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I work in a hospital cafe as a Utility/Stock person. The cafe is a new facility. It's only been open for a month and a half.
For reasons of understanding the custodian's motivation, this is important.
The cafe is generating additional, heavy trash. This adds to his job, because two months ago he did not have to deal with it. Custodians are typically paid very little, so he most likely resents the fact that he has to do more work and gets little pay.
He sees the cafe as new, you are also new, so by his logic the new guy can take out the new trash. That line of thought doesn't cut it for me, as custodians are paid by the hour, not by the piece, but it may help you understand why this guy is resentful.
I work in a hospital cafe as a Utility/Stock person. The cafe is a new facility. It's only been open for a month and a half. I've been working there now for 14 days. My job is to wash dishes, clean the dining area and outside eating area, do inventory counts, log temperatures of fridge and freezer, get new deliveries, clean the kitchen, pull the garbages, etc.
When the trash in the kitchen, dining area, and outside courtyards get full, I pull them and take them into the trash room. In the trash room, there is a big trash cart where we put all the trash bags in. Towards the end of my shift, the garbage people go in the trash room and grab the cart and they take it outside to the trash compacter and they grab a fresh, empty trash cart to bring into the trash room.
One garbage man in particular has been complaining that the trash cart in the trash room is very stuffed and that it is overflowing. Now, it is the garbage people's job to take the cart outside to the compacter. I can do it if I want, but it is technically their job.
This garbage man has been bitching and complaining to us people who work in the cafe about how the trash cart is overstuffed. Since I handle most of the trash, he has been trying to use me to assist him. He showed me how to get to the compacter and everything since I have only been there once and didn't really remember how to get there. He guided me and I got a new trash cart and then brought it back the first time he complained.
He complained again today about the cart being overstuffed, and once again I helped him, but this time he basically had me do all the work.
I told my manager about this and he said, "Why doesn't he just have one of his partners empty it once early in the day, and once again later in the day so it won't be so stuffed?" And also when the garbage man came in to grab me, he asked me, "What time do you get off?" He asked me so he could see if I had time to help him.
I told him, "I am supposed to be off at 4:30, but I can help you a little bit." It was like 4:40, but I've been staying overtime because we are short staffed right now. One of my coworkers said, "Dang he asking you what time you get off. That is none of his business." And also as I was helping him, he was a little hostile. When one of the trash bags was on the floor he told me, "Put that crap in there!"
I get a bad vibe from this man, and he doesn't seem like a very nice person. I feel like I am being taken advantage of and a little disrespected. I don't want to get even with him because I do not want to be involved in an altercation.
When I got done assisting him today, one of my coworkers asked me, "DCT, did he guide you or help you, or did he have you do everything?" I lied and said that he did help me, because I did not want to be looked at as a fool.
My manager told me that he has been corresponding to the person who manages the trash people, and he has been telling him what's going on. He told me that it looks like that garbage man is going to be in trouble. My manager told me, "Don't worry."
I feel bad because I do not want my coworkers or anyone to think I am a pushover or that I am weak. Being more assertive and standing up for myself is something I need to work on. However, if I stood up for myself and told the trash man I am not going to help you or when he asked me what time I get off and if I would've told him, "That's none of your business", that could've lead to a dispute and I was trying to avoid that.
This man is also a lot older than me. He is about 50 and I am 22.
I hope he gets fired because I do not want this chaos to continue and I do not want to continue to see this toxic man.
What do you guys think?
Have some empathy. He s 50 and doing a hard kob. You are just starting out. Having empathy or knowing what other people want qill help you in any business or job.
I work in a hospital cafe as a Utility/Stock person. The cafe is a new facility. It's only been open for a month and a half. I've been working there now for 14 days. My job is to wash dishes, clean the dining area and outside eating area, do inventory counts, log temperatures of fridge and freezer, get new deliveries, clean the kitchen, pull the garbages, etc.
When the trash in the kitchen, dining area, and outside courtyards get full, I pull them and take them into the trash room. In the trash room, there is a big trash cart where we put all the trash bags in. Towards the end of my shift, the garbage people go in the trash room and grab the cart and they take it outside to the trash compacter and they grab a fresh, empty trash cart to bring into the trash room.
One garbage man in particular has been complaining that the trash cart in the trash room is very stuffed and that it is overflowing. Now, it is the garbage people's job to take the cart outside to the compacter. I can do it if I want, but it is technically their job.
This garbage man has been bitching and complaining to us people who work in the cafe about how the trash cart is overstuffed. Since I handle most of the trash, he has been trying to use me to assist him. He showed me how to get to the compacter and everything since I have only been there once and didn't really remember how to get there. He guided me and I got a new trash cart and then brought it back the first time he complained.
He complained again today about the cart being overstuffed, and once again I helped him, but this time he basically had me do all the work.
I told my manager about this and he said, "Why doesn't he just have one of his partners empty it once early in the day, and once again later in the day so it won't be so stuffed?" And also when the garbage man came in to grab me, he asked me, "What time do you get off?" He asked me so he could see if I had time to help him.
I told him, "I am supposed to be off at 4:30, but I can help you a little bit." It was like 4:40, but I've been staying overtime because we are short staffed right now. One of my coworkers said, "Dang he asking you what time you get off. That is none of his business." And also as I was helping him, he was a little hostile. When one of the trash bags was on the floor he told me, "Put that crap in there!"
I get a bad vibe from this man, and he doesn't seem like a very nice person. I feel like I am being taken advantage of and a little disrespected. I don't want to get even with him because I do not want to be involved in an altercation.
When I got done assisting him today, one of my coworkers asked me, "DCT, did he guide you or help you, or did he have you do everything?" I lied and said that he did help me, because I did not want to be looked at as a fool.
My manager told me that he has been corresponding to the person who manages the trash people, and he has been telling him what's going on. He told me that it looks like that garbage man is going to be in trouble. My manager told me, "Don't worry."
I feel bad because I do not want my coworkers or anyone to think I am a pushover or that I am weak. Being more assertive and standing up for myself is something I need to work on. However, if I stood up for myself and told the trash man I am not going to help you or when he asked me what time I get off and if I would've told him, "That's none of your business", that could've lead to a dispute and I was trying to avoid that.
This man is also a lot older than me. He is about 50 and I am 22.
I hope he gets fired because I do not want this chaos to continue and I do not want to continue to see this toxic man.
What do you guys think?
He's just being lazy and looking for someone to do his job. I wouldn't confront him about it. Just tell him you can't help him because the last time your manager asked why it took you so long. Other than that, yeah, just letting your manager know what's going on is what you should be doing. You don't need to do his job for him though. If your manager wants you to do his job that's one thing as now it it's become your job. If he's 50 with a bad back who everyone likes it's not unusual for everyone to do a bit to cover. Doesn't sound like that's the case though. Sounds like he's tried the same crap on everyone else as well.
For reasons of understanding the custodian's motivation, this is important.
The cafe is generating additional, heavy trash. This adds to his job, because two months ago he did not have to deal with it. Custodians are typically paid very little, so he most likely resents the fact that he has to do more work and gets little pay.
He sees the cafe as new, you are also new, so by his logic the new guy can take out the new trash. That line of thought doesn't cut it for me, as custodians are paid by the hour, not by the piece, but it may help you understand why this guy is resentful.
Custodians make more than cafeteria workers. I won't say it's not important but sh-- runs downhill and the motivation is either that he's physically disabled and can't do the job anymore but people carry him because they like him or he's lazy. Either way you don't need to do his job. If you want to and won't get in trouble for it, it would be a kind gesture if he's physically disabled. But I don't see it. Most people who really are physically disabled won't ask for help when they need it because they're stubborn. It's almost always just the lazy people who would rather dump the work on someone else.
It's very clear you don't work for Mr. Trash Man and he's not allowed to borrow your hours that is essentially stealing your labor from your manager. He needs to be written up and disciplined.
Have some empathy. He s 50 and doing a hard kob. You are just starting out. Having empathy or knowing what other people want qill help you in any business or job.
When I'm 50 years old I'm not going to try to manipulate some young kid into doing my work for me. Empathy applies for those who deserve it. He did not ask the kid for help politely with his managers permission.
It's very clear you don't work for Mr. Trash Man and he's not allowed to borrow your hours that is essentially stealing your labor from your manager. He needs to be written up and disciplined.
That is way too harsh. Writing up an employee who asks for help? No, I am afraid that would be out of line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DorianRo
don't expect management EVER to fix the problem in the private sector. Chances are it will not happen.
Once again, your hyperbolic comments have no resemblance to reality and should be ignored.
“My manager told me to tell you to have one of your partners empty it earlier in the day so it doesn’t get so full”. Nuff said.
Nope. "Manager has a solution for you." It's not OP's job to tell this guy what to do, and, how does he know OP's not making it up? If the manager wants him to do it, the manager should tell him. If someone who wasn't my supervisor tried to tell me what to do, I'd tell them if the supervisor wants me to do it, then they can tell me to do it. I'm not a fan of supervisors passing the buck on to lower-paid employees when the supervisor doesn't want to do the dirty work.
I can see why this might be seen to fall into OP's responsibility-- if trash guy is meant to take the bin once, at a certain time, it's possible he doesn't have additional time to do it more than once. So, if the bin is being stuffed so full that it's problematic, then I can see where it might be expected that if it fills up, someone takes it out rather than just continuing to stuff it to bursting. But, if OP has asked management and has been told by management that trash guy needs to take it out earlier, that's fine, but it shouldn't be pushed onto OP to relay that information if OP is not trash guy's supervisor.
That is way too harsh. Writing up an employee who asks for help? No, I am afraid that would be out of line.
Cut the theatrics this is an old hard nose veteran in the workforce trying to run game on a greenhorn and skate by and get some type of workers comp con going.
Dorothy we're not all in Kansas like you - Some of us have had the great fortune of working with sociopaths and maladjusted overgrown teenagers for most of their working careers. I have worked low end retail manual labor jobs with old coots just like OP described and my Father warned me to look out for them.
Today its hey can you do me a small favor by the time you stop giving them the benefit of the doubt you're being written up for negligence (seen it happen) while the old man plays senile and skates away Scott free.
OP always second guess everyone, learn the politics, who you align with best (there's ALWAYS factions, jealously and drama and you're never going to survive most low level jobs without joining one) and assume malevolence in 90% of circumstances.
When you're young you have no knowledge, nothing to barter with except loyalty and playing a witness for someone. Those are your only two cards. It's not much better than prison. You're not going to survive alone unless you can tattoo, you're a professional chef or have some other rare or unique skill you can use to barter.
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