How to Address Employees Taking Long Washroom Breaks Without Affecting Morale?

I have come across a very unusual situation in my organization. Some employees are using the washrooms for extended periods, stretching it to half an hour or even more. This has led to two difficult situations:

- First, other people have to wait a lot, and the queue gets longer.
- Second, the person is not focusing much on work, resulting in less output.

It is understandable in certain situations if a person's health is not right. However, this case is becoming a daily routine. Please help!

Concern for Employers Regarding Extended Washroom Breaks

It's really a matter of concern for employers! I believe there would be a handful of such employees who would be using the washroom for a long period. As you said, if it is for health reasons, that is understandable. Here, the situation seems to be somewhat different—the reason may be to pass the time or to avoid work. There is no rule or law prohibiting attending to a nature call.

What I feel in this case is that you must have identified such employees. Since these employees must have been working with you for some time now, you can observe their pattern of working behavior. Determine whether these employees have been using the washroom for an extended period for a long time or if this trend has developed recently. If there is a genuine reason behind it, like a health problem, the same can be verified from the medical bills they have been submitting for reimbursement purposes if your company has the policy to reimburse medical expenses. Otherwise, this group of employees needs to be counseled to understand why they have been behaving in this manner. I think the problem can be tackled after giving a patient hearing to these employees.

If this nuisance is just to harass, then it can be dealt with under the relevant rules of the company with the consultation of an HR expert.

I hope this information may be of some use to you.

Thanks

Regards