Job Talk: Interior Cleaner Abdelsalam (Tito) Ezzoubaa
“Houdoe!”, Abdelsalam Ezzoubaa calls out to a departing colleague, while quickly wiping down the windowsill by the door. The Vlijmen-based facility caretaker – “everyone calls me Tito” – sweeps, scrubs, and laughs his way through the test bakery, canteen, and offices of the service center in Hedel. With 20 years of experience at this location, he knows exactly how to keep everything in top condition here.
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After training as a metalworker and 15 years in hospitality, he moved into cleaning in 1999. “Hospitality is fun, but here I had better working hours.” As a facility caretaker at Bakker Goedhart, Tito works from 3:30 PM to 11:00 PM and has weekends off. That's great, because it allows him to do fun things with his three daughters, aged 10, 12, and 15. Cycling, going into town, joining them at the sports club... He's a real family man, with a total of 6 children: his other three children are adults and no longer live at home.
Friendly colleagues
He has been working at the Hedel office since 2006, and has been employed by Bakker Goedhart since 2013. And he's staying. “I like it here, I know everyone. Everyone who passes by says hello.” That's evident: during the conversation, Tito is regularly spoken to. And even during the photoshoot, he is enthusiastically greeted by colleagues. Tito is loved by everyone.
Always on the move
Taking photos was quite a challenge, as Tito is constantly and quickly on the move – from coffee machine to canteen and from dishwasher to rubbish bag. In a flash, he's already at work in the next room. Standing still is not an option for the energetic fifty-something. He certainly has plenty to do. At the service center, he cleans the offices, the canteen and kitchen, the sanitary facilities, the test bakery, and the retail space where bread is presented. Oh, and he also refills the coffee machines. Plus, he replaces light bulbs where needed.
Sparkling clean
And he does it well: the thirty-year-old restroom looks brand new, and the equally old tiled floor on the ground floor gleams at you. He's happy to share the secret behind it: “It took some trial and error; at first, it always had a haze on it. But cleaning vinegar works well on these types of tiles. Also a good tip for home.”
Test bakery
The test bakery is his great pride. “That's different work from the offices. The test bakers make the most mess, and it's bakery cleaning, so you clean in a different way.” Machines are not used there at the service center. “At the large bakery next door, there's space for them, but you can't clean with a machine here. It's too small, so you have to clean by hand.”
Indispensable
In short, Tito is indispensable. “When I go on holiday, someone from a cleaning company fills in for me. And also if I'm sick for a longer period. But fortunately, that rarely happens.” And that's a good thing, because according to a colleague, two people aren't enough to replace Tito.
Goes home satisfied every day
When does he go home satisfied? “Every day! Otherwise, I won't make it to retirement here. And I definitely plan to.” And which product does he prefer to take home? “The small baguettes that you have to bake yourself. They're not available every day, but when they are, I take them with me. And then eat them with a fried egg and olive oil.”