Hi all!
In a small company (with about 8 employees), is it mandatory to have separate toilets for ladies and gents? One lady employee demanded the bifurcation of toilets, to which the management turned down the demand, stating that the number of employees is small. Why bifurcation? Any comments on that?
Yours,
Kumar
From India, Hyderabad
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1In a small company (with about 8 employees), is it mandatory to have separate toilets for ladies and gents? One lady employee demanded the bifurcation of toilets, to which the management turned down the demand, stating that the number of employees is small. Why bifurcation? Any comments on that?
Yours,
Kumar
From India, Hyderabad
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Hi Kumar,
In small organizations where you have fewer employees, we generally do not have separate toilets for men and women. Instead, in companies located in upscale markets with addresses like SCO, and likewise for companies that occupy entire floors in shared market spaces, the facilities are typically shared with other companies.
It's not that big of an issue.
Deepali
From India, Chandigarh
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In small organizations where you have fewer employees, we generally do not have separate toilets for men and women. Instead, in companies located in upscale markets with addresses like SCO, and likewise for companies that occupy entire floors in shared market spaces, the facilities are typically shared with other companies.
It's not that big of an issue.
Deepali
From India, Chandigarh
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Hi Deepali!
In this case, a lady employee shouted at a male colleague (unintentionally used it) for using the 2nd toilet (there are two toilets). She pasted a label on the toilets. The management ordered it to be removed.
Who is wrong?
1. The lady
2. The poor male employee
or 3. The management
How do you react to this?
Yours Sincerely,
Kumar
From India, Hyderabad
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In this case, a lady employee shouted at a male colleague (unintentionally used it) for using the 2nd toilet (there are two toilets). She pasted a label on the toilets. The management ordered it to be removed.
Who is wrong?
1. The lady
2. The poor male employee
or 3. The management
How do you react to this?
Yours Sincerely,
Kumar
From India, Hyderabad
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Hi Kumar, Is she a senior member taking undue avantage of her designation and power? Deepali
From India, Chandigarh
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From India, Chandigarh
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Hi Deepali, Age-wise- same age &same qualification .but designation is head of the wing{because of foreign degree}.male colleague works under her.
From India, Hyderabad
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From India, Hyderabad
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Hi,
She is an egoistic kind of lady, and you need to tackle it properly. Speak to her and tell her that this cannot be provided as we do not have so many team members to make an investment in such a thing for a single person since it is not in line with the company's policy. It is very simple.
All the best,
Deepali
From India, Chandigarh
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She is an egoistic kind of lady, and you need to tackle it properly. Speak to her and tell her that this cannot be provided as we do not have so many team members to make an investment in such a thing for a single person since it is not in line with the company's policy. It is very simple.
All the best,
Deepali
From India, Chandigarh
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I totally agree with Deepali... We started out with a small st of people hence a single toilet was enough.... As he number increase these facilities are automatically catered for.
From India, New Delhi
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From India, New Delhi
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I think this hot issue needs a countrywide discussion amongst experts, who are advocating gender equity.
From India, Bangalore
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From India, Bangalore
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Hi Kumar,
It is normal practice to have separate toilets for ladies and gents. I don't understand why a single toilet is being made. Please review the laws and act accordingly. I advise you to suggest to your boss to create a separate facility for ladies. In our country, it is a basic requirement as ladies have different necessities.
From China
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It is normal practice to have separate toilets for ladies and gents. I don't understand why a single toilet is being made. Please review the laws and act accordingly. I advise you to suggest to your boss to create a separate facility for ladies. In our country, it is a basic requirement as ladies have different necessities.
From China
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Hi All,
Why is it that the world's second-largest railway network (Indian Railways) does not have separate ladies' restrooms in the railway coaches? Are they an exception to Indian laws? Please remark.
GS
From India
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Why is it that the world's second-largest railway network (Indian Railways) does not have separate ladies' restrooms in the railway coaches? Are they an exception to Indian laws? Please remark.
GS
From India
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The discussion is really getting serious, and I think the best solution will evolve.
Railway Coaches Vs. Workplaces - Is there any difference between these two? If people are going to use the workplace only for staying for a while, do not consider the workplace as a destination, but as a diving board. Use the workplace for chatting, sleeping, eating lunch, and snacks.
Very good question by GS. Interesting comparison!
From India, Bangalore
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Railway Coaches Vs. Workplaces - Is there any difference between these two? If people are going to use the workplace only for staying for a while, do not consider the workplace as a destination, but as a diving board. Use the workplace for chatting, sleeping, eating lunch, and snacks.
Very good question by GS. Interesting comparison!
From India, Bangalore
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Debi, I think you need to substantiate your verdict with some logic. That will be useful to the viewers of this topic.
From India, Bangalore
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From India, Bangalore
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Hi,
There seems to be views supporting separate toilets for women. Here is an article that appeared in the Financial Express.
Work Space
FE WOMEN EMPOWERED IS INDIA EMPOWERED
Equal opportunities still elude womenGender-sensitive labour laws can help women secure their rights at the workplaceKiran Yadav The issue of laws concerning women in the workplace resurfaced recently with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking the labour ministry to get its act in place. The direction came after he reviewed the progress made by various ministries in the last two years while addressing the issue of women's empowerment, both social and legislative, and found that labour laws have been by far neglected in terms of amendment.
The National Commission for Women has asked for amendments to several labour laws. These include Equal Remuneration Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Bonded Labour Abolition Act, Plantation Labour Act, Payment of Wages Act and Child Labour Act, Factories Act, Minimum Wages Act, etc which provide inter alia, crèche facilities, time off for feeding children during working hours, provision of maternity leave and separate toilets for female and male workers near the workplace amongst others.
“There are other radical clauses that must be brought in place at the earliest. Majority of the complaints that we get are of sexual harassment. The law strictly needs amendments to be effective and empowering. We also need complaint committees in every organisation to redress women's grievances. Wage discrimination and security of women are vital issues. Organisations where women are working in night shifts must provide commuting facilities,” says National Commission for Women chairperson Girija Vyas. J John, executive director, Center for Education and Communication and the editor of Labour File agrees, “Feminisation of labour is manifesting in several sectors today and so are blatant instances of gender discrimination along with a grave threat to women'S security. Gender sensitivity is the need of the hour. We need the supporting structures, institutional framework and enforcement mechanism for the existing laws. For instance, in my opinion, the Maternity Benefit Act needs to be extended to more sectors - even agricultural sector.” Women lag significantly behind males in terms of work participation and employment. Of the 92.28 million workers in urban India, only 16.10 million are females. In rural areas, out of 310 million, 111 million are females. Moreover, 42.95% of the rural female working population is involved as agricultural labour and not in cultivation. Total employment of women in organised sector is only 18%. Dr Anupam V Sinha, from the Centre for Feminist Legal Research, believes that education and decision making roles are central to women empowerment. “The inequality in the labour market is rooted in inequality at home, which in turn is rooted in fundamental assumptions about women's biology, psyche and social roles. Employers pay women less because they believe them to be less skilled than men! Even in places where explicit efforts have been made, women continue to earn 50-80% of men wages.” Also, according to the latest Women and Men in India report published by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, gender discrimination is also evident from the differences prevalent in the average daily wages of female and male regular salaried employees as well as casual labourers. In urban areas, men get Rs 25 more than women casual labourers while the difference is Rs 15 in the rural areas. Women's issues lawyer Harpreet Singh says “though many of the existing laws do ensure prohibition of discrimination, the government has so far not enacted a separate anti-discrimination law. “No law is sacrosanct - amendments are essential. Though implementation is a problem in India, we cannot deny that a law is like a potent weapon to fight for your cause and against injustice,” she emphasises. The government's II and III periodic report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination again Women, 2005, says that the unorganised sector workers, constituting 93% of the total work force, do not get welfare benefits like their counterparts in the organised sector. It is estimated that out of the female labour force in India, more than 90% are in the unorganised sector. The government is proposing to introduce the Unorganised Sector Workers' Bill, which proposes to regulate the employment and conditions of services and provide for their safety, social security, health and welfare. Says Madhu Kishwar, editor, Manushi, “The government machinery functions like a extortionist mafia. First, they should stop harassing street vendors and other unorganised sector women and give them the freedom to earn a livelihood. We don't want any more labour legislations, just a law to get the government servants to behave lawfully.” Female literacy levels have markedly increased, so has the sex ratio of women — indicating that inequalities have gradually reduced. However, there still remains a lot to be done to ensure that women get equal opportunities at the workplace.
From India, Bangalore
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There seems to be views supporting separate toilets for women. Here is an article that appeared in the Financial Express.
Work Space
FE WOMEN EMPOWERED IS INDIA EMPOWERED
Equal opportunities still elude womenGender-sensitive labour laws can help women secure their rights at the workplaceKiran Yadav The issue of laws concerning women in the workplace resurfaced recently with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking the labour ministry to get its act in place. The direction came after he reviewed the progress made by various ministries in the last two years while addressing the issue of women's empowerment, both social and legislative, and found that labour laws have been by far neglected in terms of amendment.
The National Commission for Women has asked for amendments to several labour laws. These include Equal Remuneration Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Bonded Labour Abolition Act, Plantation Labour Act, Payment of Wages Act and Child Labour Act, Factories Act, Minimum Wages Act, etc which provide inter alia, crèche facilities, time off for feeding children during working hours, provision of maternity leave and separate toilets for female and male workers near the workplace amongst others.
“There are other radical clauses that must be brought in place at the earliest. Majority of the complaints that we get are of sexual harassment. The law strictly needs amendments to be effective and empowering. We also need complaint committees in every organisation to redress women's grievances. Wage discrimination and security of women are vital issues. Organisations where women are working in night shifts must provide commuting facilities,” says National Commission for Women chairperson Girija Vyas. J John, executive director, Center for Education and Communication and the editor of Labour File agrees, “Feminisation of labour is manifesting in several sectors today and so are blatant instances of gender discrimination along with a grave threat to women'S security. Gender sensitivity is the need of the hour. We need the supporting structures, institutional framework and enforcement mechanism for the existing laws. For instance, in my opinion, the Maternity Benefit Act needs to be extended to more sectors - even agricultural sector.” Women lag significantly behind males in terms of work participation and employment. Of the 92.28 million workers in urban India, only 16.10 million are females. In rural areas, out of 310 million, 111 million are females. Moreover, 42.95% of the rural female working population is involved as agricultural labour and not in cultivation. Total employment of women in organised sector is only 18%. Dr Anupam V Sinha, from the Centre for Feminist Legal Research, believes that education and decision making roles are central to women empowerment. “The inequality in the labour market is rooted in inequality at home, which in turn is rooted in fundamental assumptions about women's biology, psyche and social roles. Employers pay women less because they believe them to be less skilled than men! Even in places where explicit efforts have been made, women continue to earn 50-80% of men wages.” Also, according to the latest Women and Men in India report published by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, gender discrimination is also evident from the differences prevalent in the average daily wages of female and male regular salaried employees as well as casual labourers. In urban areas, men get Rs 25 more than women casual labourers while the difference is Rs 15 in the rural areas. Women's issues lawyer Harpreet Singh says “though many of the existing laws do ensure prohibition of discrimination, the government has so far not enacted a separate anti-discrimination law. “No law is sacrosanct - amendments are essential. Though implementation is a problem in India, we cannot deny that a law is like a potent weapon to fight for your cause and against injustice,” she emphasises. The government's II and III periodic report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination again Women, 2005, says that the unorganised sector workers, constituting 93% of the total work force, do not get welfare benefits like their counterparts in the organised sector. It is estimated that out of the female labour force in India, more than 90% are in the unorganised sector. The government is proposing to introduce the Unorganised Sector Workers' Bill, which proposes to regulate the employment and conditions of services and provide for their safety, social security, health and welfare. Says Madhu Kishwar, editor, Manushi, “The government machinery functions like a extortionist mafia. First, they should stop harassing street vendors and other unorganised sector women and give them the freedom to earn a livelihood. We don't want any more labour legislations, just a law to get the government servants to behave lawfully.” Female literacy levels have markedly increased, so has the sex ratio of women — indicating that inequalities have gradually reduced. However, there still remains a lot to be done to ensure that women get equal opportunities at the workplace.
From India, Bangalore
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Did this issue break out all of a sudden? Or is she a new employee? Maybe try to sanitise your other staff on toilet etiquettes. :wink:
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Hi all,
Some time ago, we also faced the same problem. We are 65 employees, and we have two toilets, but they are not separated for gents and ladies. Some ladies asked me to change the situation and separate the toilets. We have more women, and if I separate the toilets, there would be a long queue in front of the ladies' toilet. I tried to find out why some of the ladies want to have their own toilet, and the problem we are facing is cleanliness. Some of the guys don't flush, and the toilet looks awful after their visit.
We solved the problem by implementing toilet rules - I wrote a nice text and found some funny pictures. People laugh about it but also take more care. We also increased the cleaning times. Instead of once a day (in the morning), the cleaner also comes after lunchtime to clean the restroom a second time.
Now, no one is complaining anymore, and the restroom is still a unisex place. :)
Have a nice day,
Ramona
From India, Mumbai
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Some time ago, we also faced the same problem. We are 65 employees, and we have two toilets, but they are not separated for gents and ladies. Some ladies asked me to change the situation and separate the toilets. We have more women, and if I separate the toilets, there would be a long queue in front of the ladies' toilet. I tried to find out why some of the ladies want to have their own toilet, and the problem we are facing is cleanliness. Some of the guys don't flush, and the toilet looks awful after their visit.
We solved the problem by implementing toilet rules - I wrote a nice text and found some funny pictures. People laugh about it but also take more care. We also increased the cleaning times. Instead of once a day (in the morning), the cleaner also comes after lunchtime to clean the restroom a second time.
Now, no one is complaining anymore, and the restroom is still a unisex place. :)
Have a nice day,
Ramona
From India, Mumbai
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You hit the nail on the head, Ramona. The issue here is about cleanliness, not privacy, ego, etc. Your solution reminded me of a poster I read a long time back which starts off like this: If you sprinkle, When you tinkle...
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Hi Kumar, maybe you should speak with her about the real intention. If you don't feel comfortable speaking with her about the loo, then send her an email. Try something that you don't see a chance to separate the loos but that you like to find the best solution for everyone and that she should tell you where it lacks. I am very sure that it is about cleanliness (maybe they want to have disposal bags, a bigger dustbin, hooks... these were the reasons in my company). Even though I don't know why (although I am also a woman), it is not a question to estimate - it is my duty to find a solution that all the employees feel comfortable at their workplace. Good luck.
Ramona
From India, Mumbai
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Ramona
From India, Mumbai
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Hi Ramona!
The issue is already closed. You know some people have a tendency to make a non-issue a big issue. People are like that; we have to understand the world and act accordingly. We should be careful with people who have such a tendency. That is the only solution for the whole problem.
Thanking you,
Yours,
Kumar
From India, Hyderabad
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The issue is already closed. You know some people have a tendency to make a non-issue a big issue. People are like that; we have to understand the world and act accordingly. We should be careful with people who have such a tendency. That is the only solution for the whole problem.
Thanking you,
Yours,
Kumar
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Kumar,
It is a good practice to have separate toilets for gentlemen and ladies. Since ladies' toilet requirements are more varied and personal in nature than those of gentlemen, a separate ladies' toilet would definitely make the ladies feel more comfortable regarding their privacy, modesty, and dignity.
From your email, I understand that you already have two toilets. Why can't you dedicate one of the toilets for the ladies and the other one for the gentlemen?
Cheers! Faizal Haque
From India, Vadodara
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It is a good practice to have separate toilets for gentlemen and ladies. Since ladies' toilet requirements are more varied and personal in nature than those of gentlemen, a separate ladies' toilet would definitely make the ladies feel more comfortable regarding their privacy, modesty, and dignity.
From your email, I understand that you already have two toilets. Why can't you dedicate one of the toilets for the ladies and the other one for the gentlemen?
Cheers! Faizal Haque
From India, Vadodara
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I have visited big offices of a reputed bank with a large number of employees on each floor. Surprisingly, there was a system of common toilets. When I inquired about it, I was told that no employees had complained about it, and we are all using a common toilet.
Daangal N.B.
From United States, Raleigh
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Daangal N.B.
From United States, Raleigh
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