Janitors have the important job of keeping our working environment and living quarters clean and habitable. They clean our schools, hospitals, and offices and keep every orderly. It is a job that is fundamental to society and can sometimes be overlooked. Understanding their role in society will assist our understanding and appreciating what they do.
You don’t need to have worked as a janitor to start appreciating them. However, working as one can make your resume look better. Their jobs are as important as any other and how you treat janitors reflects on who you are as a person.
What do they do?
The Job explorer explains what janitors do and what it takes to excel in such work. Janitors clean and maintain the general hygiene of buildings, hospitals, schools, apartment and office blocks. It is an important but difficult job, sometimes referred to as a dirty job, but it can be extremely enjoyable if you have the right attitude and passion for the job. Janitors clean and take care (hence the name caretaker) of the facilities they are charged with and occasionally help with maintenance work.
They perform general cleaning duties which include sweeping and mopping floors and polishing them and also removing cobwebs and dusting furniture, blowing and wiping the dust off machines and equipment.
They also clean restrooms and bathrooms and are expected to help with small maintenance needs that may arise from time to time and report faulty and damages installations and accessories for replacement and/ or repair. This requires some technical qualifications on electrical installation and plumbing jobs.
Extra duties
Since they are the main users of detergents and other assorted cleaning products, it is expected of them to have an inventory of the products and equipment used to them, maintain them and keep them well. They have to ensure that cleaning supplies are always well stocked.
Most of the time particularly in offices, janitors are also expected to wash utensils and store them properly
Physical demands of the profession
Janitorial work involves a lot of moving up and down, bending to lift machines and floor rags and pushing furniture. It is quite a physically exhausting job, and in terms of doing your bit to assist in the process, disposing of litter correctly can go a long way, be that in school, college or work.
Working hours
Janitors generally work for 40 hours each week but their working hours vary from place to place. Their working hours are dependent on the nature of the business taking place at the places where they work. In some places like banks, they are required during business hours and on half-day during the weekend. In other places, they come in during off-peak hours, do their jobs and leave for the rest of the day, and they don’t return until the business is closed or the following day. In hospitals, they work in shifts. In schools, they work during school hours and leave when the day ends
They wear their uniforms and personal protective equipment when working.
