Custodial Staff

Custodial Staff Member Sean Smith has been an employee for 15 years, and his job has been dramatically altered as a result of the current labor shortage. Typically, Smith would work from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., but is now choosing to face longer days as a result of the lack of staff.

“I’ve seen a lot and felt a lot. Believe me, I may be tired, but that’s how it is when you get shortages,” Smith said. “Because we are short, and I’m a team player, I will stay behind and help. It benefits me just as well as it benefits the school. In whatever situation, you’ve got to give it your best and give it your all, then be proud of what you do.”

Smith has noted that the most clear effect of a shortage of workers within the custodial department has been the change in the appearance of the school. 

“The labor shortage is hurtful. When you’re short on people, you’re short on your school looking like it should look. That is taxing on other people because when you’re short, you have to fill in for spots,” Smith said. “You can’t give your school your absolute best if you’re short. When you are hired for the job, the job says this is what the criteria takes. If you can’t reach that criteria, then you’re not really completing a job.” 

Smith feels that if his line of work was appreciated by the school more, the labor shortage would not be as pressing. 

“Every time a student comes down to the cafeteria, they are sitting at a clean table. If you’re going to be the lazy kind of kid that just leaves their stuff there, then you’re asking the custodian to take extra time out to do something that you could have done yourself,” Smith said. “[They’re] working us twice as hard when [they] don’t have to. [The students are] not looking out for [their] fellow students or staff.”

Despite 22 open positions district-wide in the department, Smith has worked to find positivity within the adversity of the labor shortage, as well as encourage unity within the school.

“You have to take the good with the bad. Maybe I did need a personal day to take off and do what I want to do, but when you find out the reason why they couldn’t [give you time off], then you’re understanding. You want to be a team player. There’s no ‘I’ in team,” Smith said. “We are working as a team: staff, students and custodians. If we all work together, then we are one big happy family.”