having to specify when to go to the toilet!?

[pottytowork]

i wonder if anyone can shed any light on if this is even legal.
I work in a call center, and a memo was sent round today stating that our breaks are to be extended to 40 mins instead of 30. and it can be broken up through out the day, but at least 20mins must be taken in a block.

it then goes on to say that this longer break will give us time to go to the toilet and make hot drinks etc " as there will be no getting up outside of these slots"

there was up roar today when this memo went out.

is this legal? can they say that we can not pee outside of those time? how on earth are we suppose to time our bodily functions?

if i did a 8 - 5 shift, that means i can have a break at 12 for 20mins, and then another 20mins through out the shift. That can mount to a fairly long time with out a wee, and is a VERY long time just sat in front of a pc taking calls all day with just a 3 second break between them!

There is no specific right to a toilet break. Legally they just have to give you a 20 minute break at some point during the day. It sounds like they are giving you that break plus an additional 20 minutes for toilet breaks, etc. So you could have a couple of 5 minute breaks as required in the morning and another couple of breaks in the afternoon.

You may be able to argue that this is a health and safety issue. Also if someone needs more regular toilet breaks due to disability, pregnancy or similar it may be discrimination if they are not allowed to take them.

it just seems utter madness to stop adults wee responsibly! i can understand that people take the piss going out for coffee and tea all the time. but nipping to the loo!

because we spend all day talking, we tend to drink a lot (water/tea/ coffee) so it does make you pee more, but not excessively!

Welcome to life as a teacher.

trust me pictures, you probably get to talk to people with more sense!

I did spend 3 years working in a call centre after uni - you're probably right!

It's not clear whether the remaining 20 minutes can be taken at times of your choosing (ie you can in fact decide when to go to the toilet), but even if that isn't the case, there are of course hundreds of jobs where you can't just leave your work and go to the toilet whenever you like.

If there are any employees with medical conditions/disabilities/pregnancies for whom this would be a problem, they should flag that up and it would be reasonable to expect your employer to allow adjustments to the policy.

Where I work its common practice to go for a loo break during work time and then go for your break! People do take the piss - a lot!! There's one bloke that like to go at a certain time for about 20 minutes!! I suppose if they have a problem with people doing this

you have to book your breaks at the start of your shift. so it is not easy to guess when you might need the toilet!

it is people taking the piss keep going out to make tea and coffee thats done it. some people are up once or twice an hour to make them!!

as it is now this has been sent out I need a wee more then ever!