I (27f) started a job with a cleaning company a while ago and recently because I took some time off to mourn my brother and be with my family, I got reassigned to a new job site that has two schools. I went in to be trained and shown around the facilities by a senior cleaner and told I would be working as a team member with another senior worker. I came in at 3:30 to begin learning, was shown around and told to not clean certain areas.
The team doesn't speak in English well and I only know bits of Spanish. We have several communication errors because of this and I often ask to make sure, “no cleaning this? No doing this?” Really simple and basic so I cannot be misunderstood.
I was told that I was basically only handling anything anyone else missed and would be doing floors (vacuuming and mopping) and taking out trash. Cool, I can do that.
Now these are two very large separate schools that are across the street from eachother, so when I was shown the second site and the trainer left, I began. My coworker shows up around 6pm and then becomes very shocked/upset with me and is speaking very fast Spanish at me. He looks at me expectantly and I just state as well as I can that I don't speak Spanish very well and I don't understand.
He points to a chair and demands I sit. So there I sit because I assume I have done something wrong. He goes off and I'm left for about 20 minutes before I get up and start cleaning again because he doesn't return and I heard the vacuum running.
He sees me working and again tells me “no no no no no!” And is loud but laughing for some reason and I just state I'm doing what I was instructed. “Vacuum and trash my job” He says. I reiterate I'm doing what I was told. Back and forth. For two hours. Me cleaning and him pushing that I'm not supposed to do it, and him cleaning other parts of the school. I get tired of his comments and ask to have the key for the other school so I can get my work done in peace and listen to my book. He refuses to give me the key and says I should go home.
“I haven't even started the duties at the other building.” I let him know.
“No no no it fine, I do.”
“You got this? Are you sure? This is a Dos person job. (Supervisor name) said it would take at least Cinco hours.” I push. I had only been working maybe four, and couldn't go to the next site without this coworkers keys.
“Yes yes yes, tu casa.” (You home) again I push to let me please go work the inherited site. He refuses to even let me look at the key.
So I leave my supervisor a voice-mail and go home because I'm tired of all this back and forth arguing and being treated like I'm supposed to sit and be pretty.
And I get up for my other job to see he has texted me saying the job wasn't completed and his client is pissed. I call and explain the situation and when I get off the phone I realized I was tossed under the bus for “not working” when someone else was claiming to have done their fair share. I don't know if it's because they thought they could pull one over on the stupid white girl or what.
So then the headmaster starts messaging my personal phone number while I'm at my other job!! How did she even get it? No idea. She's demanding I give her a reason and explain and I politely tell her I can't because I am busy and to contact my supervisor.
She demands again “I am the supervisor of the two buildings and of course I need to know because if you don't do it the I'm afraid I have to do it” and then sends 30+ images of the state of the building I wasn't allowed to clean.
To me this is incredibly rude to not only message someone's personal phone when they are not associated with you, they didn't give it to you, and them you blow up their phone when they just told you they are busy and try to infringe on their time that you aren't paying them for.
I send them one last text while I was in the bathroom at work to try and get through to whoever this person thinks they are.
“I understand your frustration, and I have already explained the situation that unfolded last night to my supervisor, and I do not have the ability to explain it again, as I said before. I did not say you didn't need to know, I simply stated you should speak with ———- for the details should you need them because I'm currently working and cannot explain it for a third time without consequences from this job. Respectfully, refrain from sending me unnecessary messages because I will not be viewing my phone again until I am off work to avoid a citation. This is my personal cell and not a work phone for the —- company.”
I haven't recieved any more texts or calls from this person or my supervisor and now im just thinking, if this happens again tonight I'm not ever working with these people again and I'll demand to be put back where I worked alone all night. This job is just part time and isn't anything that should make me feel this upset, I picked it for that reason. I just hate to think my coworkers did this bs to me when I just wanted to do my dang job.