Re: Seeking information about work commitments | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: S. Kashdan (s_kashdan![]() |
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Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2019 22:48:48 -0800 (PST) |
Hi all, At Jackson Place Cohousing in Seattle Washington we have a chores system which has been working fairly well for about ten years. It does not involve any money. But it does involve public announcements about plans for doing chores together or coordinated with each other and report-backs of chores done. The chores that need to be done every week, such as taking the yard waste to the curb for collection, or need to be done less frequently than once a month, such as replacing burnt-out lightbulbs in common areas, or taking care of the laundry room and equipment, are taken on by individuals on an ongoing basis. When an individual can no longer do the task they volunteered for, they announce that both at a community business meeting and on our internal e-mail list, and another person will take it on. The meals program is not included in the chores arrangement either. All adults who participate in the meals program are asked to cook and/or clean. But elders and others who can't do either for whatever reason are still welcome at meals. Everyone also pays $4 for adult servings for meals they attend. We have an operations team that takes care of maintaining and replacing, etc. our buildings and appliances in them. Our landscape team takes care of the property outside the buildings, including organizing work days when they feel it is appropriate. For cleaning in common areas, we have three main chore groups, the A, B, and C chore groups. Each chore group is scheduled to clean during four months of the year. Chore group A cleans during January, April, July, and October. Chore group B is scheduled to clean during February, May, August, and November. Chore group C cleans during March, June, September, and December. All adults are encouraged to join a chore group, and children are also welcome. During a break in our monthly community Business meeting the chore group that will be doing chores in the upcoming month agrees on a work day or days that they will work together during their designated month. So, during the January community business meeting chore group C gets together to discuss when they will work together during February. The chore group's designated day to work together is announced after the break, and later posted on our internal e-mail list so chore group members who were not at the monthly community business meeting will be informed and encouraged to participate. Those who are not available on the designated work day can agree to do some cleaning on their own at another time during the month. After the break in our monthly community Business meeting the chore group that did chores in the previous month gives a summary of what they did and how it worked out. So, during the January community business meeting chore group C tells everyone how their cleaning activities in December went. Those who may not be able to work directly on the chores for some reason can assist by providing snacks or childcare of some other support. Including the chore group announcements of plans and report-backs at the monthly community business meetings encourages many people to participate in the cleaning activities. Also having chore groups meet together to do the chores helps. No money is involved. The motivation is social and personal responsibility. So people with more limited financial means don't feel put upon either. Not everyone participates. But enough people do to get most of the cleaning done. And, sometimes, if there are some outstanding chores that need doing, someone will put out a special call for doing what is necessary. Cohousingly, Sylvie Sylvie Kashdan Community Outreach Liaison Jackson Place Cohousing 800 Hiawatha Place South Seattle, WA 98144 www.seattlecohousing.org info [at] jacksonplacecohousing.org
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments, (continued)
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, January 18 2019
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments Mariana Almeida, January 18 2019
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments Tom Smyth, January 18 2019
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments Richard L Kohlhaas, January 18 2019
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments S. Kashdan, January 18 2019
- Re: Seeking information about work commitments Julie Gallagher, January 19 2019
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