Hospital Cleaners - Can The Move Any Slower?

cosmo · 30/01/10 - 20:30

A relative recently spent some time in hospital and on visiting them I couldn't help but notice that the cleaners move at an extraordinarily sluggish pace. Sometimes it was difficult to tell if they were moving at all. Even the sweeping motion of the mop seemed to be in ultra-slow motion. I'm not sure I could mop at such a slow pace even if I tried very hard.

I wonder if there is another profession that requires people to move in which they move more slowly than hospital cleaners.

Stiffy78 · 30/01/10 - 20:35

That seems like a massive generalisation based on a visit to one hospital.

sadoldbird · 30/01/10 - 20:38

Bring back matron.

Stuffy old system but it worked!

cosmo · 30/01/10 - 20:39

Stiffy78 wrote: »

That seems like a massive generalisation based on a visit to one hospital.

A sweeping one?

Stiffy78 · 30/01/10 - 20:39

cosmo wrote: »

A sweeping one?

Lol, yeah

[Deleted User] · 30/01/10 - 20:40

true though. I had to supervise ex NHS employees and get rid of their slowness and ' one man one job' stupidness.

U96 · 30/01/10 - 20:42

Slow,but not as slow as council 'workmen'.They like a nice relaxed pace of doing things.I doubt if there's ever been a council employee who's ever broke into a sweat.

A321 · 30/01/10 - 20:45

They kind of rearrange the dirt rather than cleaning it away.

sensoria · 30/01/10 - 20:51

U96 wrote: »

Slow,but not as slow as council 'workmen'.They like a nice relaxed pace of doing things.I doubt if there's ever been a council employee who's ever broke into a sweat.

You have clearly never worked on a road gang then?

They say ignorance is bliss, if that is true there must be some happy happy people on this thread.

Lyricalis · 30/01/10 - 20:55

I've been in hospital lots of time and many cleaner did appear to be working within a time distortion field.

U96 · 30/01/10 - 20:57

sensoria wrote: »

You ave clearly never worked on a road gang then?

They say ingnorance is bliss, if that is true there must be some happy happy people on this thread.

I'll make an exception to them.Aren't most road gangs- contractors these days though?.

[Deleted User] · 30/01/10 - 21:21

Better a slow cleaner than a hurried haphazard one.

Lyricalis · 30/01/10 - 21:27

onefineday wrote: »

Better a slow cleaner than a hurried haphazard one.

They seem to do both at the same time, which I guess takes real talent.

cosmo · 30/01/10 - 21:27

onefineday wrote: »

Better a slow cleaner than a hurried haphazard one.

But this is well below slow. It's bordering on hibernation.

cosmo · 30/01/10 - 21:29

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Goneril · 30/01/10 - 21:46

Hospital cleaners are contracted out by private firms. They don't actually answer to the hospitals at all. They are payed appaulling wages ,and if you pay lousy wages , and treat your employees very badly [ which these private firms do] then you can hardly expect conscientious workers.

cosmo · 30/01/10 - 22:06

Goneril wrote: »

Hospital cleaners are contracted out by private firms. They don't actually answer to the hospitals at all. They are payed appaulling wages ,and if you pay lousy wages , and treat your employees very badly [ which these private firms do] then you can hardly expect conscientious workers.

Do they get a week's supply of mogadon with their meagre wage?

U96 · 30/01/10 - 22:09

Goneril wrote: »

Hospital cleaners are contracted out by private firms. They don't actually answer to the hospitals at all. They are payed appaulling wages ,and if you pay lousy wages , and treat your employees very badly [ which these private firms do] then you can hardly expect conscientious workers.

True.Like some care home staff.I emphasise the 'some'.Like in all jobs,you get good and bad people.

System · 30/01/10 - 22:29

cleaning is hard work ..you have to pace yourself and go very slow ..i think theyre vastly underpaid so why should they whizz around for peanuts ..let some top bankers or pen pushers spend a week cleaning for the pittances and see how fast they go ............

Goneril · 30/01/10 - 22:34

cosmo wrote: »

Do they get a week's supply of mogadon with their meagre wage?

I don't think they need Mogadon, a lot of them have second jobs to supplement their meagre wages...so exhaustion does the job perfectly well.

John Robinson · 30/01/10 - 22:50

You pay peanuts; you get monkeys.

stud u like · 30/01/10 - 22:55

I was taking a friend to hospital yesterday and looked in an examination room while I waited for him to get his eye drops put in. On a trolley was some semi skimmed milk, a tin of biscuits and three packets of raspberry jam doughnuts.

You would have thought the NHS could afford a fridge!

[Deleted User] · 30/01/10 - 23:03

GhyllenStillwheel wrote: »

cleaning is hard work ..you have to pace yourself and go very slow ..i think theyre vastly underpaid so why should they whizz around for peanuts ..let some top bankers or pen pushers spend a week cleaning for the pittances and see how fast they go ............

I was going to say the same thing, they're paid terribly for what is potentially a hazardous job.

If it's anything like a previous cleaning job I did, you get paid for as long as there is work to do. If it's a slow day with hardly any cleaning to do, you drag it out for as long as possible otherwise you'll be sent home early and lose a few hours' pay, which is a huge chunk to lose when you're already scraping by on minimum wage.

System · 30/01/10 - 23:05

GhyllenStillwheel wrote: »

cleaning is hard work ..you have to pace yourself and go very slow ..i think theyre vastly underpaid so why should they whizz around for peanuts ..let some top bankers or pen pushers spend a week cleaning for the pittances and see how fast they go ............

I agree with you.

jojo01 · 30/01/10 - 23:30

My dad had a couple of extended stays in hospital over the past six months. Whenever I saw the cleaners, they were only ever sitting around chatting!

It may well be a hard job, but why do any job if you're not going to take pride in your work?

If I got made redundant tomorrow, I'd take any job(s) to make sure I could keep up with my mortgage repayments and other financial commitments. And whatever the job, I'd take pride in it.

sensoria · 30/01/10 - 23:40

jojo01 wrote: »

My dad had a couple of extended stays in hospital over the past six months. Whenever I saw the cleaners, they were only ever sitting around chatting!

It may well be a hard job, but why do any job if you're not going to take pride in your work?

If I got made redundant tomorrow, I'd take any job(s) to make sure I could keep up with my mortgage repayments and other financial commitments. And whatever the job, I'd take pride in it.

That sort of sanctomonious rubbish can only come from someone who has never had to push a mop on a 12 hour shift for minimum wage.

Hey there!

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Hospital Cleaners - Can The Move Any Slower?

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