A washing up rota at work. I don’t use anything.

[Justryingtofigureitout]

Someone had set up a washing up rota at work and I don’t use a single item. Am I being unreasonable by saying no?

I'm curious to know: those of you who are saying that the OP should just do it, as a "team player" what is wrong with expecting people to clean up for themselves. I just cannot contemplate the notion of eating lunch and leaving dirty dishes in the sink for someone else to clean up. I'm gobsmacked that offices actually promote this by having a cleaning rota.

I am glad that at my work, being a team player includes cleaning up after yourself.

Say no definitely, so long as you never ever use anything in the kitchen ever!

This, are there really workplaces where adults don't clean up after themselves?!

This!! How hard is it to do a bit of washing up

YANBU. Same as I refuse to contribute to the tea/coffee fund. Why would I pay for stuff I never use?

There's being nice to be nice, and there's being a doormat.

I actually know someone who got marked down on his annual appraisal because he got involved in doing things that weren't in his job description, to "help out"

I had a friend who worked in a lawyers office, every Friday when she went into work she had a massive pile of dishes that other staff had let pile up through the week for her to do, as she was an apprentice let's say. I was gobsmacked and she done it every time aswell

Surely there’s room in the office kitchen for a dishwasher…? Then you can just have a rota for turning it on and emptying it ;)

Deeeesgusting. Who wants to wash somebody else’s old soup bowl that’s been stood in festering dishwater 🤮
Everybody should wash their own stuff and wipe all surfaces immediately after use, and ensure nothing out of date is left in the fridge. My experience of these kind of rotas is that women always end up cleaning up after men.

It's gross at work. People leave all sorts of dirty dishes in the sink. I avoid the area and take my own cups and cutlery. I rinse it in a different sink and rewash at home.

Apparently hard enough that they need a rota to make sure it gets done, rather than, you know, grown adults being able to wash the crockery and cutlery that they've personally used.

in my company everyone brings their own mug and water bottle. There is no plates apart from the canteen.

But if there will be everyone wash their own. I would not like a rota rota either,

My dh and I run a small business and we ALWAYS install a dishwasher.

It’s cheap of management not to do this because they (a) save water and energy and (b) it’s much more hygienic, especially when there is flu going around if you run it above 65° and it keeps sink clean and surfaces clear (c) it makes team lunches and office events easier on everyone

We only have 12 employees with probably six in the office at any one time though.

Everyone loads their own dirty dishes. Office assistant turns it on during late afternoon so it ends by the time everyone leaves. She empties it the next morning and sorts the recycling.

Nowadays you can buy slim versions of dishwashers, compact versions, or counter top versions so they will fit every space. Petition your bosses everyone!

some people have porridge!
and where on earth do cleaners work that they wash people's dishes/cups in an office?
seems unlikely
just say No

I have never worked anywhere that had a dishwasher for staff to use.

we have a broken dishwasher!

I never wash up at home, so why would I do it at work? That's what dishwashers are for.

They need to grow up and wash their own stuff as soon as they've used it. They're not back at home with a doormat to clear up after them. Definitely do not join a washing-up rota - it's gross and juvenile.

We have something similar - things we are rotaed to clean but don't (and in one case pragmatically can't, though in theory supposedly could) use. It's similar to the NHS example someone else mentioned. Pretty much the only things the external cleaning firm are contracted to clean now are floors and toilets. It's a ridiculous and short sighted type of cost cutting which reduces efficiency, moral and hygiene tbh. It creates such a lot of bad feeling.

Obviously workplace cleaners don't generally wash up, but it's blatantly obvious that each person should clean up after themselves and extremely difficult to understand why a rota is a better idea. Is there a dishwasher involved? We have this problem - yes, there's a rota for unpacking it, which means that certain people (especially one man) leave large amounts of washing up in the sink if it hasn't been unpacked yet.

It beats me why some people create such a lot of washing up at work anyway, and leave their personal multiple Tupperware containers and reusable lidded takeaway cups, still closed and requiring opening and the dregs pouring away, from home in the sink daily (yes, same guy) for colleagues to put in the dishwasher (which is then full too quickly).

Very annoying. Disproportionately erosive to moral. Addressing it gets you (me) labelled as petty - yep.

I'll bet the office assistant also ends up having to scrape, rinse and load dirty items left in the sink while the dishwasher is running or before she's or he's unpacked it too though, and that when the office assistant is on holiday or off sick it's always the same, probably female, employee who quietly but possibly resentfully picks up dishwasher duty.

The dishwasher used for staff crockery actually creates more imbalance rather than addressing it, despite being well intentioned.

We just used to bin anything that was left unwashed. Put up a notice to the effect of "unwashed items will be permanently removed".

All sorts of lovely mugs, boxes etc got thrown away, into the big outside bins- no exceptions.

People soon stopped leaving their dirty stuff lying around.

Remove yourself from this rota because you don’t generate washing up. You’re not a cleaning service for colleagues who can’t be bothered.

And rightly so.
You’re hired in the capacity of your role. If they want a cleaner, they should advertise for one.

I’m team adult clear up after themselves. But I also think companies have cut corners in getting rid of cleaners. Most big firms still have a housekeeping firm to unload the dishwasher & keep the kitchens clean.

I've mostly worked in offices where cleaners sort out the washing up. However, in my last two jobs they had dishwashers to help them.