After 35 years of cleaning offices, Julie Cousins finally retired from her job. Before she left, however, she wanted to make sure that her employees understood the importance of treating people from all walks of life with respect.
According to her son, Joe, she left behind a letter that pointed out the distressing behavior that caused her to leave her role as a cleaner. “I’ve left the job **** after the way you dressed me down in the office it was nothing more than aggressive and cruel but that’s a reflection on your character not mine,” the 67-year old shared.
As Cousins rightly points out, there is no need for that kind of behavior in the workplace. However, although she was able to air her grievances, she went a little further. She actually gave some advice that everyone should heed:
So going forward, please all of you remember — in a world when you can be anything, be kind, because you are all no better than the cleaner.
Whatever job an individual has, whether it’s being a CEO of a multi-national, or a waitress who brings you your cup of coffee, everybody has the right to feel worthy. So it’s not a surprise that the letter went viral.
The letter opened up a discussion on social media in which people agreed with Cousins’ message. Support staff, in particular, are often disregarded, yet their roles are crucial to the success of a business.
In fact, it was widely agreed that more efforts need to be made to make support staff feel valued, from chatting to them as they go about their business to recognizing the crucial role they play in a company’s success.
As Frances O’Grady, the Trades Union Congress general secretary, told the BBC: “Cleaners have played a vital role during this pandemic keeping workplaces and public spaces safe, often at great personal risk.”
While Cousins can hopefully enjoy her retirement, there is an extra bonus to her viral letter: her son Joe has even more reason to admire his mom for standing up for what is right. As he says when sharing the letter: “And this is why I love my mum … “
And today we celebrate...