And it's got nothing to do with their jobs
First, we found out that we're working more unpaid overtime a year than we receive in annual holiday and now, a survey from interiors etailer Furniture123.co.uk has found that British employees are losing 13 working hours per year cleaning their office or workspace, too.
What!?
Yes, we know the germs in your office are pretty damn gross - and no, don't even get us started on how dirty our desk is but apparently, more than half of British workers are being asked by their bosses to clean their place of work.
Despite 85% of participants claiming that their company employs a cleaner, employees are still having to take on this role themselves with 52% being asked to clean the kitchen or communal food preparation spaces every week, while 47% are even asked to vacuum weekly. (Seriously...)
It was cleaning desks that topped the list as the most common cleaning task UK workers are asked to carry out, with 85% doing this every week.
And, 17% claim to being asked to take time out of their working week tending to the office plants, while 15% even have to clean the bathroom on a weekly basis.
Marketing manager at Furniture123.co.uk, Mark Kelly commented saying: 'It is really interesting to see how many British workers are being asked to carry out cleaning tasks by their employers. Not only are staff carrying out tasks outside of their job description, it’s eating in to their normal working hours, which in turn will be costing businesses.'
'It’s fair enough for employers to ask their staff to keep their office or workplace tidy and do their best to limit the amount of cleaning required, but it’s likely in most cases to be more cost effective in the long run to hire a professional cleaner to carry out tasks such as vacuuming, and leave workers to do the job they are hired to do.'
Weekly work cleaning tasks
Cleaning desks – 85% Cleaning the kitchen – 52% Vacuuming – 47% Loading and emptying the dishwasher – 51% Emptying bins and recycling – 47% Tending to office plants (removing dead leaves, watering etc.) – 17% Cleaning the bathroom – 15% Cleaning windows – 11% Tidying communal areas – 10% Mopping – 8%
