@canidmajor: “Why do you assume that the IT person (who may have dust allergies) or the accountant (who may be so precise and perfectionist that they take twice the time and overdo the cleaning) would be better able to do the job than the company who hires people that are reasonably efficient and don’t necessarily mind the job?”
I’m not assuming this. But it’s reasonable to entertain the idea that if one feels they have a role in the cleanliness of the office, that they would certainly do their best to keep it clean. But that’s not really the focus of my question. I’m more concerned about discussing the possibility that we could distribute “less-desirable” tasks among workers in an attempt to bring the disparity between all employees’ work desirability.
As @Dutchess_III points out, there are those who love to clean. But I suspect that this is so uncommon as to obscure the real issue. There are tasks that are repetitive, undesirable tasks and then there are jobs that are more creative, empowering, and allow for growth.
@stanleybmanly: “So let’s ask the question: Would you pay someone $25—$30 an hour to sweep your floor?”
The brevity of this answer leads me to assume what you mean. Do you mean that the person working in accounting that takes an hour per week to clean will be paid at accounting rate of pay to clean? If so, then of course. If a clean office is valuable to an office, the person completing that work should be paid accordingly. But since this question is really about work distribution rather than pay equity, I’d rather focus on that.