From temporary work to the title “Minskan of the Year”: the story of janitor Elena Grekova

For Elena Grekova, work as a janitor began as a temporary employment, and became a matter of life. Today, four high-rise buildings are assigned to her, where she monitors the cleanliness of entrances and courtyards, takes care of flowers, and in winter she goes out to fight snow and after the end of the working day. For conscientious work, Elena was awarded the title of “Minskan of the Year”. Read more in the material of the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

All right

We are going to the house number 8 on the street Krupskaya. We enter the courtyard and enter a real oasis of exemplary purity and order. There are no papers and wrappers underfoot, but the spirit is breathtaking from many beautiful flowers. Undoubtedly, a great merit in this worker in the complex cleaning and maintenance of households ZhEU No. 6 Zavodsk district Elena Grekova. She greets us with a charming smile.

- I came into the profession by accident, one might say, for family reasons. In 2002, my husband and I were expecting a baby and wanted to earn extra money. A mother-in-law who has already worked in this field helped to find a job in the JEU. She taught and taught all the wisdom. Then I thought that this was temporary employment, but in the end this is how I stayed, said Elena Alexandrovna. At first I was ashamed of my job. I thought, well, like this: a young girl is a janitor. I gradually got used to it and am glad I stayed. Continuous advantages: work near the house, and children in the kindergarten close to drive, and you can earn.

At the same time, Elena’s load is decent: now she has four high-rise buildings from 9 to 19 floors – two per street. Krupskaya and LC "Small Motherland". Together, it's 20 entrances.

- I am a villager, I come from the Kopylsky district, so I am not afraid of any work. As a child, she constantly helped her parents: she polod beets and potatoes, milked cows, even sawed wood. Then she acquired other skills. I know how to use a trimmer - grass mow without problems, the interlocutor assured.

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Daily chores

The working day of E. Grekova begins at 7 am, in winter at 6. In the warm season before lunch brings order in the yards: collects garbage, sweeps near houses and playgrounds. In the summer, you sometimes need to grow fresh grass. She also rolls out containers to the garbage truck three times a week. And in the second shift comes the turn of cleaning in the entrances.

- How long does it take to remove them?

- I prepare the entrance in advance - I sweep the day before the wash. In the nine-story building, it takes 30-35 minutes, then about 40 minutes for my entrance. If the house is 19-storey, it takes about an hour to sweep, and twice as much to wash, said Elena Alexandrovna. After lunch, it is officially supposed to work until 16:00, but the schedule sometimes shifts, because you need to have time to do everything planned. In autumn, when there is a lot of fallen foliage, I can stay until 18:00. And in winter it happens like this: snow fell after the end of my working day, and according to the forecast of weather forecasters, in the morning there will be no snowfall. Then until 21:00 I will clean so that people do not tamper in the morning. This is the most stressful time of the year for me, and not just because of rainfall. You also need to sprinkle the sand-salt mixture, plus ice and ice.

- Do you remember Javier?

- That heavy snowfall is hard to forget. I have a yard for two houses, so first of all I dug a narrow path from the entrances with a shovel wide so that residents could go to the store and to the public transport stop. One man took the child to kindergarten and then asked for a shovel and helped us clear the paths. "Javier" swooped on Friday - we wrote in a yard chat that on Saturday we will clean the path to the school. And many came out to help.

Persuasion

During the conversation with Elena, a woman of elegant age passed by. When she said hello, she noticed:

- How lucky Lena and I are – we will not give it to anyone! Look at the cleanliness and order! And what a flower bed she broke near the house!

Indeed, the flower garden pleasantly pleases the eye with its color and size, but for the sake of such beauty had to put a lot.

- The flowerbed appeared here a year ago. Many people are photographed against it. Some residents bring their flowers from the cottage. Of course, you need to weed and water, especially on hot days. It's nice to be praised and thanked, and not just for the flower bed. More than once gave candy and chocolates, by March 8 - bouquets of flowers. One day before the New Year, a young couple gave me a piece of cheese. This is very pleasant: there is an even greater incentive to work, said Elena Alexandrovna.

I think there are people who are upset by their inaccuracy.

- Then I have to fight, but I do it politely and tactfully. When I see children littering, I immediately come and ask them to clean up. They don't snap because they know I'll tell my parents. We all know each other here, so no one will contradict. On the contrary, if they are guilty, they apologize. I'm also monitoring the cameras. If I saw that someone did not take something unnecessary to the container deck, I write in a house chat or call this apartment with a request to clean, the interlocutor said.

Honored award

If there is free time, Elena tries to devote it to her hobby - in the evenings she does not mind a bike ride.

- Several times a week I go to the stadium “Dynamo”, – she shared. Home affairs should also be given attention. My husband Sergey and I have two children – 23-year-old son Mark and daughter Violetta, she is 19. They understand that I have such a schedule: everyone is used to it and supports it. For example, a husband in the morning before work always helps to remove snow in the winter.

- How did you feel when you found out that you were “Minsk of the Year”?

- I didn't believe it at first. I thought there was a mistake. When I found out that I was truly honored, I felt proud. This is the most important professional award in my life. I want to work for the benefit of our capital with doubled energy, so that it becomes even brighter and more beautiful, Elena said.

In the summer of 2026, E. Grekova became the chairman of the COTOS No. 2 ZhEU No. 6 of the Factory District. Previously it was the senior courtyard of the house No. 8 on the street. Krupskaya. This year, Elena also entered the top three winners of the competition of professional skills “Minsk Master”.

Photo by Sergei Lukashov and Sergei Pozhoghi