My employer has just removed single sexed toilets to be more inclusive!

[Dhama]

In light of the SC ruling. Wtaf

Previously we had men, women and a unisex accessible toilet. They have now, in the guise of being inclusive, removed all signage and all are mixed sex.

The toilets are all individual, lockable with washing facilities included but that’s not the point. I hate using a toilet after men have been in there fgs.

We are a LA so unsure what the provisions are in other offices across the county.

I have emailed the head of facilities but not sure if I can do anything else.

am so cross

OP given the toilets are legal, could you come to an informal arrangement with colleagues, that ladies use floor 1 and gents floor 2 (for example)?

That seems to be the rule in my workplace. The men march past the first few to use the ones at the end. So effectively the first few are used by women.

Same

are you saying that grown adult man who have no sen - are literally smearing poo for the fun of it

It is legal. They have to either have single sex facilities OR fully enclosed toilets with washing facilities so only one person will be in there at a time; then it can be mixed sex.

I think I’m more annoyed that we had them, therefore recognising the need for ss spaces, and they have now removed them without any consultation process at all.

Thanks all

Really wouldn't trust anything by Lewis Silkin they have given proven incorrect legal advice in the past. Funny really as they are the advisors to the CIPD 😂

I thought the EHRC guidance was very clear re: single sex toilets must be provided in the workplace. Why are so many pp's getting it wrong? Is there further guidance I've missed?

I worked in finance for a well known UK bank in a specialised traditional department for many years with absolutely no toileting issues. After the relocation to our office space of a more international department, we had numerous reports of turds on the floor of the gents. How the fuck does that happen?

See the other thread on the dangers of 'gender neutral' facilities re: the rise of hidden camera use and voyeurism. Reported in the Guardian no less. So this would be a reasonable thing to raise with your idiot employers.

Or can you come to an arrangement between you and reinstate M and F with your own signs or stickers?

I'm confident this is perfectly legal, but you can always complain.

Just wait til you and your male colleague walk in together into side by side cubicles and you want to unwrap a sanitary towel...

I’ve just gone through this. Now have to deal with shitty toilets, god awful smell, piss on the floor and piss on the seats and leaving the toilet seat up

The thread on 'Gender Neutral' loos https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5342958-gender-neutral-rooms-hidden-cameras

The Guardian article

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/27/secret-spy-cameras-voyeurism-uk

HSE produce guidance on the regs which says:

where possible, separate facilities for men and women _ failing that, rooms with lockable doors

https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg293.PDF

It's also worth checking whether they have enough toilets now they are all mixed sex. The numbers are different for men's toilets vs. women's or mixed.

This is useful: https://sex-matters.org/posts/publications/workplace-toilets-know-your-rights/

Also as a LA they will have additional obligations under the PSED. You could ask to see their equality impact assessment for this change.

Perhaps, but I see all manner of posters offering fully enclosed toilets as a solution to the issue of men who think they’re women wanting in on the women’s single sex facilities, and it’s very important that people realise that enclosed loos are not the dream ticket solution to this problem.

Fully enclosed lockable toilets massively increase risk for people who are seriously ill because of eg a diabetic hypo, a heart attack, stroke or seizure being in trouble where nobody can see there is an issue and so they are left for a long time with nobody getting help because nobody knows they are ill. They also raise the risk of sexual assault of women and girls, as they can be pushed into a cubicle with an attacker, that is then locked and nobody can see or hear what is going on.

If they are individual and lockable what is the problem ?

That is disgusting. If they are smearing faeces around, I’d be concerned about hidden cameras if they had access to women’s facilities. They sound like pretty revolting men.

See my post directly above yours.

Also, if you’ve ever been in a unisex public loo you’ll no doubt be aware that they are vastly dirtier and smellier than women’s loos. Why should women have to put up with men pissing on the seat and floor and leaving it for their colleagues to clean up?

I think this is an important point to raise. Why no consultation? And what’s changed to make them take this measure when it’s generally unpopular?

I think women are just going to have to kick up a fuss every time they have to use a toilet that has been made disgusting by men. It may be legal to force women into enclosed unisex toilets, but it’s not acceptable to put up with piss all over the floor, shit on toilet seats etc, so the only thing we can do is complain, all of us, every single time. With photographic evidence of the filthy conditions we are being expected to endure.

There is a sudden flurry of toilet related threads on here today, so @Dhama it's worth reading them as there are useful links on them!
if they don't change them back, it's worth reminding them of why women need SS toilets at work,
https://sex-matters.org/toilets-matter/
the fact the workplace regulations require them, and that employment tribunals have found only having gender neutral loos discriminates against women- here's just one example.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64559184

and now thankfully if your employer won't change back JK Rowling has set up funding to help ordinary women fund cases to resolve issues like this.

Ew.

I hate using toilets after men too OP. You just know the lazy fuckers will have left the seat up, piss everywhere and not wash their hands.

if enough women complain, surely they can reintroduce women only toilets?

Blokes’ urine on the seat, risk of hidden cameras, additional safety risk, you know, the usual Maddy.

We have a block of offices shared with different businesses. There are male and female toilets, but also one mixed sex block.

The mixed sex block has four toilet cubicles, with the handwashing faciliies on a wall opposite the cubicles. I hate using them, but they are the only one on our floor and sometimes I have urgent need to go.

I am confused if these are still allowed, as there are separate facilities (but quite a walk away and up or down flights of stairs. My understanding is they are not because the handwashing facilities are not withing the cubicle?

And isn't that always the way. For this particular 0.02% of the population everybody has to be made uncomfortable, unhappy and inconvenienced.

I would contact Sex Matters for advice OP, they will probably have all the information to hand.

This would really bother me…. To the point where I would put blood tablets in the toilet until the men complained and it was rectified.

It's horrible OP, we have them in my office too.

I try not too drink much at work and I drive home for lunch specifically so I can use my own bathroom. Occasionally I walk to the big Waitrose around the corner as they have single sex loos. It's a bloody pain.