Custodians In The Workplace: A Case Study

When Sandy Kay Fleming first heard from a friend about an opening for a 3rd shift cleaning job at Baldwin Wallace University, she thought it would simply be a good place to put her foot in the door. She applied for and received the position and spent her nights cleaning various buildings. From classrooms to offices and even the cadaver labs, she enjoyed the work and exploring aspects of the campus at night. Almost three years later, Sandy, with her short-blond hair, friendly green eyes, and constant smile is still working for Baldwin Wallace, but now in a daily custodian positon at the recreation center, surrounded by more coworkers. Sandy originally entered the generally underappreciated job intending to stay until all three of her children were done with college. However, she has been pleasantly surprised by an aspect of the job that may possibly provoke her stay longer than she anticipated: the students. Although custodian …show more content…
The custodians truly get to see what goes on outside of the classroom. Sandy works in the recreation center and gets to be a part of the life of students who spend a majority of their time there either cleaning alongside her or exercising and participating in sports. The National Education Association website acknowledges and debunks the myth that "Student achievement has nothing to do with the work of custodians or maintenance employees." (National Education Association). They have the opportunity to really influence the student’s life. They are around the students much more than the professors and the parents of the students. Custodians can not only make them feel encouraged and accepted, but they also have the ability to act as temporary parental figures, especially since a large majority of their job is to help take care of the area around the