The main hall connecting our offices has one uni-sex, handicapped accessible restroom for about 20 people. 
Much farther away are separate mens’ and ladies’ rooms. For convenience, most administrators and secretaries use the sole uni-sex room. It’s a busy place.
Principals and other non-central administrators visit the administration offices regularly for meetings. It’s become obvious that some of the men never took a course in Office Restroom Etiquette. Or, as a fellow secretary puts it, they never learned the adage – If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.
Today the above-mentioned secretary had a near fatal fall when she slipped on the wet tile floor near the toilet. The seat had also been liberally sprinkled. She pulled out a bulky handful of paper towels and, using a whole lot of soap from the dispenser, cleaned up the administrator’s mess.
She came into my office red-faced. Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone express anger and hilarity simultaneously quite so effectively. “They’re supposed to be professionals!” she said. “They’re pigs!” We shared some tacky comments, laughed, then discussed our options.
- Open discussion/confrontation? But they’re administrators, with ample arrogance.
- Talk with our bosses? Didn’t work last time.
- Put up a sign? Tried that. It was taken down the next day.
- Call the lone custodian for clean up? There’s a thought.
Since we have a few new faces since our last try, and since our goal is to prevent a future occurrence (not deal with its aftermath), we went with #2. It sounds like there will be some action. Hopefully. And at least we have our thinking caps on now.
Anyone out there have a similar problem? How did you resolve it?
