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?

Well glad my kids aren’t at school in Scotland then. Most teachers I know down here in England are more than happy to give 5 minutes of time a day or when needed to keep children safe and in school.

Male staff are doing it too in our school.

65% of primary heads are women which is why you are probably hearing of more women heads doing it. That and the fact a thread on MN only gives you a snapshot.

Must be awful working in an environment where people gripe and begrudge minutes needed to help during a worldwide crisis.

I work in a shop everyone is being asked to clean the loo after they have used it. I give it a final clean at the end of the day. Everyone has been really good and it has not been dirty.

A headteacher is equivalent to the CEO of an entire supermarket chain??

Someone had better tell them...

Am I the only person who wonders why toilets need so much extra cleaning? We should all be washing our hands properly and more regularly (I suspect that people who aren't doing this just now also won't wipe down a toilet no matter what they are told to do) and I struggle to imagine how I can catch covid from a toilet seat that is only touched by my arse.
Basically, use the toilet as normal, wash hands as normal, leave toilet as normal and antibac my hands as an extra step.
What danger am I missing?

@Piggywaspushed

Headteachers are effectively the CEOs of schools. Clearly CEOs don't have tome to be cleaning toilets, but some people who work for them do.

The CEO of McDonald's can't and doesn't go round cleaning stores, but the restaurant staff do. Teachers are really no different.

Those of us who have worked for years at a comp the boys toilets are a sight to behold shit purposefully smeared up walls, piss everywhere, blocking outlets on purpose causing floods. For the girls exchange piss all over the floor for used sanitary towels stuck to the walls, I’m all for teamwork but the idea of wearing smart attire shoving a pair of gloves on and cracking on with tackling that, there’s got to be a better way

but the restaurant staff do. Teachers are really no different.

Teachers are no different to restaurant staff? Not skilled, qualified professionals then?

*callmeangelina

I offered to go in and clean at my sons preschool, they are not allowed to let us as its then extra people in a bubble.

Risk of transmission from cleaning surfaces, even in a toilet, wearing gloves and a mask and exercising good hygiene washing hands etc once you finish, is lower than working directly with other people.

Heads are extraordinarily busy and they don't have time in the day- teachers do.

Oh do they now?

Everyone needs to be in at 8 for each bubble's breakfast club. We're in class, then out for play with our bubble, back in class, go to lunch with our bubble where we serve the food to the children, then cleanup their trays/put away their rubbish, hand them in for washing and wipe the tables. Then out to supervise them for play. Back in for the afternoon. Children start leaving at 3, unless they're in after school club(in their own bubble) which means they stay until 4:30. Plus wiping tables in the classrooms, taps, light switches etc and any shared equipment like laptops for example.

Luckily there's 2 of us in each bubble so we have time for a wee or a drink.

So much free time, so little to do.

[quote FishyDuck]@Piggywaspushed

Headteachers are effectively the CEOs of schools. Clearly CEOs don't have tome to be cleaning toilets, but some people who work for them do.

The CEO of McDonald's can't and doesn't go round cleaning stores, but the restaurant staff do. Teachers are really no different.[/quote]
I would imagine cleaning toilets is in the job description at McDonalds. Hence time is or should be made available for them to do it.

We haven’t been asked to clean after ourselves or after anyone else. Even if we wanted to no cleaning materials have been provided.

And yes, we could buy our own cleaning materials but quite frankly they can fuck right off. I already have to buy cleaning materials for my desk, my own stationery etc.

There you go again OP you think you are too good to clean because you are a "skilled professional". Get over it. There are 506,000 teachers in the UK. Your skills are hardly a rare resource.

there are not enough cleaners for the amount of cleaning required in these circumstances.

If cleaning is so disgusting, why is it ok to pay cleaners a fraction of your wage to do it? Honestly you are being a real snob!

And in any case, having an army of cleaners in schools defeats the purpose of the carefully controlled bubbles, parents picking up in times slots etc.

So much hatred and jealousy of teachers here resulting in such stupid comments it's become laughable.

Some people really have serious issues.

Yes, we have all been to MacDonalds . The people who clean the toilets there are called.... wait for it... the cleaners....

Ps. I work in finance. I've got a degree, post grad charter and 12 years experience and I earn over 100k. Cleaning isnt in my job description but I'll be taking my turn to do the extra cleaning in my office along with everyone else.

@Piggywaspushed

McDonald's don't employ cleaners. It is part of everyone's role.

There are 506,000 teachers in the UK. Your skills are hardly a rare resource.

No teacher retention crisis in your magical land then?

I imagine that's a nice office you have there. Not akin to a school toilet.

I really don’t think why any professional is above 5 minutes of light cleaning during a global pandemic.

Cleaners and other unskilled workers have been expected to do hours of home teaching. I think teachers and school staff can rise to the challenge of a few minutes of light cleaning.

Can’t

There you go again OP you think you are too good to clean because you are a "skilled professional".

I’m not being asked to. But I don’t think it would be a good use of my time if I were, because I am a ‘skilled professional’ with other things to do that require my skills.

Get over it. There are 506,000 teachers in the UK. Your skills are hardly a rare resource.

I’m an experienced maths teacher, I think you’ll find that you’re wrong there.

fishy that is bollocks. There are cleaners at my local McDonalds. They do not serve food. They wear an apron and gloves and have the shovel thing. They take your tray and dispose of it, because they are nice. They empty the bins and clean the toilets.

The serving staff go I and check sometimes. That's it.
DS works in McDonalds. He does NOT clean (thankfully for them)

Those saying that teachers should be cleaning secondary school toilets clearly have not seen a secondary school toilet. You can't compare it to cleaning up after yourself/colleagues in an office, no matter how careless other adults are.

5 minutes of light cleaning

That would be wiping the desks down, not cleaning school toilets.