To ask if I’m the weirdo?

[Greyhound123]

Hi all

Just read an article re a teacher in the US who went to the loo whilst on a Zoom call and forgot to turn her video stream off, obviously resulting in all the participants witnessing said trip to the loo.

Majority of comments under the article are people saying that it’s disgusting and they would never take their laptop into the loo with them, let alone go whilst on a call.

I’m not a teacher but have been WFH since early March and will admit to doing this on several occasions (on a long call, haven’t needed to input for a while, desperate for the loo, mute myself and take laptop in with me and balance it on bath edge while I have a quick wee), but not when I’m on video mind.

Anyone else? Or am I the weirdo?

Nope. I've dropped a phone in the bath and another phone down the loo in the past. I'd be too worried about my work laptop being ruined.

Surely just politely excuse yourself from the meeting for five minutes like you would in real life?!

I wouldn't because Sod's law id know the video on!

I can & do dash to the loo.

I do often occasionally have a mug of wine while on a zoom call, it looks as if I'm drinking tea or coffee

@Paul72

I do often occasionally have a mug of wine while on a zoom call, it looks as if I'm drinking tea or coffee

Genius!!

I don't think it's weird if you need to hear content and are bursting. Double check mute, double check video is off, turn laptop to face wall.
Easy peeeesy (see what I did there? ).

Yup almost every day. Wfh has meant almost constant bloody Teams meetings. Have it down to an art form. Muted Mike .. (blue tooth headphones ).. can still hear but no one can hear or see me.

My bladder would of exploded by now if I didn't do this .

Ah yes.. the mug of wine.. that too. (Not whilst on the loo though ) my standards are pretty low but no drinking whilst having a wee..

Bluetooth earphones and leave the laptop behind. (And double triple check I'm muted)

@Diverseduvet

No way. Excuse yourself and leave the laptop or just go.

Exactly this. Apart from a load of near strangers possibly witnessing the unthinkable... how fucking unsanitary!! Absolute boak worthy.
Your pissy hands all over your laptop ... fucking rank!!

How important / busy ? do you have to be that you can't take a few minutes out to perform a basic human function. It's a worry in a way with people increasingly working from home. Is the future employees permanently glued to their screens on a porta potty, being drip fed, to yield maximum performance for an employer.
The person that had a 3 hour zoom meeting could they not have just given everyone a quick 5 minute break. 3 hours for any meeting is a touch excessive. We've already accepted being constantly reachable through email and other technology, now it creeping into our bodily functions.

I run to bathroom, quick wee and then back, I'd never risk taking it in with me 😅

Why can’t people excuse themselves just like they would in a face to face meeting or am I missing something?

I’d be too worried about accidentally bottom burping and causing a sphincter siren feedback loop reverberating across fifteen laptops.

@ShirleyPhallus

Also, assuming you are washing your hands each time you use the toilet but are you also cleaning your laptop after each visit?

Would you really need to clean down your laptop from a 20 second trip to the loo?

It's not about how long it takes, it's about the things you have to touch while you're in there.

I leave the laptop outside the door but fgs people if you need the loo you need the loo.

Some people on this thread seem overly anxious. Pissy hands? The things you need to touch when you're in there? Surely if the seat is up already you touch the side of your trousers/pants, then a wad of clean toilet paper, then a tap - if it's in your house you can be relatively sure the sink isn't crawling with germs?

I'd say there was someone at the door and mute video and microphone and then pee quickly!

@BringMeThatHorizon

Some people on this thread seem overly anxious. Pissy hands? The things you need to touch when you're in there? Surely if the seat is up already you touch the side of your trousers/pants, then a wad of clean toilet paper, then a tap - if it's in your house you can be relatively sure the sink isn't crawling with germs?

By that logic, no one need ever wash their hands after going to the loo? Yeah, crack on

I say “excuse me, I just need the loo” then leave the zoom meeting in exactly the same way that I leave a physical meeting.
Wouldn’t dream of taking my laptop to the toilet!

Shocked by how many people who say no. I've been regularly WFH for 15yrs. I always do this. Weird to to wait and stay uncomfortable through a long call.

I also mute myself and cook tea, put the washing on, feed the cats, answer the door. What's the difference?

It's not about how long it takes, it's about the things you have to touch while you're in there.

Who are these people who manage to wee directly on their own hands every time they use the loo?

I have recently had to chair a hell of a lot of zoom meetings.

Especially ones that in real life,migh have been all morning or all day conference sessions.

I make of point of offering a comfort break every 60—90 mins if it’s going to run more than 2 hours.

If it’s a formal one, im very polite, and offer everyone a chance to take a breather and refresh their tea mugs. If it’s my usual team, I tend to be a bit more biologically honest about it. 😁

I use the same rules WFH as I would in the office. If I needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of a meeting I would excuse myself and go to the bathroom.

I regularly have days of back to back meetings. If I'm having back to back meetings I normally explain this at the beginning of the meeting and excuse myself 5 minutes before the end.

I would also always suggest a 10-minute break every hour for any meetings over 1 hour. It's a chance to use the bathroom, stretch your legs and get a drink.

Urgh this is rank and risky.

I have though a few times been on calls to companies and they were working from home and the call would go echoey, so obvious they've gone to the bathroom. Always makes me feel a bit ick.

I've done this. But I was shitting myself it'd go wrong.