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?

But isn't that give and take and some reciprocity in what you describe? There's nothing wrong with bringing someone a coffee or sandwiches or occasionally washing up for each other. (Or maybe if they're your PA, for them to do it because it's part of the expectation.)

The difference is when it's not really part of their role, and you end up appearing to think yourself too important to take a few minutes at the end of the day to rinse out your own cup.

I would hate this, even though I don't at all mind washing up cups and would do any that were lying around when I had an office job with a kitchen, without wondering whose cups they were. It only takes a minute or two.
But to expect junior staff to wash a couple of cups every day as a sign of status is a bad idea - it will not create a good team.

The 1970s are looking for you

Could you just leave the dirty cups, OP? They can wash their own.

Get them to pay for a dishwasher and put their own cups in it. If they don't switch it on and unload it, they don't get clean cups.

The last place I worked the CEO washed her own cup.

It's demeaning because it's their dirty mess they are expecting others to clean up. Like it's beneath them to clean up after themselves.

I don't expect to clean my dh pants off the floor or wipe his toothpaste spittal off the basin or his pee drops off the seat.

Whatever level you are you clean up your own mess.

Yes, I think this is the best approach.

My dh worked for an investment bank. He is Oxford educated and highly ranked in his field. At his peak he was earning 7 figures.

He washes his mug.

Just refuse to wash them up. No one needs to be this lazy and disrespectful, you're colleagues, not servant and master.

What's stopping them from asking you to fan them with a palm leaf while they work?!

So to sum up:

Executives expecting junior admin support workers to clean their cups because they're above that kind of work = entitled fat cat bastards

Junior admin support workers expecting the cleaner to clean their cups because they're above that kind of work = strong feminist young women standing up for themselves

Do I have it right?

The issue is that we're all disrespecting the valuable role of cleaning. It's quite eye-opening seeing the way everyone is talking about it as if it's the worst kind of insult to be thought of as the cleaner.

No, my experience has been it's not the cleaner's job to do.

I worked in facilities, and we were very clear it was not their job (as it's very time-consuming and uneconomic for the cleaner to be doing it, especially by hand).

Everyone should wash up their own stuff.

Yeah, but if you read this isn't what people are saying here. They are saying it's inherently wrong for anyone to ever do anything like this for another person. That there's no scenario in which is makes sense for one person to do this for another, and that the only moral position is to always do all of it yourself, because there's something demeaning about this labour.

I think there are definitely scenarios at work where some people take on support work while others are busy, as I described. I think there are scenarios where it makes sense to do things for others; I have occupied both sides of that equation, and that I think that's fine. I also allowed for situations where it isn't fine - of course! But as you can see, most people think that looking after someone else like this is inherently demeaning. I don't agree, myself.

But in any case, I've said it enough now and I don't wish to fight so will depart and leave the thread to quote me over and over and froth over how inhuman I am. ☕😅

I've never asked any colleague, junior to me or otherwise to wash up my cup (or make me a drink). Nor have I been asked to wash up anyone else's cup. You drink the drink, you wash the cup! Only exception to this is visiting guests for whom I will obviously make them drinks and wash their cups afterwards. I wouldn't fob it off on anyone more junior.

Seriously don't care how 'specialist' and important people think they are, the rest of the world is not here to serve your greatness!

Everyone’s triggered in this thread😂
Your reasoning is, the executives are not giving it a second thought and they’re just very busy.What makes it even worse they’re representing a charity, aren’t they supposed to be leading by example.Everyone’s busy, has a job to do, you shouldn’t expect people to clean up after you, in an office environment OP has said, the execs are bringing out all their cups at the end of the day, leaving them at the main office.
The point is, it’s not in the junior member’s job description, isn’t this the real issue.

In 1950 maybe, not in 2024.
It's not acceptable at all

Yanbu. I am happy to wash anyone's cup if it is voluntary and goes both ways. I would really resent being expected to wash other employees cups.

If you have an office meeting then bring it up then to decide moving forward whether to get a dishwasher or everyone takes care of their own crockery washing.

So so so old fashioned! Absolute dinosaur behaviour from them to expect it.

The clue is in the titles. Cleaner = cleaning. It's not entitled to expect someone to do their literal job.

You would hate me, my assistant makes the coffee, brings it to me, fetches the empty, washes it and puts it away. She’s also in charge of taking petty cash to buy the tea and coffee supplies.

If it’s in the job description it’s not beneath anyone.

I would expect grown adults to clean up after themselves.

Stop washing these cups for these spoilt, entitled and rude colleagues and let things pile up until they get the message.

Washing up is often not in the cleaner's remit.

It's a waste of cleaning hours to use them on washing up really.

“People are saying, looking after other people is inherently demeaning” that’s your point😂
No that’s not what people are saying here, if it was in the junior members job description and they’re allocated enough time, to carry out their own work and do domestic work on top, there would be no issue, because it would officially be part of their role.
This is about some execs, who think cleaning up after themselves is beneath them.And as others have said it’s not the 1970’s anymore.