Is this fair?

Post Reply New Topic

I enjoy my job but I feel that some things are a little unfair. I like the people there, but the supervisor isn't very competent for a supervisor (I'm sure he has ADD or something, or if not that, dementia of some sort - he's one of those 70+-year-olds that refuses to retire). So there are 3 cleaners, but I'm the only cleaner who isn't trained at what the others can do. I don't mind, as I like my job. But sometimes there are 5 of us in (including the 2 other cleaners) and so there are 4 people doing the same task that only requires 2 or 3 people at the most, while I'm the one lumbered with all the cleaning jobs. And because there are 4 of them working together, they finish their task early and sit in the warm having a cosy chat and coffee, while I'm the one still working and catching up on the cleaning, all on my own, outside in the cold. I could do with a hand, but when I tell the supervisor he doesn't listen. I don't really want to be a whiner, and as I said before I do like what I do so I do just get on and do it, but it's a matter of principle.
Do you think it's fair that I'm lumbered with more work while there are 4 people all doing one task together and then they get it all done early and get to sit in the warm for the last 2 hours? We all work the same hours by the way (evenings). I don't always even get to have a sit down for 5 minutes.

It is not fair or equal for you to be stuck doing the lion's share of the work while your coworkers sit around drinking and flapping their traps.

However it is neither illegal nor discrimination.

Short of asking your coworkers to do more work, it seems to me, nothing you can do do about it. (Please correct me if wrong).

My job is like that too. One lot attendant often sleeps or sits on the litterbox for long amounts of time. Another lot attendant pushes one cart at a time, and she takes the longest route, away from carts and loading. How efficient. They have been working there longer than me. Sometimes I have to load merchandise that says "team lift", alone.

But not much alternative. I don't want to tattle on them. The boss has to know about it by now. They are not concealing anything. If I tattle, they might take out revenge on me. Besides everyone has subconscious biases. For all I know, the coworkers could be having sex with the boss. If I tattle, the boss might not believe me or not care. Or I could get made redundant

Extortion, bribery, civil lawsuit:. Not happening

Some precious lil "people" are not worth the energy it takes to interact with them

I would rather do all the work alone, than have to interact with coworkers

A job interview asked:. "How do you feel about group work?"

I prefer to be working with others. It gets lonely on my own, as the more I'm alone with my thoughts the more my thoughts start 'bullying' me and I become depressed.

Also - I do like my colleagues, but it's down to the supervisor to organise us better. I mean, if your supervisor gave you an easy task with 3 other people and you finished it early was allowed to sit about in the warm chatting for 2 hours then you would. I probably would too. But it's still unfair though. It's down to the supervisor to sort things, not me or my workmates. I've tried to gently hint that I'm the one doing more work than the others, but the supervisor won't listen, so it's shame on him. Maybe it's because I'm the only woman there? If it is because of that, it isn't fair in this day and age. It's like ''leave the woman to do all the cleaning, us guys will do the other task together because we're guys''.

Can you objectively say that you are 100% confident if you would trade places with one of those 4 situation would be the same, one of them would spend as much time as you are doing your task and you would complete their task 2 hours early?

Fair? No. As for what you can do about it, it depends on how far you're ready to go and if you're ready to risk angering your boss and/or coworkers. Since trying to hint about it subtly to your boss doesn't work, how about bringing the matter up to him directly? If you do that, it'd likely help if you didn't bring up just how changes would benefit you, but how they would also benefit the company. Like the work would get done faster, team spirit would rise, anything that you can think of that would help (and be true.)

Not fair that I have to tease the manager with the threat of leaving because i'm 10x more capable than the average person at doing the job properly, doing the same mundane job that i'm so sick of doing whilst sticking it out as much as humanly possible, until today when I finally told them I had enough. Gave them a couple of weeks to mull it over with their higher-ups, whilst I put in as less effort as possible because my efforts never got their full appreciation.

On reading it again I can see that on the job where training is required there are two many people to do that particular task and this means they get a longer break. In this case it might be the supervisor delegating a bit better so both tasks get done in the same amount of time thus giving everyone an even break.

Maybe it's a case of those who are trained to do the other job are taking advantage of the elderly supervisor because they know they are getting a better deal out of their low paid unskilled job.

The others actually get paid more than me, because the task they do is paid a bit more than just cleaning, although 2 of them are supposed to be cleaners too.

But I found out today that someone else noticed that I was doing the most work and it actually got reported to the office, because 2 of the other 4 co-workers are contracted as cleaners as well as the other thing they do, and their job isn't just to do that one task but to also do cleaning too, and getting all the cleaning done can't be done by just one person. I only have time to do some cleaning, which means the floors don't get mopped - which is starting to notice.

The boss actually called me into his office to have a word with me, he said that is it wrong for the others to just sit for the last 2+ hours while I'm out there struggling to get all the cleaning done. I can kind of understand why they are avoiding doing the cleaning - it's because it makes them feel emasculated. They have never actually said this, but I can tell this is what the problem is. But even so, the boss still said that what's going on is still wrong and that the system needs to change. He said that we are all a team, and that 4 people don't need to do one task when one of those people could be cleaning with me. It's a job, I know cleaning is not everyone's thing but it is part of the job and is written in their contract. I'm glad the boss has noticed this.

Sounds like your boss is pretty reasonable....I've never had a boss like that!

I wish you could work full-time.

The best jobs I've had are manual work and some of them were cleaning jobs. I'd go back to it if I could but unfortunately my back would give out after about 30 minutes so I'd be one of those sat down taking the piss for two hours at a time.

I've had some really good bosses who let you take all the breaks you need and who get stuck in with you but in cleaning work I've usually been on my own so I could hide in the broom cupboard for the entire shift if I so chose to.

I'm really glad this is getting sorted out Jo. And by the way cleaning is just as much of a man's job as it is a womans so that's no excuse for slacking.