Imagine working on a construction site where a building is in the process of being built. Would you think it would be reasonable to keep everything dust free and clean during construction, or would that be something you would worry about when the construction is complete?

In this story, a project manager wants everything to be kept clean, but an electrical engineer working on the project knows that’s a huge waste of time.

Keep reading to see how he proves his point.

Want us to clean everything after anything we do? Okay buddy…

Background: This was during an unpaid internship at a construction company, I was an electrical engineer on site for a new mall opening in a high-end neighborhood.

The company was responsible for the electrical and mechanical works of the entire mall and a few stores owned by the mall itself.

This was close to the project’s finish and most engineers have been moved off to other projects, so I was treated as a fully certified electrical engineering due to shortage of engineers and managed the entire ground floor, two stores and a team of 40 or so technicians.

I only reported to my Site Manager and did not interact with any other firm or contractor.

Everyone trusted him.

After the first two months, I had my company’s, technician’s and site manager’s trust.

I was even issued a checkbook (unsure if that’s its English translation) it’s a billing form, site engineers carry it around to issue repair, field change and other on the spot invoices because other contractors were on the site and they used to damage our fixtures so we made them pay on the spot.

Now onto the main story.

He received a heads up that there would be visitors.

Store’s Architect sends me a text at 10:00 am “Baron, Site Manager gave me your number, Mall’s Project Manager and I will be doing rounds on the ground floor and stores, make sure the technicians have made progress.”

I text back “Sure, let me know when you are here and I will give you the tour.”

We continue working according to my Site Manager’s guidelines and my maps and to be honest, we were ahead of the schedule.

Around 15:00 pm, I hear the a voice bellowing behind me.

The Project Manager was upset.

Mall’s Project Manager: “You! are you Baron! What are you doing to my mall?!”

I turn back confused and see a man wearing a black suit with a jacket walking towards me quickly and the Architect behind running as fast as she could.

Me: “Building it…?” Snarky I know, but at the time I really was confused and that is what came out of me.

Mall’s Project Manager: “No you are most definitely not. How can you complete anything properly if you and your incompetent staff cannot even clean after yourselves, do you need me to teach you how to wipe after yourselves too!”

The architect was quick to agree with the project manager.

Architect arriving out of breath “Yes, Baron this is unacceptable the amount of dust and residue on the shelves is not acceptable!”

She had a I am sorry on her face, but clearly did not want me to fight.

Mall’s Project Manager: “Come with me to store name and bring your idiot technicians with you.”

I call 10 of my guys that were around me and we walked together.

The project manager didn’t know OP spoke English.

The Mall’s Project Manager and Architect start talking in English, thinking I did not understand English. Thankfully my technicians did not, they are foreigners who only speak the native language, as I can only imagine what their reaction would have been.

Mall’s Project Manager in English: “You need to run this ship more smoothly Arch, you need to understand this is a master and servant relationship, make them fear you and understand you’re in charge!”

Architect turns red and pale, knowing I understand English. She tries to warn him, but we arrive at the shop and he cuts her off.

He takes the most obnoxious walk into the store put his finger on the shelf and passes it along, turns it towards my staff and I, all smug like and showing us a line of dust caused by metal works, ceiling wiring and drilling.

This seems pretty ridiculous.

My technicians started sighing and mumbling “Is he for real? He knows we’re going to cut more, right?”

Mall’s Project Manager in English: “Watch closely.”

Mall’s Project Manager: “Listen Baron you and your guys will clean after each cut and each thing you do in these two stores, I want to be able to see my reflection off of these shelves. I ought to charge you 20$ just for cleaning that shelf!”

Something in me cracked and I pulled out my checkbook, wrote down cleaning a single shelf invoice for 20$ signed it and had him sign it, took a $20 out of my pocket and gave it to him. Making the entire transaction on the spot right there.

Smartphones can come in handy.

He and the Arch walked off snickering, my technicians looked mad.

Me: “You all have smartphones right?”

Technicians: “Yes.”

Me: “Document everything you clean and send it to me.”

All that cleaning really added up.

Later that week, I sent an invoice for 58 shelves (between the two stores and front/back rooms), cleaned twice a day at 10:00 am and 15:00 am at $20 a pop. It totaled $2,320.

Every bill we issue is overseen by the Site Manager, who called me in.

Site Manager: “Baron, why are we charging the mall a cleaning bill?”

I explained the story, showed him the invoice I paid out, and the folder on the company server showing my techs members cleaning.

The project manager wasn’t going to win this battle.

The Site Manager was furious, first he hated the guy, second he has been working with those staff members for over 5 years now and did not like them being characterized as servants. He approved it and sent it.

The very next day, the Mall’s Project Manager, Architect and what looked like an executive walked in demanding to see the Site Manager and called in our company’s owner.

I was not in on the meeting, but was outside, after lots of yelling and the trio furiously walked out.

I was later told we no longer had to clean after ourselves, until the entire work is finished and I received exactly $2,320 as a bonus for my unpaid internship. All the technicians received a nice bonus pay for that week’s work too (their pay is weekly).

I love that OP ended up getting a bonus in the exact amount of the cleaning fee. It really was ridiculous to expect the construction crew to constantly clean up after themselves when they are still in the middle of working. Cleaning at the end makes more sense.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

Quick thinking can be the best revenge.

One person is upset that the project manager makes English speakers look bad.

It was a winning combination!

Here’s another construction story.

Never underestimate an intern.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.