Dear Queenie,
I work for a small family-owned business where one person is supposed to clean things up every day after we close for business.
Recently that person got a promotion, but they’re still supposed to do the cleaning, but they’re not doing it. The talk around the place is that they didn’t get a big enough raise with their promotion so they’re slacking off on the cleaning and no one else will do it because it’s still supposed to be their job.
When customers come in sometimes they comment about the condition the place is in but still no one does anything about it. I can’t go to the person who is supposed to do the cleaning because they are now in charge of my part of the business, which makes them my boss.
Queenie, what can I do?—Offended employee
Dear Offended employee,
The person who is supposed to do the cleaning must have a boss. Do not complain about the person who is supposed to do the cleaning, just mention to their boss that customers have commented about the condition of the premises and suggest that maybe they need to get additional help for the cleaning.
If nothing happens after that, you could ignore the situation, help with the cleaning, or start looking for another job – which might be a good idea, because if things get bad enough the business will surely suffer and you might find yourself without a job.
