Any Sainsburys staff here?

[Shedbuilder]

Shameless abuse of AIBU, but looking for traffic.

If you work for Sainsburys, could you let me know what's happening to your changing and toilet facilities — for staff, not customers. Do you still have separate male and female loos and changing facilities or have they been merged to unisex in the name of diversity?

Any thoughts or info gratefully received.

Sex is a protected characteristic. There should be separate lavatory facilities for both male and females. I don't want to be dealing with haemorrhaging and flooding with my male colleagues standing outside the cubicle hearing it. It's bad enough that female colleagues, who might understand what I'm going through, have to hear. Let alone that they have to wait for the cubicle, and then there's no loo roll left

Unisex doesn’t necessarily mean open plan.

And we are all a bit sick of companies being trashed because they make a room available to men and women.
Surely that in itself sorts out any problems of where trans people go, if everyone uses the same rooms.

As long as there’s locks on the doors, it’s a non issue.

The only tedious person around here is you RedRec. Following with interest. I don’t give money to businesses that don’t support the need to protect women from self identifying men.

@KrakowDawn

Sex is a protected characteristic. There should be separate lavatory facilities for both male and females. I don't want to be dealing with haemorrhaging and flooding with my male colleagues standing outside the cubicle hearing it. It's bad enough that female colleagues, who might understand what I'm going through, have to hear. Let alone that they have to wait for the cubicle, and then there's no loo roll left

They can’t be cubicles, they have to be fully enclosed floor to ceiling. Then it really doesn’t matter.

I'm asking because the situation is unclear. Sainsbury's head office has responded in such a waffly way that it's impossible to understand what they're saying or what their policy is.

As HairyPotter says, I don't think it's transphobic to want to keep sex-segregated spaces. I'd certainly prefer not to have to deal with the consequences of a heavy period while men chat outside the cubicle. I have a male friend who cycles to work who's made it really clear that he doesn't want to have to change out of his cycling shorts and into his trousers in front of the women he works with. Dignity and privacy cut both ways.

I used to work for a different retailer. We never had anything as exciting as a 'changing room'. Everyone came and went in their uniforms. Going by the amount of Sainsbury's uniform wearers seen in places that are not Sainsbury's I am guessing they don't have changing rooms either.
I do know however that many Sainsbury's have got rid of their staff canteens. They have a staff room but no guarantee of a kettle or microwaves of fridge. A (expensive) vending machine if they are lucky. Having somewhere nice to eat lunch and have a cup of tea is probably more the concern for Sainsbury's staff. The person I know that worked there ate her lunch in her car became with the canteen gone there was just the small staff room.
If you want a campaign to do why not focus on the poor lunch break facilities so many companies have.

But you don’t even work there so what does it matter to you

@HairyPotter

How on earth is it transphobic to want to keep sex segregated spaces? Why do we segregate at all if it’s so unimportant? I wouldn't want to change into a uniform in front of male colleagues. No issue with people who don’t mind but they don’t speak for everyone.

Good point. I was in a City Library before Covid, and a penis owner came out of the cubicle still zipping up..It disconcerted me..and another woman was visibly shocked. There was a ''Mens'' nearby. Loos clearly marked.

It doesn't make one 'Transphobic' to want them to be separated.

I'm sure if women were to enter a 'Male space' some men wouldn't like it, either.

Why Sainsbury’s though? Or have you also emailed every other private business you don’t work for???

I’m not disputing the importance of single sex toilets/changing rooms. But fail to see why Sainsbury’s employees require OP to champion them about something that may or may not be an issue.

I've worked in places with one loo, and been the only woman. When you gotta go.

Interesting that the OP has attracted such a lot of strongly worded responses telling her to mind her own business in such a short time. I don't work at Sainsbury's either, but if they did have sex-segregated toilets and changing rooms and now don't, I'd be concerned on behalf of the workers there, just as I am about the many reports from schools that girls and boys are all now expected to use the same toilets and communal wash hand basins.

If we were talking about the kind of toilet which is effectively a room, with floor to ceiling door and solid walls, washing facilities in the same room, I'd be OK with that. Those are still quite rare, though, aren't they?

Those who are OK with mixed facilities, that's great for you. But what about women who can't use them for religious reasons or because they have PTSD following sexual or domestic abuse? What about women with a medical condition who really need privacy? Is it OK for everybody's facilities to be made unisex because some people have no problem with it? Surely there should be consultation with everybody affected.

@Devlesko

I've worked in places with one loo, and been the only woman. When you gotta go.

A ''self contained'' loo isn't a problem. EG...with one with lockable door . The ones that are less pleasant are those with cubicles and a row of loos, where there is less privacy. The Turdis type loos seen at outdoor events are ok {apart from being grim after the first day} because they are 'self contained'.

Edit :With one self contained toilet/hand wash unit with lockable door.

Having worked in retail though the amount of crap that goes on behind the scenes to the customers - irregular and random shifts, crap pay, being monitored to make sure you do small talk with customers, being expected to do two jobs at once (serve on tills as well as stock your department), pointless new ways of doing things even though the way you have already done it is fine, having Christmas last for 4 frigging months and dealing with rude, aggressive and sometimes violent customers - sharing the lav with the blokes is the last thing you think about.

@Angryresister

So this is of no concern to female members of staff? Do people have no idea on how it is very rare for them to be consulted about these ? Because one person does not have a problem with mixed sex changing rooms , doesn’t mean that others do not. And concern is not about whipping up hate.

This

@bookmum08

Having worked in retail though the amount of crap that goes on behind the scenes to the customers - irregular and random shifts, crap pay, being monitored to make sure you do small talk with customers, being expected to do two jobs at once (serve on tills as well as stock your department), pointless new ways of doing things even though the way you have already done it is fine, having Christmas last for 4 frigging months and dealing with rude, aggressive and sometimes violent customers - sharing the lav with the blokes is the last thing you think about.

Having to make small talk with customers? That is nuts. Also having aggressive and violent customers is completely unacceptable. I hope the shops have decent CCTV and also 'Security' to help protect staff.

I work for a large retailer and we have changing rooms for staff. The restaurant/cafe staff are not allowed to take uniform home as it gets washed by a specialist company, but lots of non food staff also get changed at work.

The changing rooms are communal and it would be a very big deal if we had to get changed in front of the opposite sex.

There’s a male one, a female one and they recently changed the tiny prayer room to a gender neutral changing room.

So to previous posters, yes, some stores do have changing rooms for staff and no I don’t want to get strip down to my underwear in front of my male co-workers.

We have also had a couple of men sacked for masturbating at work (unconnected to each other!), so don’t want gender neutral loos either.

@Heyahun

But you don’t even work there so what does it matter to you

If you don't like the question, go visit another thread. It clearly doesn't concern you as you're either (a) a man (b) a woman who is happy to sacrifice other women on the altar of wokeness.

"We have also had a couple of men sacked for masturbating at work"

A male colleague at my workplace was sacked/encouraged to leave (wasn't quite sure of the terms of his departure) for doing that.

The attempts to shut the OP up immediately are tedious and predictable. If you're not interested in the topic, don't read the thread. (Given that's not what these posters doing, I presume they think that she shouldn't even ask the question.)

There is nothing transphobic about maintaining single sex spaces. If I worked at Sainsbury's (or any other workplace where I had to change), I'd want changing rooms separated by sex.

I asked about Sainsbury's because Sainsbury's is my preferred local supermarket. And because it concerns me when facilities are withdrawn or changed without the consent of the workers. There are a lot of women visible in my local store and I'm concerned for their privacy and dignity. I work in a male-dominated sector and often have to use loos used mainly by men and they are too often completely disgusting.

I know that retail workers are exploited and mucked around and that no supermarket can boast about its treatment of employees. That's why I asked specifically for information from Sainsbury's employees.

40 years ago I was naive and felt very uncomfortable changing where there was someone who did not feel right. The other female workers chose not to change in this room and eventually enlightened me . I was kind but my feelings of discomfort and anxiety were not deemed important . Now we have to deal with males insistent on getting validation from us and worse. No I am not going to be kind and give up my sex protected rights.

Why Sainsburys?

cross posts op!

@mumwon

Why Sainsburys?

RTFT !!!