Puking colleague

[MyrandaRoyce]

One of my colleagues routinely throws up in the ladies toilets and doesn’t clean up properly after herself. When I say routinely, it’s on a daily basis, sometimes more than once.
I had to use the loo straight after her today and the smell almost made me throw up myself

I feel sorry for her, I don’t know if she is pregnant or has bulimia or some other health condition, but honestly it’s so gross. Stuff in the toilet bowl, the smell (we have air fresheners and cleaning stuff visible in the bathroom but she doesn’t use them), yuck yuck yuck.
It’s a small office with just the one bathroom so I’ve worked out who it is by a process of elimination.

AIBU to have a quiet word with the Office Manager and ask for a sign or something to be put up. Or should I put a sign up myself?

I don’t want to be known as the dickhead that complained about someone with morning sickness or an eating disorder but is it unreasonable to think whatever you do in the toilet, you shouldn’t leave it for the next unfortunate person to find?

It’s been happening since she started, 4 months ago. I don’t think she’s pregnant (has drinks at office parties etc) but you never know. It tends to happen around lunchtime and in the afternoons, but I also know “morning” sickness can happen throughout the day.
I suppose surgery is possible, or other health issues, and I do feel for her if that is the case but honestly, it’s so grim to be confronted with someone else’s vomit.
I use the client bathroom in reception a lot more these days! but we’re not really supposed to use that as it’s for clients only (not to mention I work on the 8th floor & reception is on ground floor, I’m a bit resentful of having to go down 8 flights of stairs because someone else doesn’t clean up after themselves)

Maybe she has a secret drink habit and she's constantly hungover?

could she have emetophobia? I suffer from this & I absolutely wouldn't be able to clean up after myself without full blown meltdown followed by more vomiting and have to get away from it asap.
However, never in my life (since I was old enough to bend over a toilet) have I ever made such a mess that it was everywhere so that is a bit slobbish.
I would speak to management in a general way and ask for a sign to be put up with an amendment that if any1 has any issues or queries to contact the manager.
If she does have a problem with vomit it's still her responsibility to get it cleaned up if she can't herself

Yikes, poor woman isn't fit to be working really. Would she get sick pay if she was signed off or is she stuck having to try to work while feeling ill all the time? Unless it's bulimia or hyperemesis, there are tablets she could be taking to prevent vomiting.
I'd ask management to leave a polite notice about leaving toilets as you found them, but I really feel for her, whatever it is.

I've been really ill with vomiting, but always managed to clean toilet after myself. I was six stone at one stage after periodic vomiting for 9 months (not pregnancy related - gastritis), so not exactly brimming with energy, but I don't think my vomit ever stank the place out?
Maybe management could speak with her to see if she really is fit to be working?

I’m an emetophobe and I wouldn’t be able to use that toilet, at all, ever again until she stopped leaving it in a mess 😷

I’m sure if she had emetophobia she wouldn’t be able to function with vomiting so much, I have it and if I get sick I totally freak out (I would be led on the floor shaking, I wouldn’t be able to carry on working). I also wouldn’t be able to handle seeing someone else puke in the toilet, it’s unfair that she’s not cleaning it up. If she really is ill then she shouldn’t be at work, if she’s pregnant than she should clean up after herself.

Op, I would put a note in the toilet.

adults clean up their body waste after themselves. Ask manager to have a word with her and tell her to clean up or face disciplinary. If it is an illness, she gets it treated. If it is pregnancy, ok but neither is an excuse not to clean up. And if she is that ill, should she even be at work?

Manager should provide suitable cleaning materials. Not air 'fresheners', that's just another stink.

Definitely no issue with sick pay here, I’ve been here for over 5 years and have never even heard of someone being not being paid for time off sick.

I’ve got a chronic health condition myself & in early days after diagnosis they were really great with giving me flexibility in office hours & allowing me to do 1-2 days a week working from home until I was well enough to return to my usual working hours.

She’s only been here for 4 months so she might still be in probationary period, maybe she feels reluctant to take sick days or discuss it with her manager/HR.

Whatever the reasons for this I don't think it is fair to call her vile, I am only guessing but she may have a medical/psychological issue that you are all unaware of. Of course it's not pleasant, the smell of vomit is really horrible, but the manager needs to speak to her and find out what is going on, offer support but also tell her that it is a health issue that is affecting other staff and she must clean this up or take time off work until it is resolved.

Could be on medication that makes her spew. Still not your problem.

I know when I had gastritis, all I was vomiting was clear liquid as I couldn't stomach eating, so nothing really to stink. It might well be bulimia the poor thing. You'll have to chat with management I think. They may be able to approach it with her gently.

If it is bulimia though, I feel really sorry for her as to be approached or reproached will possibly send her over the edge. Either way, it's an awkward situation.

Are you sure it's vomit and not stinky poo?

As someone who's suffered from bulimia for 20 years, I think I can safely say, it isn't that. Nobody has ever known that I've just been sick in a toilet. She definitely wouldn't want people to know if it's that.

I would speak to the manager or HR and say that the ladies' loo is very unpleasant. You don't have to mention names.
A sensible option would be for HR to send out an e-mail asking everyone to leave the loos in the condition they would expect to find them.

It’s definitely puke, because there are pieces of food left in the toilet.
(I didn’t want to type that!)

I don’t want to malign this person because I have experienced “hidden” illnesses first hand, but it really doesn’t look like she’s dragged herself back to her desk and is so unwell that she’s unable to stay at the puke-site for long enough to do a second flush or spritz of air freshener on her way out.
She’s fully part of the office social scene, including twice weekly (where she’s drinking beers so not like a tonic water pretending it’s G&T or similar), joins for team meals etc, and about 20 mins after the puking incident today, was munching her way through a big bag of crisps.
Again, I know that sounds like I’m judging her (I suppose I am really!) but I find leaving the toilet in such a state and then coming back & carrying on as normal every single time to be pretty inconsiderate.

I’ve just spoken to the Office Manager. I didn’t mention colleagues name but told her the toilets are really grim because someone is throwing up in them & not cleaning up afterwards.
OM said she’ll put a sign up by end of today and will “monitor the situation”. Rather her than me!
She’s also going to see if she can open up access to bathroom area of floor below so there is an alternative for short term.
Seems like a decent result and hopefully it will resolve the problem!

I know someone that does this. She will puke mostly in sinks and leave it. Absolutely disgusting.

Ugh. Skanky mare.

It surely has to be a type of eating disorder if she's vomiting up her lunch (OP says it happens around lunch/afternoon time) and then feels well enough to almost immediately eat crisps.

Whilst I have sympathy for anyone with an illness, the responsibility to clean up is still very much on the person doing the puking! It is absolutely disgusting to leave it for the next person to deal with!

Some misinformation on this thread...

Unless it's bulimia or hyperemesis, there are tablets she could be taking to prevent vomiting.
I am hyperemesis and there is medication you can take to help reduce the frequency of vomiting, but these don't always work for people or at least not to completely solve the problem. I'm on my third atm and it's the only one that has helped at all so far but I'm still sick a few times a day at least and have no kind of life as when I move I vomit so have to spend all day in one place really.

If she really is ill then she shouldn’t be at work, if she’s pregnant than she should clean up after herself.
The two aren't mutually exclusive! I'm ill with hyperemesis because I'm pregnant, and often the vomiting is so awful I'm incapable of cleaning up after myself. But I agree it does not sound like she should be at work if she is that ill, hence why I'm not.

If it is an illness, she gets it treated. If it is pregnancy, ok but neither is an excuse not to clean up.
Sigh, see above...but again I agree it does not sound like she should be at work.

After seeing OP's update, I am bemused. I can't imagine how if someone is well enough to clean up their sick, that they wouldn't do it?! Especially in public loos. How awful.

Anyway glad you have some progress after speaking to your manager. I get why you don't want to name her but then I think from a welfare perspective it probably would be a good idea to name her just because of concern for her health/wellbeing/whether she should really be at work or not.

It’s definitely puke, because there are pieces of food left in the toilet.

I dunno, a friend of mine had probs digesting food and would shit large chunks of food, she was once in tears at my house because she had to run to the toilet and the plumbing here is shit, takes a good five mins to be able to reflush the toilet, and after the third attempt didn’t shift everything she came down in tears crying apologising about the smell (which was actually more like vomit than shit) and the stuff left behind.

Dhs Uncle also shit chunks of food out, he said it was the diet pills. Mil was mega pissed off as he would stink her whole bungalow out and a few times the smell has made her vomit so once he’s had his shit she would go for an hours walk and leave him watching tv until he went home.

Why didn't you just say to her that you noticed she had been sick, and ask is she ok?
If she says yes then say can you please make sure you leave the toilet ready for the next person as it hadn't all flushed away.
I wouldn't go to a Manager without having a polite word first.