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I work a small sized company renting offices at a rather large office building with multiple companies sharing multiple toilets. Most of our offices gather around one washroom, although this washroom is also the closest one for other companies' offices.

The cleaning crew cleans the toilets on a daily basis, ours is cleaned in the afternoon.

When I go to the toilet, it often times is in an for me unacceptable hygiene state where I refuse to use it and then go to another washroom on another floor. This is a "solution" but I really don't like it.

Recently, while was peeing at a urinate next to the toilette, I noticed someone finished his job, flushed and immediately left the toilet, certainly not checking how they are leaving it behind. The person did greet me while walking past me and left the washroom, not even washing his hands. I realized it was one of our company, an intern. I checked the toilet bowl and it was disgusting.

Now I cannot say 100% that he is the one responsible for this very event, as it may have looked like this before and he would still use it. However, not checking how he left behind the bowl proves that he doesn't care about it. This behaviour is very disrespectful to everyone else using this washroom and to even more extent to the cleaning crew.

I want this to stop. I found this post, but it does not apply, as the room is cleaned on a daily basis already. I already printed texts and sticked them to the door, asking people to check what they leave behind etc (i.e. following this idea)... but this had no effect. Now I potentially have more information as to who highly likely is responsible for this situation. What are steps to proceed?

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Nras
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    Have you ever considered it's unrealistic to expect a toilet used by many people to stay in pristine condition 24-7? People poop, and sometimes it sticks to the sides. Deal with it, that's public toilets. Having it cleaned once a day is plenty, and if it bothers you that the "evidence" of previous occupants is left behind, clean it yourself. – Amy Blankenship Aug 29 '16 at 14:54
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    Everyone Poops. It's in the book. – WorkerDrone Aug 29 '16 at 15:59
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    @AmyBlankenship That is not how I read it. Make sure it flushes and don't leave piss on the seat is what I take "leaving it behind" to mean. If it needs a double flush then give it a double flush. Wash your hands is a fair expectation. – paparazzo Aug 29 '16 at 20:36
  • @Paparazzi If it didn't flush properly, it's not a big deal to flush again. Piss on the seat is gross, but happens (and sometimes overly enthusiastic toilets spray up water and it looks like there is piss on the seats). It would be nice if people washed their hands, but unless it's a restaurant I don't think there's going to be a hand check committee at most workplaces. Probably the best solution for that is "gross, wash your hands." – Amy Blankenship Aug 29 '16 at 23:03
  • @AmyBlankenship If it is yellow it is piss and hash your hands general hygiene. Cheers don't want to argue with you. – paparazzo Aug 30 '16 at 08:58
  • I've done ALOT of things in a stall that wasn't number two ... You don't have even a slight proof it was him. – Иво Недев Aug 30 '16 at 13:43
  • everyone poops. However I worked in an office where someone left smears on the seat and on the walls on occasion. It got to the point where management had a one on one with every employee and without accusing anyone asked everyone to stop if they happened to be the perpetrator. It happened less after that. – cs_worker Aug 31 '16 at 21:04
  • @AmyBlankenship In some cultures cleaning after yourself is part of the social contract. I.e. it is proper behaviour to clean yourself with a brush (which is provided) if there is anything stuck to the sides. And this is often enough enforced by peer pressure and / or management. – Frank Hopkins Jul 12 '19 at 13:02

2 Answers2

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  1. Have your management put up a sign: "employees must wash their hands!"

  2. Have your management put up a sign: "flush cleanly before you leave"

  3. Have your management have an informal talk with the intern.

Stop posting paper at the door - you have zero authority.

Vietnhi Phuvan
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  • I already stopped posting that paper (I never said I would still do this). Yes, I have zero authority. Until now I was appealing to peoples common sense - in case they did not know that at least one person is bothered by some peoples actions. But that did not seem to work, hence the question. – Nras Aug 29 '16 at 10:22
  • @Nras Your appeal to the intern's common sense will be far more persuasive when the intern knows that it has rock solid management muscle behind it - ask your management to visualize them having to use the toilet after the intern and chances are pretty good the pieces will fall into place :) – Vietnhi Phuvan Aug 29 '16 at 15:15
  • You don't need command authority to peer pressure social contracts through. Same as you don't need authority to tell someone to not shit onto the street/walkway etc. You cannot force them with violence to obey, but a few stern gazes and words can do the trick either way. It's implicit weighed democracy - the more people agree and the more persuasive typically. – Frank Hopkins Jul 12 '19 at 13:00
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At the moment it seems like you only have evidence for one incident with this particular individual. Hence, you should go and talk to him, that you find this unacceptable. Seeing that it is an intern you also may have some authority over him which will make the conversation easier. Respectfully and privately raise the issue:

Listen, "Intern" remember when we were in the bathroom on "day", I saw that you left the toilet in a bad state and did not wash your hands. For the sake of everyone here, please make sure it doesn't happen again.

If it does happen again and you can identify the same individual, escalate any way you see fit.

Underdetermined
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