A reader writes:
I work at a small nonprofit organization. My manager is always looking for ways to save money. Some make sense (think shopping around for the best price on office supplies). Others, not so much.
We don’t have a janitor on staff, nor do we hire a service. We used to have someone (sort of like a rotating intern position) who would clean the office and the bathroom. That person would usually do it for a few months, then get pulled into other projects instead of cleaning. Needless to say, the bathroom got gross.
It’s always been a problem, and with COVID-19 it’s even more of a concern. Our common spaces should be cleaned and sanitized often. I work mostly from home for now, but I am in the office a few times a week and I would like to feel safe that our spaces are being cleaned. When I mentioned my concern to my manager, she said she’ll start cleaning the bathroom. And if anyone else wanted to be added to the cleaning rotation, we should let her know.
How can I tell her that no, I don’t want to clean our common bathroom? Am I out of line for thinking that is gross and weird to clean up after your coworkers in the bathroom? This was not in my original job description. I know we often wear many hats at a nonprofit, but this is ridiculous, right?
Yeah, they need to hire someone to clean the bathroom. Always, but especially right now with Covid.
It’s not reasonable to expect people who were hired for other work to also take on cleaning toilets as a side duty.
Sometimes when this comes up, people argue that cleaning bathrooms is demeaning. I don’t think cleaning is inherently demeaning work … and I think it demeans janitors and others to look down on it like that. But cleaning up after colleagues in the bathroom can be gross work, and it’s something people should explicitly sign on for — and it’s not usually something they expect to be doing when they accept an office job.
Frankly, that rotating intern system wasn’t a good solution either, unless the person was clearly told before taking the job that cleaning the bathroom would be part of the work.
You office needs to hire cleaners who have signed up to be cleaners.
And yes, nonprofits on limited budgets have to be frugal, etc. etc. etc. But this is an expense of running an office, just like renting office space is.
As for what to do … It sounds like your manager isn’t ordering anyone to clean the bathroom. She said people should let her know if they want to be added to the cleaning rotation. You don’t want to be added, so just don’t take her up on that. If she ever asks you directly, it’s reasonable to say, “I’m happy to help keep other common areas neat if it makes financial sense to have me pitch in, but I’m not comfortable cleaning up after coworkers in the bathroom.” If she decides to require it of everyone, ideally you and your coworkers would push back as a group, but if that doesn’t work then you’d need to decide how much of a stand you’re willing to take on it. But it’s reasonable to attempt at least the initial pushback.
In fact, even if your boss doesn’t push anyone else to volunteer, it might be worth pushing back on her doing it herself. Normally I’d say that if she wants to clean the bathrooms on her own, so be it (although it’s likely a terrible use of her time and the organization’s funds to pay an executive to clean bathrooms) — but right now with Covid, bathrooms probably need to be cleaned to a higher standard and more regularly than whatever she’s doing sporadically, so it might be worth pushing to hire actual cleaners regardless.
how to say “no, I won’t clean the bathroom” was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.
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