"A Cafe Part-Timer Who Works Well but Has the Worst Hygiene Awareness... The Owner Does the Cleaning"

Full-time Cafe Part-timer Has 'Zero' Hygiene Awareness
Sink Covered in Grime and Sauce Bottles Drenched in Syrup
Owner Frustrated... "Hands Are Fast but It's a Shame"

A self-employed person running a cafe posted a question asking whether they should point out the hygiene awareness of their part-time worker.

Water stains heavily accumulated in the sink.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 15th, a post titled "What if an employee is good at cafe work but has terrible hygiene?" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, who revealed that he has been running a cafe for a long time, began by saying, "Since the cafe I run is far from where I live, I have entrusted all the work to a part-time worker."

Mr. A explained the situation, saying, "The part-time worker opens the store at 10 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. The cafe's sales are around 100,000 won on weekdays and 300,000 to 400,000 won on weekends. The part-timer has been working at the cafe for a long time, so they are quick with the tasks. However, the cleaning condition is really serious." The photos Mr. A posted show black water stains heavily accumulated around the sink. The sponge used to wipe beverage cups is moldy, and the side of the electric kettle is sticky with syrup to the point that the label is unrecognizable.

Mr. A said, "If I don't go once a month and clean everything thoroughly, the state remains unchanged," adding, "After cleaning for two nights and three days once a month, my whole body hurts. The cafe has large glass windows, but for five months straight, the windows have never been cleaned, and the part-time worker just stays at the counter using a laptop." He continued, "The cafe I run is dog-friendly. However, even if there is dog feces on the cafe carpet, the part-time worker just sits at the counter and doesn't realize there is feces inside the cafe, leaving it unattended."

An electric kettle covered in syrup.
[Photo by Online Community]

Claiming there are no customers from 4 p.m. until closing time, Mr. A said, "Isn't it okay to move around and clean when there are no people?" He lamented, "It's serious not only in the kitchen. When I visit the cafe to clean, I send the part-time worker home early and take orders myself, but the syrup containers are so sticky on the outside that they barely stay off the floor. When I hold one, my hands get sticky too, which is unpleasant." He added, "If I fire them, there won't be anyone willing to work part-time at the cafe like this, and even if I talk to them, their hygiene awareness is different, so I wonder if I shouldn't ask them to clean to the point where they think they are dirty. Do I have to give a month's notice before firing? I'm really upset," asking for advice.

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "No matter what you say, they will just pretend and won't change," "People who are poorly trained from the start can't be fixed," "This is not being good at cafe work," "You need to put up checklists or cleaning lists to make them understand to clean," "With 100,000 won daily sales, you might as well make coffee with your feet," and "It's not that they are fast, they just want to rest quickly, so they work fast only when working."