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

Let your male manager give a really garbled and embarrassed explanation of the issue, which most people won't understand and the rest won't be interested in.

Then move on. Next time remember.

You are overthinking. They do not know it was you.

You say absolutely nothing at all. Why would you.

End of.

Relax and forget about it - seriously!!!

Don’t believe it based on the ‘bag’ story. Surely you wrap it up in the wrapper of the fresh one like most people would?!

Recently learnt that there are some men that are so unaware of how women's bodies work that they think you can hold a period like you can your wee.
Just let it all out in the loo and that tampons/sanitary towels is a possibility of laziness.
No idea what kind of education your male manager has with regards to how women's bodies work but I absolutely wouldn't be giving them any information about any accidental leaving of anything.

You work somewhere where a meeting can be called in working hours to discuss ONE bagged sanitary towel accidentally left on top of a sanitary bin?

Wtf.

OP, I was once in a situation where the only reasonable place to put my used tampon was in a Keep Cup. My partner at the time put said cup on kitchen sink, whereupon his mother ripped off the lid and flung the lot in the washing up water. I can laugh about it…now…😂 Try not to panic, and have a merry Christmas 🎄

@grumpycow1 if you want, when I'm at work tomorrow I can take a picture of the bag dispenser and the sign beneath asking us to use them and DM it to you 😊

OP said that it was a sanitary bin, the typical grey one.

What proof can you provide?

How did this colleague know it was a 'really thick' pad when it was in a sodding bag? Was the plastic see-through? And why the hell would any woman want to scrutinise another woman's used towels in that way?

Some women are unfortunately horrible and judgemental when it comes to periods. I had a good friend, in her late 40s, make a bitchy comment about people who use sanitary towels instead of tampons, saying they’re disgusting and it’s gross to walk around with blood sitting in a pad in your underwear. and she couldn’t understand why any woman wouldn’t use tampons. I didn’t feel able to say to her that I use sanitary towels as after being raped whilst on my period I found inserting them can trigger flashbacks and her words left me feeling really shamed and anxious about my period for several months afterwards. We’re no longer friends now after I wet the bed whilst on a night away with a group including her and she was even more awful about that, I guess at least you know to avoid these bitchy women at work now.

Holding a meeting about it seems a silly way to deal with it. Sending an email would be less embarrassing for everyone but still get the message across. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. If they check Cctv over one mistake they are ridiculous

Bags in toilets to dispose of sanitary waste, whilst uncommon, I have come across on more than one occasion.

In the workplace?

In so many places and situations this would be a complete non-event.

And it was in a bag, so there is no issue.

I couldn't work with people like that.

In more than one workplace, and occasionally in small businesses.

How old are you all OP?

Are you sure you heard all those conversations. Seems very odd

Oh see no I’d go and speak to the manger and say you are very upset and explain that’s you went to the toilet and forgot to put it in the bin on your return you overheard the very un professional way it was being dealt with , the bitching and the that’s you have a medical condition . I’d make the manger squirm and I’d want and apology .

Own this it was an accident what age are they 12?
Dont be embarrassed your human

God it sounds like a school with teenagers. How childish of the other women, they should be the ones embarrassed.

Bully for them using skinny pads, aren't they clever. Let's hope as they age they have to actually wear nappies!

Honestly you did nothing wrong, Endo is bloody awful and debilitating and I hope you are ok.

Amazed that so many people don't believe the OP.

I've worked in places with bitchy women, who would make a huge childish deal out of it too.

It doesn't always happen in offices.... other work places exist.

This!

Just a note on how someone could leave a sanitary towel on a bin, easily done, open new pad remove old pad, wrap old pad with new wrapper, place on bin...
Women can be bitchy about periods.
To the other poster about pad sizes, It's obvious if you have a huge pad compared to a regular pad.
Op, forget about it, no one knows it was you, and in any case if someone complains and tries to you to blame you, I'd be asking them to implement a diversity policy that includes women.

Wow. Solidarity sister... not. Maybe she thought she was bigging herself up in front of the menfolk by acting disgusted. And to have it raised higher she felt important. But actually she's pathetic. Imagine being that low that you'd throw a fellow female colleague under the bus for a fully covered simple mistake.
Ha ha ha I’m one of the men, eww dirty girl, I'd better tell everyone. I hope she has endless heavy, clot filled periods and shits herself to boot. What goes around comes around.

As for PPs, yes there absolutely are women who would bitch about this. You've clearly been lucky to avoid how underhanded and nasty other women can be, especially in the workplace. As for how did she see it? Clearly she opened the bag.
I don’t understand why people are so obtuse in their comments on here lately. It's like a weird point scoring game where the idiot gets to win because they made the rules.
It's not rocket science to take on board the OP's problem, sympathise and realise how badly out of order the woman was. If you really need all of the above pointed out to you you're probably a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.