Mortifying situation at work, how to handle it?

[CheeseCrackers45]

Hi all. Already EXTREMELY embarrassed and want advice/WWYD.

So, I was on my break at work today and am on my period. Went to the bathroom, changed my pad, wrapped the used one in a bag and put it on the bin in preparation to put it in, but was in such a rush that I completely forgot to. Went back to work and suddenly remembered after about 15 minutes, but before I had a chance to excuse myself to put it in the bin, I overheard a colleague reporting to our manager that she'd found a used sanitary towel in the bathroom! I then overheard her talking and laughing about it with other colleagues, making fun of the thickness of the pad and how it reminded her of a nappy etc (I have endo so have really really heavy periods that only very big pads are able to handle).

I then overheard two managers talking about how they're going to hold a meeting with all the staff about keeping the bathrooms tidy/using facilities provided tomorrow.

I am absolutely mortified and embarrassed. I know I should have remembered to put it in the bin and nobody else should have to see it, but it was a genuine slip of memory.

Nobody has any idea that it was me (nobody saw me enter or leave the bathroom and nobody else was in there) but I'm terrified they'll be able to check CCTV in the hallway etc. I'm thinking of not saying anything and feigning ignorance when it's brought up but I'm so worried that I'll give myself away and thinking of discretely taking my manager aside and admitting it was me but that it was a genuine mistake and apologising profusely. However, my manager is a man and I'm not sure how understanding he would be.

Thankfully we finish for Christmas break tomorrow so hopefully it'll all be forgotten by the time we come back 😅

YABU - Come clean
YANBU - Don't say anything

You say nothing. Stop worrying. Enjoy Christmas! X

Dont say anything op. Genuine mistake. Everyone's tired and preoccupied with Christmas shite. Act as appalled as everyone else at the meeting and go with it 🤣

Good grief, I can't imagine anyone checking CCTV for this! If they did it would be a massive invasion of privacy.

Chill out and don’t mention it

Your colleagues are b*tches.

Be kind to yourself. You've done nothing wrong.

Don't let anyone shame you for the most natural thing in the world.

I’d have emailed my manager to confess!

No-one's going to check cctv for that. Don't say a word.

@Mummyratbag you say that, they have threatened to before when someone kept weeing on the floor in the men's toilet. But I appreciate that's probably a bit different and it happened more than once.

What would be achieved by telling your manager? Just pull yourself together and put your pads in the bin in future!

Why do you have to rush so much? I would hate to work in a place where my toilet visits are monitored.

Do not mention it.

Wow they sound childish. Say nothing, even offer to make up a reminder sign for the door 😀

People do sometimes forget things and make small mistakes. We all do.

There is absolutely no reason to be ashamed of menstruating or the size of your pads. If anyone makes you feel this way, they have a serious problem, not you. They sound awful.

Yeah they won't check CCTV (if they did, weird as this would be! they would just contact you and have a private word anyway).

Just let them give the reminder to all and not say anything.

We have all done this I think. I once forgot to put one in the bin after a bath in a shared house. Similarly I once found my housemates left out of the bin and discreetly put it in the bin for her. Honestly the kindest thing they could have done was to not say anything unless it was a recurring problem.

Stay shtum. It will be yesterdays news soon enough and for embarrassments sake you’re best off keeping quiet. Most people would do the same and would therefore not be surprised that it is left anonymous.

dont give it any more head space!

Say nothing. Absolutely nothing. Everyone has forgotten to properly dispose of a sanitary towel at one point in their lives.

No one is going to check cctv over a sanitary towel which was wrapped and already in the bin.

No way will they mention the specifics of this - and no one will ever find out.

Yes, as per PPs try not to give it another thought. No one will know it was you - they're not going to bother with CCTV. Relax and enjoy Christmas.

Don't worry about it, no one knows it was you. I once left one on the side in my shared uni house. I lived with 3 boys so clearly it was mine!

Also nothing wrong with thick sanitary pads. Seems a bizarre thing to mention.

Yep. And you’d wrapped the pad in a bag, it wasn’t like the pad itself was on show. They’re overreacting, and how childish to laugh about the thickness of the pad.

Can't actually believe that people would laugh at anyone else's sanitary pad, if I had been in the bathroom & saw it I would have just chucked it in the bin, the hells wrong with folk ffs.
Don't be embarrassed.

How many people work there? It's seems odd they discussed that knowing others could hear and possibly the person who left it. Are they all 10??

What a knob your colleague is.

I've been in a similar situation from the other side and I've dealt with it discreetly, knowing full well the next time it could be me being a numpty.

I bet your other colleagues all think she's a childish dick for making an issue out of it as well.

That is completely different!