Annoyed with the office cleaner

[VerySweatyBetty1]

Here’s a thing:

I've suspected for some time that our office cleanerr sits and dozes / charges his phone / eats his breakfast in my chair. I’ve never quite caught him but I’ve often ‘surprised’ him ‘suddenly cleaning’ when I've walked in earlier than normal (I'm a late person). My office is an easy choice – comfy, fan, phone charger ready plugged in on my desk. He will have noticed I’m rarely in before 9.30 and he can listen out for people coming in and out. In fact, as I’m above the front door, you can hear people arriving as the door slams shut.

He's been caught out in the past by leaving his breakfast on my desk, and coming back for it. Apologetically.

My colleague once nearly caught him in another office, so it's a known thing amongst us that this happens.

Yesterday there were some ear buds in a case on my desk. Barely anyone else here this week and nobody would want to sit here anyway, as they all have their own comfy offices. So I was pretty sure they were the cleaners. Wondering what to do / and wondering what he would do, I put them in my desk drawer while I thought about it. That was yesterday. This morning they’ve gone. This means he’s come in looking for his earbuds and has opened my personal drawers in my desk. These contain my personal effects – medication, spare underwear, receipts, personal letters and cards. I can't lock the door of my office or of my drawers. We're a pretty low-security establishment and trust one another.

In addition: we have a very narrow entrance to our building (which is part of a group of buildings, which are all serviced by an external company). He has taken up residence at the foot of the stairs. Eats his lunch there. sits on the stairs having loud conversations on his phone. We have to literally climb over him to get in and out, including when we have visitors.

I've always found this highly annoying and inappropriate but my colleagues don't seem to mind and tolerate it and I don't want to be the office bitch. The bloke is bussed in with a load of others from goodness knows where, at the crack of dawn, probably on the minimum wage and probably not well treated. There must be a common room where his colleagues hang out, but he seems to prefer our stairwell. Maybe they bully him, and he just wants some peace and quiet. So, I don't want to ruin things for him but he's crossed a line.

He speaks barely a single word of English, so I can't even have a gentle chat with him (or I'd have done it by now). The only way to communicate is via his boss. I suppose I could use Google Translate and leave him a note:

"Please do not take rest breaks at my desk, and do not open my drawers"

I don't want to scare him, though, or I'll end up being the one in trouble.

WWYD?

Exactly.

@Boltonb wtf how do you have time for this nonsense - yes I’ve time to post on here I suppose

OP, he won’t go in your drawers again after seeing you spare pants!

Just relax and move on. It’s not the end of the world!

Good point!

Cannot relate at all to caring whether someone naps in my chair when I’m not there.

Don’t spend your one life begrudging minuscule pleasures to people who already have things so much worse than you.

Stealing what?

It sounds like you DO need/want somewhere to put your stuff though. I know you say it's a high-trust environment, but think pragmatically – if you put your stuff, including charger, in some sort of lockable storage he is less likely to want to use your office, plus then you know no one can go through your spare undies etc.

A different point, but you say there 'must' be a staffroom for the cleaners – do you actually know this? Does anyone in your company or in the wider building? If the cleaners aren't given proper facilities his behaviour makes more sense (although I stop short of totally condoning it.)

Incidentally, it sounds very much like the whole team of cleaners might be illegal.

You beat me to it.

What language are they speaking? Where are they from? The fact it's common doesn't mean it's safe or legal but people like to turn a blind eye because it's easier and the price is good

It doesn’t sound like he’s trying to steal anything or even have a nosy rummage through your stuff. However, I do understand your frustration with this issue. Sorry if I’ve not picked this up but have you had a chat with your boss at all? Could you articulate why it is problematic for him to use your desk out of hours for his meals/sleeping? Beyond it being annoying, what is it that makes you feel it is inappropriate? Your boss likely is the one who has direct contact with the cleaning company so is probably best placed to feedback any genuine issues.

Him eating his meals on the stairs is probably something you could make a case of from a fire safety perspective but I’d probably let this one go if it’s the desk issue that is really bothering you.

Look, you’re drip feeding further ‘crimes’ to add to his list. You don’t like him and you haven’t posted to check your perspective, fair enough. Just put a complaint in. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do that.

if you’re not looking for some introspection what’s the point of posting?

I think it's worth doing some research.

I cant believe some of responses. I'd be well pissed off if anyone was using my desk and chair to eat and sleep in. I make an effort to keep my desk and chair clean and want it to stay that way! Just put a sign on the desk and chair and if the cleaner doesnt speak English, use a red no entry sign. There must a break out area that the cleaners can take their breaks in our office they use our soft seating area and its not a prob.

Dont report though, when i was much younger and just started work i complained about the toilets and a male cleaner using the ladies during the night and not flushing etc, he got the sack and i felt so guilty, i should have just put up a polite sign instead.

I’m not sure whether you’re telling me off or backing me up but just for clarity - I was being heavily sarcastic

Oh these common, low, despicable cleaners! I got one the sack for whistling once, but you should have heard the comments from some of my colleagues. Bleeding hearts the lot of them!

How very rude, nasty and inappropriate.

He's out of order. Can you have a lock fitted on your office door and your drawers? He's got no business rooting through people's personal stuff . Report him to the manager

Spare underwear at work left in a drawer , never heard of that before.
Putting someone else’s earbuds in your drawer- why?
I’d expect him to leave the workspace as he found it, so no half eaten food on the desk.

Does your company provide somewhere for him to take his breaks on your premises?

I'm surprised at the comments on this!

The cleaner is overstepping. Have a word with your boss, for them to highlight to the estate management, then they can have a word with the cleaning contractors.

To those saying it's not her personal space, whilst that's correct, her employer, the charity, pay for that space for their staff. The cleaner is an external contractor, and should not be using the office or stairwell for breaks.

It was pretty shitty to hide his valuable headphones as a test. Because this is exactly what it was. To catch him out. Very mean.

@Motnight It transpires he’s contractor but essentially they are sort of like colleagues as usually there is a big fuss about how contractors are as worthy a full time employees in my experience. Do you disagree?

Is it? Surely it depends on the interpretation of the reader? I read it as he’d be embarrassed by it not as an insult

Do you have a manager who can speak with the cleaning company, someone must know who they are, they will be getting paid, must be insured and vetted. Can you all put up a wanted post on your local fb page or similar asking for a lockable cupboard that you can all keep your valuables in. Do you have your own office with a key or is it all shared.

Why do you have spare underwear at work in a drawer?