New cleaning rota at work feels sexist

[Kayleigh1234]

The company I work for has a fairly small office space within a bigger complex. We were told last week that as there’s lower office attendance due to WFH/hybrid, our company is no longer paying for the site cleaning service and we will be responsible for cleaning our small kitchen space and bathroom ourselves.

Fwiw, I believe the real reason is because of cost cutting and the price of that service increased in April which I’d heard the bosses moan about previously.

Anyway, our (male) manager emailed round the cleaning rota today and the first 7 slots are ALL females (every female on the team is named consecutively). 4 male colleagues are then named, before it reverts.

The manager and his usual step up/deputy, are not named despite them being in the office as much as the rest of us. His deputy is the same job level as me and a couple of others, and when he was asked why he isn’t on the rota, he said ‘he hasn’t got time for that sort of thing’.

Am I wrong to feel like this is all a bit off?

The fact your male colleague of same job is not on the rota gives you the ?sexism leverage.

join a union now coz you’re going to need it by the sound of your illustrious leaders if this is really the best they can do for cost cutting! Ring ACAS to get advice and then your union.

follow what they say. But essentially if your male colleague who does the SAME job as you is too busy to clean then so are you.

So how many women / men work in the office? Is it just the 7 men and 6 men ( including the 2 ( deputy) managers

If you have 7 women and 4 men working in person ( and non managerial) then it isn't albeit it seems unfair for 2 managers to exempt themselves

If there are more than 6 men then it is clearly sexist....

No way. I actually refused this myself when it was introduced in my workplace. I worked in a branch of a kind of shop, but the premises was used throughout the day by 6-7 other people (mostly men) who would get changed and use the toilets. As the only permanent person in the branch they wanted me to clean it when they sacked the cleaner. No way I was cleaning a filthy toilet used by loads of other people, or a 2-storey shop (6 rooms, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen).

I don't think you should do it, but that aside, if there's 13 of you (including the manager and deputy) then you'd only have to do it once every 2.5 weeks, so no way the manager can claim they don't have time for this. Definitely don't accept the deputy not being included in the rota.

How can someone clean the office if others are still working?
If you want to clean/dust their desk so you do it around them or do they also then have to stop work part way through the day?
That's 2 people not working....

And hoovering, you can't hoover if people are on the telephone so unless you have hard wood floors how will that work?

My office at work is cleaned in the evening when no one is there so no one is disturbed.
Before these cleaners we had an early morning cleaner, again to ensure no disturbance to the office.

I had this once at a job, I told my manager I wouldn't be touching the toilet, but happy to do the kitchen. I wear smart office clothes and will not be risking ruining them, plus it's disgusting.
He took me off the toilet rota, which was unfair to others.
Years later at a job interview I joked about it and they said it's the same here, I said no thanks then!
Do not do it.

Yes, totally agree with you on this.
My point is that addressing it as a sexist decision will get OP nowhere.

Completely agree, but most women know exactly what male thought process happened here

Everyone who uses the facilities regardless of seniority should be taking a turn. Including the manager.
However I would be refusing to do the toilets.
You will need disposable PPE for this. Apron, gloves, approved cloths and cleaning sprays, mops etc. at a minimum.
Most cleaning services wear a uniform that they change in/out of due to contamination from bacteria/germs.

Everyone has to be on the rota. I'd refuse saying that it's not fair to only select certain staff. Or I'd do a terrible job.

This is actually true, imagine ruining your clothes because you've got bleach on them. You're going to need overalls and gloves.

Probably need some sort of infection control training as well.

Who is emptying the sanitary bin ? That needs double bagged and a specialist company in to remove.

No way would I clean up colleagues skids. Cheap gits need to keep the cleaner or do it themselves.

I used to work in a large store and we did the cleaning between us when it was quiet, mainly the women but that was because if we didn't do it, it would not get done.

I struck a deal with management and I used to come in for 4 hours a week and clean, banked the time and used it as time off in lieu

If the manager and deputy aren’t on the rota as they don’t have time they obviously don’t have time to use these facilities either. Hope they can plait their legs all day. Go on the fits or don’t use the facilities

If anyone in the office is not on that rota then I’d also say I’m not doing it.

You’re not being paid to be a cleaner as your job, there for you shouldn’t have to clear up other people’s shit and piss.

if they can’t afford a cleaner that’s their problem! Tell rotawanker to do it himself.

Some companies are such cheapskates! For the sake of a few quid, they risk having a staff mutiny on their hands.

I wouldn’t be cleaning the toilets as part of an office job. If they want staff to clean then everyone should be stepping up.

I suggest you start looking for a new job if the company can’t afford a cleaner for a couple of hours.

On a thread about possible sexism, this is such a sexist response!

I can understand the bosses not wanting to be highly paid cleaners in effect, but it would be better for team spirit and morale for everyone to take a turn.

Cleaning companies don't use bleach these days.

Don’t do it. This isn’t your job. Seriously, don’t do it. Nothing wrong with a “clean your own dishes and wipe up your own kitchen mess” rule but I wouldn’t be cleanng because that is not your job.

I would encourage them to ensure the men do the first few weeks of cleaning as then they're more likely to listen to the inevitable complaints about the new procedures 🙃

I reckon they've put the women first on the rota, so by the time it's the men's turn, they'll have reinstated the cleaner and the men won't have had to do it.

Tell them that you have a skin condition that makes you allergic to cleaning products 😂 offer to swap with Deputy and say you’ll do his work while he takes a turn on the rota

It doesn't shock me that the manager and his/her deputy aren't on the rota. The manager can decide on task allocation across the team, and it's obviously very common that those with higher responsibilities get less office admin tasks to do.
You don't really get a say tbh, so I'm not how the conversation would go. "If you're not happy with the job description, resign?".

You could point out that all females had been put first on the rota, but I'm falling to see how this impacting the task overall. It would have been way more suspicious to alternate male/female IMO. That way if the males are doing a particularly shit job at it, it will be obvious.

Not commenting too much on whether they can/cannot add this to your JD as I'm not HR or legal. I'm pretty sure they can though, as it would be a minimal part of your overall job. As long as they're not changing your job in a significant way, they can change your job description to adapt to business needs.

Cleaning toilets /mopping floors ect isn't part of your job don't start or it will be. It's usual to clean up plates cup and wipe up after yourself in work canteens but mopping floors scrubbing toilets no way!

1. Is it in your role profile?
2. Has a risk assessment been carried out?
3. Have the necessary supplies been provided, including PPE?
4. Has a COSHH assessment been carried out and provided for those supplies?

I would guess that the answer is no to all of those things and so the answer is “No, I will not be cleaning.”