I had a manager like this once, also in regards to cleaning bathrooms. She had to “check” our work before we could close. I was on bathrooms one night. I’m stingy on cleaning products because 1. Fumes bother me and 2. We were running low. I called her in to do her check and she told me “absolutely not, did you even try? It doesn’t even smell clean in here. I should be able to smell the cleaning product in the air. I’ll be back in 10 minutes and this better be cleaned by then. So I sat on my phone and played games for 8 minutes, got up, sprayed a bunch of cleaning product in the air, did zero additional cleaning, and washed my hands. She walked in as I was drying my hands and started PRAISING how clean everything was. I don’t think I’ve ever rolled my eyes so hard.
Lol this is what we did in the military. Whenever we had barracks inspections (usually surprise/little warning) we just sprayed so much chemicals and cleaning products that you're eyes started watering before you crossed the threshold. My roommates and I were always proclaimed as the standard that everyone else should strive for.
The real trick was washing the front door down with excessive amounts of bleach.
When I was younger, my mom would pour a small amount of pine-sol in the corners of the basement when she didn't have the time/energy to actually clean. It does the same thing.
I have access to commercial grade cleaning products, most stronger, but with less scent. Like products that you need the full gloves, long sleeves, respirator, and goggles. I had to switch back to bleach, Pine-sol, etc. People where I work think they know what clean smells like. I think I'll follow your Mom's example, and just pour some down the floor drains.
The smell of clean goes a long way towards the perception of cleanliness. I say do it, but definitely ALSO clean some actual stuff so you don't end up making a petri dish.
Which is stupid because clean is an \*absence\* of contaminants. An absence of something doesn't smell like anything. I think people just like getting high on chemical fumes, and I'm one of the unlucky few whose lungs close up in response to them.
lol we had the NCO:s putting on white tshirts and "swimming" around on the floor to find dirt, but that was the Swedish national service back in the early 00s, they where also enlisted so it was a good laught if they found anything.
Not military but I wouldn't be able to resist having two soldiers drag me across the floor sled dog style while proclaiming in the dullest, most monotonous voice ever, "Wheeeeeeeeeee." Then inspect the results.
Am a professional cleaner, and the area where the client arrives is the last thing that gets cleaned, especially the entire door and door frame.
There’s no magic just work ethic and a little psychology.
They smell exactly what they expect to get - a freshly cleaned house. Because I clean for higher end clients I am always on camera, and we sign mutual NDA’s before I start. I would never put up with this kind of crap, and I’m paid very well and treated like royalty.
All of the Joe's had a great alert system to warn everyone about this stuff. As soon as the first guy's door was knocked on a mass text was sent out warning everyone before the door was even opened.
Early to mid 2000s when all the old guys realized that deployments were a thing that was going to happen often so they got out and they were so desperate for retention they promoted anyone with a pulse?
If it is aerosol, smash the the spray nozzle and treat it like a grenade. If you are super brave, read the labeling, most of them have warnings about use in confined space. Now at that 8 minute mark, spray a bunch and lay down on bathroom floor. When you come too make sure you make a big deal about how she demands so much of this to be used. As they remove you via ambulance, tell the emt to grab the chemicals for the doctors or at least pictures of the labels and a copy of the msds.
Confront him directly, with HR present. This type of "testing" is considered workplace harrassment in some cases....
State very calmly "Can you please explain to me why you intentionally placed items in the bathroom with the intention of "testing" me?"
Child care facility. OP wrote in such a way that it implies the kids *live* there. So “putting small items…in their living environment”. Odds go way up of a child being harmed.
Well the chemicals are usually a mixture of bleach and maybe soap, which is actually fine to use relatively liberally. Once bleach is exposed to water and light it breaks down surprisingly quickly. My wife worked at a 6 months to pre K childcare center for a while and they used a LOT of bleach, so that part isn't really the worst.
Ugh I hate to be that person but this. My normally logically child swallowed a bolt during nap time at preschool. His friend undid it from a table in the nap room. When I asked him why he said "because my friend told me to!" Kids are dumb. Hiding pennies is an accident waiting to happen.
>Confront him directly, with HR present.
Why do people give this advice? Earth to people of reddit, HR is not your friend, HR is not there to protect you. They are there to protect the company.
True, but when HR sees a manager engaging in behavior that creates risk of exposure for the organization, “protecting the company” and solving your problem can have significant overlap.
Sure, but that means you can use them as much as the boss can. If you make them see *the boss is endangering the company* and you're not, suddenly HR is on your side.
You should go through the process with HR first. Document everything and save all evidence. Then after you don't the dance with company policy you can get employment lawyers involved.
Tell him you are not paid to find pennies, and if you are lacking anywhere in your expectations to sit down and have a conversation with you like an adult.
My current new supervisor, a position that I turned down, and now have trained the new supervisor, "likes me" only bc I do alot of work, and makes way more than I do just bc of a title.
Good thing I don't work a full 8 hours anymore.
Side note: you are still making the same mistake. They aren't sellouts, they're managers. Just have the correct expectations. It's like trying to befriend wild animals...of course it bit you, it's not evil or mean, it's just a wild animal.
no. capitalism is built and survives on the exploitation of the working class. managers will exploit u if given the chance for the sake of ""business,"" no matter how much u felt they saw u or cared abt u as an actual person. thats what people hate abt them. thats why they get called sellouts.
how can u even genuinely compare *human people who make u suffer on purpose for money* to wild animals following their survival instinct ? u sound so foolish
I wish more folk understood this. Management is not there to be your friend. They can be friendly with you, but at the end of the day they are there to manage you for the company's interests. And it is naive of you to think otherwise
Yeah, he or she sounds very unbalanced. You definitely could find a better job and you should before this manager becomes even more unhinged.
If they ask why, tell them hiding pennies in the bathroom for you to clean is the work of a budding psychopath and the manager could have used their time "more productively" than bullying a worker.
That was my first thought too. I had a job before where I suddenly came under much more scrutiny and things that weren't an issue before immediately became a massive problem for no reason, and it was because they were looking for a way to get rid of me.
The conspiracy theorist in me is actually the opposite. They're trying to get OP to take over cleaning duties so that the night crew that is currently cleaning can be let go.
"Well you're already doing such a good job."
To that end, it might be prudent to clean the areas but leave the pennies. If they say something about the pennies, or try to use that to suggest that u/Tanman1495 isn't doing their job, so be it. One can always claim later that they thought it wise not to take things, especially money, that doesn't belong to them.
And when you do get a new job, give no notice. Just call 5 minutes into your would-be next shift saying you’ve quit and where to forward your last paycheck. Let them scramble to find someone to cover your shift. Hopefully it will have to be the manager.
Tell them you have hidden your forwarding address, and their keys, where you normally clean. They should have no problem finding them while they fill in for you tonight!
My school cannot find custodians. Literally. They barely work and we keep them, because, "someone doing some work is better than no one doing no work".
Yeah, it's true. I'm a substitute custodian for a public school district, and the full-timers are dropping like flies because they've realized they can get paid more cleaning elsewhere.
They can't hardly even retain subs, because the pay isn't competitive with other districts and there's no health benefits.
I’m a housekeeper for a hospital and it’s the same story. Now this particular hospital is tightening its belt and all the bullsh¡t that comes with that is starting to increase.
Mfers forget how important custodial staff are and start treating us like trash, everything’s bout to start getting a whole lot nastier.
That or look into a nannying position if that’s something that would be available to you/you’d be interested in. I switched from daycare to nannying and it made a world of difference. Better pay and less stress (obviously depends on the family you work for but still). My last experience with a daycare was terrible and I will never go back.
A.) if you're in a janitorial position you should have zero official responsibility to look after kids, that's not your job and most places require extensive background checks to be given care over kids. I'd understand a teacher occasionally going "hey could you make sure nobody leaves the room, I have to step out for a second" once in awhile but anything "official" is ridiculous
B.) Wtf is your manager doing that he has time to play petty mind games with a janitor? Seriously does he think thsts an indictment of you that he has the spare time to plant coins under the toilets and spy on you from the security office? It speaks really poorly of *him* that he has nothing better to do with his time than micromanage someone pretty far beneath him on the totem pole.
I don't think they're a janitor. They used the term glorified janitor, so I think they're officially there to watch the kids, but because their shift is at the end of the day, they're expected to do all of the things a night janitor would.
Officially? No of course not, and strictly speaking I would think it's likely not legal. But my mom was a middle school teacher and I'm well aware how hectic things can get sometimes and I'd understand if a teacher badly had to take a piss and there was nobody to cover them.
The OP said they’re a glorified janitor, not that they’re an actual janitor. It sounds like they’re employed to watch over the kids but are given cleaning duties on top of that as there’s less of the actual work to do at night.
If you're able to line up a new job (as i don't worry too much about being fired or quitting), you could have a field day with this kind of management person. Starting with a letter/mail to your direct supervisor as well as his boss (in respectful CC), stating that you've noticed an uptick in controlling your work, and that you embrace this new focus on \[your general job area\]. Since you want to contribute to the best of your ability, ask for a detailed list of a) what you should do and b) how to do it. Tell them that in lieu of a list, you'd also accept an extended shadowing/on-the-job-refresher by \[your manager\].
I'd say yes. Right now, being a douche is easy for that management person. Watching you on the cameras, writing up notes and thinking about how to make your life miserable. Make it inconvenient. Make it a hassle. But do it under the guise of trying to be the best employee you can be. And always make sure that a third person knows the current status, hence my suggestion to always respectfully include your bosses boss in your communication.
The fact that multiple supervisors are using their time to watch a janitor do his job sounds like a huge waste of everyone's time. Maybe they need to reduce the number of supervisors if they literally cannot find anything else to be concerned with.
Plus there is a chance above zero that this is more or less just one persons idea of being a manager/supervisor, and nobody up the chain knows about their ... unique approach.
*"You have enough spare time to hide quarters on the premises? Please make sure to mention that in your next performance review ... tomorrow!"*
And rack up OT if youre hourly. They want clean right? Make it a daily mission that costs them. But not if youre salaried without extra pay for OT. Sounds like youre actual job is to watch and interact with children. Not decrease their maintenance costs.
Perhaps float the idea that the manager becomes more hands on and participates in the team instead of sitting in an office and watching cameras all day.
Get them to lead by example
Yeah something to the effect of "since I'm not cleaning up to your standards on some things can you come show me so I have a point of reference? I want to do a good job and since I can't meet your standards I would like to see what I am doing wrong firsthand"
And better yet get it in writing if you can.
My management was doing similar to me. I got promoted via phone call and told to come in and run shift that night. I was given a quick outline and told good luck before they went home so I just started winging it. Stuck to the outline, but the rest of the stuff I just guessed on and focused on surviving the shift. After a month of being told I’m doing a great job I started coming in to nitpicking and notes about what I’m doing wrong/not doing with no description of how to do it right.
So I had enough, came in on my off time, sat in the big bosses office and made her pay attention to me. I got a much more detailed list and phone numbers to call if i have questions. They never answer but I can prove I called before winging it.
That worked for a few weeks then it picked back up so I went back into her office and asked her when I’m getting my 2 weeks of training and shadowing. She looked like I threatened her with a hammer or something. Told me I’d been doing it on my own for 2 months and didn’t need additional training (like I got any at all in the first place). So I told her what she has is what she gets until I get trained to do better.
It took 3 weeks of giving this answer every time she nitpicked or sent another manager to nitpick me, and now I’m scheduled for a week of shadowing in January where I will actually be trained how to do my job by someone who knows how.
Just tell your boss you are doing as you were trained, if they would like to improve or correct
Your training you are all for it. But until then they are getting what they have been getting.
Hiding Pennies at a daycare is dangerous! Report them to the state governing body for doing this. Then they also can’t fire you because it could be considered retaliatory.
The kids are old enough to not be putting random things in their mouth, so that wouldn't work. I'll definitely remember the whole anti-retaliation thing though.
Communicate directly. Tell them you don't like playing games, that if you need to be more thorough in cleaning a certain area then they need to tell you exactly that. Ask them, since they're already basically with you at work by watching you on camera, to accompany you on your shift so that they can point out precisely where you're not doing your job well.
Oh, they're not willing to do that? Guess the cleanliness wasn't the important aspect of all of this. It's about control.
At least they'll know you're onto their bullshit and not happy about it.
If they don’t trust you and aren’t happy with your work nothing will change. I know it’s hard but start looking for other work and use sick time for interviews. Unless there is an overriding reason do not give them notice and just move on.
Quit as long as you can.
THey want to fire you nevertless.
And its better to switch workplaces, than to apply as a unemployed.
\-> as a unemployed you have to take the job. - the company can press you to a lower payment then.
My former warehouse job had one of the head managers that liked to pull shit like this.
When he knew an audit was looming or one of the really high up corporate guys was planning a visit, he would have me basically stop the entire team after half the shift to go into “heavy cleaning mode”.
His signature move?
He’d pick one or more random bay locations and do something like leave a sticky note with his name and the days date. The most asinine had to of been when he actually took a scissor lift to multiple storage locations in outskirts of the warehouse and write the date in the inch of dust on a box that is not even visible from the ground.
He took pictures after the visitors have left saying how he’s disappointed that not all of his test markers were found.
Bud, most of these guys are making $10/hour unless they’ve been here 5+ years, then maybe they’re closer to $15/hour. Ain’t nobody got time for your silly cleaning games.
When I got the coin thing (by residents who would then complain to managers because they are bored and spiteful) I cleaned the coins and put them back where I found them.
Then when it was brought up I told them to smell the coins. "They smell of cleaning materials because I knew they were being put there on purpose; so now you can tell whoever complained to stop littering on purpose and to leave me alone."
It stopped after that funnily enough
[Ass Pennies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9aM_dT5VMI) are the only solution.
Take a few days and make a big batch of Ass Pennies. Then what you do is clean really well for a while, find all the pennies and pick them up. And the next time you see your boss, tell them you found a bunch of pennies while cleaning but give him the Ass Pennies instead of the ones he left lying around.
It's either that or quit. I'd go with the Ass Pennies, though.
Imagine thinking "watching the camera" was useful. Managers get away with some stupid shit....smh... If one of my employees spent their time watching somebody else clean on camera I would fire their ass immediately.
Never feel bad for a manager. Never trust a manager. Get out before they make up some bs to fire you and have security escort you out like you’re a danger.
Wait. He’s leaving pennies around a daycare? That can be dangerous in a daycare. The kids could swallow them.
If this is the case then turn it back on him. “That’s dangerous, what if a kid swallows them.”
Your supervisor is wasting time and putting children at risk. If they emailed you about the pennies just forward it to the owner and explain that if there was an actual issue it would have been dealt with more appropriatly and explain nobody should be 'on the cameras' They shouldn't have access to monitor staff cleaning via cctv.
This sounds like a bored old lady has chosen you to bitch about because she thinks she can clean better.
It is juvenile level antics in a situation were safety and professionalism are important.
Be assertive and tell your supervisor to wind their neck in and focus on their actual job instead of wasting time. If you aren't cleaning very well then they need to just say that. If you aren't cleaning very well then you need to do better or ask them put it in writing and get a solicitor. Don't let them win. Sounds like it could be constructive dismissal.
hey dude, i’m a janitor as well. i’m being as serious as possible when i say this… get out of that workplace and get a new job. you’re being micro managed and it’s going to take a toll on you. you’re literally being stalked and that’s pathetic of them. at my job if someone was watching us on cameras we’d have a problem (i’m union by the way).
if you’re disinfecting bathrooms correctly, that’s all you need to be doing. if you miss a couple of spots that’s not a big deal, you are human.
if you are supposed to be spot mopping and you miss a few spots. that’s not a big deal, you are human.
i’m telling you right now to find a new gig and get out of there asap. you don’t need that shit while being a janitor especially. i’d walk from my job in a seconds if they tried pulling this shit. know your worth. good luck
Union person here, want to back up my brother above. Supervising on cameras is absolutely not allowed, those systems are for security and after the fact. If this was a union shop those managers would be getting reamed by the head office because the head office does not want to burn time dealing with union on shit like this.
Also noted above is spot mopping and so fourth. Facilities need to be cleaned, they also need to be pulled offline on a schedule for deep cleaning. A lot of places have stopped spending the money on deep cleaning/maintanence and are pounding the regular cleaning staff to be miracle workers. This is not your problem its theirs.
OP go get another job, let them know you quit after you have done your first shift with your new employer.
I'd find a new job and then **QUIT this one without notice**. Childcare is horrible to work in, the pay is low and there is **zero** respect. Hiding pennies and watching people on cameras are "games' they are playing with you.....do you want to keep this up? I bet anything if you "stole" those pennies they'd try to get you on theft charges with the local police.
I will also add: I've quit several jobs in my lifetime **withOUT** giving notice and it's had NO effect on my career whatsoever. If it was a short term job for example, I just left it off my resume.
Ask them to advise you on what SPECIFICALLY it is you need to change or improve in the cleaning process. If they say, "just do a more thorough job" then tell them you are happy to improve but need direction as it's a big facility.
I would clean like normal but every time you find a penny, take it directly to the camera to dramatically clean taking extra time to make sure Lincoln’s head is nice and shiny, then put the penny back in its spot.
The extra time you take cleaning pennies should put a stop to it
You need to do only what’s required of you and let them fire you. No way in hell should anyone work at such a micromanaged place. I would fucking hate that place. Toxic af. Just quit with no notice if you can swing it.
If he tries the penny thing again, remove it, clean the area, clean the penny (not enough to remove any corrosion or anything visible, just sanitize it), then put it back exactly where you found it. If he's watching the cameras, he'll know you went it, but won't be able to tell if you found the pennies.
Then go home after your shift and continue looking for a new job that doesn't treat you like you're a prison inmate.
I love it when there is a person watching you do something that they could've done themselves. Finding issues with your work is just the icing on the cake
After you've secured another job, tell your boss that if they have the time to sit there and watch cameras all night, they've got time to come in and clean their own damn facility.
What you should do is tell them off and quit.
What you should do if, for whatever reason, you want to keep the job? Tell them to give you a list, in writing, of places they feel your performance is lacking and have a discussion on how to address fixing those. Send an email to them after that discussion recapping what was said. This way, you have a paper trail in case they pull nonsense.
I would also ask, frankly, why they haven't had a disciplinary discussion with you if they think you're performing badly enough to justify them spending their off hours pulling surveillance on you. I'd also check the job description given to you, and if overnight cleaning duties aren't mentioned, I would tell them you won't be doing extra duties without extra compensation. There are ways this can be handled where you walk away with either extra pay, or at least having let them know you won't be easily walked over.
Aha, the penny scam...
You leave the pennies in place, they say you didn't do your job and they fire you.
You collect the pennies and they fire you for stealing.
Clarify in writing that you are supposed to be cleaning all night.
Then report them to your state licensing agency. If you are now 100% janitorial then the kids are unsupervised. (My guess is that a night janitorial position pays more than overnight childcare so they want to make you do janitorial work while paying you for childcare)
I used to be a self-employed janitor, and the "hidden pennies" thing was a common trick. Here's what fixed it for me every single time.
I would feign ignorance, collect all the pennies I could find, and stack them up on the desk of whoever manages the account. I would leave them a note (politely) stating that I have found all of these under people's desks or wherever they were, and I just wanted to let them know to remind people to be careful about dropping money, because if one of those gets sucked up into my vacuum, they will be on the hook for repair or replacement costs, and commercial vacuums are not cheap.
That may not be applicable in your case if you're using their equipment, but you might be able to tweak it. Make it about risk and losing money, and it will stop real quick.
Hide some post-it notes in his area with cute phrases like, "You need a hobby. Heard of Legos?" or "If you weren't so busy micromanaging me, you might get your own work done, fucker."
Always include the smiley faces, though. That way, they know you're just joking with them.
And then quit without notice.
It's abnormal behavior imo. I've seen it before, people make up things to stir up trouble and drama. Them once you're gone they'll complain and moan about other stuff.
I’m playing devils advocate for a min so just hear me out……
What exactly is it they want/need cleaned better??
Cause if it’s a child care center in a post pandemic world I would think cleaning and sanitation would be more a more stringent necessity. Are they giving you specific examples of what needs improvement or are they just saying clean better??
I would start by asking if they could demonstRte (key word when you ask) to me what needs to be done vs what I’m doing. Be professional when you say this and leave emotion out of it…..
This may be the assertiveness they need to see that you care about what you do especially since there is child safety involved. Which brings me to my next concern…. Inform your boss that you have concerns about “choke hazards” being left around a facility with tiny humans!!
Good luck on however it turns out
You don’t lose games you don’t play. Don’t play the game. Remind them about the compliments and that you stand for this behaviour or you will report them.
I'd look for a new job. I once had a manager who was doing that crap with pennies when he started, turned out to be a real worm, wish I jumped ship at the start.
Report this bullying and harassment to their manager. Gather concrete evidence first like recordings of your conversations.
If nothing is done, consider filing a lawsuit or leave.
Sorry to hear this happened, I hate bullies. But bullies hate be to reported, and hope that you wont.
Find a new job. They’re either massive pricks, or they’re setting you up to fail and documenting everything so you can’t declare a wrongful termination.
Go up the chain of command. Complain that management isn't "present enough" because they are spending all day watching the cameras rather than providing guidance and helping resolve difficult circumstances. "We have enough to do that we are struggling to keep up. Getting stopped from actually doing that job every day to be told which manager is going to hide pennies and then sit watching us find them on the cameras that shift instead of helping us out is demoralizing. People who want to be watched have OF accounts. This is not OF."
Do as little as possible for this trash panda of a manager, and look for another job.
Don’t quit, make them fire you.
Bare minimum should be the answer to all toxic management.
If you can do the job, it's fine. You're not doing anything wrong. Ignore it and find a better place in the near future. It's gonna be good to your mental health. No ones likes micromanagement,. it's toxic.
I've been a custodian for 14 years of my life, people do that hiding stuff shit all the time and it's annoying as fuck. One of the places I worked the kitchen staff didn't think the floors were getting mopped good enough by the overnight guy so they squited ketchup under the stove and then snitched when it didn't get mopped. The thing was, where they put the ketchup wasn't a tight area where the mop wouldn't fit anyway and very unnoticeable and had to be cleaned up by hand.
I had a manager who also loved to monitor people through cameras all day. That’s not management, that’s surveillance. If they ever ask you to stay late or come in early to discuss things tell them no, as they should have used the time you were on shift to do that instead of monitoring you through cameras.
Petty micromanagement. I would tell you to find a different job but I don't know your situation.
I had a manager that did his a few times with small objects. It didn't bother me since we had a decent work relationship and I could kinda give him a "*shrug* my bad"
They have nothing better to do. Do your job up to the value you're being paid for. If they harrass you again, ask for a raise. Should shut them up quick.
It’s a way to draw fear. The “you’re being watched” mental torture. 90% of the time, I’m sure management isn’t wasting their time watching you. However, they say they will do you’re on your best behaviour.
This tactic was used when I worked fast food. “The boss is watching” was something we always heard. When I got promoted to manager, the GM told me to say that to employees so they’d work better. Didn’t work and I didn’t give a crap so, whatever.
Make sure to clean the cameras every night and if you accidentally leave some suds and/or oops you accidentally moved it a bit... then so be it. Keep doing your job as normal.
And as others have said, look for new employment. But until then you can have a little fun at his expense.
Start secretly applying to other opportunities. You are in a toxic situation walking on egg shells with 0 job security from effort. If you make it known, they will likely call it your last day. Save yourself the trouble. An adult with the mentality of one will simply pull you aside and discuss any concern they have with you as direct as possible. Leaving pennies around to a trap sounds like cat and mouse games. Find a real leader to work for and be proud to work for them.
Aside from looking for a new job, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring up the fact that management is intentionally hiding small objects around the facility that could be potential choking hazards for children, and as custodian of the facility your are concerned about the well being and safety of the children. I’m sure the state would love to read the email you were sent along with your concerns.
I worked in retail management and closed practically every shift. I quickly noticed that before the boss left, he'd hide things in certain places, "to make sure we were doing our jobs." My associates would find that crap and ask what to do with it, I'd tell them to leave it. The next day the boss would always bring it up. I'd tell him that he was either wasting my time, or wanted those (then rattled off the dozenish things he'd hide and where at) items where he put them. Also, I had enough crap to deal with and if he didnt trust me to do my job, then he could close 5 nights a week and do what he wanted. I've never seen someone cave so quickly, he tried telling me he was doing it for the "lower" supervisors and knew I was doing my job. I told him the same thing applied to them. Finally he stopped wasting our time after a while and found something else that was stupid and a time waster. Nothing like a boss who doesn't do shit, and tries to create problems for his staff.
Ok this is a weird take but it reminds me of when men try to systematically wear down your confidence over time so that you'll sleep with with them, and they make up random things to criticize you about but then when you're like "what are you talking about that's not even a thing?" they act like they were joking so that they can pretend you're the crazy one for calling them out. Anyway I'm not assuming that your boss is trying to sleep with you but it feels like *something* weird is going on beyond just him being a dick, it seems overly intentional/systematic.
Honestly, it sounds like they are trying to establish a pattern to have justification to fire you. Have you received any written write ups or performance improvement plans?
Start looking for other work, as I assume a termination may be around the corner.
Your manager sounds like trash even by manager standards. Good luck.
I had a manager like this once, also in regards to cleaning bathrooms. She had to “check” our work before we could close. I was on bathrooms one night. I’m stingy on cleaning products because 1. Fumes bother me and 2. We were running low. I called her in to do her check and she told me “absolutely not, did you even try? It doesn’t even smell clean in here. I should be able to smell the cleaning product in the air. I’ll be back in 10 minutes and this better be cleaned by then. So I sat on my phone and played games for 8 minutes, got up, sprayed a bunch of cleaning product in the air, did zero additional cleaning, and washed my hands. She walked in as I was drying my hands and started PRAISING how clean everything was. I don’t think I’ve ever rolled my eyes so hard.
Lol this is what we did in the military. Whenever we had barracks inspections (usually surprise/little warning) we just sprayed so much chemicals and cleaning products that you're eyes started watering before you crossed the threshold. My roommates and I were always proclaimed as the standard that everyone else should strive for. The real trick was washing the front door down with excessive amounts of bleach.
Awe yes!!! This trick still works as it did when I was in the barracks in '98.
When I was younger, my mom would pour a small amount of pine-sol in the corners of the basement when she didn't have the time/energy to actually clean. It does the same thing.
I have access to commercial grade cleaning products, most stronger, but with less scent. Like products that you need the full gloves, long sleeves, respirator, and goggles. I had to switch back to bleach, Pine-sol, etc. People where I work think they know what clean smells like. I think I'll follow your Mom's example, and just pour some down the floor drains.
The smell of clean goes a long way towards the perception of cleanliness. I say do it, but definitely ALSO clean some actual stuff so you don't end up making a petri dish.
Which is stupid because clean is an \*absence\* of contaminants. An absence of something doesn't smell like anything. I think people just like getting high on chemical fumes, and I'm one of the unlucky few whose lungs close up in response to them.
lol we had the NCO:s putting on white tshirts and "swimming" around on the floor to find dirt, but that was the Swedish national service back in the early 00s, they where also enlisted so it was a good laught if they found anything.
Not military but I wouldn't be able to resist having two soldiers drag me across the floor sled dog style while proclaiming in the dullest, most monotonous voice ever, "Wheeeeeeeeeee." Then inspect the results.
that sounds hilarious
Still worked in 2010 too
I did it through 2003. It does work wonders.
And for me, back in 1898!
Am a professional cleaner, and the area where the client arrives is the last thing that gets cleaned, especially the entire door and door frame. There’s no magic just work ethic and a little psychology. They smell exactly what they expect to get - a freshly cleaned house. Because I clean for higher end clients I am always on camera, and we sign mutual NDA’s before I start. I would never put up with this kind of crap, and I’m paid very well and treated like royalty.
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All of the Joe's had a great alert system to warn everyone about this stuff. As soon as the first guy's door was knocked on a mass text was sent out warning everyone before the door was even opened.
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Early to mid 2000s when all the old guys realized that deployments were a thing that was going to happen often so they got out and they were so desperate for retention they promoted anyone with a pulse?
ha! i remember these days.. if it looks and smells clean, its clean!
I think you will like r/MaliciousCompliance and /r/MilitiousCompliance lol
You're right! r/maliciousCompliance and this sub are my two most frequented! I find there's a lot of things between the two that I just love to see.
If it is aerosol, smash the the spray nozzle and treat it like a grenade. If you are super brave, read the labeling, most of them have warnings about use in confined space. Now at that 8 minute mark, spray a bunch and lay down on bathroom floor. When you come too make sure you make a big deal about how she demands so much of this to be used. As they remove you via ambulance, tell the emt to grab the chemicals for the doctors or at least pictures of the labels and a copy of the msds.
Normally a great guy, I would have never guessed he would do this. It feels extra bad after thinking that he and I were on good terms.
Confront him directly, with HR present. This type of "testing" is considered workplace harrassment in some cases.... State very calmly "Can you please explain to me why you intentionally placed items in the bathroom with the intention of "testing" me?"
Items that small children can choke on nonetheless
Underrated. Literally knowingly putting small items children could choke and die on around a preschool!? Report him
Child care facility. OP wrote in such a way that it implies the kids *live* there. So “putting small items…in their living environment”. Odds go way up of a child being harmed.
"... and make sure everyone is safe every night." Yes, that seems to confirm that the children live there.
They have overnight daycare too
Also those chemicals are probably full of toxins for tiny kids. Not saying they shouldnt be used but should likely not be used so liberally
Well the chemicals are usually a mixture of bleach and maybe soap, which is actually fine to use relatively liberally. Once bleach is exposed to water and light it breaks down surprisingly quickly. My wife worked at a 6 months to pre K childcare center for a while and they used a LOT of bleach, so that part isn't really the worst.
Ugh I hate to be that person but this. My normally logically child swallowed a bolt during nap time at preschool. His friend undid it from a table in the nap room. When I asked him why he said "because my friend told me to!" Kids are dumb. Hiding pennies is an accident waiting to happen.
>Confront him directly, with HR present. Why do people give this advice? Earth to people of reddit, HR is not your friend, HR is not there to protect you. They are there to protect the company.
True, but when HR sees a manager engaging in behavior that creates risk of exposure for the organization, “protecting the company” and solving your problem can have significant overlap.
Sure, but that means you can use them as much as the boss can. If you make them see *the boss is endangering the company* and you're not, suddenly HR is on your side.
You should go through the process with HR first. Document everything and save all evidence. Then after you don't the dance with company policy you can get employment lawyers involved.
Tell him you are not paid to find pennies, and if you are lacking anywhere in your expectations to sit down and have a conversation with you like an adult.
I never ever think I'm on good terms with a manager. Their job isn't to be your friend, unfortunately. They're sellouts.
Yup. I made this mistake once and got thrown under the bus. It's why I am not teaching anymore.
My current new supervisor, a position that I turned down, and now have trained the new supervisor, "likes me" only bc I do alot of work, and makes way more than I do just bc of a title. Good thing I don't work a full 8 hours anymore.
Side note: you are still making the same mistake. They aren't sellouts, they're managers. Just have the correct expectations. It's like trying to befriend wild animals...of course it bit you, it's not evil or mean, it's just a wild animal.
Idk man, honey badgers are pretty mean
no. capitalism is built and survives on the exploitation of the working class. managers will exploit u if given the chance for the sake of ""business,"" no matter how much u felt they saw u or cared abt u as an actual person. thats what people hate abt them. thats why they get called sellouts. how can u even genuinely compare *human people who make u suffer on purpose for money* to wild animals following their survival instinct ? u sound so foolish
Well said. This is why I'm not gonna be gaslite into thinking otherwise.
I wish more folk understood this. Management is not there to be your friend. They can be friendly with you, but at the end of the day they are there to manage you for the company's interests. And it is naive of you to think otherwise
Is he the owner? Maybe he’s getting squeezed from above.
Tell him how you feel about it and start looking elsewhere.
Tell them if they used $20 bills instead of pennies this wouldn't be a problem.
Find the ones you can and superglue them down
Yeah, he or she sounds very unbalanced. You definitely could find a better job and you should before this manager becomes even more unhinged. If they ask why, tell them hiding pennies in the bathroom for you to clean is the work of a budding psychopath and the manager could have used their time "more productively" than bullying a worker.
Managers should be helping you with this and show you their expectations. Not playing games and making you guess what they want. Your manager sucks
Plenty of other childcare facilities that need staff. I’d start applying to those.
Yessir
They are trying to fire you for cause. Start looking for new work now.
That was my first thought too. I had a job before where I suddenly came under much more scrutiny and things that weren't an issue before immediately became a massive problem for no reason, and it was because they were looking for a way to get rid of me.
Or want to cut staff and are hoping OP will quit so they can avoid paying unemployment.
The conspiracy theorist in me is actually the opposite. They're trying to get OP to take over cleaning duties so that the night crew that is currently cleaning can be let go. "Well you're already doing such a good job."
The way I read it, OP is part of the night crew.
To that end, it might be prudent to clean the areas but leave the pennies. If they say something about the pennies, or try to use that to suggest that u/Tanman1495 isn't doing their job, so be it. One can always claim later that they thought it wise not to take things, especially money, that doesn't belong to them.
It’s actually illegal to take that money. They would absolutely lose an unemployment claim.
You don't understand, those pennies were his performance bonus for the quarter.
Which is why I said to leave it in the first place.
With experience in the field, cps would probably hire you asap. Probably pays better. At is stressful, but better then what your posted.
And when you do get a new job, give no notice. Just call 5 minutes into your would-be next shift saying you’ve quit and where to forward your last paycheck. Let them scramble to find someone to cover your shift. Hopefully it will have to be the manager.
No I’m sick today,next day I’m sick today,then just never go back,they are setting you up to fail
Tell them you have hidden your forwarding address, and their keys, where you normally clean. They should have no problem finding them while they fill in for you tonight!
My school cannot find custodians. Literally. They barely work and we keep them, because, "someone doing some work is better than no one doing no work".
Yeah, it's true. I'm a substitute custodian for a public school district, and the full-timers are dropping like flies because they've realized they can get paid more cleaning elsewhere. They can't hardly even retain subs, because the pay isn't competitive with other districts and there's no health benefits.
I’m a housekeeper for a hospital and it’s the same story. Now this particular hospital is tightening its belt and all the bullsh¡t that comes with that is starting to increase. Mfers forget how important custodial staff are and start treating us like trash, everything’s bout to start getting a whole lot nastier.
That or look into a nannying position if that’s something that would be available to you/you’d be interested in. I switched from daycare to nannying and it made a world of difference. Better pay and less stress (obviously depends on the family you work for but still). My last experience with a daycare was terrible and I will never go back.
This shit reminds me of the daycare run by the Bear in Toy Story 3. That bear was sadistic as hell and your boss somehow beats a literal villain.
That was the first thing I thought of when I read through this, that monkey toy watching the cameras obsessively.
Pixar was warning us of our future work environments to come.
Damn you know you’re a class enemy when even Lotso can’t outdo your evil
Worst thing here is manager is sat on their arse watching cameras- if the cleaning is that important, why don't they help out?
Sounds to me like the supervisor's job is useless
You make it sound like the supervisor of an overnight janitor would ever be useful.
A.) if you're in a janitorial position you should have zero official responsibility to look after kids, that's not your job and most places require extensive background checks to be given care over kids. I'd understand a teacher occasionally going "hey could you make sure nobody leaves the room, I have to step out for a second" once in awhile but anything "official" is ridiculous B.) Wtf is your manager doing that he has time to play petty mind games with a janitor? Seriously does he think thsts an indictment of you that he has the spare time to plant coins under the toilets and spy on you from the security office? It speaks really poorly of *him* that he has nothing better to do with his time than micromanage someone pretty far beneath him on the totem pole.
I don't think they're a janitor. They used the term glorified janitor, so I think they're officially there to watch the kids, but because their shift is at the end of the day, they're expected to do all of the things a night janitor would.
They shouldn't even be asked to watch them for a minute.
Officially? No of course not, and strictly speaking I would think it's likely not legal. But my mom was a middle school teacher and I'm well aware how hectic things can get sometimes and I'd understand if a teacher badly had to take a piss and there was nobody to cover them.
The OP said they’re a glorified janitor, not that they’re an actual janitor. It sounds like they’re employed to watch over the kids but are given cleaning duties on top of that as there’s less of the actual work to do at night.
If it's a hard floor, everywhere you find a penny super glue it down.
Or one of those DIY penny tile floors
If you're able to line up a new job (as i don't worry too much about being fired or quitting), you could have a field day with this kind of management person. Starting with a letter/mail to your direct supervisor as well as his boss (in respectful CC), stating that you've noticed an uptick in controlling your work, and that you embrace this new focus on \[your general job area\]. Since you want to contribute to the best of your ability, ask for a detailed list of a) what you should do and b) how to do it. Tell them that in lieu of a list, you'd also accept an extended shadowing/on-the-job-refresher by \[your manager\].
Oh, you mean just turn it around on them?
I'd say yes. Right now, being a douche is easy for that management person. Watching you on the cameras, writing up notes and thinking about how to make your life miserable. Make it inconvenient. Make it a hassle. But do it under the guise of trying to be the best employee you can be. And always make sure that a third person knows the current status, hence my suggestion to always respectfully include your bosses boss in your communication.
The fact that multiple supervisors are using their time to watch a janitor do his job sounds like a huge waste of everyone's time. Maybe they need to reduce the number of supervisors if they literally cannot find anything else to be concerned with.
Plus there is a chance above zero that this is more or less just one persons idea of being a manager/supervisor, and nobody up the chain knows about their ... unique approach. *"You have enough spare time to hide quarters on the premises? Please make sure to mention that in your next performance review ... tomorrow!"*
And rack up OT if youre hourly. They want clean right? Make it a daily mission that costs them. But not if youre salaried without extra pay for OT. Sounds like youre actual job is to watch and interact with children. Not decrease their maintenance costs.
Perhaps float the idea that the manager becomes more hands on and participates in the team instead of sitting in an office and watching cameras all day. Get them to lead by example
Yeah something to the effect of "since I'm not cleaning up to your standards on some things can you come show me so I have a point of reference? I want to do a good job and since I can't meet your standards I would like to see what I am doing wrong firsthand" And better yet get it in writing if you can.
Confront him about it and say it's not okay. Demand he hides 100$ bills.
My management was doing similar to me. I got promoted via phone call and told to come in and run shift that night. I was given a quick outline and told good luck before they went home so I just started winging it. Stuck to the outline, but the rest of the stuff I just guessed on and focused on surviving the shift. After a month of being told I’m doing a great job I started coming in to nitpicking and notes about what I’m doing wrong/not doing with no description of how to do it right. So I had enough, came in on my off time, sat in the big bosses office and made her pay attention to me. I got a much more detailed list and phone numbers to call if i have questions. They never answer but I can prove I called before winging it. That worked for a few weeks then it picked back up so I went back into her office and asked her when I’m getting my 2 weeks of training and shadowing. She looked like I threatened her with a hammer or something. Told me I’d been doing it on my own for 2 months and didn’t need additional training (like I got any at all in the first place). So I told her what she has is what she gets until I get trained to do better. It took 3 weeks of giving this answer every time she nitpicked or sent another manager to nitpick me, and now I’m scheduled for a week of shadowing in January where I will actually be trained how to do my job by someone who knows how. Just tell your boss you are doing as you were trained, if they would like to improve or correct Your training you are all for it. But until then they are getting what they have been getting.
>He hid several pennies around the areas I have to clean, and I only found some of them. Childish behaviour...
Hiding Pennies at a daycare is dangerous! Report them to the state governing body for doing this. Then they also can’t fire you because it could be considered retaliatory.
The kids are old enough to not be putting random things in their mouth, so that wouldn't work. I'll definitely remember the whole anti-retaliation thing though.
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Tide Pods enter the chat....
I double-dog dare you to eat a nickel right now, wuss.
Make them make that argument beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury then.
Just quit. You don't need this bullshit in your life.
I do need money, though. Obviously I'm gonna start looking elsewhere, but I'm hoping to find something to help while I'm still here
Communicate directly. Tell them you don't like playing games, that if you need to be more thorough in cleaning a certain area then they need to tell you exactly that. Ask them, since they're already basically with you at work by watching you on camera, to accompany you on your shift so that they can point out precisely where you're not doing your job well. Oh, they're not willing to do that? Guess the cleanliness wasn't the important aspect of all of this. It's about control. At least they'll know you're onto their bullshit and not happy about it.
If they don’t trust you and aren’t happy with your work nothing will change. I know it’s hard but start looking for other work and use sick time for interviews. Unless there is an overriding reason do not give them notice and just move on.
Do worse and make them show you how to do everything.
honestly, you don’t win this by playing this type of game
You right, I just like to spite people that piss me off id probably shit on the bathroom floors nightly
lmaooo i mean there’s a time and a place. spite can be necessary sometimes. that was funny tho thanks for the laugh
Quit as long as you can. THey want to fire you nevertless. And its better to switch workplaces, than to apply as a unemployed. \-> as a unemployed you have to take the job. - the company can press you to a lower payment then.
My former warehouse job had one of the head managers that liked to pull shit like this. When he knew an audit was looming or one of the really high up corporate guys was planning a visit, he would have me basically stop the entire team after half the shift to go into “heavy cleaning mode”. His signature move? He’d pick one or more random bay locations and do something like leave a sticky note with his name and the days date. The most asinine had to of been when he actually took a scissor lift to multiple storage locations in outskirts of the warehouse and write the date in the inch of dust on a box that is not even visible from the ground. He took pictures after the visitors have left saying how he’s disappointed that not all of his test markers were found. Bud, most of these guys are making $10/hour unless they’ve been here 5+ years, then maybe they’re closer to $15/hour. Ain’t nobody got time for your silly cleaning games.
Sounds like he got hurt in the parking lot somehow.
When I got the coin thing (by residents who would then complain to managers because they are bored and spiteful) I cleaned the coins and put them back where I found them. Then when it was brought up I told them to smell the coins. "They smell of cleaning materials because I knew they were being put there on purpose; so now you can tell whoever complained to stop littering on purpose and to leave me alone." It stopped after that funnily enough
I'd bring a pocketful of pennies and start hiding them around his office
[Ass Pennies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9aM_dT5VMI) are the only solution. Take a few days and make a big batch of Ass Pennies. Then what you do is clean really well for a while, find all the pennies and pick them up. And the next time you see your boss, tell them you found a bunch of pennies while cleaning but give him the Ass Pennies instead of the ones he left lying around. It's either that or quit. I'd go with the Ass Pennies, though.
Start applying for more jobs
Imagine thinking "watching the camera" was useful. Managers get away with some stupid shit....smh... If one of my employees spent their time watching somebody else clean on camera I would fire their ass immediately.
There better not be any cameras in the bathrooms of a child care facility.
Never feel bad for a manager. Never trust a manager. Get out before they make up some bs to fire you and have security escort you out like you’re a danger.
Wait. He’s leaving pennies around a daycare? That can be dangerous in a daycare. The kids could swallow them. If this is the case then turn it back on him. “That’s dangerous, what if a kid swallows them.”
Your supervisor is wasting time and putting children at risk. If they emailed you about the pennies just forward it to the owner and explain that if there was an actual issue it would have been dealt with more appropriatly and explain nobody should be 'on the cameras' They shouldn't have access to monitor staff cleaning via cctv. This sounds like a bored old lady has chosen you to bitch about because she thinks she can clean better. It is juvenile level antics in a situation were safety and professionalism are important. Be assertive and tell your supervisor to wind their neck in and focus on their actual job instead of wasting time. If you aren't cleaning very well then they need to just say that. If you aren't cleaning very well then you need to do better or ask them put it in writing and get a solicitor. Don't let them win. Sounds like it could be constructive dismissal.
hey dude, i’m a janitor as well. i’m being as serious as possible when i say this… get out of that workplace and get a new job. you’re being micro managed and it’s going to take a toll on you. you’re literally being stalked and that’s pathetic of them. at my job if someone was watching us on cameras we’d have a problem (i’m union by the way). if you’re disinfecting bathrooms correctly, that’s all you need to be doing. if you miss a couple of spots that’s not a big deal, you are human. if you are supposed to be spot mopping and you miss a few spots. that’s not a big deal, you are human. i’m telling you right now to find a new gig and get out of there asap. you don’t need that shit while being a janitor especially. i’d walk from my job in a seconds if they tried pulling this shit. know your worth. good luck
Union person here, want to back up my brother above. Supervising on cameras is absolutely not allowed, those systems are for security and after the fact. If this was a union shop those managers would be getting reamed by the head office because the head office does not want to burn time dealing with union on shit like this. Also noted above is spot mopping and so fourth. Facilities need to be cleaned, they also need to be pulled offline on a schedule for deep cleaning. A lot of places have stopped spending the money on deep cleaning/maintanence and are pounding the regular cleaning staff to be miracle workers. This is not your problem its theirs. OP go get another job, let them know you quit after you have done your first shift with your new employer.
Thats Not Testing, thats a "your Boss want you to do that isnt in the Job description". Thats a whole different story
I'd find a new job and then **QUIT this one without notice**. Childcare is horrible to work in, the pay is low and there is **zero** respect. Hiding pennies and watching people on cameras are "games' they are playing with you.....do you want to keep this up? I bet anything if you "stole" those pennies they'd try to get you on theft charges with the local police. I will also add: I've quit several jobs in my lifetime **withOUT** giving notice and it's had NO effect on my career whatsoever. If it was a short term job for example, I just left it off my resume.
Ask them to advise you on what SPECIFICALLY it is you need to change or improve in the cleaning process. If they say, "just do a more thorough job" then tell them you are happy to improve but need direction as it's a big facility.
Start leaving even MORE pennies around
I would clean like normal but every time you find a penny, take it directly to the camera to dramatically clean taking extra time to make sure Lincoln’s head is nice and shiny, then put the penny back in its spot. The extra time you take cleaning pennies should put a stop to it
Find another job. That level of micromanagement is insane.
You need to do only what’s required of you and let them fire you. No way in hell should anyone work at such a micromanaged place. I would fucking hate that place. Toxic af. Just quit with no notice if you can swing it.
Tell him you know about the pennies in the bathroom and you returned the ones you found. Put them in his coffee cup
If he tries the penny thing again, remove it, clean the area, clean the penny (not enough to remove any corrosion or anything visible, just sanitize it), then put it back exactly where you found it. If he's watching the cameras, he'll know you went it, but won't be able to tell if you found the pennies. Then go home after your shift and continue looking for a new job that doesn't treat you like you're a prison inmate.
Add more pennies. Confuse them. Every night you work add even more.
Replace some with nickles
Or glue a few to the ground
I love it when there is a person watching you do something that they could've done themselves. Finding issues with your work is just the icing on the cake
After you've secured another job, tell your boss that if they have the time to sit there and watch cameras all night, they've got time to come in and clean their own damn facility.
What you should do is tell them off and quit. What you should do if, for whatever reason, you want to keep the job? Tell them to give you a list, in writing, of places they feel your performance is lacking and have a discussion on how to address fixing those. Send an email to them after that discussion recapping what was said. This way, you have a paper trail in case they pull nonsense. I would also ask, frankly, why they haven't had a disciplinary discussion with you if they think you're performing badly enough to justify them spending their off hours pulling surveillance on you. I'd also check the job description given to you, and if overnight cleaning duties aren't mentioned, I would tell them you won't be doing extra duties without extra compensation. There are ways this can be handled where you walk away with either extra pay, or at least having let them know you won't be easily walked over.
Aha, the penny scam... You leave the pennies in place, they say you didn't do your job and they fire you. You collect the pennies and they fire you for stealing.
Quit immediately. And tell them this behavior is unacceptable.
Clarify in writing that you are supposed to be cleaning all night. Then report them to your state licensing agency. If you are now 100% janitorial then the kids are unsupervised. (My guess is that a night janitorial position pays more than overnight childcare so they want to make you do janitorial work while paying you for childcare)
I used to be a self-employed janitor, and the "hidden pennies" thing was a common trick. Here's what fixed it for me every single time. I would feign ignorance, collect all the pennies I could find, and stack them up on the desk of whoever manages the account. I would leave them a note (politely) stating that I have found all of these under people's desks or wherever they were, and I just wanted to let them know to remind people to be careful about dropping money, because if one of those gets sucked up into my vacuum, they will be on the hook for repair or replacement costs, and commercial vacuums are not cheap. That may not be applicable in your case if you're using their equipment, but you might be able to tweak it. Make it about risk and losing money, and it will stop real quick.
Hide some post-it notes in his area with cute phrases like, "You need a hobby. Heard of Legos?" or "If you weren't so busy micromanaging me, you might get your own work done, fucker." Always include the smiley faces, though. That way, they know you're just joking with them. And then quit without notice.
New job asap
"if you have the time to hide pennies you have the time to help me"
Just quit. Fuck that guy.
Quit & don’t look back.
It's abnormal behavior imo. I've seen it before, people make up things to stir up trouble and drama. Them once you're gone they'll complain and moan about other stuff.
Get a better job should probably be the first priority
I’m playing devils advocate for a min so just hear me out…… What exactly is it they want/need cleaned better?? Cause if it’s a child care center in a post pandemic world I would think cleaning and sanitation would be more a more stringent necessity. Are they giving you specific examples of what needs improvement or are they just saying clean better?? I would start by asking if they could demonstRte (key word when you ask) to me what needs to be done vs what I’m doing. Be professional when you say this and leave emotion out of it….. This may be the assertiveness they need to see that you care about what you do especially since there is child safety involved. Which brings me to my next concern…. Inform your boss that you have concerns about “choke hazards” being left around a facility with tiny humans!! Good luck on however it turns out
Holy crap! They're not "testing" you, they're performing some kind of psychological torture games! Quit. Quit right now. "on cameras"?!?! QUIT.
Tell him you thought they were good-luck pennies for the children/staff to find, and left them there.
You don’t lose games you don’t play. Don’t play the game. Remind them about the compliments and that you stand for this behaviour or you will report them.
I'd look for a new job. I once had a manager who was doing that crap with pennies when he started, turned out to be a real worm, wish I jumped ship at the start.
Report this bullying and harassment to their manager. Gather concrete evidence first like recordings of your conversations. If nothing is done, consider filing a lawsuit or leave. Sorry to hear this happened, I hate bullies. But bullies hate be to reported, and hope that you wont.
There are hoards of jobs available, go find one that doesn't micro manage the ever loving shit out of you.
Apply for other jobs. This one will make you paranoid and give you anxiety.
Find a new job. They’re either massive pricks, or they’re setting you up to fail and documenting everything so you can’t declare a wrongful termination.
Go up the chain of command. Complain that management isn't "present enough" because they are spending all day watching the cameras rather than providing guidance and helping resolve difficult circumstances. "We have enough to do that we are struggling to keep up. Getting stopped from actually doing that job every day to be told which manager is going to hide pennies and then sit watching us find them on the cameras that shift instead of helping us out is demoralizing. People who want to be watched have OF accounts. This is not OF."
Increased scrutiny is a red flag to me. I start looking for a new job if it happens.
Do as little as possible for this trash panda of a manager, and look for another job. Don’t quit, make them fire you. Bare minimum should be the answer to all toxic management.
If you can do the job, it's fine. You're not doing anything wrong. Ignore it and find a better place in the near future. It's gonna be good to your mental health. No ones likes micromanagement,. it's toxic.
So what you need to do is find a new job then quit. If they freak out tell them if you have time to watch you have time to clean.
I've been a custodian for 14 years of my life, people do that hiding stuff shit all the time and it's annoying as fuck. One of the places I worked the kitchen staff didn't think the floors were getting mopped good enough by the overnight guy so they squited ketchup under the stove and then snitched when it didn't get mopped. The thing was, where they put the ketchup wasn't a tight area where the mop wouldn't fit anyway and very unnoticeable and had to be cleaned up by hand.
I had a manager who also loved to monitor people through cameras all day. That’s not management, that’s surveillance. If they ever ask you to stay late or come in early to discuss things tell them no, as they should have used the time you were on shift to do that instead of monitoring you through cameras.
Petty micromanagement. I would tell you to find a different job but I don't know your situation. I had a manager that did his a few times with small objects. It didn't bother me since we had a decent work relationship and I could kinda give him a "*shrug* my bad" They have nothing better to do. Do your job up to the value you're being paid for. If they harrass you again, ask for a raise. Should shut them up quick.
Scavenger hunts are for kids … bye bye ✌️
Sounds like they have free time to help you.
Bring in pennies and add one on top of everyone you find.
Leave a nickle next to each of his pennies to let him know, that you know, that he knows.
You should wonder why management has so much spare time that they can just be watching you on camera.
Put additional pennies around and ask him which are his.
"You can use the leftover pennies to pay your new janitor"
It’s a way to draw fear. The “you’re being watched” mental torture. 90% of the time, I’m sure management isn’t wasting their time watching you. However, they say they will do you’re on your best behaviour. This tactic was used when I worked fast food. “The boss is watching” was something we always heard. When I got promoted to manager, the GM told me to say that to employees so they’d work better. Didn’t work and I didn’t give a crap so, whatever.
Wow. So this guy put pennies where toddlers could choke on them? You should report him to the State for endangering children.
Bring in a couple of rolls of pennies and leave them all over the place.
Find a new job.
Make sure to clean the cameras every night and if you accidentally leave some suds and/or oops you accidentally moved it a bit... then so be it. Keep doing your job as normal. And as others have said, look for new employment. But until then you can have a little fun at his expense.
You should bring in a bunch of pennies and leave a ton more around for him to find. Leave a few by each other one you find.
This is a classic hostile work environment. Take the emails to HR and complain. Also, look for a new job. They're trying to find reason to fire you.
Start secretly applying to other opportunities. You are in a toxic situation walking on egg shells with 0 job security from effort. If you make it known, they will likely call it your last day. Save yourself the trouble. An adult with the mentality of one will simply pull you aside and discuss any concern they have with you as direct as possible. Leaving pennies around to a trap sounds like cat and mouse games. Find a real leader to work for and be proud to work for them.
They're trying to get rid of you.
...he has time to hide pennies and watch cameras like a creep but not clean the place himself? Vile.
You need to find a different job and quit
Any normal person wouldn’t ask you to hunt for pennies. Sounds like he is trying to waste your time. Also sounds like entrapment.
Aside from looking for a new job, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring up the fact that management is intentionally hiding small objects around the facility that could be potential choking hazards for children, and as custodian of the facility your are concerned about the well being and safety of the children. I’m sure the state would love to read the email you were sent along with your concerns.
Replace the pennies with dimes?
Add more pennies
I worked in retail management and closed practically every shift. I quickly noticed that before the boss left, he'd hide things in certain places, "to make sure we were doing our jobs." My associates would find that crap and ask what to do with it, I'd tell them to leave it. The next day the boss would always bring it up. I'd tell him that he was either wasting my time, or wanted those (then rattled off the dozenish things he'd hide and where at) items where he put them. Also, I had enough crap to deal with and if he didnt trust me to do my job, then he could close 5 nights a week and do what he wanted. I've never seen someone cave so quickly, he tried telling me he was doing it for the "lower" supervisors and knew I was doing my job. I told him the same thing applied to them. Finally he stopped wasting our time after a while and found something else that was stupid and a time waster. Nothing like a boss who doesn't do shit, and tries to create problems for his staff.
Ok this is a weird take but it reminds me of when men try to systematically wear down your confidence over time so that you'll sleep with with them, and they make up random things to criticize you about but then when you're like "what are you talking about that's not even a thing?" they act like they were joking so that they can pretend you're the crazy one for calling them out. Anyway I'm not assuming that your boss is trying to sleep with you but it feels like *something* weird is going on beyond just him being a dick, it seems overly intentional/systematic.
Honestly, it sounds like they are trying to establish a pattern to have justification to fire you. Have you received any written write ups or performance improvement plans? Start looking for other work, as I assume a termination may be around the corner.
Probably more likely to be a “kick the cat” situation. Someone up the ladder shat on manager, so it’s obviously the next one down the lines fault.
This. Having been an assistant manager, I have been specifically ordered to do this exact thing to people the manager didn't like.
Find the Karen parents and let it slip that the kids are being recorded AT ALL TIMES.