Shakil and his team are a familiar sight in Marsiling. 365 days a year, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., residents would see them all throughout the HDB estates, sweeping floors, mopping lifts, moving bulky refuse and clearing out rubbish chutes. When asked about why they hardly take days off, choosing to work on Sundays and public holidays, Shakil explains that even a single day off can cause the rubbish chutes to pile up with so much refuse that it becomes hard to clear.
Each morning at 7 a.m., the first order of business for each cleaner is to tidy up the ground floor and lifts of their assigned blocks. The work is more than just sweeping and mopping. Trash bins need to be emptied, rubbish chutes cleared and bulk refuse carted away.
By 9 a.m., the ground floor of every block should be spick and span. While most office workers would have just gotten their day started, Shakil and his team are already sitting down for a well-deserved break. But the day is young, there is still much work to be done.
Keeping it Clean
Keeping the estate clean is a point of pride for Shakil. His team uses the Facilities Management App GOfm to make sure the estate is well maintained. Each cleaner scans the QR codes placed up and down the blocks, one for every fifteen or so units, to indicate that they have visited, swept and tidied up each floor of each block. By 11:30 a.m. each day, the admin team would report on which QR codes have not been scanned, and Shakil would direct his team to rectify the situation. Shakil welcomes such accountability, takes pride in it even. In his own words, he is not afraid of anyone coming to check on his team’s work.
But it is more than just sweeping that the cleaners do. Shakil is especially concerned about the fire hazard that illegal dumping creates. An errant cigarette butt landing on discarded newspapers or cloth could cause a fire. And so, he is always on the lookout for such danger.
Making an Impact
Having worked in the Marsiling area for almost seven years, Shakil knows the neighbourhood like the back of his hands. He zips around the neighbourhood, snapping pictures, directing his team to resolve issues or sending feedback to the town council.
If anyone wants to know a cleaner’s impact on the estate, the area around Block 11 is a shining example. Shakil’s vigilant eye spotted a worksite tarp ponding, creating a possible mosquito breeding ground. After his feedback, the problem was quickly fixed. In another incident, Shakil’s feedback resulted in NEA setting up a camera to deal with high-rise littering.
A Heart for the Community
Shakil and his team know Marsiling very well, after all, it is where they both live and work. They are also plugged into the heartbeat of the area—not an event happens in the neighbourhood that they do not know of, or do not help out in. When the Residents’ Committee is giving out food to residents in rental flats, Shakil and his team help out, transporting items, setting up, and cleaning up at the end of the day. While cleaners are not strictly required to help out at such events, Shakil takes pride in helping out. When talking about his involvement in community events, Shakil clasps his two hands in front of himself, saying that he believes in hand-in-hand with the community to make Marsiling a better place for residents.
When asked about which tasks are the most difficult for cleaners, Shakil laughs and says everything is “normal”. To the veteran, tasks like flushing and compressing a rubbish chute, polishing a lift or even washing a block are just all part of the job. Everything is “normal” when it is done from the heart, he explains.
What Keeps Him Going
Twelve years is a long time to be away from family. Shakil only makes the trip once every two years to see his wife and young son back in Bangladesh. When asked what made him stay on the job for so long, he would joke that it is less back-breaking than construction work.
The true answer is hidden behind the enthusiastic way he explains how GOfm keeps his cleaners accountable, how he lights up when he talks about helping out at community events, and how he beams when he shares the impact he has made on the neighbourhood.
Rather than treating him or his team as part of the landscape, let’s treat them as part of our community. Give them a nod, a smile, or even a quick conversation when you see them around. They would surely appreciate it!
