To report the cleaner

[EmotionalLimbo]

I'm a PhD student and work in a doctoral school office with several other researchers, all doing our own thing. It's a wonderful quiet space and we're very lucky.

Well quiet that is until the bins are emptied every afternoon. I'm not sure if the person who comes in is a cleaner because I've never seen her do any cleaning in this office but she might do in other parts of the building.

She's just so loud. She's talking on the phone using Bluetooth earpieces so it looks like she's talking to herself. It's so distracting and it's not a work conversation because it's a foreign language.

I've contacted the estates people to ask them to tell her to stop as it's annoying everyone but nobody dare say anything. It's not my job to tackle her.

AIBU?

Every day is bin day Alan!

You began by implying that you are somehow better than her, mentioning that you are a PhD student who works in academia does not add any useful context. Saying that you work in a quiet office would have been enough.

You then seemed to suggest that she is not a proper cleaner because you had not seen her before. Yet you also acknowledged that she is a cleaner, as she was doing the bins and you felt convinced enough to report her to Estates. This gives the impression that you are trying to belittle her by implying that she is not a proper cleaner. You then referred to her being a foreigner, could this be the real issue for you? Is it very unlikely that you would have the same (report first) attitude towards a noisy (native) student or colleague without speaking to them first?

She is a human being who is trying to earn a living. Speak to her politely. You may find that she has not been doing it intentionally and may be willing to adjust her behaviour once she understands the concern, afterall she is there to earn a living and not to upset people.

You're making much of this up. It's a key distinction that I'm not an employee. If I hadn't said what I was I'd be directed by posters to talk to my line manager or something like that.

I've never suggested anything like you're making up or that I'm better than anyone. Show me where I've done that, please.

I never referred to her as a foreigner either. I said she was speaking in a foreign language. I speak French but I'm not French. I think you need to stop implying racism and stop assuming so much.

The only sensible thing you've said is that she's probably not doing it intentionally. I think she's oblivious so I'd agree there.

7 days a week !That poor woman.

I suspect she does that intentionally. On the off chance the office is empty one day, so she can get to the secret research.

And I think I have worked out why she is noisy and speaks on her phone. It's to hide the noise of her microfilm camera as she steals all the secrets.

And yes, we they still use microfilm today. It fits in the homing pigeons leg pod. Have you noticed any cooing sounds at all ? Or does her talking drown that out too ? The spies keep the birds in their gym bags.

:-)

Another goader. Stop trying to cause a pile on.

There's another one worse than that;

Report them. They ruin so many threads

I work in a shop, so they're my customers rather than students. 50 year old customers don't tend to play loud music, but I do often ask adults to 'please close the door behind them' as I don't want to sit in the cold. They're always happy to oblige and usually apologetic as their actions aren't malicious, they just haven't realised the door doesn't automatically close. Chances are the cleaner doesn't realise how loud and disruptive her conversations are.

So you don't want to embarrass her in front of people but you're considering dobbing her in to her line manager & possibly jeopardising her employment?
Smh, as the youth say.

I'm sure she doesn't.

No, not "dobbing her in". Asking the estates supervisor to emphasise that loud personal conversations every day when people are working aren't really on.

No you’re not
you have a right to a harmonious workplace
you need to find out who the cleaners boss is and take it up with them
you will be doing everyone a favour
can you address this with the people that are responsible for hiring anonymously
maybe they can help her tone down the behaviour

It's possible she's speaking to her family at the only suitable time of the day on a bad line or cheap phone...it all comes back to you speaking to her like you are both human and explaining your needs

I have done, but not anonymously.
@Anyahyacinth Quite possibly, but she can do that say in the toilet or out of everyone's earshot.

And what if she got sacked?

I’m picturing Dom Joly on a big comedy phone barging through the office, shouting and emptying bins.
Seriously, it would get on my nerves too OP. I’d probably directly ask them please keep it down.

Kust ask her to cut the volume - you can even be nice about it. She probably vetting on with her job & not realising how loud she is. You deserve to have the cleaner who did our office in the 70s. That'd teach you 😂

On one whinge from one person I doubt it very much.

Get in touch with her company and say that your area requires people not to be there disturbing everyone working there.

She's not with a company. She's employed at the University. I've contacted the department and basically said that.

She'd learn that you shouldn't be an annoying twat on your phone when you're supposed to be working?

Honestly OP I get not wanting to confront her about it yourself. And I understand being annoyed at her… most people can’t talk to family/friends on the phone all day at work and she’s doing it in a designated quiet space disrupting those within. If I walked into my colleague’s office and had a chat with my sister on the phone while they worked it would be considered unreasonable.

I’d just tell her the room is a quiet place and so not to use a phone when she comes in (please). You could wait until she leaves the room and then catch her in the hall.

This sounds very minimal, it's the only loud interruption you have in the day?

Just sign to them 'please be quieter'.

In schools, when the kids have gone, you sit at your desk to get on with some work and the cleaning staff come in minutes later. They empty the bins, clean the tables, hoover, mop the floor, then go back and forth through the adjoining classrooms all while talking loudly and laughing. It's definitely a bit stressful and annoying and goes on for ages. I wave, smile, ear pieces in and focus on my work which I want to get done to be able to go home within the next 2 hours for my own family.

Surely 5 mins isn't that big of a deal?

What libraries do you go to? Mine is complete silence on the 2nd and 3rd floors, talking is only allowed on floor 1.

The cleaner clearly won't get sacked because of the OP contacting Estates, but I'm still not understanding why it's so difficult to ask her to keep the volume down. It doesn't require a 'confrontation', just a polite request. Yes, many people are loud and inconsiderate and it's annoying and they would ideally exercise a bit more consideration. Generally most people do still respond well to being asked nicely.