chance they could face an embarrassing encounter with someone of
the opposite sex outside.
And of course, during a pandemic there are obvious socialdistancing
22 APRIL 2022
advantages to replacing communal facilities with private
washrooms.
As far as touch-free doors and dispensers are concerned, these are
only really needed až er the user has washed his or her hands to avoid
the risk of recontamination. A supply of hand towels in a washroom
pod assist a touch-free operation because these allow the user to
open the door using a towel as a barrier.
There are downsides to pod-based toilets, though. They take up
more space than communal washrooms and there is no back-up
when the soap and paper supply runs out, for example. This means
cleaners need to be particularly vigilant in order to keep on top of
refill requirements.
Individual washrooms also tend to take longer to service because
the cleaner needs to enter each pod individually. Furthermore, the
privacy o§ ered by these toilets could encourage employees to linger
longer than they would do in a communal facility - and this could
have a knock-on e§ ect on productivity.
Communal gender-neutral toilets could of course be supplied
instead, since these are an inclusive alternative to gents’ and ladies’
facilities while also taking up less space. Unisex washrooms also help
to even out queues, which are usually longer for the ladies.
But some people – particularly women - feel uncomfortable when
using a gender-neutral loo. For example, a YouGov study carried out
in June 2021 revealed that only four per cent of women supported
the replacement of male and female loos in restaurants, bars, hotels,
cinemas and other public buildings with gender-neutral options.
In this age of inclusivity it does make sense to open up all
washrooms to every gender. But this will only work if everyone is on
board with the idea. Washroom providers need to put their users first
and ask for their opinion.
The gender-neutral question definitely needs to be a part of the
wider toilet debate, but washrooms should be inclusive in other
ways, too. For example, they should be accessible to the less abled,
the elderly and the very young as well as to those with temporary
disabilities such as a broken bone or other injury. Because at the
end of the day it is all about providing the types of washrooms that
people want - and ensuring hygiene for all.
THE ACCESS EXPERT’S VIEW
ED WARNER, CEO AND FOUNDER OF MOTIONSPOT, AND
GOVERNMENT ACCESS AMBASSADOR – PRODUCT AND SPACES
Improving opportunities
for previously marginalised
demographics helps create
more diverse and inclusive
workforces. But for diversity
and inclusion policies to be
successful, organisations
need to consider how their
workplaces can be designed
inclusively to remove barriers
for employees and visitors.
One in five people across the
world have a disability, so to
design genuinely accessible
and inclusive workplaces,
businesses should consider the challenges in the workplace
for sta§ or visitors with physical, cognitive, sensory, and social
communication issues.
Adopting an inclusive mindset should also aim to prevent the
exclusion of people with di§ erent abilities, age, gender, religion or
spirituality, language, and cultural backgrounds.
Current research on the application of inclusive design suggests
a generalised lack of understanding of the primary needs of
employees in workplaces, from unconscious bias towards LGBTQIA+
communities to a misunderstanding of religion or spirituality habits,
to exclusion for underrepresented minority groups.
Creating a safe work environment starts by acknowledging
exclusion and designing spaces that accommodate the needs and
aspirations of all people. Designing inclusive environments is not just
a ‘nice-to-have’ but is a process based on a people-first approach
that starts with understanding the di§ erent needs and desires of
the customer, continues with the delivery stage and endures with
constant facility maintenance.
It is important that organisations provide washrooms that are
accessible to all whatever their physical challenges. Designing
accessible and flexible workplaces should include the creation of step
free entrances with handrails, resting areas and visual, sensory, and
auditory wayfinding across the whole building. It is also important
to ensure that in addition to wheelchair accessible toilets there are
ambulant accessible toilet facilities that enable those who have
di§ iculty walking to use the washrooms.
Those who identify as non-binary but work in an o§ ice that only
has male and female designated toilet facilities may find that this
has a negative impact on their sense of belonging in the workplace
and may even prevent them from using the facility during the day.
Providing the most basic of facilities that everyone can use safely and
comfortably is vital for any inclusive business.
The solution would be to create a choice of toilet facilities,
including all gender toilets alongside female/male only toilets as
certain people and faiths require gender specific toilet facilities. It
also involves destigmatising the use of traditional colours for males
and females and designing a parents’ room that meets the needs of
people of all genders.
Workplaces should also provide the right inclusive spaces and
opportunities for people to manifest religious and spiritual beliefs.
This requires the creation of washroom facilities with ablution and
lavatories that respect religious and spiritual obligations.
I believe that designing more inclusive buildings and spaces
reduces exclusion and fosters equity for everyone. This is because
inclusive design produces universally appealing environments,
helps organisations to hire and retain the best demographically,
experientially, and cognitively diverse talent, improves satisfaction
at work and provides long term cost savings by avoiding the need for
expensive and environmentally damaging retrofits and adaptations
in the future.
Our inclusive workspace white paper provides DE&I, HR and
business leaders and their design teams with insight and inspiration
to start making their workplaces more inclusive and can be
downloaded at https://motionspot.co.uk/pages/designing-inclusiveworkplaces
white-paper.
(i) www.fmj.co.uk/bco-looks-at-how-covid-19-will-change-the-workplace
Do you have a question that you’d like
answered by the FMJ Clinic?
Email: sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
FM CLINIC
Ed Warner
ADVICE & OPINION
/bco-looks-at-how-covid-19-will-change-the-workplace
link
