“Also weird the cleaning crew didn’t notice.”
Having worked late nights in a big office I don’t find this unusual. Some guy who doesn’t speak English would duck in, not look at you, pull the bag out of your garbage can, replace it and be gone. I always spoke to them and at least smiled and said, “Thank you.” But most wouldn’t. If the person appeared to be working or asleep it’s unlikely, they’d even run the vacuum down that aisle. Most workers treat the night cleaners as invisible, and the cleaners treat the workers the same way. The bigger the company the more invisible they are.
BTW, the fact I didn’t act like others got me a LOT of special treatment. While chatting to a night construction guy I said, “Sure would be nice if this cube was a bit bigger.” The next day it extended all the way to a blind corner, about five feet. Extra matching panels and a desk extension were installed. (magic!)
“Having worked late nights in a big office I don’t find this unusual. “
My experience as well. The cleaning crew mission was to work as fast as possible and get it done without having to expose the fact they couldn’t speak English.
I retired from my job in 2011 and moved to Thailand. Came back to file taxes in 2012 and visited the office. The cleaning lady, a big black woman, saw me, came up and gave me a big hug saying how much she missed me. I knew her name and had talked to her regularly.
Amazing what common curtesy and a general love of your fellow man can do.
That may be the best get-a-bigger-office story I’ve ever heard! LOL
Having worked late nights in a big office I don’t find this unusual. Some guy who doesn’t speak English would duck in, not look at you, pull the bag out of your garbage can, replace it and be gone. I always spoke to them and at least smiled and said, “Thank you.” But most wouldn’t. If the person appeared to be working or asleep it’s unlikely, they’d even run the vacuum down that aisle. Most workers treat the night cleaners as invisible, and the cleaners treat the workers the same way. The bigger the company the more invisible they are.
You are certainly right on that score.
I always treated the maintenance staff as equal co-workers. They were an important part of our team. Also, if you have forgotten your keys, it is good to know them by first name. Although I’m retired, I still have the name of one of the maintenance staff members stored in my phone and we text occasionally.
When I had events, I’d let them know in advance so they could schedule a cleaning for the room, and tell them they could have any of the leftover food trays. They appreciated the notice and the food since they were the lowest paid employees in the building.
Many treat janitorial staff just as another piece of machinery and ignore them otherwise. They don’t realize being “invisible” allows those employees to pick up on many secrets that corporate would rather keep hidden. If you want to know something about a company, ask the cleaning staff.
Me too. Even the non-English speakers notice and appreciate recognition of their humanity.