Do you wash up at work? Was this a bit cheeky?

[Whatagoodplacetobe]

Have been working as a temp as an assistant to 3 more senior staff members.
There is a small staff kitchen, I usually just wash my own pots up as I go along.
For a few days in a row, the senior staff would have various cups of tea/coffee/, toast, biscuits etc. And just put their stuff straight in the sink.

Twice one of the women asked me at the end of the day to wash all their pots. I thought it was a bit lazy and like they saw it as beneath them.
I wouldn't mind if it were on some sort of rota basis but not washing theirs all the time.

I did it once but just left it on the next time so she ended up doing theirs (not mine)

Am I being petty?

Unfortunately in some workplaces this is the case. In my experience it tells you a lot about the company. Wasn't in that PA role long!

Don’t be daft. If you employ someone to do it of course it’s not rude

I doubt doing the dishes is part of the cleaner’s job. I was going to say ‘YANBU, cheeky arseholes’ but actually it might be your job as a junior staff member in the same way it was my job as a healthcare assistant to change soiled pads rather than the job of the nurse or doctor

Where I work everyone washes their own dirty pots and puts them away.

The job of assistants/PA/administrators is business related tasks not to wash the pots for lazy fuckers.

Don’t be an idiot.

The OP is a team assistant, and cleaning up the kitchen (not cleaning it, there is a cleaner) is in her contract. There’s nothing unusual about it, assistants often get sent out for coffee, asked to make coffee for meetings, go out for emergency stationery and lay out food for lunch meetings. Whatever helps the team do it’s job.

---

But this is all business related.

Washing someones dirty dinner plate isn't.

What does it matter that it's not business related?
Op said it's a clause in her contract, and she very bizarrely assumed it was written into everyone else's contracts too.
As if.

To me, keeping the area tidy is a general note to 'keep the area tidy' , not being expected to wash up after everyone else.

If the contract said

"Ensure dishes are washed and put away" fine

But "keep the area tidy" doesn't mean wash everyone's dirty pots'

Washing pots isn’t part of the job of an admin temp. Nor is it a cleaner’s job, which is probably why they’re chancing it and trying to get you to do it. Well done for only doing it once.

If its not your job description, dont do it.

we have a communal kitchen at work and during it was kept clean and tidy as we (5 of us) were the only ones using it. We washed our cups and cutlery. The cleaners bleached and sanitised each morning and one (fair play to her) cleaned the fridge.

now more are coming into the office the kitchen is dire. Most are men, but a few women are leaving food bits in the sink. We know who they are, our room is next to the kitchen so see who goes in and out. Tidying up is THEIR responsibility. Even the cleaners complain, they realise who the culprits are.

the kitchen isnt the only thing they leave dirty…… the toilet pan is another bugbear 🤢

I don’t think it’s right at all. I actually think it’s quite exploitative. People should wash up their own dishes, including senior managers, and not leave them to either their assistant or the office cleaner. A friend of mine was a PA and her manager would leave her plate and mug on her desk for her to wash up. I was shocked anybody would do this. It’s so entitled and spoilt.