Rupa Patel, Executive Director at Day Lewis plc speaking on a recent Tenant Talks panel on the subject of ‘Managing Staff Wellbeing in a Post Lockdown World’, reported that out of 150 employees interviewed, what they had most enjoyed while working remotely were their ‘home comforts’, including using their own bathrooms and their own kettles.
Are purely ‘functional’ Tea point facilities and just ‘clean and tidy’ washrooms going to be sufficiently appealing to have them dashing back to the office?
We have mostly become accustomed to strolling a few paces to our very own closets, enjoying our own privacy, three ply quilted super soft moisturising toilet tissues, molten brown liquid soap and fresh fluffy hand towels.
So, will the flimsy melamine cubicles with dodgy locks, budget off-white wafer thin loo roll and 2 ply green paper towels really tick the box?
Why is it these facilities are so often woefully inadequate and of far poorer standard than the gleaming receptions, sumptuous board rooms or executive offices?
A recent survey revealed that 47% of workers think their employers could do more to improve their toilet and shower facilities and 67% of workers feel that their staff areas need to be larger, cleaner and more comfortable in order to be satisfactory.
So, for bosses who ‘pooh-pooh’ the idea of ‘spending lots of pennies’ on their washrooms, they’d better think again! Why should employees settle for anything less than the standard expected in the comforts of their own homes?
The increasingly popular ‘superloo’s’ which are in essence, compact, self-contained cubicles which include a toilet, vanity unit and hand-drying facilities – all housed behind a full height door are now becoming the norm & expectation in the workplace.