Office Washroom Etiquette
Traditional etiquette sources like Emily Post and Letitia Baldridge barely touch the subject of office bathroom manners, but humor sources like the book "The Modern Gentleman" and the "International Center for Bathroom Etiquette (ICBE)" offer excellent advice.
Other People Are Reading
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Flush
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Regardless of what you do at home or your environmental concerns, no one in a business setting should have to deal with anyone else's bodily wastes.
Co-ed Considerations
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For communal bathrooms, gentlemen must lower the seat after urinating; this frees the next person (women in particular) from having to handle a toilet seat.
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Solitude
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No business in the washroom, please. As ICBE describes, the washroom is an awkward and distracting place to conduct business. Similarly, people have different senses of modesty and privacy. Do not talk or attempt to converse with someone at the next urinal or in the next stall.
Hygiene
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Likely, you share a coffee pot, kitchen utensils and refrigerator with office mates. Always wash your hands, else word gets out and no one will share a pizza with you at the company picnic.
Privacy
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Do not stand outside a bathroom stall or door waiting for someone to finish; this likely will make that person feel awkward and harassed.
Nomenclature
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Simply excuse yourself, and spare everyone the details. Excuse yourself, without naming where you go. Ask where the washroom is, if you must. Refrain from announcing that you are "gonna take a leak," "spend a penny," "drain the monster" and so on.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Ben Ostrowsky Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of The Artifex Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Justin Taylor
