I'm not sure I see anything wrong with not bothering the cleaning staff while they're at work. The whole reason they've been hired is to spare everyone else the time and effort involved in cleaning, so to have everyone waste time on greetings would just be demeaning their work.
I usually nod or say a quick greeting in passing as I head out for the evening. I've also thanked the guy who refills the soda can dispenser, pointing out that the company runs on caffeine. Each of these interactions takes less than 30 seconds and reminds us of our shared experience on this planet.
There is a difference between “not bothering the cleaning staff” and not acknowledging that they exist and are human and are standing right in front of you.
Author is describing the second, and it happens pervasively in the upper classes.
Sadly, this is true. Though it also leaves a huge opportunity for people to encourage cleaning staff (or drivers or any other manual labor in cultures that privilege intellectual work) with brief yet heartfelt greetings and genuine thanks for the valuable work they do.
Seeing and thanking overlooked people for the work they do takes almost no time if its habitual, yet can potentially brighten someone's day.
>The whole reason they've been hired is to spare everyone else the time
Do you extend this to other jobs as well? Is it demeaning to say hello to your boss because she's been hired to spare you the time of managerial decisions? What about the QA folks who've been hired to save you the time of executing tests?
Shame on you for telling the truth. You have a right not to speak to anyone you don't want to speak to. You are probably smart as shit and make close to a million a year. Hell, I'd be a dick if I made that kind of cheese.
