I'm shocked at the entitlement, others think it's normal..?

[Bigstyle]

I work for a small charity. There are three very important, very well paid executives and a small team of "workers".

The executives like their coffee and mostly make it themselves, using the office pod machine. But at the end of the day they bring their cups into the main office for the most junior staff member to wash.

Now, I get that our job is basically to support them, but I can't imagine doing this to my staff. The "junior" doesn't have hot drinks so it's not even like she's going to wash her own cup.

I think it's outrageous, the general attitude it demonstrates rather than the task, but they clearly think it's perfectly normal.

Is it?

Not appropriate.

We have dishwashers in each tea room, and two ladies who refill the coffee makers and empty the dishwashers every couple of days, as well as general ‘ maintenance’ jobs/ fetching and carrying/ watering plants. Or, we‘ll take the clean cups straight out of the dishwashers. There‘s also a staffed coffee bar on ground floor and the two baristas are in charge of their dishwasher. The three staff in the canteen will also run extra stuff through their dishwashers - it’s the same cups/ plates etc throughout the building.

We do have a few hundred people on site, though. In a smaller office we used to take it in rough turns to empty dishwasher, men & women.

Good for the junior! I've never once in 25 years been expected to wash up after colleagues (and I wouldn't have done it if anyone had ever been silly enough to expect it of me).
Surely the way to resolve this is for everyone to have and be responsible for washing (or not) their own mug?

Not appropriate. It's not even the cleaners' job to pick up people's personal mess. In my place, everyone washes their own stuff. Someone left a dirty cup in the communal sink and it was eventually just moved to the side. It seems to always be young women expected to do this shit too, doesn't it.

Yeah imagine the money lost when they take a shit and have to wipe their own arses. Maybe they need juniors to do that too?

You guys need to stop washing the cups. What are they going to do, fire you? You're a small charity and with this kind of workplace attitude, I doubt that people will be falling over themselves to work there...

This is so weird! Ask her to not wash them. They’ll have to do it themselves eventually. It’s like some weird flex of power? Either that or they are extremely lazy

Why on earth are you doing it?

Leave them on the side. All of you. Just stop it.

Definitely not. Our junior does some menial tasks like carrying boxes of paper for the printer from the storeroom, but we'd never get him to do personal tasks like washing our cups. People who drink hot drinks take it in turns to make a round.

I think it depends. I work in a smallish team with clinical staff and admin. Whilst I'm not their direct manager I am more senior. The admin know that I have back to back clinics all day (they manage my diary) and will offer cups of tea if they know I've only 5 minutes to get to the loo, and then get ready for the next meeting. They will then sometimes take the cup later and wash it. We don't have a dishwasher. If there are cups in the sink (usually soaking in a basin) when I go into the kitchen then I'll always wash them. I have never asked them to clean it. I do regularly bring in biscuits/ cakes/ snacks or on a Friday buy them a sandwich when the van comes round.

Also OP good on your junior for knowing her worth. I hope she finds a better job somewhere that actually values her.

What if you are a PA?

Because it’s not in the cleaner’s job description to collect cups, do the washing up.They do, what’s in their contract.
If you employ a cleaner at home, would you really expect them to do a pile of dishes, before they could start cleaning? They clean, not pick up after people.

The people who work beneath you are also people. You want a coffee, you clean up your own mess. I've not worked in an environment where junior staff whose job doesn't involve cleaning were asked to wash up other people's coffee cups since 1998. Can't imagine for the life of me asking a direct report to clean up my dishes.

I think it is quite old-fashioned and demeaning to expect her to wash up.

And you're right that the optics of it are really.

If the junior was a bloke, would they expect it?

Our cleaners load the dishwashers but because we're a large site with multiple pantries and food stations (?) it all gets washed and re-distributed as needed. Along with plates and cutlery
Depending on the teams that come on each day you'd find a load of clean crockery at one end of the building on certain days and zero elsewhere otherwise.

However, most people use their own mugs/thermos which they wash up and take home with them anyway. I've never seen an executive walking around with a mug which makes sense, they're usually on the go, something with a cover is much safer!

*dodgy

Just don’t wash them.

I’d guess they’re accustomed to working in large corporations where leaving your mug for someone else to clean is the norm—I know I do it myself. I simply take it to the kitchen, and the cleaning staff handles the rest. Perhaps that’s why they think it’s acceptable? Unless there’s a specific clause in your contract about maintaining shared spaces, you shouldn't feel obligated to clean it.

I’m not sure this would ever be written into a job description and, unless it is, the senior staff are disrespectful of their staff members skill set and time required to do the job they are paid for.

if you don’t have the time to wash up, then get a reusable cup from home and take it home with you. Hopefully to wash up yourself rather than foist on a partner.

@Anothernamechane Yeah - I can see that what I'm saying is being interpreted in a way that - to be honest I cannot understand at all. I don't think it's much connected to how my actual colleagues are experiencing their working life, so I'm happy to write this down to the inevitable poverty of internet communication and go about my day.

As I said, I've spent many many years of my life doing caring and cleaning and nursing roles and never for a moment thought it meant I wasn't a person. I've given care and accepted care in life, and I think it's fine to do this. We all work together in life, with different skills and responsibilities and this is ok. I can see that people here feel it's disgusting and beneath them to do some things. I'm sorry you feel like this. I have never felt demeaned by caring for others. When I'm on a marathon back to back calls, someone else will bring me coffee sometimes. I'm very happy to accept it and I don't think this is wrong. When another person is slammed with doing something I cannot do, I'll get them their dinner. I'm glad to do it. We're a team.

I understand everyone here thinks this is terrible and disgraceful. I have to say I think you are all massive snobs. Or rather, in reality, that you are projecting on to me something that isn't really the case, because we don't know each other and can't really communicate well through this screen.

I remember being a junior member of staff 25 years ago and the Head of Finance (who I did not report into or have anything to do with work wise) would approach my desk and hand me his coffee cup indicating he wanted a coffee, if I was in the kitchen he’d hand me his cup to wash. Not only did it take me away from my own work there was never a please or thanks. I started making it like piss water so he would stop asking me.

DH (owner and MD) is always the person who washes up at work. (Actually, he brings it home to put in the dishwasher.) In his opinion, it's his company and he doesn't want anyone becoming ill or sharing germs, and he prefers the company to look polished and professional to any outsiders who get offered tea. It's a heavy engineering workshop, so there's always oily rags and grease-stained fingers.

But you’re assuming they’re disrespectful. In reality they’re probably not giving it a thought or they’re in back-to-back meetings all day or they don’t have 10 minutes spare to make the walk chat to people wash their cup walk back.

Everyone’s very triggered on this thread

You can act disrespectfully by not giving something a thought.

It's arrogant and careless.

Oh do calm down dear

🙄