Male gym employee walked into female changing rooms while I was naked

[ShakinScarecrow]

I've recently joined a private family owned gym & spa.
It closes at 8pm on Sunday. The female changing rooms are open plan with 3 showers and no cubicles.

This evening I went swimming and left the pool at 7.45pm when asked to by a female employee. I then had come out of the shower and was naked at 8.01pm when a male employee walked into the female changing rooms.

There was a female employee cleaning, and another gym user who was dressed and just leaving the changing room and as she left he told her off for being late and said he would cancel her membership. It was at this point he walked right into the changing room, saw me naked and walked out. He did not knock, or announce he was coming in, or check if anyone was in there. He did not apologise not did the female employee.

Another female employee then came in, so there were 2 of them in there.
A minute or so later he came back in and I said "please don't come in I'm naked". He then stood by the door, where he couldn't see me, and told me off (I can't remember exactly what he said) asked how long I was going to be and said he would cancel my membership then left.
I said to the female employees this was unacceptable and should I complain to the owner. I asked if my membership would be cancelled as it was 8.03pm at that point. They said that they would let the owner know and someone shouted at this employee in the male changing rooms recently so he was in a 'bad mood', also that I shouldn't worry and he wouldn't cancel my membership as he just said that because of his bad mood.

I quickly dressed and left by 8:05. The 3 female employees were still cleaning various areas of the building. I don't know if any other gym users were there. As i left he was at the front desk scrolling on his phone, he did not acknowledge me.
I sat in my car and cried.

I know they do close at 8pm and he came in at 8.01, so it was after closing time. However, the staff were not waiting to leave and were still cleaning. He could have asked a female colleague to speak to me.

I've come home now and have a range of emotions- anger, humiliation, indignation. I'm absolutely going to complain to the owner. I don't feel comfortable going there again while he's there.
What should I do?

If you read OP’s original post in full, she states that the employee shouted at another woman that he was cancelling her membership because she was leaving one minute after closing. He was already in a rage as a male customer had shouted at him earlier.

Why? Could it have been he entered the male changing room without knocking? In any case here are 3 incidents in one day with this employee. It seems he has anger issues.

Sorry, that's bull. My entire career up until last year was in hospitality and yes, most of the time I was expected to work for free to "close down". I might have worked in the service industry but I was no one's servant. And I managed to progress through to GM.

I think most people are in agreement that this guy was a knob (ignoring the "poor bloke" comments), but many of us also see how OP was being inconsiderate by thinking her time was more important than theirs

So you never ever stayed even one minute later after the official end time?

While we're on it, people staying late cos they just can't handle abiding by the rules were the reason I didn't get to say goodbye to a grandparent of mine when they died. I didn't make it to the hospital. Surprise surprise, people who work in leisure, retail and hospitality all have lives and families outside of work, so no, they don't have to "suck it up" and take that shit.

Agree Bianca. Don't be selfish and inconvenience others by outstaying your welcome so to speak.

No he shouldn't have come in but OP should have been changed and out before 8

Then leaving on the dot is not something that will get you far

I’d have been disciplined and probably sacked

Not going to focus on this guy but anyone who has a hard end time could say have a train to catch which means saying goodnight to their dc or not etc

It’s not hard to imagine ways in which it’s not fair to value your time over someone else’s and expect them to work extra time for no pay.

I am a man.

Stop everybody, stop. The Man hath spoken. No need for any more views on the subject.

Sorry to hear that bianca

Surprise surprise, people who work in leisure, retail and hospitality all have lives and families outside of work, so no, they don't have to "suck it up" and take that shit.
But you don't understand, it was only a minute or two, only 5 minutes, people were just having a look at something, just fancied taking 15 mins to have a shower. Really you should accept this as part and parcel of having a job. Their time is incredibly precious don't you know.

As an aside, one of my friends was in retail and the shop wouldn't give full days to people because it would give them different break rights so they had shifts instead just under the hours required to make them entitled to a lunch break. But it was expected they were in the shop floor until the shift end time so if a customer turned up and spoke to them 1 minnbefore shift ended they were expected to stay with the customer unpaid for nothing. Same for those on the end of day shift, if people wanted to browse and then consider finally going to the tills just after closing time then they had to stay and sort the customer out.

I always thought it showed there were some absolute arseholes in the world but having seen this thread it seems the attitude of "just a few minutes... How dare they tell me to hurry up" is perhaps quite common.

Thank you Rufus

He should not have been rude, he should not have come in without knocking loudly. I used to work in a hotel, we would never ever enter a bedroom without knocking and announcing we were coming in. Even when I knew full well everyone had checked out, it was just a good habit to employ.

I would complain but he's obviously not a pervert. Just an idiot.

I've also been in a similar situation to the op. Was using the pool of a very naice hotel/spa. Pool closed at 8 but I wasn't aware. Got out our 7.50pm as it was deserted and felt a bit creepy. Left the changing room at 8.05pm to walk into a completely deserted and dark entrance area. They'd all closed up and gone home but bloody locked me in too!! I was shocked that no one had noticed I was still in the pool/changing rooms. I could have drowned.

I would feel the same as OP

What an arse he was. No excuse to walk in to female changing room when he knows someone is in there.

He knew what he was doing.

Any health clubs around here close and the staff are paid for the next half an hour to tidy up and close properly.

@twentynineyears how did you get out in the end? You didn’t have to wait until morning?

Blimey at being locked in. What did you do? Part of the reason I’d leg it.

Surprise surprise, people who work in leisure, retail and hospitality all have lives and families outside of work, so no, they don't have to "suck it up" and take that shit.

Oh right, I’ll be sure to tell my husband that he can tell the next CFs who rock up at 5 to 10 looking for a leisurely 3 course meal when the restaurant closes at 10 to fuck off. That would go down a treat I’m sure. So I don’t buy into the “poor bloke” scenario here, or why people think it’s so outrageous that someone can’t get to leave his work at closing time on the dot, as an excuse for him acting like a total arsehole.

@NemophilistRebel I went behind the bar and phoned the hotel reception.

Was very tempted to help myself while I was there.

@ForalltheSaints is 100% right.

And I don't think him saying he is a man is an issue.

@CareOfPunts restaraunts here stop serving food 30 mins before closing, I hope that the waiting staff and everyone else gets paid overtime when this happens, otherwise yes, he should be turning them away.

My husband who used to be a hospital manager accidentally walked into a room where a woman had her legs up ready for an internal examination. Realising his blunder he said "Don't worry I am a Doctor!" and quickly left the room

MinervaSaidThat thank you- I pointed out that I am a man out of transparency and also to say as a man I found another man's behaviour unacceptable.

Where I work now if you are 5 minutes late they dock 15 mins pay. However, when you are late leaving, as we always are, we don't get paid overtime or even TOIL.

Expecting staff to work for free, especially in NMW jobs, is how employers keep their costs down and get away with employing less staff. Where I now work employs 400 odd staff. If we all work just 15 mins per shift for free that's a lot of extra man hours we are saving them.

I’m really shocked at some of the replies on here.

This guy 100% knew what he was doing. He’s probably done it before.

I worked in a sports Center for over ten years and neither I or any other members of staff would have done this. We would have usually shouted with the door a jar - ‘anybody in?’

The timing tells me he was waiting to walk in to catch and shame a woman in undress. Just awful!

OP if your still here I’d -

Make a formal complaint to the owner
Cancel my membership
Write a review on social media about what he did.

He is bang out of order.

The expecting staff to work for free argument is a red herring and people are missing the point.

You do not walk in to changing rooms of the opposite sex with out giving prior warning.