The office toilet like most shared toilets can be treated with some degree of nonchalance by users. Considering people spend an average of 8 hours a day at work and at least use the facility once a day. It will be difficult to properly function or be productive at work without answering the call of nature. Let’s quickly look at some factors that can influence the state of the office toilet.
Factors that determine the state of the office toilet:
1) The number of employees to toilet ratio: It is quite important to understand an ideal employee to toilet ratio when choosing an office space and hiring. The guidance is below
1-5 employees = 1 Toilet
6-25 employees = 2 Toilets
26-50 employees = 3 Toilets
51-75 employees = 4 toilets
76-100 employees = 5 toilets
This provides a pointer to the ratio of employees to the toilet but other factors such as gender split of employees and the gender neutrality of the toilets will also have an impact.
2) The presence of cleaning staff and frequency of clean: Most offices secure the services of cleaners to maintain the toilet facilities. The regularity of how these toilets are cleaned differ between offices. For some companies, cleaning the facilities once every other day is fine. Whilst others, a daily routine is enough to keep the state of the units to a hygienic standard. A host of modern office workspaces, employ cleaners that maintain the facilities hourly or in real-time. In a nutshell, the number of cleaning personnel and the frequency of their cleaning impact the state of the office toilet.
3) The office email: Some companies make the effort to email toilet etiquette to workers. This is an interesting example of a company that has gone an extra mile to ensure employees understand what is expected of them whilst using the toilet.
4) Pasting bullet points of the etiquette on the toilet wall: This could be a reinforcement technique to remind staff of the appropriate ways of using the toilet facility either when doing a number one or two. It is almost like a post-it note that contains your tasks for the day.
5) How quickly things are replenished: The office manager or the purchasing department, have an impact on the state of the work toilet. Being thorough with taking stock of items such as toilet roll, liquid soap and air freshener will ensure no facility runs out of these essentials.
6) Recognising good toilet behaviour: To encourage good toilet behaviour, it is important to recognise employees when the facilities have been left in a good state for other users. This will inspire them to uphold or continue the good toilet behaviour.
Overall, these factors impact the state of the office toilet.
Image credit: apss.co.uk
