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Women's health

Does anyone use unisex toilets at work?

20 replies

ifanc · 13/07/2020 11:40

Hi,

My work has started to replace the toilets at work with unisex toilets. I find it too stressful and upsetting to use them, although I did try at the start. Often the female-only ones are closed for cleaning and it is a long walk to find one that is open.

I'm feeling pretty low about it because I feel like I'm the only one who can't get on with them, although I do work in a mainly male environment. Does anyone here have any experience of this and is this common?

Thanks

OP posts:
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notacooldad · 13/07/2020 11:43

My building is an old big house with several bathrooms with showers and baths in.
We just what ever is free.
The team is evenly split between males and females.

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noblegiraffe · 13/07/2020 11:45

It’s becoming more common but it shouldn’t be. Are the unisex toilets fully enclosed rooms or simply the old toilets with a new sign?

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emmathedilemma · 13/07/2020 11:47

I've been to visit another office that had this. My office is very male dominated and having seen the state of our their toilets there's no way I'd be wanting to share with them!

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Allington · 13/07/2020 11:47

Yes. I don't have any problem with it.

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magicstar1 · 13/07/2020 11:48

We’ve always only had unisex toilets in work. We have two on the third floor....individual cubicles with sinks and dryers.
We also run classes so have public ones downstairs. They’re 10 individual cubicles fully contained with floor to ceiling doors, sinks etc.
Also one disabled toilet on the ground floor.

We have both men and women using them, and never had a problem. Everyone is clean and respectful, and leaves them in a good state.

I don’t agree with unisex toilets being introduced to be politically correct....we had no choice with the layout of the building etc. and they were done properly from day one.

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Toilenstripes · 13/07/2020 11:49

I hate unisex toilets when they are offered as the only option.

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Badbadbunny · 13/07/2020 11:50

I've worked in loads of smaller places where there was only one loo or several single loos spread over the building where you just used the one nearest or whichever one you were passing. All used for both sexes. Never even thought of it being a problem. That's nothing new either, the first place I worked was like that back in 1983!

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Sexnotgender · 13/07/2020 11:51

If they are fully enclosed individual rooms with sinks inside like a disabled toilet and cleaned regularly I’m ok with it.

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twoglassesofprosecco · 13/07/2020 11:51

We had this. 3 x floor to ceiling cubicles but with a shared hand washing lobby area.
I'm not sure what was more fun: rustling with pad wrappers next to men, listening to them have noisy flatulent poos, breast pumping in cubicles next to men or wiping wee from the seats.

Thing is, there was a block of these on either side of the not-huge office so no idea why one block couldn't be male and the other female.

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anon5000 · 13/07/2020 11:52

Yes, never had a problem with them.

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vixb1 · 13/07/2020 11:53

Could you ask someone about the cleaning schedule for the women's only toilets? Maybe you could try and time your trips as much as possible around when you can use that one? Or just use them whilst they are being cleaned (unless by a male).

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drspouse · 13/07/2020 11:55

If they are fully enclosed individual rooms with sinks inside like a disabled toilet and cleaned regularly I’m ok with it.

Same here; not if you have to share handwashing facilities.
If they open onto a corridor it's better too (rather than onto a lobby area).

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sanityisamyth · 13/07/2020 12:00

I have no problem with it from a sex point of view but men have an inability to piss in the right direction so I'd rather not sit on a seat, or stand on a floor, covered in urine.

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Comefromaway · 13/07/2020 12:01

Our toilets are unisex (2 cubicles 1 sink) but the boss's wife insisted that a lock be put on the main door so she and I (the only females) can prevent anyone else coming in.

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Sexnotgender · 13/07/2020 12:03

@drspouse

If they are fully enclosed individual rooms with sinks inside like a disabled toilet and cleaned regularly I’m ok with it.

Same here; not if you have to share handwashing facilities.
If they open onto a corridor it's better too (rather than onto a lobby area).

Absolutely. They must open into an open visible area and not another enclosed room. No shared hand washing facilities. And must be cleaned super frequently.
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RaspberryToupee · 13/07/2020 12:03

We have self contained cubicles with a floor to ceiling door and a sink in each cubicle. We do have male/female stickers on the outside though so they are designated for a particular sex. We have a high number of men in our office and they have been known to use the ladies cubicles when all the men’s have been full (during meeting breaks for instance). I find this mildly irritating when I have to wait for the bathroom because a man couldn’t be bothered to wait but generally understandable due to the lack of toilet facilities we have. If this was a shared space, so multiple cubicles in one room then I wouldn’t be happy with the arrangement.

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FianceDog · 13/07/2020 12:05

I hate them.
Someone has invariably done a smelly poop after a "big night" with accompanying skid marks and there is wee on the seat or the floor and a faint smell of stale urine.

Its also a massive room with a sliding door in our office which sets me on edge.

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Badbadbunny · 13/07/2020 12:21

Someone has invariably done a smelly poop after a "big night" with accompanying skid marks

How is that a male only thing?????

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ifanc · 13/07/2020 16:16

So it's a mix. We have one set that is shared space and trough sink - no mirrors or shelves to put your stuff. The cubicles are floor to ceiling but flimsy and thin. The other set have sinks in the cubicles but a shared lobby area. Both of them are often filthy with pee on the floor and seat.

I had already asked about the cleaning rota, but they've reverted to closing multiple female toilets at the same time, plus you don't know which are going to be closed which means a long walk.

I was feeling very vulnerable in them and so have stopped using them.

OP posts:
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drspouse · 13/07/2020 17:00

How is that a male only thing?????
Men do drink more so it's more likely (but not exclusively) male.

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