Many organizations and businesses have public spaces such as lobbies, restrooms and hallways. Some employers hire public area attendants to keep these areas clean and safe. Public area attendants are a bit like janitors, but they also are concerned with customer service. Their responsibilities may be limited only to specific parts within an organization rather than to an entire facility.

General Duties

Job descriptions for public area attendants show that the primary duty for personal area attendants is to keep one or more public spaces within a facility clean and safe. They thus may be responsible for removing hazards, dusting, vacuuming, polishing, emptying ashtrays and trash receptacles, wiping down surfaces and performing other housecleaning tasks. Additionally, public area attendants may greet customers, answer customer questions and relay customer needs to other employees or to their supervisor. They store resources for the public area according to health and safety guidelines and attend staff meetings as needed.

Education and Experience

Public area attendant jobs are entry-level positions. As such, they typically require only a high school diploma or equivalent. Some employers will hire public area attendants who do not have a diploma if they have relevant work experience. Most training is on the job.

Skills

The job description from JC Resorts LLC indicates that public area attendants should be detail oriented, as they need to be able to spot safety hazards and items that need to be cleaned. They should be able to read and write English proficiently enough to read and store chemical agents and converse easily with guests. Because a public area attendant's work can be done alone, a public area attendant should be independent and comfortable working with little supervision. However, for the same reason, public area attendants also need to be very trustworthy.

Working Conditions

As shown by JC Resorts LLC and HEI Hotels and Resorts, public area attendants may need to work both indoors and outdoors. While indoors, the environment usually is well lit and air-conditioned. However, the public area attendant may be exposed to some hazardous fumes and substances, as well as blood-borne pathogens, while cleaning. Inclement weather may pose some problems for outdoor tasks. Public area attendants must lift, bend, twist, stoop and climb.

Wages

According to Simply Hired, public area attendants earn an average salary of approximately $36,000 per year. This wage may not include perks such as health insurance or vacation.