There is another thing that is very important to many employees instead of the salary – the restrooms. According to one survey, the workplace restrooms and the conditions are a big deal because it could be an indicator of how a company values its employees.
Work environments are now being designed to facilitate various forms such as visual, verbal, and nonverbal social interactions between coworkers. Going to the restroom is a necessary element of everyone’s life and work dynamic. Thoughtful attention to the design and management of workplace restrooms is more significant than often recognized because it offers the ultimate opportunity for employers and office managers to “walk the talk” of a high-performance work environment.
In a recent article studied by Melissa Marsh, she has explored some of the factors in this employer-to-employee-to-facility relationship and proposed design interventions to make the most of it.
Investments in spaces are seen as more transparent reflections of managers’ actual perspectives. The design and upkeep of a restroom play a crucial role in shaping the kind of professional relationship formed between managers, employees, and clients. According to one study, the organization that provides a bathroom that is thoughtfully designed and features wear well materials will be more positively evaluated than those that don’t.
1) The multisensory experience
A part from understanding the user experience of a restroom involves recognizing that the socio-spatial characteristics of the workplace restroom are nuanced because user assessments rely on multisensory information. Public restrooms should utilize materials that are less likely to show dirt and are easy to clean. For workers who rely heavily on visual data, it is essential to consider the other senses that constitute the sensorium of the restroom experience.
In terms of social perception, having people who we know connect us to the smells of the restroom can be anxiety-provoking, and we prefer restrooms that help protect our anonymity. Beyond smell, people also do not want to hear each other while using the restroom. Occupants require a bathroom stall that functions as a site of private refuge.
Creating a sense of privacy in restroom stalls also fits the reality of workplace behavior. Many studies have shown that many employees are retreating to toilet stalls to work. People feel free from the distractions of open offices and feel secure enough to let their minds wander.
2) Restroom allocation
Restroom allocation can be a place to associate and intermingle coworkers from across the organization. This intervention has the potential to help employees feel more connected to an organization because it exposes those traveling employees to the activities of workgroups with whom they’d otherwise be unfamiliar.
Additionally, the layout of restrooms in the workplace can also encourage or discourage physical activity among employees, which has repercussions for their physical health. Rhymer Rigby, writer for Financial Times article in 2004 wrote, a floor plan with a few centrally located bathrooms promotes more walking by employees than one with a larger number of distributed restrooms.
People will psychologically think about how they’re treated in their consideration of their employer if there are some efforts put into the restroom design. Restroom design and maintenance offer a vital opportunity for office managers to use their space as a tool to each of two, improve user experience and increase organizational performance. The bathroom can be both tools to increase interactions and associations to escape the office for a moment and gain perspective.