Regarding loo breaks at work

[xkcdfan]

Hi there,

I'm quite new to Mumsnet so sorry for any breaches of etiquette in advance.

I know this is not huge in the grand scheme of things, but I work in a small office where quite often I'm left to "man the fort" as it were. Because the team spend so much time out of the office, I end up dealing with all the administration and answering phones.

Luckily, we don't get a great number of calls as people go straight to mobiles now. However, I have been told by my boss (who is also in charge of this office) that I need to transfer the office's phones to another office and send an e-mail to EVERYONE at the company to let them know that I have left my desk.

Obviously, I find it very embarrasing having to tell everyone when I have to go to the loo (especially at "that time of the month") and forward phones elsewhere.

I have been cheeky so far i.e. if someone mentions that there was no pickup, I say that "oh, I must have been on the other line, I'm sorry I didn't reach you in time" but seriously, where do I stand on this?

Thanks and I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

I don't know where you stand on this legally, but if it was me I'd ignore this rule and do what you've been doing. Could you ever be caught out for not following this rule? Seems a tad extreme. Can you speak to your bosses boss? Is there a female boss you could talk to about this, perhaps on the pretext of saying you're embarrassed to discuss it with a male boss (if your own boss is male)?