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

Can you change the order of your work, so that you mop those stairs last on your way out. Perhaps then there will be fewer people in the building.

NoTheresa
It's a Spanish town without the right characters

@StillCoughingandLaughing

I wouldn’t be chucking the word ‘moron’ around in your shoes.

Well considering that's the first part of her very long username, and you didn't see that, I wouldn't say I'm the moron here.

Kitchens are there to be used. Of course that means they need to be cleaned. Unless the cleaning takes place strictly after hours, that means sometimes people will use them whilst cleaning is in progress. This doesn’t require a grovelling apology to the cleaner.

Where did I say that it requires an apology to the cleaner? RTFT.

I DID read it, and you specifically said that someone wanting to use the kitchen when the cleaner was working should apologise as ‘she was there first!’ Can’t you even remember your own posts?

As for the moron thing, come off it. It might have been part of someone’s ‘very long’ username (typing - such a struggle!) but you must have known how selecting those five particular letters would come across. And if you didn’t, you really are thick.

@Coughing

I DID read it, and you specifically said that someone wanting to use the kitchen when the cleaner was working should apologise as ‘she was there first!’ Can’t you even remember your own posts?

Why don’t you read all the posts?
Morond said

No cleaner would tell us to stay away from the kitchen when they are cleaning it either - they tend to apologise to be in the way, staff apologises back to be in their way and everybody is happy'

I said Why the fuck should a cleaner apologise for cleaning the kitchen? Seriously get over yourself. YOU should apologise for disturbing him/her!

So I didn’t say everyone should just apologise when going into a kitchen, the advice was specific to Morond who expects cleaners to apologise to her.

As for the moron thing, come off it. It might have been part of someone’s ‘very long’ username (typing - such a struggle!) but you must have known how selecting those five particular letters would come across. And if you didn’t, you really are thick.

Well I have variously called her by her full name and a shortened version. It’s not my responsibility to notice how her name comes across. But to mollify your tender sensibilities I have added a ‘d’ at the end

So I didn’t say everyone should just apologise when going into a kitchen, the advice was specific to Morond who expects cleaners to apologise to her.

As you appear to expect her to apologise to them. You clearly said it, so why are you arguing?

Surely if one person should apologise for ‘disturbing’ the cleaner, they all should?

I think it’s a bit much to tell people to use the other stairs. Your job is to clean, not police the building. You put your sign out, and deciding whether or not to walk on the floor is up to the people walking around the building.

And an extra ten minutes might not be precious for you, but it really could be for them. You don’t say what the business does, but the core business of lots of organisations relies on things happening quickly and on time. If they were going to a client pitch, it matters massively whether or not they are 10 minutes late. If they were about to press the button on a shares acquisition, it matters. You cannot assume that because a 5 minute detour wouldn’t be a big deal for you, it wouldn’t be for two executive managers in a corporate business. I hope that doesn’t sound snobby - it isn’t. It’s just the reality.

Kitchens are there to be used. Of course that means they need to be cleaned. Unless the cleaning takes place strictly after hours, that means sometimes people will use them whilst cleaning is in progress. This doesn’t require a grovelling apology to the cleaner.

Surely you would naturally say sorry when you get in the cleaner's way? I mean, if my Nan is cleaning the kitchen and I want to make toast, I wait to make my toast or I say sorry and ask if I can make toast right now.

Coughing

As you appear to expect her to apologise to them. You clearly said it, so why are you arguing?

Because you asked me a question. I don’t expect anyone to apologise to anyone, but on balance, if an apology is owed in a situation where someone enters a kitchen being cleaned, it should be the person entering the kitchen apologising to the cleaner, who is already there.

Surely you would naturally say sorry when you get in the cleaner's way? I mean, if my Nan is cleaning the kitchen and I want to make toast, I wait to make my toast or I say sorry and ask if I can make toast right now.

Agreed!

I always do say sorry to the cleaner if my activities interrupt the cleaning, but it’s a courtesy. I am at work and am probably going to carry on with what I am doing.

It sounds horribly rude to say that the cleaning comes after core business activity but when I think about it, I can’t see that it can be any other way. Cleaning probably costs a few pounds an hour (£10?) on this sort of scale. The two execs she tried to make go round are probably worth a lot more to the business than £60 an hour, or you would hope they were. Obviously I would always expect everyone at work to be treated with respect, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to hold up core business activity for cleaning unless absolutely necessary.