Cleaning

[sharonash]

We dont always have the same people at Nursery til 6 every night can you tell me how you work out cleaning duties so that its fair and do you keep a rota/record.

 

I used to have rotas for everything! I stopped them as i was hoping that the staff would start sorting out tasks between themselves - wrong- its not happening!What I am finding at the mo is the cleaning isnt being done properly and like all the other jobs in the Nursery one person thinks someone else is doing it or should i say everyones blaming each other.

By going back to a rota I know who isnt doing it properly

 

Does anyone have a copy of a cleaning rota I can look at

Mine seems endless - I personally feel its common sense, maybe its me.

Im sure I didnt ever need nagging so much by my manager!

 

I have a staff meeting tomorrow it would be nice to show them that Im not the only manager who has rotas and expects things done properly- OR AM I, ha ha only joking!

[hali]

sorry dont have a roata for cleaning as its not something we really have to do, do have a rota for everything else though - drives me mad - that staff cannot even decide who is going to wash up a few cups without thier name being on a list

[Inge]

Am I glad we dont have to do that... sorry but our staff just get on and do it...could be partly because all being more mature (except one who does look after younger siblings at home) and just see the things that need doing so do them.

 

we do have a designated 'cleaner' who cleans daily but gets addtional pay for this role as it is out of normal hours so willingly does it, this is even touogh we hire a hall and have to pack away daily.

 

Have you included the cleaning role in Job decriptions, perhaps a list of jobs which must be done daily before anyone finishes and can go home may work, all hands together getting it done quicker? if not back to rota, a pain but couldnt you youse the same one each week so everyone will know thier role on a particular day.

 

Inge

[Guest]

We used to have a laminated piece of A4 paper with the different jobs on the top, then we used a dry wipe pen and just filled in names in the boxes so everyone knew their job on that particular day. There weren't enough jobs to go round everyday so everyone would get a day where they were spared the cleaning ritual! It was quick, easy and no mountains of paper to add to the already huge mountains!

[Guest]

hi simialrily to clare we just have a really simply rota (cleaning and other things too) split across the four nursery rooms

 

jobs we do are:

 

cleaning toilets, AM snack, PM snack, hallway and staff room (hoovering)

 

all staff from the allocated room for the day seem able to share the jobs fairly and we have no problem....

 

getting them to tidy up the kitchen after serving lunch is certanly a whole lot harder

 

Dawn

Edited July 12, 2006 by Guest

[Guest]

We run the same as you Inge, we all just get on and do it, we do have one member of staff who never washes up I noticed, but it doesn't bother anyone, when we clean toys we all muck in together, works well - is more mature 35+? That's what we all are We are in a hall and everything has to be packed up, all part of the job.

[Smiles]

We have the problem with cleaning we have a rota - but it still is the same few people who have to do the jobs - there are those that stay until the work is done and other who goes as soon as the clock hits there time regardless. It is becoming a big problem.Maybe an idea to pay the ones who always stay on that extra time.

We have 15minutes pais ater and before the session to put equipment out and put away and clean up - guess who is always still there an hour after.

 

Smiles

[Guest]

Cleaning for us is part of their job description and is incorporated into the responsibilities they have for the room they are working in that day.

I have to say that my staff just muck in and if they see a job needs doing they get on and do it, even if it isn't their job for that particular day.

Linda

[Inge]

Cleaning toys.....The children do it!!

 

Inge

[Guest]

nice one Inge.

 

The problem with rota's iare................takes time to write them - who's in what day / when, takes time to monitor them, who did or did not do what they should have done...............depletes all persons using it of the ability to use their initiate ie: jane rota'd to do loos on Thursday is off, so the mentality is my names not on the rota, I don't do it, so it doesn't get done...................then you write another rota to cover the rota'd staff in their absence...................then the shifts change............................and on and on and on.

 

All staff are responsible and required to follow the national standards as part of their contracts, of which cleaning is a part of;

 

The manager, is responsible for ensuring the standards are met. My manager will either allocate particular people to do a particular task at the beginning of or during the session. If she finds she is having to 'tell' the staff to do everyday tasks too often, then she will pick them up on this, she will prise a good job done, and she will also make clear to 'shirker' that they need to muck in, thus showing the non shirkers that others laziness is not acceptable.

End of day tasks get done quickly because no staff are allowed to leave before others. They are employed to do the clearing up job within a certain time, if it takes longer than this they don't get paid for it. Once a particular member of staff worked very slowly at clearing up time, whilst the other 'ran her socks off'. the next day the other staff worked just as slow for 5 minutes, then said, I am going at quarter to four, if YOU are not finished YOU can lock up, she immediately worked faster.

The staff do need to 'sort' these things out themselves, when it is not done, all should be made to feel responsible, if a member of staff feels that she is doing it all, then make it clear that it is her responsibility to deal with the situation she has put herself in, and it's not yours. you meet your responsibilities by paying staff to do the job.

 

It does sometimes feel that life is too short to have to be dealing with such things but a little work on making / letting others face and meet their own responsibilities, to practice using their inititive ( practice makes better0 then in the long run you will get a team that works things out together and just gets on with it.

 

Peggy

[hali]

Sound advice Peggy.