Editor's note: The custodians' names in this story have been changed to protect their identities.
Work hours for the OU custodial staff are changing at the end of the summer in hopes of improving the cleanliness of spaces on campus. Many custodians, however, are concerned about what these new hours will mean for them.
Matthew Rom, managerial associate of OU Custodial Services, said the primary cleaning shift currently occurs from 4:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Problems have arisen with this time because it is difficult to clean any part of a building without disturbing students and staff after the first students of the day arrived at 8 a.m. — requiring the custodians to do the majority of their work in just four hours.
“Classrooms weren’t getting the attention they needed,” Rom said in an email to The Daily.
Places with a higher traffic of students and staff, such as Dale Hall and the Physical Sciences Center, were often left with dirty bathrooms during the old shift times. Custodial Services decided a change to an 11:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. shift would allow for a full eight hours of cleaning time to improve quality.
“Our new shift pattern will allow the department to maintain these spaces 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, providing an enhancement of our current services,” Rom said.
According to Ashley Schmidt, an OU custodian, many night classes don’t get out until 9 p.m., making it difficult for custodians to clean classrooms while students are still in the building.
“I think (the new hours are) going to help a lot,” Schmidt said. “There’s not going to be as many people in the building, and I think it’s going to be better productivity.”
This was not a sudden decision based on budget cuts or any kind of pressure, Rom said. Instead, Custodial Services, Housing and Food and director of Facilities Management Brian Ellis examined the current system and decided a change was in order.
“The change in shifts within Custodial and Housekeeping services will ultimately help the department increase our cleaning quality and reduce a gap in services currently experienced each afternoon,” Rom said in the email.
They decided summer would be the best time to implement this new system because less students are on campus than during the fall and spring semesters. This allows custodians and supervisors to figure out what works and what doesn't without disturbing classes.
Madeline Hicks, another OU custodian, said the change will affect many workers’ lives.
“We’ve got to change our whole lives now just because they changed the schedule,” Hicks said. “The reason why I wanted this job was because it was 4 in the morning — I’m a morning person. Now I have to change into night shifts, and it’s going to be hard.”
Hicks said the new hours are creating a conflict between work and family obligations for many custodians, although that isn’t directly affecting her, since she has a daughter about to graduate. However, despite there being an option to request a time change, the new shift is still bringing difficulties.
“We’ll see how it goes, and then if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just have to look for another job,” Hicks said. “I hear that from a lot of people, too.”
Rom said they are working with the custodial staff to try and accommodate those who have conflicts. Rom said that workers submitted their requests that will then be reviewed, so as to help everyone as resources allow.
Even custodians without family obligations are voicing their concerns with this change. Paul Clark, an OU custodian, said if the shift changes are permanent, he would consider transferring to the football stadium or the Sam Noble Museum, where he believes the hours are better.
“If (the hours) do change, I’d probably find a different job that’s on the OU campus so I can still have the same benefits,” Clark said.
Some custodians, however, are happy about the hours changing. Schmidt normally goes to bed around 8:30 in the morning and wakes up around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. When the changes take effect, her new schedule will give her more time to herself and match up more closely with her son’s work schedule.
“Now, I can stay up later if I’ve got to get things done, then I can lay down even in the evening time,” Schmidt said. “I get to have more family time. They’re sleeping; I’ll be working.”
Schmidt has cleaned her building for seven years. Before coming to OU, she worked as a custodian for other schools and businesses in Oklahoma.
“I’ve done this type of work ever since ... high school,” Schmidt said. “My plan is to retire from (OU). I only have a few more years until I retire, so that’s why I’m staying here.”
Schmidt said the hours will be an adjustment for the whole custodial staff, but once everyone gets used to the change, it will be all right.
“It’s life. Things change,” she said. “You have to deal with it and go with it.”
