National Custodial Worker Recognition Day
Unsung heroes of our society — gather gifts and thank-you cards and make sure your custodial staff get the recognition they deserve.
From schools and churches to office buildings and apartment complexes, modern buildings are in need of special care and upkeep for them to be able to function properly on an ongoing basis. And National Custodial Worker Recognition Day is just the time to pay attention to those who are tasked with taking care of them!
History of National Custodial Worker Recognition Day
National Custodial Worker Recognition Day is an annual celebration where people get together to pay tribute to and give their thanks to those men and women who work tirelessly to clean and maintain the many buildings that are used for all kinds of reasons on a daily basis.
The purpose of this important day is to show these maintenance workers that everything they do is recognized and appreciated – and to prevent them from feeling like what they are doing is an otherwise thankless job. From setting up and tearing down chairs to mopping floors and keeping the parking lot clean, custodians provide services that don’t typically get noticed, unless they don’t do them!
National Custodial Worker Recognition Day, sometimes known as Custodian Appreciation Day, is particularly celebrated within organizations that rely heavily on custodial workers. These workers do all they can behind the scenes to ensure that everything is up to scratch, to keep their buildings looking pristine and to create an enjoyable working space for their staff, clients, students, customers and more!
As educational institutions, schools are among those who are most reliant on custodial workers, because everyone knows that kids can be messy sometimes! On this day, school kids, teachers and staff are encouraged to show their thanks and celebrate National Custodial Worker Recognition Day by giving some special attention and thanks to the school custodian.
Businesses as well as government and public buildings can also use this holiday to make a big deal out of those folks who might usually blend into the background. National Custodial Worker Recognition Day is an ideal opportunity to remember every time a public restroom is clean, when there is always enough toilet paper in the stall, and the light bulbs in the office or the hallways are always working!
How to Celebrate National Custodial Worker Recognition Day
Some fun and interesting ways to observe National Custodial Worker Recognition Day might involve a few of these ideas:
Do Something Kind for Custodial Workers
Even if it’s just a little reception during coffee break time at the office, National Custodial Worker Recognition Day is a great time to have a little event to say thank you. This could include holding custodial worker themed parties and gatherings as well as giving cards and gifts to custodial workers.
Another fun way to celebrate this day and show appreciation might be to decorate the custodial workers’ office or door with delightful balloons and streamers to show that they are loved and cared for. Bake them a cake or another favorite treat, or print out a certificate for “Custodian of the Year” and have it framed to show appreciation on this day.
But the most important factor about hosting a party or an event on this day? The custodial workers are not in charge of cleanup!
Pick Up After Yourself
This is a great day to simply become more aware of basic habits around the workplace, the school or other buildings. Instead of thinking that some anonymous person will clean up after you, remember that a custodial worker will need to pick up that paper towel off the floor if you missed the bin. So pick it up yourself and make the world a cleaner, more tidy place while making life easier for someone on National Custodial Worker Recognition Day – and just every day in general!
Watch a Show that Features Custodians
Some interesting films and television shows have been made featuring characters that do the jobs of a custodial worker. Watch one of these in celebration of National Custodial Worker Recognition Day:
- Scrubs (featuring “Janitor”)
- Good Will Hunting (as the genius janitor at MIT)
- Harry Potter series (with Argus Filch)
- Bruce Almighty (starring “God” as the custodian)
