Are you being told to clean toilets at work?

[noblegiraffe]

If cleaning toilets wasn’t previously anywhere near your job description?

It’s being claimed on another thread that this is just part of the new normal, everyone is pitching in. I’m not convinced.

YABU - I’m being asked to clean toilets

YANBU - I’m not being asked to clean toilets

If you are, are you ok with it?

[Thirtyrock39]

In schools who clears up if a child is sick on the classroom floor or drips blood from a cut knee or something ? I'm sure there's loads of occasions when teachers have to do unpleasant tasks not in their job description ....I don't think anyone's expecting teachers to be cleaning loos constantly but being extra vigilant - someone checking state of the loos regularly for hand soap etc makes sense

[DieSchottin93]

I work in a hotel and in our back-to-work literature it says toilets will be cleaned every 30 minutes so presumably that will be front of house/reception staff when the cleaners aren't there (and they're normally done by about 2.30 so before that day's checkins/dinners etc).

[Mistressiggi]

Thirtyrock In schools who clears up if a child is sick on the classroom floor or drips blood from a cut knee or something?
Janitorial staff. Not their favourite part of the job I imagine.

[Shalliornot]

Secondary school governor here. I would be appalled if teachers were asked to clean toilets, we are nearly doubling the amount we spend on cleaning and have employed another member of premises staff so we can do more cleaning of toilets and high touch areas.

I’m not working at the moment if I was there is no way non cleaning staff would be asked to clean toilets (large professional services firm). I do however volunteer - where we all happily clean anything that needs cleaning.

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

@Thirtyrock39

'Mythical ppe' - schools have gloves and aprons for things like personal care, dispensing medicines, we don't have much more than this in community nhs!

We don’t have aprons.... just gloves.

[spanieleyes]

We have disposable gloves, aprons and ( if wanted) face masks. Currently staff wipe down surfaces with disinfectant and hot water after each " bubble" has used the toilets- we have a rota so the toilets are used by different bubbles at different times throughout the day. Each bubble has 2 members of staff who take it in turns to wipe down toilet seats, door handles, taps etc after one bubble and before the next. After each wipe down, the gloves and aprons are double wrapped and disposed of. We go through nearly 500 sets a week but that's not an issue. Both male and female staff clean. We also have a cleaner in at lunchtime who cleans toilets, cubicle walls and sinks- previously they came after school but are working extra.

[CaffiSaliMali]

I'm WFH but wouldn't expect to be asked to clean the toilets at work (unless wipes were in there for everyone to use after they've used it).

Our toilets are cleaned by the cleaners every hour normally so I would expect the same to continue when we go back to the office, or for them to increase the cleaning rota to be more frequent.

Our building has about 2,000 workers, not including cleaning, catering, facilities, reception, security and post staff. So toilets need cleaning throughout the day rather than just morning and evening.

[JeffVaderneedsatray]

I'm a TA in a primary school and I'm running a bubble with no other adult.
I clean the tables, door handles and light switches in my room a couple of times a day. I clean the loo I use after use.
I am not, nor am I expected to, cleaning the loos the children use becuase there is no point in the day when I actually CAN. What with me teaching and supervising my bubble.
Come September I'm not sure what will happen as I will be back to my normal TA roll so I guess I might be asked then. If I am I will probably say yes but I fully understand anyone not wanting to, especially the boys' loo because that is frequently minging!

[AnxiousAlpaca]

I’ll happily clean the loo after my own personal use. I won’t be doing it after anyone else’s use. That would require a renegotiation of my contact. If I was then to agree it would be on the understanding that I’m provided with PPE, and since I work in education we already know that’s not happening.

[pippitysqueakity]

Just out of interest , what happens to the rest of the class while you’re cleaning after each child?

[Mumtumwobble]

@Thirtyrock39 in my school the site team would do it. It’s just a state secondary, but we have a cleaner who works all day plus 3 site maintenance staff who do all kinds of jobs. I’ve coned areas off/put paper towels down etc before, but I’ve never had to personally clean up sick.

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

[quote FishyDuck]@inertia

The question I'd ask is should schools be spending money on extra cleaners instead of teaching and learning? I'd say they shouldn't, particularly when there is a resource already in the building in the form of teachers who are perfectly able to undertake additional cleaning.[/quote]
So, so silly.

What part of their job should teachers stop doing in order to clean the loos after hundreds of children have used them for a couple of hours? No marking? No preparation? No lunch duty? No exam setting? Do tell, I'm fascinated by your simplistic approach to this.

Total waste of their qualifications. There's something a bit weird about even thinking it's suitable use of their very limited time. Have you really thought it through? I think not.

Maybe you should try thinking as well.

[Ritascornershop]

I work in a school (not UK). It’s a union site, the cleaners are in a different union than mine. The teachers’ union rep keeps suggesting we do cleaning to which I (sole bolshie person) say “no, not in our job description , more cleaning needs doing, hire more cleaners.” I’ve refused when asked for 3 reasons: 1) I already have enough work to do, there are not enough hours in the day 2) the actual cleaning staff know what chemicals they use in cleaning and 3) the school is very happy to refuse to let me do things that I’m capable of doing and which would help the kids but which make the teachers feel sad (because how on earth could a lowly not-teacher do intellectual work). So nope, hire more cleaners.

[ohthegoats]

No. I'm a teacher and we've not been asked, nor have TAs. Our cleaners also work as lunchtime supervisors, and have been asked to do extra cleaning hours. They are doing them.

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

back in March we were given wipes but we have since moved offices. might be an idea to start again.
or just carry on washing our hands.

[Evelefteden]

@noblegiraffe

GinDaddy

Teachers who are reluctant to roll their sleeves up and clean school toilets during breaktime after the kids have used them are being assured that accountants, chefs, office workers and so on are all doing similar without complaint.

I can imagine they are. Why are teachers so special

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

back in march the cleaners were also going round cleaning the light switches,
but not now,
but currently we rarely need the lights on.

[walker1891]

The issue isnt that teachers don't want to clean the toilets. We do this anyway when there is a poonami in school. The issue is that the amount of cleaning to be done will take the teacher away from their job - teaching.

Washing hands and cleaning after 30 children with 2 sinks will take 30 minutes. We have to wash hands 8 times a day. That is 4 hours worth of cleaning. Minus that from the 6.5 hours the children are in school and it gives us 2.5 hours. Minus lunch and play times and you're down to 1 hour teaching. Plus teachers are having to clean tables after each lesson and do the lunchtime cleaning - sweeping and mopping after they've eaten.

By this time there isn't much time for any learning left. Most schools do not have many TAs now to support the classes so no TAs can't do it if there aren't any. Budget cuts saw to that.

But please continue to say that teachers are blocking schools reopening and are not willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.
We clean shit up every single day so are used to it.

My class have learnt very little in the past few weeks given the extent of the cleaning schedule we have to do. We know what will happen in September, the cleaning won't get done because the pressure to 'catch up' will be that extreme so there will be no choice but to ignore the cleaning to ensure that the learning takes place.

[ChanklyBore]

I’m working at home but my DCs school is asking all the children to clean their toilet after they’ve used it. Wiping doors, handles and toilet seats after each use. They consider this a reasonable thing to ask of all the children in the school (primary) except the reception aged children. But year 1 and up (my DC) are cleaning as they go. I have no problem with this.

[milveycrohn]

This is a very interesting thread. As a general rule, I would be OK with cleaning after myself (ie use some kind of cleaning / wipe, etc). Toilet and wash basin. So if a teacher, I would be OK to clean staff toilet after my use.
Where I used to work, some of the toilets were totally disgusting at the end of the day (all adults, not children), so a clean BEFORE use was essential.

[notalwaysalondoner]

No: and in my opinion, asking people to clean toilets massively INCREASES the risk of them catching something (not just Covid - noro, hepatitis etc) if they haven’t been properly trained in hygiene or provided PPE. It’s bonkers.

Wiping down a flush handle and door handles with a provided antiseptic wipe, maybe, but as soon as you to near the toilet bowl you are increasing risk factors as a normal human wouldn’t be touching those surfaces with their hands or mouth so wouldn’t be at risk anyway...

[lilgreen]

Not toilets but cleaning desks, door handles in class.

[Sataypan]

I’ve NC as my previous posting history would out me to old work colleagues.

A few years back when I work for a trust every employee had to take a three hour workshop. I was one of the people that delivered them. It was based on attitude and behaviours at work and how one persons negative attitude and behaviours in work could disrupt an entire team.

So many negative posters on these threads. I do wonder how they are perceived in their employment. Honestly if you don’t like being part of a team or what’s going on at work seek further employment before you ostracise yourself.

The only real issue here that you need to be careful that your employer doesn’t expect you to carry on these duties when things are back to normal to cut costs of actual contracted cleaning staff coming in.

If the only reason your affronted by the request of cleaning toilets in a time of necessity is that you believe it’s beneath you - you need to have a really good look at your character.

[Ritascornershop]

Exactly @notalwaysalondoner ! I’m happy to wipe the handle of the toilet and the door handle but cleaning loos etc is for people with ppe & who have been trained in using chemicals.

Plus, as I said above, they think flexibility is a one way street. The pittance I get paid does not make me keen to expose myself to noro and heaven knows what else in the spare minutes I don’t have.

[Sr1nkleOverSalad]

At our school we all do adult loo after each use. Taps, seat and door handle(not hard).

Children have allotted bubble loo times and an adult does the same after all have gone. No big deal and not hard either.5 mins. Most primary staff including teachers I know are doing it. Not sure why secondary can’t.

All school staff have a communal area slot.

Really not a problem and what I’d expect if needed for kids to be in school.I think some are making an unnecessary meal out of it.