Just for some information, I’m a multi-skilled maintenance engineer that includes electrical, mechanical, programming and fabrication. My one rule for my career was I would never work on toilets, no matter how small or trivial the job was.
I recently left my job because I was asked (quite rudely) to fix a toilet. I declined multiple times because my job is to maintain the machines, it does not state in my contract I have to do facility work, plus I’m not a plumber and I have no idea what I’d be doing.
He told me that it would be a problem, I simply said if it was then I would pack my tools and leave there and then, he backed off and told me I would have a formal meeting about it. Turns out that formal meeting was a disciplinary. Just to clarify he had asked other engineers and they also declined, but didn’t receive this level of punishment.
I was told by my boss and other boss that I needed to “recalibrate my mindset”. So I did, I wrote my notice out that day and gave them a week. Yes short notice is unprofessional but the way they behaved and treated us I don’t believe they deserved better.
In the time they carried out this process they could’ve called someone in to do they job they asked. Also I don’t believe that plumbers or cleaners are beneath me, they’re jobs are just as important as mine but I wouldn’t expect them to pick my tools up and do my job.
So yes, I left my job over a toilet, I don’t have a mortgage or kids so I can afford to take the risk for now. But the place was an unsafe shithole to begin with so I didn’t myself a favour.
TL:DR:-Left my job over a toilet because quite honestly, I’m not a fucking plumber.