I work as a cleaner and i have to clean desks in a big office building. I clean while they are still working. I notice every day, people staring at me,i wouldn't mind if they smiled or said good morning but they stare like they've never seen a cleaner before, I'm finding it rude and annoying, today i noticed this woman watching me for a long time. How do i deal with this without sticking my fingers up at them?
shareDefinitively would not recommend sticking fingers up at them. I, personally, would take the high road. Smile and be friendly. Maybe they don’t intend to stare, but are staring off into space, intent in thought. Maybe, they are admiring how thorough and diligent you are, compared to how little they get done at work. You should take pride in the fact that you are doing an important job. The place would not be open long if you were not doing that job.
sharePee on them to show dominance.
shareIf they're in close proximity,
and watching you endlessly, you can't go wrong with, "How are you doin' this morning?" If it's already the afternoon, it'll bring a smile to their face.
I like the idea of taking the high road and smiling and saying good morning yourself. Be cheerful. Sincerely so, not pretending, and don't give a fat rat's behind if they don't respond back to you the same way. If they don't, it's because there's something troubling them, which has nothing to do with you. You're fine :)
share^ This
shareI agree with soap and cat...most people are pretty nice a smile and a good morning/how ya doing/have a nice night can go a long way.
shareBack in the old days cleaners used to start work after the day workers had left so they had the place more or less to themselves. A much better arrangement for all concerned in my opinion.
People with desk jobs actually worked 9 to 5 when I was young, gone are the days! Now longer hours are expected, and my guess is that when MissNat starts her shift, the people who are still at their desks are the ones staying the latest, and they're all miserable and fried. So much so that maybe their brains are so close to shutting down that they stare at her because the eyes automatically fix on the nearest moving object, or maybe they're thinking about quitting the rat race and doing honest work like cleaning, and they're envying her for having a job that looks low stress.
Either way, the only way to deal with such people is to be polite and agreeable. If I'm right MissNat isn't going to get much of a response from them, but maybe she'll brighten their day a little, and she won't get on their nerves. Getting on their nerves would probably be a bad idea.
I start work at 8.45am,so the building is already busy at that time,sucks working around them,they aren't a friendly bunch at all.
shareWell that's not a great way to arrange things, having your job necessarily interrupt theirs means everyone gets irritated, through no fault of anyone but the person who set up the schedule. So yes, if you're interrupting them while they work or vacuuming while they're on the phone, they're going to glare at you, even if they know you're not to blame.
I'm sorry, on the office social front this is a no-win situation for you. All you can do is to be unfailingly polite and pleasant to the people you have to interrupt, and maybe in time they'll think of you as "the nice cleaner", and glare at you less than the cleaners who aren't pleasant and professional. Work on your polite-professional manner, and apply for a position as a receptionist or something else that requires dealing with the public. Good manners are a huge professional asset, if that's all you get out of this job then that's worth having.
Otter's reply made a lot of sense, given the uncomfortable situation you're in.
The people are probably stressed (more so than usual because of this virus), worried about their jobs, and feel like you're disrupting them. Which you are, but it's not your fault.
I wonder if asking them what you could do to make cleaning their space the least disruptive to them as possible would help? If you tacitly remind them you're only doing your job, are aware that it disrupts them doing theirs and you're willing to do what you can to help them out, that would likely turn the whole dynamic around! Some of them may even be so impressed with your thoughtfulness they praise you to whomever your employer is.
the cleaner who does my building has his own family business and he currently has about 10 office cleaning contracts. his whole family works for him. i admire his entrepreneurial spirit.
shareIf you shoot 'em you'll feel better...
I always do!
That's a joke, btw.