been there. Can't believe some of the superior attitudes on here today!

So would I, I would feel awful doing that to the cleaner but some people just don't give a fuck it seems.

Being asked to use the other stairs is hardly the affront some people make out, some people are reacting as if it's a personal insult.

iano if 10 minutes is a big enough deal that you feel you can waste another person's time and effort, then you need better time management.

In my workplace, we often had back to back meetings all day. My time management would allow me to get from A to B by permitted routes, which in this company is the wet stairs.

There’s no problem with time management, but sometimes 10 mins is a critical, large amount of time.

YABU - Id ask them to please watch their step in a friendly way. Just out of concern for their wellbeing. I don’t think you can tell them not to use those stairs.
If the stairs are used frequently then someone will be stepping them before they have dried.

Then they are treated like invisible shit by people who just happen to earn more money! Being respectful of each other costs nothing.
Disrespectful of the OP to tell them “in future don’t use these stairs”

I worked as a cleaner in a building site office. People were in and out with dirty site boots all day. I washed the floor four times a day. People would walk over it just after it was done, made no difference, I still washed it 4 times a day.

Office cleaners aren’t there to keep the place gleaming, they are there to maintain the building. In a live environment, nobody expects a floor or a toilet to remain clean for x amount of time. Would you walk to the other end of a shopping mall if the cleaner was doing the floors in the the toilet?

5 minute walk is quarter of a mile. You’d really go that far out of your way to avoid a stair being cleaned?

YABU, unless you have been told to close off stairwell while cleaning it.
They may not have "told on you" either, it could have gotten out in general chit chat around the office or they could have checked what was the rules about accessing the stairs/when they could use them.
Just view it as a learning curve, you now know the "stair etiquette" and can't be blamed if there are any falls.

I'm always careful/apologetic if I have to walk on flooring that's just been mopped. But would I take a ten minute detour to avoid making temporary footprints on mopped stairs?
No, of course not. Would anyone? Seriously?

Add in that these people are already working well beyond office hours, and it becomes even more unreasonable.

I suspect there was something in the OP's tone that led to it going further, rather than the request itself.

smelborp well despite how very busy and important you may be I still find treating other people with respect to be a better trait.

There are quite a few chips on shoulders in this thread!
The people walking down the stairs were completely within their rights to use the stairs, they were not closed.
I think it was quite sensible of them to check with someone within the company whether they need to use the other stairs in the future as it appears to be a bit of a hassle when they are already working late.

Cleaners are there to clean around the work that is going on in the office (I worked as an office cleaner).

It wasn't personal.

If someone is cleaning and there is a wet floor i would choose the other way. But YABU, i see why you did it but certainly they wont like it.