bathroom vandalism

mikep · May 2002

Our facilities director came to me the other day wanting to shut down one of the bathrooms in the plant because it is constantly being vandalized (toilet paper all over the floor, towel rack torn off the wall, even inappropriate matter smeared on the walls). My response was that the problem would just find its way to the other bathroom.

We are a 3-shift operation that utilizes temporary workers quite a bit. So, it would be difficult to say when this is happening or by whom. I want to post some kind of memo in the bathroom warning employees of the possibility of termination if caught vandalizing. But, I'm not sure how effective this would be and I'm not even sure how to word it!

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated!

Don D · May 2002

You obviously can't post a security camera inside the bathroom. If your company does use such cameras, have your safety manager move one (even a dummy) temporarily to a spot outside the restrooms, just to send a message. A memo posted on the wall might be wasted time. I think a group meeting would be the place to announce that "You will be immediately terminated if you are found to be guilty". You might consider having shift supervisors make regular rounds and show up in the restroom unannounced at minimum once per hour. If you use a guard service, assign that to them. The camera outside the restroom, positioned so as not to invade a reasonable expectation of privacy, may signal that you have a plan to connect who went in there with the timing of the next vandalism incident. At least they'll be a bit worried about what you're up to. You are right. Shutting down one bathroom won't do anything but shift the problem to the other. Threaten to close them both if the group does not solve this problem on their own. Work with some of the plant leadership (and they do exist). Its sorta like the third grade teacher who leaves the room and instructs the group to solve this problem while she is out of the room or NOBODY gets recess for a week. Nobody wants the restroom they have to use to be a pig pen and they can help you solve it.

ritaanz · May 2002

I had a similar problem but, it was contained to the mens' room. However, we narrowed it down to the third shift. So one morning I came in and held ameeting with all the male employees in that bathroom. I purposely sheduled it about 1/2 hour before their shift ended.

Being female certainly had an advantage that time! They were embarrassed to be in there with me. And....... I stayed there the entire time while they cleaned up their bathroom. It worked. But the reason it worked was because the innocent ones who had to help in the clean up bullied the bad guys into cleaning up their act.

mikep · May 2002

Thanks for the ideas! I actually talked to the plant managers yesterday and informed them of the situation. Between HR, Facilities and the plant managers, we are making rounds to inspect the bathroom regularly. And, the plant managers will bring this up to the employees in their next monthly meeting. I have sent an email to the two temporary agencies we work with. So, they have the opportunity to alert their employees to the situation. The temp agencies usually respond well to situations that may involve their employees.

If all this does not do the trick, we are prepared to install video cameras outside the door.

Thanks, again!

cali_chavs · March 2003

We also experienced the same problem. Shifting from temp agencies to direct hire helped in this area. We also discovered that the problem of "matter" ending up on the floor or in trash cans was in part a cultural issue. Many employees are from 3rd world countries, where no plumbing or poor plumbing was common. Because of language barriers, we drew cartoons showing where toilet paper should end up, and placed the cartoons on the restroom wall. Many of the 3rd world employees also attend English classes on the weekend sponsored by the company. The teacher covered restroom etiquette in the class. I posted a memo explaining the expectation of a clean bathroom. The company committed to hiring a daytime janitor who would clean the restrooms twice during the day. The company also is improving the look of the restroom (removing graffiti, painting walls and floor, new fixtures, new dispensers, etc.)

We still have problems, but they're minor, and things are improving.

Don D · March 2003

I've never considered this as the explanation. But, I'll probably admit that if I was just introduced to a toilet today, at this age, and shown (and listen to) what happens when you press the flush lever, there's no way in hell I would voluntarily sit on one.

bathroom vandalism

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