Unisex toilets in new office - dread going into work

[SocialMol]

The company I work for moved to a new office a few weeks ago. It is brand new and shared 50/50 with another company. We have our own side of the floor, key card protected so completely separate.

However, the toilets are in the middle of the block so are shared with the other company. These are unisex - several cubicles with shared area for sinks/dryers etc.

The other company is a sales one (they run a call centre there) and the demographic of their workforce is mainly young men in their 20’s.

There have been several instances of inappropriate comments made to staff in the toilets. Crass stuff like ‘give that cubicle 5 minutes’ to cruder comments directed at or about women - the men will often be talking about their own colleagues in a derogatory way in front of us.

The final straw for me was this afternoon when I walked out of a cubicle and a spotty young lad said he will ‘join me next time’ 😷

Our company are aware of our concerns but said there’s nothing they can do, as the toilets are designed to be ‘inclusive’ and similar to the other modern office blocks they viewed.

I don’t really know what I’m looking for by posting this to be honest, just wanted to know if anyone else finds this sort of set up completely ridiculous?

Your employer is unlawfully discriminating against you on the grounds of sex. Unisex toilets disadvantage women. They also don't meet the Workplace Regulations 1992.

Find a solicitor, and threaten proceedings under the Equality Act 2010. J K Rowling's fund may pay your legal fees:

https://jkrwf.org/

The bottom line is your employer is going to have to move to a different building; are you prepared to put in the hard work to make it happen?

Ffs. There’s always one. 🙄

Even if op took on board your stella suggestions, are you saying it’s reasonable for her to have to do youth work every time she needs a shit or changes her tampon? Is it always the woman who has to do the cajoling and educating when she’s confronted by unreasonable male behaviour in the toilet? “Just deal with it” - is that it? Distressing and annoying male behaviour when you least want it, but ‘just deal with it’?

What a gift of empathy you are to the sisterhood. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Is misogynistic language a crime yet? At the very least, it's sexual harassment.

Go to GR.
If HR won't listen, go to the police regarding aforementioned harassment. The company would hopefully not want a public image problem.

Why does anyone think unisex is a good idea? Men having their gross, 15 minute poos and women unsticking sanitary towels....why ever combine the two?

How condescending

Just to add to the "this is illegal" there is also, hidden away in the HASAWA if a workplace is not safe then you have a legal right to not be in that workplace.

The only exceptions are the armed forces.

Your employer should have done a risk assessment before you moved in but they can still do one now.

Do you have an incident book? It is similar to an accident book but you record things like near misses and the comments in the toilets.

I would be:

Asking to see the HASAW policy, if your business has over 5 people then there must be one.

Telling them the workplace is not safe your you so you will be working at home until it is.

I voted YABU because I don't think there's anything wrong with unisex toilets but I certainly don't think it's reasonable to have to put up with crude or inappropriate comments. I'd report every single one.

What makes you think these aren't fully enclosed cubicles with sinks?

Read the OP they are not like that, they have shared sinks.

Read the OP they are not like that, they have shared sinks.

My DM wouldn't have accepted this situation at her workplace in the 1960s. I've been working for 32 years and wouldn't accept it when I was 17 and washing up in a pub. It's nothing to do with modern life, it has always been unacceptable.

Get all the women together and tell your employer that you will all be working from home until they sort out the toilet facilities in the office.

This happened at our new office. After about 2 months they changed them. Men and women were unhappy with the set up. We still have one lot of unisex per floor, but a separate men and women per floor too.

Edited to add. Ours were floor to ceiling cubicles with sink in the cubicle. Imagine if you wanted to rinse a moon cup or something in the sink. Really unacceptable they are breaking the law.

I would bloody hate this! YANBU. I hope you complain about the sexual harassment.

This happened at a friends workplace. Most of the staff were not happy and the company did change things. You all need to get together and make it clear you won’t accept it.

I had the joy of using ‘inclusive’ toilets in several Manchester restaurants. Absolutely hated them. The shared sinks were outside so all men and women using them simultaneously. My DH likewise felt uncomfortable. The only winners are the property developers who can use less floor space for toilets now and men who enjoy making women feel uncomfortable.

I hate sharing toilets with men including the ones who miss the toilet when they piss. Let alone having young misogynistic men sexually harassing women. By law they have to have training on what is SH in the workplace but the danger is that by complaining they escalate to other behaviour.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Collinson-3/publication/240729852_It's_Only_Dick'_The_Sexual_Harassment_of_Women_Managers_in_Insurance_Sales/links/54ea05280cf2f7aa4d565907/Its-Only-Dick-The-Sexual-Harassment-of-Women-Managers-in-Insurance-Sales.pdf

Accepting sexual harassment as normal is a huge part of the problem.

There's nothing ridiculous about unisex toilets with individual floor-to-ceiling facilities.

If someone in the workplace makes an inappropriate comment to you in a common area, you either deal with it if you're able, or you report it to someone who can.

A man making an inappropriate comment at a sink is no different to me than a woman making an inappropriate comment in the stationary cupboard.

A 'spotty young lad' saying something so cartoonish to me would be followed back to his office and asked to explain what he meant in front of his colleagues.

Just deal with sexual harassment because you’re a grown woman? Thankfully, women no longer have to put up with this shit and are legally protected. If it’s been reported and the OP’s company are failing to take action to protect their female staff from this harassment they can be taken to an employment tribunal. If OP leaves the company as a result it’s constructive dismissal.

Either you're a man or a very stupid woman who just hasn't got a clue. Do you also think women who are raped just hadn't got a grip? Sexual assault is sometimes a crime of opportunity and a loo with no CCTV and open to men to use OOH makes women very vulnerable. Just look at the stats for India where in rural areas there aren't separate safe facilities. If you are a biological woman you should be ashamed of yourself trying to shame a woman from keeping herself safe.

Do the managers use the same toilets?

Right? I mean at least she isn’t being raped or sexually assaulted, she should be so grateful. Silly little woman!

Complain to the other company about sexual harassment by their employees and demand action. Put signs up in the toilet area saying any inappropriate comments or behaviour will be reported and do it. Log all the incidents and present it to the other company.

It’s not costly to change this surely… are there two sets of toilets? All they would have to do is change the signs back to Male and Female.

Put in an official complaint about sexual harassment /threats in the workplace on the basis of today’s interaction.

You could try to read the first post.

I had read the first post, obviously, but I thought there could also be basins in the cubicles which is something I've come across.