A personal work/moral problem

[worrywort]

No worries if I don't get any replies. I just have a little personal problem that's bothering me and thought I'd throw it out there.

I'm in a tricky situation and I'm not sure what to do. I'm a cleaner at a school. There are 4 cleaners in total. The old caretaker of the school used to assume all the supervisor responsibilities voluntarily, but since he's retired the new caretaker doesn't want those responsibilities, and so there are a bunch of problems that need sorting and nobody wants to sort them [namely certain cleaners needing discipline for not doing their job properly]. The tricky part for me is that I feel like there is pressure on me to assume the supervisor responsibilities [particularly from the new caretaker], as I'm the most experienced cleaner, and I'm feeling very conflicted over what the right thing to do is. Personally, I don't want the extra responsibility, even if they were to pay me more, I'd rather not be the supervisor. I like to keep my life as simple and easy as possible. But I'm worried I'm being too selfish in refusing to babysit the other cleaners.

We, as cleaners, don't work for the school. We work for a cleaning company that was hired by the school, so I can see why the new caretaker doesn't consider it his responsibility to check all the cleaners are doing their job properly. Personally I think the cleaning company should send somebody to check in every couple of weeks to supervise and inspect, etc, but we've asked them that many times and they don't seem to ever show up.

I'm not sure what to do. Basically, there's one cleaner in particular who's not doing his job properly. He's a young guy, but he keeps skipping area's and leaving early, and the caretaker keeps moaning to me about it and subtly pressuring me to confront this young guy and sort him out, but I don't want to. Am I entitled to say no? Or am I being selfish? Would it be the nicer thing to do try to sort this young guy out? Or should I stand my ground?

 

[DeadSummer]

I´d kick the sloppy´s cleaner ***, even voluntarily.

 

[worrywort]

I´d kick the sloppy´s cleaner ***, even voluntarily.

Thanks for the reply. Well, yea, there is a large part of me that would quite happily just confront this cleaner and tell him the problem and what he needs to do etc. But it's the principle that's the problem. Once I accept responsibility for supervising the other cleaners, it's going to be expected of me from then on. I'm reluctant to go down that path.

I'm also feeling a little bit bullied by the caretaker, and I feel a bit like if I were to confront this young guy it'd be because the caretaker pressured me into it, and I think that's making me NOT want to do it also, again on principle.

I'm a very principled person! ;P

 

[Aylaa]

If you don't want the responsibility then don't do it, it's not selfish at all.

I can see where the caretakes is coming from if you're the most experienced one there, but maybe next time he tells you to do something you can just tell him to take it up with the company you work for, it's not your responsibility?

 

[IntheLabyrinth]

If you don't want the responsibility then don't do it, it's not selfish at all.

I can see where the caretakes is coming from if you're the most experienced one there, but maybe next time he tells you to do something you can just tell him to take it up with the company you work for, it's not your responsibility?

That sounds like the best solution if you do not want to become the one responsible. However, once the caretaker speaks to the company, I imagine they will approach you about becoming the unofficial supervisor if the new caretaker is not going to assume responsibility. I would then tell your Co that you are not interested in that role and that they can offer it to one of the other two cleaners. Of course, they will have to offer you and them more money as well.

 

[worrywort]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it. I agree that the way this situation ought to be handled is that the area manager of the cleaning company should be paying more visits. It's his responsibility to oversee the cleaners and make sure the job is getting done properly. And I'm going to start requesting that again of my area manager next time I speak to him.

The problem is that we've already told this to the company before, and they were all promises at first, but pretty soon they just stopped showing up. I understand my area manager is busy and wants to decrease his workload as much as pos, [and I get pressure off him too sometimes to do jobs that I really feel he ought to do], but I don't think we'll start getting visits from the area manager until the school or the caretaker complains.

I've also told the caretaker several times that this is the way it should be and all the problems he moans to me about, he should be telling to the area manager and they should be sorting it out, not me. But I guess he can't help it. It's his school, and when it's not being cleaned he gets annoyed and vents to me about it.

I think the issue for me is assertiveness. I think I need to figure out where my boundaries are and then stand my ground when they're crossed. I'm happy to help the other cleaners out occasionally, but I don't want to be the one responsible for training them properly, and I certainly don't want to be the one responsible for disciplining them when they're doing a poor job. So I'm gonna have to start standing my ground more I think. But thanks for the replies

 

[Supernova]

Give up your job and become an artist full time, we can have a whip round here

 

[DeadSummer]

Thanks for the reply. Well, yea, there is a large part of me that would quite happily just confront this cleaner and tell him the problem and what he needs to do etc. But it's the principle that's the problem. Once I accept responsibility for supervising the other cleaners, it's going to be expected of me from then on. I'm reluctant to go down that path.

I'm also feeling a little bit bullied by the caretaker, and I feel a bit like if I were to confront this young guy it'd be because the caretaker pressured me into it, and I think that's making me NOT want to do it also, again on principle.

I'm a very principled person! ;P

Yeah I know I was just joking. I think it should be the cleaning complany´s responsibility and not the worker´s. You are there to do cleaning and not supervising work. If they don´t like it it´s their problem, not yours.

 

[worrywort]

Give up your job and become an artist full time, we can have a whip round here

Cor yes please!!!

Yeah I know I was just joking. I think it should be the cleaning complany´s responsibility and not the worker´s. You are there to do cleaning and not supervising work. If they don´t like it it´s their problem, not yours.

Yea, you're totally right. It feels a lot better hearing it from someone else. Thanks.