On A Lighter Note - I Think

[Thinking]

There's a group that has issues with members cleaning the buildings.

 

Ordain Janitors

[ERayR]

There's a group that has issues with members cleaning the buildings.

 

Ordain Janitors

 

I didn't see anything about ordination to the prestige positions so if they are looking for media publicity they may be out of luck.

Edited June 26, 2014 by ERayR

[mtomm]

I would love to see us pay to have this work done again.  I'm not sure why they would need to be ordained.  And just FYI, the church has never employed janitors.  It employed custodians.  

Edited June 26, 2014 by mtomm

[watermelongirl]

I would love to see us pay to have this work done again.  I'm not sure why they would need to be ordained.  And just FYI, the church has never employed janitors.  It employed custodians.  

So glad someone agrees with me on hiring custodians again. I wish they hadn't stopped doing that!

[mtomm]

So glad someone agrees with me on hiring custodians again. I wish they hadn't stopped doing that!

I work for the church in facilities management.  In 1992 when I started there were 26 employees spread over 3 stakes.  We now have 5 employees over 6 stakes and 2 of us work in the office.

I have no problem with members being included in helping to keep the buildings clean, it's a good thing to teach us and esp the youth responsibility.  However, nobody wants to clean like it really needs it.  Perhaps this is a movement that I could throw all my weight behind...hmm.  It shouldn't be ordain janitors it should be hirebackthecustodians.org!  We want paid custodial staff and nothing less will suffice.  

Edited June 26, 2014 by mtomm

[Tacenda]

I work for the church in facilities management.  In 1992 when I started there were 26 employees spread over 3 stakes.  We now have 5 employees over 6 stakes and 2 of us work in the office.

I have no problem with members being included in helping to keep the buildings clean, it's a good thing to teach us and esp the youth responsibility.  However, nobody wants to clean like it really needs it.  Perhaps this is a movement that I could throw all my weight behind...hmm.  It shouldn't be ordain janitors it should be hirebackthecustodians.org!  We want paid custodial staff and nothing less will suffice.  

(bold mine)

 

Oh my, that leaves 3 to go around to all those churches?!?!  Yes, bring back the employed janitors. 

 

While cleaning the chapel in the last couple of years, I got to see the little things and sometimes big, that need to be addressed, one little thing or big, was fingernail clippings in the hymnbook holders and some other disgusting things.  I guess I felt the need to clean and vacuum each out one day.  Also, I walk with my neighbor in the church sometimes and she is disabled so we walk very slowly.  It's amazing what I see at that pace.  No glass barrier where the fire extinguisher sits on the wall.  Layer of dust on the silk plants sitting on the couch tables, stained carpets and that's just the hallway and foyer.  Bathrooms and gym floor are a whole other situation.  But you know me, always the complainer

[mtomm]

(bold mine)

 

Oh my, that leaves 3 to go around to all those churches?!?!  Yes, bring back the employed janitors. 

 

While cleaning the chapel in the last couple of years, I got to see the little things and sometimes big, that need to be addressed, one little thing or big, was fingernail clippings in the hymnbook holders and some other disgusting things.  I guess I felt the need to clean and vacuum each out one day.  Also, I walk with my neighbor in the church sometimes and she is disabled so we walk very slowly.  It's amazing what I see at that pace.  No glass barrier where the fire extinguisher sits on the wall.  Layer of dust on the silk plants sitting on the couch tables, stained carpets and that's just the hallway and foyer.  Bathrooms and gym floor are a whole other situation.  But you know me, always the complainer

 

One of the employees is a "meetinghouse worker" formerly known as a custodian.  Her responsibility is to stock the member's custodian closet with supplies for the member's to use in their cleaning duties.  She does no (or minuscule) cleaning.  The other two are meetinghouse mechanics and they do repair work in the buildings.  30 buildings.  It's crazy hard to keep up.  I've read on this board the complaints about how repair items in chapels are neglected.  There is also a variance from area to area of how well the Facilities Management program is managed.  Much like  leader roulette in the wards.  

 

(Funny story about the fingernail clippings:  Back when we had custodians going to each building several times per week we had one complain that EVERY SINGLE WEEK she had to vacuum fingernail clippings from the same spot in the same pew!  She was completely appalled and grossed out each week. Sacrament meeting = manicure time.  Let's just hope it doesn't turn into pedicure time.)

[toon]

There's a group that has issues with members cleaning the buildings.

 

Ordain Janitors

 

This goes to the point I made in some other thread.  The lack of trained and competent janitors has made using the facilities at Church impossible.  Yes, for me, impossible.  I miss valuable Church time driving home every time nature calls.

[watermelongirl]

I work for the church in facilities management.  In 1992 when I started there were 26 employees spread over 3 stakes.  We now have 5 employees over 6 stakes and 2 of us work in the office.

I have no problem with members being included in helping to keep the buildings clean, it's a good thing to teach us and esp the youth responsibility.  However, nobody wants to clean like it really needs it.  Perhaps this is a movement that I could throw all my weight behind...hmm.  It shouldn't be ordain janitors it should be hirebackthecustodians.org!  We want paid custodial staff and nothing less will suffice.

I get frustrated because when we go to clean, we don't have tools that do the job correctly. The weird cleaner stuff they have just doesn't seem like it works. It's also difficult to coordinate with others to meet up at the right time (our ward is very spread out) so often one family gets left holding the trash bags and there's too much to get done.

[ELF1024]

I guess I'm the odd one... I like that the membership is given the responsibility for the building. It gives me another opportunity to teach my kids how to serve. It also gives them another chance to see Dad humble himself and set the proper example by empting trash cans and cleaning up other people's messes without complaint.

Edited June 26, 2014 by ELF1024

[mtomm]

I get frustrated because when we go to clean, we don't have tools that do the job correctly. The weird cleaner stuff they have just doesn't seem like it works. It's also difficult to coordinate with others to meet up at the right time (our ward is very spread out) so often one family gets left holding the trash bags and there's too much to get done.

 

The weird cleaner stuff is safe.  It is so safe it doesn't work but you will not be injured by it.  

Edited June 26, 2014 by mtomm

[Garden Girl]

This topic has come up before... our ward has a very efficient system for cleaning... so it appears to me that it is your management that is off...

We have about 8 to10 "teams," each with several families/individuals...i.e., Blue team, green team, yellow team etc etc  Each week a team will be responsible for the cleaning.  The building manager draws up the team schedule so that it works out that no team has responsibility more than once every 8 to 10 weeks. A schedule is given to each team member.  A telephone call reminder is made to each team before their designated cleaning day.  Cleaning is Sat. mornings at 9:00 a.m.  We finish in about an hour... dusting, vacuuming. windows (insides), blackboards... and a quick bathroom... Once a week a professional team comes in to clean bathrooms thoroughly. 

This method has worked great for us... management, that's the key... efficiency... we have complete cleaning supplies, including rubber gloves, on a cart that can be moved along where needed.  We have 2 - 3 vacuum cleaners so more than one area can be vacuumed at a time.

 

GG

Edited June 27, 2014 by Garden Girl

[Guest]

There's a group that has issues with members cleaning the buildings.

 

Ordain Janitors

When I was a Stake Clerk, I did the payroll for all the people who cleaned the Church...they worked for the Church, got benefits, and vacation. They were employees of the Church...Don't know when it changed.

[mtomm]

When I was a Stake Clerk, I did the payroll for all the people who cleaned the Church...they worked for the Church, got benefits, and vacation. They were employees of the Church...Don't know when it changed.

1990ish, depending on where you lived.

[Tacenda]

1990ish, depending on where you lived.

I think it was a slow weaning off of having janitors. I recall maybe only cleaning windows and emptying garbages, don't remember much else, to what it is now.

[mtomm]

You are right. Custodians were phased out. I'm speaking specifically of when the stake would have no longer paid them and they were all moved to employees of the Corp.

[watermelongirl]

This topic has come up before... our ward has a very efficient system for cleaning... so it appears to me that it is your management that is off...

We have about 8 to10 "teams," each with several families/individuals...i.e., Blue team, green team, yellow team etc etc  Each week a team will be responsible for the cleaning.  The building manager draws up the team schedule so that it works out that no team has responsibility more than once every 8 to 10 weeks. A schedule is given to each team member.  A telephone call reminder is made to each team before their designated cleaning day.  Cleaning is Sat. mornings at 9:00 a.m.  We finish in about an hour... dusting, vacuuming. windows (insides), blackboards... and a quick bathroom... Once a week a professional team comes in to clean bathrooms thoroughly. 

This method has worked great for us... management, that's the key... efficiency... we have complete cleaning supplies, including rubber gloves, on a cart that can be moved along where needed.  We have 2 - 3 vacuum cleaners so more than one area can be vacuumed at a time.

 

GG

 

Organization would undoubtedly help us. I may try to find a way to pass this on. We don't have a coordinator. It's tricky because our ward in general is very understaffed. Calling a person who could pull off that kind of organization... well those people are over-called already. Such a dilemma.

 

I think it was a slow weaning off of having janitors. I recall maybe only cleaning windows and emptying garbages, don't remember much else, to what it is now.

 

We had one that was employed by Facilities Management until about five years ago. Since then, our building is noticeably less sanitary.

[JAHS]

So what kinds of things have you found while cleaning the pews of the chapel?

Old programs

Cherrios

crayons

that glitter from little girls dresses

 

The list could be quite diverse.