Communal toilets

[IrritatedUser1960]

My NHS employer has decided that we will have communal staff toilets in the area I work the most in.
Basically this consists of two attached cubicles, non private with large gaps at the top and bottom of the cubicles so you can hear someone next door having a poo and unwrapping tampax etc.
One morning a big burly bloke was in the cubicle right next door, I could hear everything he was doing and I just left. I didn't want him to hear me going to the toilet I was quite distressed about it as I have issues with men.
On other occasions they have left the toilets filthy, not used the brush, pee'd on the floor and left the toilet seat up.
i am fed up with being too intimidated to use the toilet and having to clear up a man's dirty mess before I can even sit down.
My boss refuses to listen and says we must be "inclusive". i would be ok with transgender, not a problem but we have none working here!
What can I do if anything to stop this? All the female staff are fed up.

[Bella8]

I think that is absolutely appalling and disgusting. I would feel so uncomfortable not the mention washing hands at sink or retouching hair/makeup and man standing right there. That is way crossing boundaries. Can you start a petition and get all the stuff on board and place a complaint,
Bloody typical of NHS; they treat their staff terrible!

[Bella8]

staff*

[Bella8]

I bet some of the men are uncomfortable with it as well and prob feel like they shouldn't be in when women are in. The whole system is absolutely appalling.

[BinRaidingRaccoon]

Agree this is revolting. My old works toilets were pretty grim even as single sex, but at least actually piss on the floor was unusual.

[CaretakerToNuns]

And of course someone has to chime in with "what about the men?". Why should we give a fuck about the men, Bella? They're not the ones in danger of being raped, are they?

Get together with your female colleagues and demand that those toilets be made female-only - the men can find someplace else to do their business.

[Sunkisses]

@morningrunner - a test case for you?

OP, @morningrunner is a barrister, looking for a test case to bring about public bodies removing female toilets

[falange]

I worked in an office that had these kind of toilets. Hated it. Didn’t bother the men though. But it did bother all of the women. I don’t want any men in toilets that I’m in.

[MakeMisogynyAHateCrime]

Why authorities, companies and trusts do this despite so many protests is beyond me.

[daisychain01]

There's another thread running atm with a poor OP having the rigmarole of heavy monthly periods and trying to run to the loo every hour to change.

It was bad enough for her using an all-female toilet. I can't imagine how humiliating and intrusive it would be having blokes going in there.

[daisychain01]

They're not the ones in danger of being raped, are they

How ridiculous, talk about derailing the point of this thread.

[Vitalogy]

I'm not looking forward to coming across this situation, I hope it's stopped ASAP.

[CaretakerToNuns]

No, daisy, Bella was derailing the thread by attempting to paint the poor ickle males as victims.

We should not be forced to share bathroom facilities with a group of people who are unable to clean up after themselves, whose shits smell like rotten garbage, and who put us in danger of being raped. They can fuck off and shit elsewhere.

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

25 years ago in my first professional job I worked in an office where all.the toilets were communal. It wasn't an issue as far as I was concerned. I've worked in a couple of places since with communal toilets and I still don't see the problem.

Women as well as men can leave toilets in a mess. And make the place stink. I also think to claim.that male colleagues commit rape in staff toilets is just bizarre.

OP, if you and your colleagues (male and female) feel very strongly abut this then approach your managers collectively and say so. But don't be suprised if some of your colleagues aren't bothered by it.

[daisychain01]

We should not be forced to share bathroom facilities with a group of people who are unable to clean up after themselves, whose shits smell like rotten garbage, and who put us in danger of being raped

It may surprise you to know that female shit doesn't exactly smell of violets and roses, it's just shit.

And I try my hardest to avoid public toilets because the state of them can be awful - women don't always clear things up either. It's people, not just men.

What I mentioned was the problem of women not having privacy which is totally different.

[Lozzamas]

I'd have no issues with communal toilets - I have these at home!! I do feel for those that are "forced" into this against their will. I do find some women are as smelly, noisy and dirty as some men. I have no more problem sharing with men as I do with women - but understand others may. As for implying all men would be happy with this and cannot be victims or for implying that all men are likely to rape their female colleagues because there are communal toilets - that's just paranoid projection- there is no gender war.
My DH, DS, DB and DF are all men (oh dear) and that doesn't make them 2nd class or inhuman! They wouldn't want to share if it makes you uncomfortable, but why should they be forced to go elsewhere and be inconvenienced (so to speak) for some women's paranoia.
It's really down to the NHS trying to save money on toilet facilities, so they're not going to reverse their decisions - the cleaners will already have been sacked and the hand soap order halved. Hopefully if enough of you complain it will be taken on board, but as someone who makes these sorts of decisions (savings) I doubt it - gender fluidity is enabling all manner of traditional expenses to be reviewed in the name of progress.

[Nyx1]

I think I have seen this discussed and there might be a legal issue with it at present but not sure

pop on here and ask?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3062013-The-Bluestocking-is-open-for-business

[Nyx1]

PS Am I right in saying initially you had men's, a women's and now they are both communal? There's no cost saving there as a pp mentions, if both toilets are still in use then it's literally just the NHS pandering to transgender people and not even necessarily transexual people.

[Nyx1]

Lozz "'d have no issues with communal toilets - I have these at home!!"

quite what this has to do with a work place, I don't know. the idea that a work harrasser could legitimately follow me to the loos is scary.

[IrritatedUser1960]

All of us female staff have put in a letter of complaint so we'll see how we get on with that.

[IrritatedUser1960]

I'm glad nobody thinks I'm being oversensitive with this.

[GlitterGlue]

www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/toilets.htm

They can't do this. Loos can only be for both sexes if they are single loos in a single lockable room.

[IrritatedUser1960]

Thanks for that GlitterGlue I'll print that off and hand it in also.

[starzig]

A work harassed could also legitimately follow you into female loos too. Ever seen single white female. I had a bit of a gay female stalker at work.

[Nyx1]

Star, I'm sorry to hear that.

Ideally I think all toilets should be a fully enclosed toilet and sink.

but in terms of what you are saying, I'd feel more confident fighting off a woman than a man and statistically the man is much more likely to try and attack me.

[parkerbean]

I'd be terrified one might look under the door. How can you possibly go to loo with stranger men in room and gaps around the cubicle.