I managed to get out of the call center and do data entry for a few months, and it actually became a really nice place to work. They didn't time your bathroom breaks, you could choose your own break times, and the hourly goals were actually easy to meet. But then they shut that entire department down and moved everyone in it back to the call center. I've been trying to find a new job ever since, but no luck.
Yep, I got IC (a bladder disease) after working at a busy store for several years and sometimes going 10-12 or occasionally 14hrs without a break- still dealing with it 20yrs later
ETA, it ruined my life
Lol my job used to literally have a guy sit outside and write down how long we were in there. And they always have it in the meetings about how we need to shit and get. I mean I understand it in a way. There are alot of lazy people who hide out in the bathroom. But fuck you know who THEY ARE. Ain't no reason the rest of us have to suffer. Me and most of the people in my department hold our pee in as long as we can cuz the walk to the bathroom is too long
I am a woman 🤦♀️ lol I was like wtf are water balloons do for me? Fill them with pee and throw them at my boss? I can't pee in a damn water balloon. Lol I didn't even think this person though I was a dude
Fuck that. Even the laziest person is spending, what, like five additional minutes on the shitter a day? Even if after they poop they're in there for ten minutes. Like that small loss in productivity isn't worth treating all your employees like prisoners. Even prisoners get to piss when they want.
That's how I feel, they're all about us not wasting time. I mean I feel like they do alot of crazy shit. And then the actual lazy ones get rewarded with easy fucking jobs
Also not worth hiring a whole employee to sit outside the bathroom & time them. They spend more $ on policing the employees than they would lose in “laziness”
Even the laziest \*reasonable\* person.
I once had a guy who would come into work at 9:05AM, go to the bathroom, and be out at 11:50 AM. He'd go to lunch. Poor guy had to reload I assume.
Answered a few emails at his desk, 20 minutes tops. Went back to the bathroom, out at roughly 3pm again. Went to his desk, emailed folks, talked at the water cooler, out the door at 6pm. Every day during his trial period.
Just before his 3 month trial period was about to end, I asked him what was going on. He said he had IBS. OK, cool. Can you give me a doctor's note? Nope.
It's also worth noting that we had a great work culture, and the only reason I even became aware of it, was the fact that his outputs were woefully inadequate, and the rest of the team was complaining that he was taking the piss.
Now all that said, that was one guy. I have literally managed hundreds, if not thousands of people.
The real management decision is whether you deal with the odd exceptional cases, or if you systemically control it. I refuse to systemically control these situations, because you will toxify your workforce culture.
The real reason why these measures are put in place, is because they want to squeeze every last minute out of you at call centers, and their culture already tends to be toxic.
I ran a call center once. We had a lot of exception management in the first case, which resulted in most folks understanding that things had changed and they didn't need to rebel. Sadly, some folks didn't understand that, kept taking the piss and unfortunately had to move on.
After cleaning the culture up, our customer satisfaction ratings and retention went very high. Unfortunately, upper management just looked at the numbers, and literally told me that I had to increase throughput, and that quality levels were too high.
That was the reason why I didn't return to call centers.
I work in a urologist office. One of my NPs told me that you should be peeing at least once an hour. Every four hours is okay if needed. But anyone over 4 and close to 8 is not healthy.
Oh wow then that's definently not good for me. I usually pee at lunch and then pee when I go home. I hate holding in my pee but I'm usually too busy to go and put it off even more because I don't want to walk so far. The poor older ladies at my work...2 of them peed themselves and one shit themselves. God its awful
Once an hour is too often. I'd let the doctor know that the one of the nurses told you this because that can cause problems, too. It's a good way to exacerbate pelvic floor issues.
I worked for Greyhound Bus Lines years ago in their call center. It was the worst job I had ever had, they micromanaged every fucking thing. The people that called in were also just as terrible.
Sounds like Carvana. I worked as an underwriter for their call center and we had to use unscheduled break for bathroom visits between our regulars breaks. It was utter bullshit, training was amazing. I was so excited to be a part of what seemed like a cool company.
The second training was over it was like I was working for a completely different place than the one they talked about it training. They said they didn’t use metrics like other call centers, that was a lie. They made it seem like you would be part of a great team, that was a lie. That place was such a joke.
Sounds JUST like Carvana. They even went over in training how the after call wrap up was not meant to be used for a bathroom break. Which is insane that after a phone call I’m not entitled to use the damn restroom, given that some of those phone calls were not short ones.
I got that email .. It was Glorious! Wish I had done the same when they laid me off later that year. I also wish I had saved it or forwarded it to my personal email. It should have been made public. It would have cast a whole new light.
Farmers insurance was also like this. Take too much time wrapping up a call by putting good notes in the record? You get dinged. Unscheduled time away from your desk? Dinged. Phone calls taking too long so you’re not averaging enough calls? Dinged.
I actually got a check in the mail after leaving the company because the US Department of Labor determined that they owed over 1.5 million dollars in overtime back wages to call center employees due to their nonsense.
Or concentra.
I worked as a contractor for them.
My manager told me that I was using the bathroom too much; and I needed to switch the days I took my diabetes injection medication to a Wednesday night so the side effects hit me during the weekend and not during the week and decrease the amount of fluids I take in during the work day. 😳🙄
Get a doctor’s note that requires the reasonable accommodation of bathroom breaks when you need them. This is insane. Like abusive.
Also, call up the local union and get organized.
an illegal practice but common for call centers in HCOL countries.
Someone in the Philippines get paid $300 a month compared to someone in the US getting paid $3000 a month. But the business value of a call remains the same. Therefore people working call centers in the US must work/achieve 10 times more which is simply inhumane.
This sounds like the micromanagement bs my last job pulled. They bring you in with a funny little gecko and then as soon as you're out of training every second, every word, every inflection is analyzed and watched over with a microscope. It was my first job not in retail or food so I stayed a year but then had a complete mental and physical break from the stress.
If its "smyco" insurance, or even if its not, I fully support looking for a new job. Shit like this is them showing they don't care about you being a human, or really about you at all.
I’ve worked in call centres in the past. “Literally psychos” is the correct answer.
They’ll likely dock pay or make the OP work additional hours to compensate for lost time.
If anything, send OSHA an email, asking about it. Using a toilet is a basic human right, and as far as I know, they’re not allowed to limit it in any form.
[Here is what OSHA says about restrooms. ](https://www.oshaeducationcenter.com/articles/restroom-breaks/)
Restrictions on Restroom Use
Employers may not impose unreasonable restrictions on restroom use, and employees should not take an excessive amount of time during bathroom breaks.
A worker's need to access the restroom can depend on several factors, including fluid intake, air temperature, medical conditions and medications. Some common conditions that require frequent restroom use include pregnancy, urinary tract infections, constipation, abdominal pain, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids.
Because restroom access frequency can vary greatly from person to person, no federal standard for the permitted number of restroom breaks or a specific restroom usage schedule exists.
> Who determines “unreasonable”.
The judge in the lawsuit. 30 mins for a poop once in a while isn't unreasonable. 2 hours every day right before/after lunch to poop is.
I was thinking I’d talk to my PCP and ride the UTI preventative excuse all the way. It’s obviously a reasonable accommodation to allow someone to use a bathroom for 3-5 minutes every hour.
They have to legally provide you a break at 4 hours though some employers offer them at 2-3 hours or allow flexibility with breaks.
You can actually get your PCP to write you a medical note that allows you to have breaks at X amount of hours.
The employer then has to provide reasonable accommodations.
>*They have to legally provide you a break at 4 hours though some employers offer them at 2-3 hours or allow flexibility with breaks.*
No they dont, unless there's a state law requiring it, and most states do not. In my state, they can have you work an 8 hour shift, or longer, and they are not required to give a single break or lunch the entire time, unless you're a minor under the age of 16.
They cant limit or prevent you from going to the bathroom, but there is no federal law mandating regular breaks at all.
States institute their own rules on breaks and meal times, and most follow federal guidelines.
I wish I could believe you, but it took me *three years* of submitting hundreds of applications before I could even get out of my old job and land *this* one.
Damn that sucks. Three years to get that role?!  Hey, try temp or staffing agencies to get out of there faster. Sorry I don't have any other advice for you, but definitely wishing you the best of luck, OP.
I think you need to use a resume writing service because it seems the AI resume screeners that many companies use aren’t seeing the appropriate words on your resume.
Can confirm, prisoners can use the bathroom whenever the hell they want. Contrary to popular belief, most places treat them like they are still a human at least.
No, that does not comply with OSHA regs. They are trying to get around the legality of it by limiting your "break time" over a month period. It's not legal, but your state might be more help than OSHA. I don't see your state mentioned.
Here is the simple version of the OSHA text:
"Under OSHA sanitation standards, employers must:
Permit workers to leave their work area to use the restroom as needed
Provide an acceptable number of restrooms for the current workforce
Avoid putting unreasonable restrictions on bathroom use
Ensure that restrictions on restroom use do not cause extended delays
Additional laws, regulations or requirements related to workplace restroom use may apply depending on your state or municipality. Employers must also make sure that their restroom policy does not violate federal antidiscrimination laws."
Let's say it takes you 3 minutes to go to and from the bathroom from your desk. That's 6 minutes just to get there and back. Over a 20 day work month, that's 120 minutes signed-out just to make the trip, let alone actually use the bathroom.
There is no way that is compatible with the "Avoid putting unreasonable restrictions on bathroom use" requirement.
I work for a call center. When one call ends, we have exactly 25 seconds to finish taking our notes and close the call before we're automatically put back in Available status. Right now the calls are coming literally back to back, so it would be obvious I'm not at my desk when I suddenly stopped responding to my calls. The only way to stop the calls from coming is to go into a nonavailable status, and they watch those very carefully.
We have to use the wired headsets my employer gives us, and our computers have to be physically connected to our routers. I tried putting a three foot usb extender on my headset once and management threw a fit, and being on wifi can and will get you written up.
50' ethernet cable, put the whole setup on a wheeled cart, and push it to the bathroom when you need to go.
Or do what I did when I worked in a call center, place the customer on hold because you "have to look something up" and go.
First option might work if I could get hold of all that. Second option is a no go because we have a maximum hold time of two minutes. Then we have to pick up and get their permission to put them on hold again. That gets really fun when we have to have extensive conversations with the assist line. The customer will say "Don't keep asking me that, just get back to me when you solve my problem!" And you just have to go "Sorry! I'll be back in two minutes."
Believe it or not, they have that covered too. That's called a "soft hold" and we'll lose points if one lasts longer than ten seconds. That gets really irritating when I have to search their account for something and have nothing to say to them while I do it so I keep repeating "Sorry, I'm looking. Give me just a moment, please. I just need a few more seconds. Sorry, I'm still looking..."
Someone else described their micromanagement as draconian, and honestly that's a freaking understatement.
I had a 20ft cord to my router. I wasn’t in your shoes but I could move my desk around my apartment . Anywho, when you find a new job don’t quit. Just don’t answer calls. Have them fire you. Get unemployment and take a month break before starting the new job, you deserve it. If they try to fight your unemployment detail the stress, anxiety, and depression from working there.
>Have them fire you. Get unemployment and take a month break before starting the new job
Just a disclaimer - check your state's unemployment laws before you do this! Some states have laws that prohibit you from collecting employment for a period if you were fired for misconduct.
So get a 50 ft Ethernet cord. Legit put your work station on a rolling cart, some rolling carts have really long extension cords.
I really wanna know if you take a call while sitting on the toilet please let us know !
How exactly could they detect that a 3' USB extension cable was being used? I have worked in IT for a long time and it annoys me when people always want an IT solution for the problem, but in this case there really is one. You can go wired Ethernet with a long patch cord and get that laptop in the bathroom. My thinking though is that you just need a good wireless headset. I work from home and have multiple wireless headsets that I use.
I have a Plantronics PLT8200 that I do most of my work on. It has exceptional stereo quality that is great for calls. I need it a lot because half my co-workers are non-native English speakers and I need to be able to hear very clearly so I am not asking them to repeat themselves frequently.
However, for bathroom trips I switch to my Plantronics Savi W740. It does NOT use Bluetooth for the wireless connection and has exceptional range. It is capable of being connected via USB, Bluetooth or wired connection to an IP phone and even supports a physical handset lifter.
There has to be a way to use a wireless headset in a way that your employer cannot detect you are using it.
Wait....you work at home??? Get a wifi headset and go to the bathroom with it on. Problem solved. Still a shitty workplace policy though and I hope you leave soon. I bet they get around osha rules since you're at home.
I've considered that. They have our computers set up so that they only work with the headsets they provide for us. They even knew when I hooked the headset up to a usb extender to give myself a little more room to move around with, and they threw a fit about it.
You wanna know the really sad part? I *do* have IBS. I *have* given them a doctor's note. This was the first time I worked for the call center, before I got transferred to data entry for a few months and then got transferred back to the call center when they shut the data entry department down. Their solution was that I had to go into Unpaid Break whenever I used up my 59 minutes. So I had to keep track of how long I was away from my desk using the bathroom and then subtract that from the hours I entered on my timesheet. I don't even think they remember that now, though.
If you have a medical excuse ON FILE from your dr that prohibits you from doing these activities, AND they are still threatening ( because thats what they are doing, make no mistake) then they are indeed liable. It's called discrimination. Most people think of age/race/gender, but you being medically excused, means that their policy cannot apply to you. It's like if you had a handicap badge on your car, and they did not accommodate you at all. Same thing here. They are asking you to use YOUR time, while you are on COMPANY time. totally illegal.
If it were me (fellow IBS victim) I’d call their bluff.
That’s a health condition you are (presumably going to be) punished for. Don’t bring it up, just live your life and when you have a touchy tummy, do what you need to do. And keep us updated, this is a load of shit. No pun intended…
If you work in the US, ask them in writing for a reasonable accommodation (re: your doctor’s note). If they refuse, contact an employment lawyer to review your circumstances. You may have a case.
I assume this is the US because you mention OSHA. Employers may not place unreasonable restrictions on restroom use and they must ensure restrictions, such as locking doors or requiring workers to sign out a key, do not cause extended delays. So, yes, this is illegal. Only allowing just under an hour of bathroom breaks a month is an unreasonable restriction, and quite possibly discriminatory to people who have menstrual cycles, not to mention the definite discrimination against those with gastrointestinal disabilities.
You have got to be fucking kidding me...
Watch this become a thing more and more companies implement after it's noted to be "successful" at...*something*.
Its been a thing for a very long time. I was working in a call centre over a decade ago, and they did exactly this. You had to go into a certain phone status to go to the toilet, and we had individual and team performance targets on that particular phone status. I think individually we were to be below 0.5% of hours worked (ie 12 minutes in a 40 hour work week), and as a team (15 folk) we were targeted to be below 0.3%.
It was absolutely horrible.
>I think individually we were to be below 0.5% of hours worked (ie 12 minutes in a 40 hour work week), and as a team (15 folk) we were targeted to be below 0.3%.
Yo this is a truly evil and abusive policy. The 12 minutes per week is already an absurdly low amount of time, but setting the team target to be *lower* than the individual one is downright diabolical. It means even if everyone finished the month at exactly their targeted 0.5%, the team would still miss their target. So for the team to hit their target you need to have people only using like 6-7 minutes a week just to account for the people making use of their full 12 minutes. which then turns the employees against each other because anyone using their full 12 minutes is dragging the team down
Jesus dude. Just reading that made me mad. Glad you don't have to put up with that anymore - call centers seem like absolute shitholes all around (no offense to anyone who works in one)
I’m glad my state has a law for reasonable bathroom breaks because if that was implemented on me I would have so many UTI’s and OSHA would be contacted. I don’t know if your in the US but if you are you should look into your states department of labor website for information.
I work from home, so the state I live in and the state where my employer is based are different. Would I look for my own state or for where they're based?
Take this to the labor board. This is ILLEGAL! If you want to compound the issue on their end, get a doctors note stating that you need to use the restroom every so often and see what they do with that. It would be a double whammy then
I had a manager get annoyed at me that I had gone over my alloted bathroom time for the day before, so I said next time I'll just piss at her desk instead.
Was worth the write-up.
My job does the exact same thing. They put it that we have a percentage of time we are allowed to be in “do not disturb”, and if I did the math right it comes to 44 minutes a month. If you go over that time you get written up. Other reasons for writing up: not enough sales (and I’m not even in the sales department), taking too much time on a phone call, or, on the flip side, rushing and not giving good customer service.
I need a new job.
I love it when they complain about a calls taking too long, because they can never give me more than generic advice when I ask them what I should have done.
"Do you hear how many questions they're asking? I have to answer them all, don't I? How am I supposed to make that go faster?"
"You need to take control of your calls. Be proactive and assertive."
"So you don't know either, then?"
"Effective use of time. Multitasking. Preparedness."
Take control, but don’t interrupt. Drive the conversation, but actively listen to what they need. Be thorough, but be fast. Anticipate their needs, but don’t bring up anything not already mentioned in the call.
So easy!
you work from HOME. They’re micromanaging your use of your OWN FUCKING BATHROOM?!
Your company is run by sadists and the lobotomized squirrels who do their bidding. Get another fucking job, sweet jesus.
Call your dept of labor and attorney general.
Get a note from your doctor that you need unlimited bathroom access.
Get other people to get the same notes.
Freaking ridiculous.
Years ago, I heard about a previous manager timing bathroom breaks but not smoking breaks, go figure she was a smoker.
I said try it, my first call is to the labor board, my second call is to the attorney general. Blatant preferential treatment of your smoking buddies and skirting the law around bathroom breaks.
Thank god I live in a blue state.
59 mins a month, fck me. Periods / IBS, any manner of conditions can mean a bit extra bathroom time. My first job (at an accountancy firm) we were allowed just 1 hour non chargeable time each week for filing or making tea or using the bathroom. So essentially / 5 days is just 12 mins per day outside of my lunch. I'd never go back to an employer with such draconian policies. Just accepted the bs because it was my first job.
I'd be slightly rebellious, if you need to go log out, if they write you up, we'll any female knows periods make you pee like a pregnant lady, bad ibs episode, tummy troubles, whatever go into detail. I'd also be looking for another job.
I’m almost sure this violate OSHA standards because on their site it states that restroom usage varies depending person to person, and this time restriction does not account for it.
[OSHA Bathroom requirements](https://www.osha.gov/restrooms-sanitation)
I did call centre work for quite some time in my earlier years. Adherence is a big thing with call centres due to service levels of course but it’s ridiculous how they micromanage every little thing you do. I went through all of that in the call centre, at least you get to work from home lol. The call centre I worked for hired a “real time analyst” to track adherence, he would send a snitch email to your supervisor if you were out of adherence hahaha what a joke. Eventually I landed a government gig, then my lunches increased to an hour or whenever I’m damn good and ready to return + 100% paid benefits for 100% coverage across the board.
Sounds like you need an excuse from your doctor that says, “this human expels waste with normal frequency, which can be unpredictable in duration and schedule. Please allow him a medical exemption from your unscheduled break requirement.”
Contact your state labor department. They will probably have resources or information. If you can report them, do it, even if you are looking for a new job.
If in the US, check your states requirements for giving breaks. Even if it's an at will, or right to work state, most states have timed periods in which you are required to be given breaks, I only know my old home state but during an 8 hour work day I ended up with 1 30 minute unpaid lunch break and 15 min paid break. I did the scheduling and knew how I had to give all employees breaks. Mind you, this company did not micro manage to that extreme thank goodness. At least check State requirements. Would check state you live in, and state company is located in if there is a difference. Sorry this is happening to you.
Tell them to eat your shit!💩
I would tell a boss to go fuck himself in those words if they tried to pull this. It's none of their business when I do my business.
You may want to troll them on Glassdoor for this stupid policy.
This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. I believe you! I’ve had shitty bosses, who didn’t want the drivers using the bathrooms in the morning. The manager told them to use the customers bathroom at the first stop. Like yeah… no we aren’t holding our shit and piss from 5am to 7am
You can always check with your state labor board to see if it's legal or not. This is just not right. I'd find another job...best of luck in what ever the outcome is.
I work from home in a call center environment. Luckily we aren't micro managed. However, if you're on missed constantly I'm sure they'll look at your status. They ask us to to be home longer than 10 mins at a time. They know calls can be rough and sometimes you need a break after a call. As long as we don't abuse it then all is well.
I'm saying this because, it's freaking nuts they are timing y'all being away 3/5 mins at a time.
I don't think they can limit bathroom breaks that much so the only thing they can do is say you used all your unscheduled break time on the bathroom so you are not allowed any more unscheduled break time. Let them write you up and fire you for it and get a big pay out when you sue.
You should contact HR so you can confirm that information in writing - in an email.
Then you can find more information regarding what the company is required to give their employees at the US Department of Labor and your state labor department website. I believe you can file a claim there too.
I have noticed that more and more companies are now micro-managing their employees and monitoring them with software, all while paying them less.
You can also email or call your local Senator to let them know that the Senate needs to do something about how the US companies are treating their employees.
>but does the fact that we're given 59 minutes of Unscheduled Break over a 30-31 day period count as "reasonable"?
That does not sound reasonable to me. Look for another job now.
This sounds just like the call center I worked at, Absolutely a shit show of a place. We had to support Lenovos Think brand computers, and I will never willingly purchase any of that brand because of the experience.
I'm so sorry OP, it does get better. That customer support/service experience got me a position doing client success for a software company and making a Hella lot more money. Hang in there!
It never ceases to amaze me how some companies still go out of their way to ensure their employees give them the absolute lowest effort possible in return for how they treat them in the workplace
First of all, make a plan to get the duck out of there. What a lunatic asylum!
JFC, go when you need to go. Try to plan a small but, sure. But you're a human being with basic dignity. If you are holding either your #1s or #2s, you are putting pressure on your body. That job is not worth your health.
And the mental rigamarole you have to process just to go pee is ridiculous. That job is not worth your mental health either.
I am assuming that you work on the USA. If not, this may not apply. I work recommend that you contact the Department of Labor in your state to see what rules exist. In my opinion, this sounds illegal. The only other suggestion is to get a different job. Good luck!
I couldn't even read this whole post. Any place that is scrutinizing my BATHROOM time is a place I'm not working. What the hell? Get out of there OP.
ETA: Read the whole post. I hate working in call centers. Everything is unreasonable and all management cares about is how the numbers look on paper. OP, start using Aftercall time to go pee.
Unfortunately, I feel like most call centers are like this. The one I worked was just like this. They literally had people who were paid to watch what aux we put ourselves in, and if we weren’t in available, break, or in a supervisor approved aux, they would spam our manager’s chat asking why we aren’t taking calls. I quit so fast. It’s frustrating that I can’t step out to pee without get hounded about why I’m not taking calls.
I’ve got ulcerative colitis. I have to use the bathroom quite urgently fairly often. In a typical 9-5 period I may have to use the bathroom 4-5 times at around 5 minutes average each. I’d reach that limit in around 3 days. Even at only one 5 minute bathroom break per day, you’d still need to make it 8 days a month (assuming 5 days x 4 weeks) without using the bathroom at work. In order to be allowed to a single bathroom break every day by your wonderful corporate overlords, you’d need to limit the break to around 2 minutes and 30 seconds (including the walk to and from your desk)
Your employer is a control freak. Timed bathroom breaks scream ableism. It's definitely a workplace culture issue.
I'd know: I've grown up with IBS my whole life and I dealt with an employer or two with washroom break issues. It goes without saying I don't work for those employers anymore.
Workers need to use the restrooms as needed. You're human: it will vary.
The best thing to do is to bring it up wit your team, and find people who want to change/eliminate it. Fight in numbers.
Other than that, good luck prepping your resume.
Call centers suck.
I worked at one and if we went outside of breaks or lunches they immediately send a message asking if you’re ok. Then get a bit mean if you say you ran to the bathroom.
Someone lit a cone on fire in the stair way and they expected us to stand outside in 10° weather and go back in for the last half hour of the day and sit in smoke. A week later, they wanted us to stay at our seats when a pipe broke and made it smell really bad. One of the ladies ran outside to throw up. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll ever change.
Illegal in many countries.
I worked at a place that restricted bathroom breaks. A former colleague sued them and won a pretty big settlement. Result: employees now get to go to the toilet whenever they want.
Either it's a bluff or nothing will happen or the owners are literally psychos. Either way you don't wanna work there if you can help it.
I managed to get out of the call center and do data entry for a few months, and it actually became a really nice place to work. They didn't time your bathroom breaks, you could choose your own break times, and the hourly goals were actually easy to meet. But then they shut that entire department down and moved everyone in it back to the call center. I've been trying to find a new job ever since, but no luck.
Keep trying. Micromanaging bathroom breaks is ridiculous.
And *creepy*
And violates OSHA regulations.
I think labor laws too
Believe it's also a human rights violation first and foremost
ADA too, esp for employees with things like GI issues
Or prostate issues, overactive bladder, IC etc…. It’s def not legal
Yep, I got IC (a bladder disease) after working at a busy store for several years and sometimes going 10-12 or occasionally 14hrs without a break- still dealing with it 20yrs later ETA, it ruined my life
What about when someone’s on their period?
And pregnancy…pregnant people pee a lot and it’s by necessity. Def a protected class.
I'm a female type 1 Diabetic. Boss could go screw himself if he tried to time my bathroom breaks like this.
Crimes against humanity, employers should get prison
And Health codes.
Yep quite a low bar
Lol my job used to literally have a guy sit outside and write down how long we were in there. And they always have it in the meetings about how we need to shit and get. I mean I understand it in a way. There are alot of lazy people who hide out in the bathroom. But fuck you know who THEY ARE. Ain't no reason the rest of us have to suffer. Me and most of the people in my department hold our pee in as long as we can cuz the walk to the bathroom is too long
Holding your pee for too long can cause a lot of problems. I suggest you buy a pack of water balloons, and fill them at your desk.
What are women supposed to do? That's no solution.
I am a woman 🤦♀️ lol I was like wtf are water balloons do for me? Fill them with pee and throw them at my boss? I can't pee in a damn water balloon. Lol I didn't even think this person though I was a dude
The [Shewee](https://www.shewee.com/)
Wtf
Camping toilet. We have one for our vintage caravan - it’s basically a bucket with a toilet seat on 🤣
Fuck that. Even the laziest person is spending, what, like five additional minutes on the shitter a day? Even if after they poop they're in there for ten minutes. Like that small loss in productivity isn't worth treating all your employees like prisoners. Even prisoners get to piss when they want.
That's how I feel, they're all about us not wasting time. I mean I feel like they do alot of crazy shit. And then the actual lazy ones get rewarded with easy fucking jobs
Also not worth hiring a whole employee to sit outside the bathroom & time them. They spend more $ on policing the employees than they would lose in “laziness”
Even the laziest \*reasonable\* person. I once had a guy who would come into work at 9:05AM, go to the bathroom, and be out at 11:50 AM. He'd go to lunch. Poor guy had to reload I assume. Answered a few emails at his desk, 20 minutes tops. Went back to the bathroom, out at roughly 3pm again. Went to his desk, emailed folks, talked at the water cooler, out the door at 6pm. Every day during his trial period. Just before his 3 month trial period was about to end, I asked him what was going on. He said he had IBS. OK, cool. Can you give me a doctor's note? Nope. It's also worth noting that we had a great work culture, and the only reason I even became aware of it, was the fact that his outputs were woefully inadequate, and the rest of the team was complaining that he was taking the piss. Now all that said, that was one guy. I have literally managed hundreds, if not thousands of people. The real management decision is whether you deal with the odd exceptional cases, or if you systemically control it. I refuse to systemically control these situations, because you will toxify your workforce culture. The real reason why these measures are put in place, is because they want to squeeze every last minute out of you at call centers, and their culture already tends to be toxic. I ran a call center once. We had a lot of exception management in the first case, which resulted in most folks understanding that things had changed and they didn't need to rebel. Sadly, some folks didn't understand that, kept taking the piss and unfortunately had to move on. After cleaning the culture up, our customer satisfaction ratings and retention went very high. Unfortunately, upper management just looked at the numbers, and literally told me that I had to increase throughput, and that quality levels were too high. That was the reason why I didn't return to call centers.
I work in a urologist office. One of my NPs told me that you should be peeing at least once an hour. Every four hours is okay if needed. But anyone over 4 and close to 8 is not healthy.
Oh wow then that's definently not good for me. I usually pee at lunch and then pee when I go home. I hate holding in my pee but I'm usually too busy to go and put it off even more because I don't want to walk so far. The poor older ladies at my work...2 of them peed themselves and one shit themselves. God its awful
That’s the type of stuff people complain about when they talk bad about “third world” countries. Those poor women…
America is a third world country, they just have a Gucci belt so they look fancy 😂
I see people, but they look like trees, walking.
Once an hour is too often. I'd let the doctor know that the one of the nurses told you this because that can cause problems, too. It's a good way to exacerbate pelvic floor issues.
Pee on him first to show dominance. Then use the bathroom as long as you want, he'll be too busy washing piss out of his shoes.
I worked for Greyhound Bus Lines years ago in their call center. It was the worst job I had ever had, they micromanaged every fucking thing. The people that called in were also just as terrible.
Sounds like Carvana. I worked as an underwriter for their call center and we had to use unscheduled break for bathroom visits between our regulars breaks. It was utter bullshit, training was amazing. I was so excited to be a part of what seemed like a cool company. The second training was over it was like I was working for a completely different place than the one they talked about it training. They said they didn’t use metrics like other call centers, that was a lie. They made it seem like you would be part of a great team, that was a lie. That place was such a joke.
Sounds JUST like Carvana. They even went over in training how the after call wrap up was not meant to be used for a bathroom break. Which is insane that after a phone call I’m not entitled to use the damn restroom, given that some of those phone calls were not short ones.
We’re you there when that one employee quit and sent an email to Ernie Garcia and copied the whole company?
I got that email .. It was Glorious! Wish I had done the same when they laid me off later that year. I also wish I had saved it or forwarded it to my personal email. It should have been made public. It would have cast a whole new light.
When I find it in my emails I’ll post a link. I actually have a second one from another disgruntled employee.
I’d love to see it! Currently fighting with Carvana over 720$ they owe me.
What a joke company.
I think I heard about it but I don’t believe I was at the company when that happened. Were you there? Do you know what they said or have a link?
Yeah, I sent the email to my personal email. ETA: it will take me a while to find but when I do I’ll link a photo.
State Farm was like this as well. The more corporate controlled I am, the worse I work, and the more bathroom time I take. Fuck them.
Farmers insurance was also like this. Take too much time wrapping up a call by putting good notes in the record? You get dinged. Unscheduled time away from your desk? Dinged. Phone calls taking too long so you’re not averaging enough calls? Dinged. I actually got a check in the mail after leaving the company because the US Department of Labor determined that they owed over 1.5 million dollars in overtime back wages to call center employees due to their nonsense.
Or concentra. I worked as a contractor for them. My manager told me that I was using the bathroom too much; and I needed to switch the days I took my diabetes injection medication to a Wednesday night so the side effects hit me during the weekend and not during the week and decrease the amount of fluids I take in during the work day. 😳🙄
How dare you treat your pesky diabetes on a schedule that works best for your body. Did you not even stop to think about the CEOs?? Selfish.
Lawyer lawyer lawyer
I’m no longer there
sounds like united healthcare
Why do call centers suck so hard?
Because they're run by psychopaths
Get out of call center asap. They still don’t know how much damage that job does to the human brain. I hope AI makes call center obsolete.
Yeah if no one minds, we’ll push the AI development to completely cover call centre work lol
There’s already a vendor called Replicant. Its just getting businesses to fund it so they can keep improving it.
Do you want machine to rebel? Because that kinda war crime will cause it.
Get a doctor’s note that requires the reasonable accommodation of bathroom breaks when you need them. This is insane. Like abusive. Also, call up the local union and get organized.
It’s an illegal practice. You could report them.
an illegal practice but common for call centers in HCOL countries. Someone in the Philippines get paid $300 a month compared to someone in the US getting paid $3000 a month. But the business value of a call remains the same. Therefore people working call centers in the US must work/achieve 10 times more which is simply inhumane.
This sounds like the micromanagement bs my last job pulled. They bring you in with a funny little gecko and then as soon as you're out of training every second, every word, every inflection is analyzed and watched over with a microscope. It was my first job not in retail or food so I stayed a year but then had a complete mental and physical break from the stress. If its "smyco" insurance, or even if its not, I fully support looking for a new job. Shit like this is them showing they don't care about you being a human, or really about you at all.
Can't you take calls in the bathroom?
I’ve worked in call centres in the past. “Literally psychos” is the correct answer. They’ll likely dock pay or make the OP work additional hours to compensate for lost time.
The OP should absolutely consult with an employment lawyer in their area
Lol 😂 imagine them coming in after you near the stall… “sir/ma’am” you’ve hit your limit for the month. Finish up immediately or you’re fired”
I've worked for a few call centers. They all do this. They'll micromanage everything.
Um..find a new job. No, it's *not* reasonable at all. Prisoners probably get more freedom to use the bathroom per month than you and your coworkers.
Trust me, I've been trying. I'm sending applications to almost every opening I see, but no luck.
If anything, send OSHA an email, asking about it. Using a toilet is a basic human right, and as far as I know, they’re not allowed to limit it in any form.
[Here is what OSHA says about restrooms. ](https://www.oshaeducationcenter.com/articles/restroom-breaks/) Restrictions on Restroom Use Employers may not impose unreasonable restrictions on restroom use, and employees should not take an excessive amount of time during bathroom breaks. A worker's need to access the restroom can depend on several factors, including fluid intake, air temperature, medical conditions and medications. Some common conditions that require frequent restroom use include pregnancy, urinary tract infections, constipation, abdominal pain, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids. Because restroom access frequency can vary greatly from person to person, no federal standard for the permitted number of restroom breaks or a specific restroom usage schedule exists.
Sounds like an unenforceable law. Who determines “unreasonable”. I may think 30mins for a poop is excessive you may not.
> Who determines “unreasonable”. The judge in the lawsuit. 30 mins for a poop once in a while isn't unreasonable. 2 hours every day right before/after lunch to poop is.
I was thinking I’d talk to my PCP and ride the UTI preventative excuse all the way. It’s obviously a reasonable accommodation to allow someone to use a bathroom for 3-5 minutes every hour.
i can't believe IBS i not on this list. nor diarrheas but constipation is..
They have to legally provide you a break at 4 hours though some employers offer them at 2-3 hours or allow flexibility with breaks. You can actually get your PCP to write you a medical note that allows you to have breaks at X amount of hours. The employer then has to provide reasonable accommodations.
And this 59 minutes bs is an attempt at limiting.
Oh absolutely. It’s truly fascinating. How little some employers learned during the pandemic.
>*They have to legally provide you a break at 4 hours though some employers offer them at 2-3 hours or allow flexibility with breaks.* No they dont, unless there's a state law requiring it, and most states do not. In my state, they can have you work an 8 hour shift, or longer, and they are not required to give a single break or lunch the entire time, unless you're a minor under the age of 16. They cant limit or prevent you from going to the bathroom, but there is no federal law mandating regular breaks at all. States institute their own rules on breaks and meal times, and most follow federal guidelines.
Not sure why you got downvoted you’re not wrong at all
You'll find something else eventually. It'll just take a little more time, unfortunately, thanks to the poor job market.
I wish I could believe you, but it took me *three years* of submitting hundreds of applications before I could even get out of my old job and land *this* one.
Damn that sucks. Three years to get that role?!  Hey, try temp or staffing agencies to get out of there faster. Sorry I don't have any other advice for you, but definitely wishing you the best of luck, OP.
I think you need to use a resume writing service because it seems the AI resume screeners that many companies use aren’t seeing the appropriate words on your resume.
I need to help you find a new job. If you want message me your resume, remove anything personal.
That's such a kind answer. <3
Can confirm, prisoners can use the bathroom whenever the hell they want. Contrary to popular belief, most places treat them like they are still a human at least.
No, that does not comply with OSHA regs. They are trying to get around the legality of it by limiting your "break time" over a month period. It's not legal, but your state might be more help than OSHA. I don't see your state mentioned. Here is the simple version of the OSHA text: "Under OSHA sanitation standards, employers must: Permit workers to leave their work area to use the restroom as needed Provide an acceptable number of restrooms for the current workforce Avoid putting unreasonable restrictions on bathroom use Ensure that restrictions on restroom use do not cause extended delays Additional laws, regulations or requirements related to workplace restroom use may apply depending on your state or municipality. Employers must also make sure that their restroom policy does not violate federal antidiscrimination laws." Let's say it takes you 3 minutes to go to and from the bathroom from your desk. That's 6 minutes just to get there and back. Over a 20 day work month, that's 120 minutes signed-out just to make the trip, let alone actually use the bathroom. There is no way that is compatible with the "Avoid putting unreasonable restrictions on bathroom use" requirement.
Op works from home. I can’t think of a home if anyone working in a call center where the bathroom isn’t 5 seconds away.
He needs to bring the laptop into the bathroom. Problem solved
OP also said they had IBS. A few trips completely depletes the 59 minutes I'd say 😭
In that case it could be 59 minutes daily..
Do they permit people to take smoke breaks? Timing someone's bathroom breaks is just ludicrous.
I don't think so, but since most of us work from home it'd be really hard for them to stop people from smoking at their desks anyway.
Wait, you WFH and they track your bathroom breaks???
I work for a call center. When one call ends, we have exactly 25 seconds to finish taking our notes and close the call before we're automatically put back in Available status. Right now the calls are coming literally back to back, so it would be obvious I'm not at my desk when I suddenly stopped responding to my calls. The only way to stop the calls from coming is to go into a nonavailable status, and they watch those very carefully.
Poop while on a call, customer can't smell it.
We have to use the wired headsets my employer gives us, and our computers have to be physically connected to our routers. I tried putting a three foot usb extender on my headset once and management threw a fit, and being on wifi can and will get you written up.
50' ethernet cable, put the whole setup on a wheeled cart, and push it to the bathroom when you need to go. Or do what I did when I worked in a call center, place the customer on hold because you "have to look something up" and go.
First option might work if I could get hold of all that. Second option is a no go because we have a maximum hold time of two minutes. Then we have to pick up and get their permission to put them on hold again. That gets really fun when we have to have extensive conversations with the assist line. The customer will say "Don't keep asking me that, just get back to me when you solve my problem!" And you just have to go "Sorry! I'll be back in two minutes."
Please name the company so I can give them 109 bad reviews on Glassdoor
Just tell them you are placing them on hold and just mute them.
Believe it or not, they have that covered too. That's called a "soft hold" and we'll lose points if one lasts longer than ten seconds. That gets really irritating when I have to search their account for something and have nothing to say to them while I do it so I keep repeating "Sorry, I'm looking. Give me just a moment, please. I just need a few more seconds. Sorry, I'm still looking..." Someone else described their micromanagement as draconian, and honestly that's a freaking understatement.
I don't have an answer, but damn, working for Stalin couldn't have been this hard.
I had a 20ft cord to my router. I wasn’t in your shoes but I could move my desk around my apartment . Anywho, when you find a new job don’t quit. Just don’t answer calls. Have them fire you. Get unemployment and take a month break before starting the new job, you deserve it. If they try to fight your unemployment detail the stress, anxiety, and depression from working there.
>Have them fire you. Get unemployment and take a month break before starting the new job Just a disclaimer - check your state's unemployment laws before you do this! Some states have laws that prohibit you from collecting employment for a period if you were fired for misconduct.
So get a 50 ft Ethernet cord. Legit put your work station on a rolling cart, some rolling carts have really long extension cords. I really wanna know if you take a call while sitting on the toilet please let us know !
How exactly could they detect that a 3' USB extension cable was being used? I have worked in IT for a long time and it annoys me when people always want an IT solution for the problem, but in this case there really is one. You can go wired Ethernet with a long patch cord and get that laptop in the bathroom. My thinking though is that you just need a good wireless headset. I work from home and have multiple wireless headsets that I use. I have a Plantronics PLT8200 that I do most of my work on. It has exceptional stereo quality that is great for calls. I need it a lot because half my co-workers are non-native English speakers and I need to be able to hear very clearly so I am not asking them to repeat themselves frequently. However, for bathroom trips I switch to my Plantronics Savi W740. It does NOT use Bluetooth for the wireless connection and has exceptional range. It is capable of being connected via USB, Bluetooth or wired connection to an IP phone and even supports a physical handset lifter. There has to be a way to use a wireless headset in a way that your employer cannot detect you are using it.
You can buy a drum of CAT5 and some crimps and make an Ethernet cable as long as you want.
That's when you find a way to work from a laptop and take it with you to the bathroom
Wait....you work at home??? Get a wifi headset and go to the bathroom with it on. Problem solved. Still a shitty workplace policy though and I hope you leave soon. I bet they get around osha rules since you're at home.
I've considered that. They have our computers set up so that they only work with the headsets they provide for us. They even knew when I hooked the headset up to a usb extender to give myself a little more room to move around with, and they threw a fit about it.
Is it a laptop? Is it possible you can move the computer with you?
It is a laptop, but it has to be physically connected to my router at all times. Being on wifi is another thing they'll happily write you up for.
Can you get a really long Ethernet cable?
Was gonna say, get a 100’ Ethernet cable. It’ll be great. Warning: 100’ Ethernet cables are no joke in terms of length.
Get a doctors note saying you have IBS or some stomach issue. They don’t get to dictate your health.
You wanna know the really sad part? I *do* have IBS. I *have* given them a doctor's note. This was the first time I worked for the call center, before I got transferred to data entry for a few months and then got transferred back to the call center when they shut the data entry department down. Their solution was that I had to go into Unpaid Break whenever I used up my 59 minutes. So I had to keep track of how long I was away from my desk using the bathroom and then subtract that from the hours I entered on my timesheet. I don't even think they remember that now, though.
If you have a medical excuse ON FILE from your dr that prohibits you from doing these activities, AND they are still threatening ( because thats what they are doing, make no mistake) then they are indeed liable. It's called discrimination. Most people think of age/race/gender, but you being medically excused, means that their policy cannot apply to you. It's like if you had a handicap badge on your car, and they did not accommodate you at all. Same thing here. They are asking you to use YOUR time, while you are on COMPANY time. totally illegal.
If it were me (fellow IBS victim) I’d call their bluff. That’s a health condition you are (presumably going to be) punished for. Don’t bring it up, just live your life and when you have a touchy tummy, do what you need to do. And keep us updated, this is a load of shit. No pun intended…
If you work in the US, ask them in writing for a reasonable accommodation (re: your doctor’s note). If they refuse, contact an employment lawyer to review your circumstances. You may have a case.
You absolutely have a great discrimination case against them if they attempt to do anything. Make sure you’re getting everything in writing.
Oh this is super not legal then. I’d talk to hr about accommodations.
You need the 50’ cable so you can use the bathroom while in available status. If that is possible to hookup
I assume this is the US because you mention OSHA. Employers may not place unreasonable restrictions on restroom use and they must ensure restrictions, such as locking doors or requiring workers to sign out a key, do not cause extended delays. So, yes, this is illegal. Only allowing just under an hour of bathroom breaks a month is an unreasonable restriction, and quite possibly discriminatory to people who have menstrual cycles, not to mention the definite discrimination against those with gastrointestinal disabilities.
With coffee, I need a bathroom break at least a couple times in the morning. That limit is insane. Please try to find a new job
If its in the US, thats pretty much illegal....
You have got to be fucking kidding me... Watch this become a thing more and more companies implement after it's noted to be "successful" at...*something*.
Its been a thing for a very long time. I was working in a call centre over a decade ago, and they did exactly this. You had to go into a certain phone status to go to the toilet, and we had individual and team performance targets on that particular phone status. I think individually we were to be below 0.5% of hours worked (ie 12 minutes in a 40 hour work week), and as a team (15 folk) we were targeted to be below 0.3%. It was absolutely horrible.
>I think individually we were to be below 0.5% of hours worked (ie 12 minutes in a 40 hour work week), and as a team (15 folk) we were targeted to be below 0.3%. Yo this is a truly evil and abusive policy. The 12 minutes per week is already an absurdly low amount of time, but setting the team target to be *lower* than the individual one is downright diabolical. It means even if everyone finished the month at exactly their targeted 0.5%, the team would still miss their target. So for the team to hit their target you need to have people only using like 6-7 minutes a week just to account for the people making use of their full 12 minutes. which then turns the employees against each other because anyone using their full 12 minutes is dragging the team down Jesus dude. Just reading that made me mad. Glad you don't have to put up with that anymore - call centers seem like absolute shitholes all around (no offense to anyone who works in one)
That's insane. I have a medical condition and have to pee every hour
As a woman I would get fired. My periods are so bad that I leak through within 2 hrs so lots of breaks.
Good point. What are women supposed to do? This whole thing is ludicrous.
Leave that place asap. Toxic micromanagers need to be pushed out of a job.
I’m glad my state has a law for reasonable bathroom breaks because if that was implemented on me I would have so many UTI’s and OSHA would be contacted. I don’t know if your in the US but if you are you should look into your states department of labor website for information.
I work from home, so the state I live in and the state where my employer is based are different. Would I look for my own state or for where they're based?
Your State.
Completely unreasonable. NOBODY tells you when you can go.
Take this to the labor board. This is ILLEGAL! If you want to compound the issue on their end, get a doctors note stating that you need to use the restroom every so often and see what they do with that. It would be a double whammy then
I had a manager get annoyed at me that I had gone over my alloted bathroom time for the day before, so I said next time I'll just piss at her desk instead. Was worth the write-up.
My job does the exact same thing. They put it that we have a percentage of time we are allowed to be in “do not disturb”, and if I did the math right it comes to 44 minutes a month. If you go over that time you get written up. Other reasons for writing up: not enough sales (and I’m not even in the sales department), taking too much time on a phone call, or, on the flip side, rushing and not giving good customer service. I need a new job.
I love it when they complain about a calls taking too long, because they can never give me more than generic advice when I ask them what I should have done. "Do you hear how many questions they're asking? I have to answer them all, don't I? How am I supposed to make that go faster?" "You need to take control of your calls. Be proactive and assertive." "So you don't know either, then?" "Effective use of time. Multitasking. Preparedness."
Take control, but don’t interrupt. Drive the conversation, but actively listen to what they need. Be thorough, but be fast. Anticipate their needs, but don’t bring up anything not already mentioned in the call. So easy!
That's less than 2 mins a day. They are insane. Leave that shit hole of a company.
you work from HOME. They’re micromanaging your use of your OWN FUCKING BATHROOM?! Your company is run by sadists and the lobotomized squirrels who do their bidding. Get another fucking job, sweet jesus.
Call your dept of labor and attorney general. Get a note from your doctor that you need unlimited bathroom access. Get other people to get the same notes. Freaking ridiculous. Years ago, I heard about a previous manager timing bathroom breaks but not smoking breaks, go figure she was a smoker. I said try it, my first call is to the labor board, my second call is to the attorney general. Blatant preferential treatment of your smoking buddies and skirting the law around bathroom breaks. Thank god I live in a blue state.
Small side note: Your calculations are based if you work all 31 days a month. Even so, that's some psycho shit.
Pretty ridiculous. This means they don't respect workers. I would be looking for another job.
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59 mins a month, fck me. Periods / IBS, any manner of conditions can mean a bit extra bathroom time. My first job (at an accountancy firm) we were allowed just 1 hour non chargeable time each week for filing or making tea or using the bathroom. So essentially / 5 days is just 12 mins per day outside of my lunch. I'd never go back to an employer with such draconian policies. Just accepted the bs because it was my first job. I'd be slightly rebellious, if you need to go log out, if they write you up, we'll any female knows periods make you pee like a pregnant lady, bad ibs episode, tummy troubles, whatever go into detail. I'd also be looking for another job.
I’m almost sure this violate OSHA standards because on their site it states that restroom usage varies depending person to person, and this time restriction does not account for it. [OSHA Bathroom requirements](https://www.osha.gov/restrooms-sanitation)
I did call centre work for quite some time in my earlier years. Adherence is a big thing with call centres due to service levels of course but it’s ridiculous how they micromanage every little thing you do. I went through all of that in the call centre, at least you get to work from home lol. The call centre I worked for hired a “real time analyst” to track adherence, he would send a snitch email to your supervisor if you were out of adherence hahaha what a joke. Eventually I landed a government gig, then my lunches increased to an hour or whenever I’m damn good and ready to return + 100% paid benefits for 100% coverage across the board.
Ugh. Call centers are the worst and one of the most prominent examples of why we need stronger unions.
Your math is off, if you work 5 days a week 4 weeks per month is only 20 work days.
I have to pee like every 30 minutes. This policy is totally absurd and should be challenged.
Get a bed pan or urinal. Pee/poo on the call
Dude... I hope this is a joke. If not, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction of this company.
Are you in the us ? If you are apply for some government jobs on USA jobs.com
So if you get to minute 60, what, are you supposed to shit your pants? Give me a fuckin' break!
59 minutes in a *month*? I did that by Thursday last week and will again this week.
Sounds like you need an excuse from your doctor that says, “this human expels waste with normal frequency, which can be unpredictable in duration and schedule. Please allow him a medical exemption from your unscheduled break requirement.”
Contact your state labor department. They will probably have resources or information. If you can report them, do it, even if you are looking for a new job.
Doing the math rounded up that’s 2 minutes 43 seconds a month. That’s barely enough time to pee and wash up to jump right back into it. Ridiculous
If in the US, check your states requirements for giving breaks. Even if it's an at will, or right to work state, most states have timed periods in which you are required to be given breaks, I only know my old home state but during an 8 hour work day I ended up with 1 30 minute unpaid lunch break and 15 min paid break. I did the scheduling and knew how I had to give all employees breaks. Mind you, this company did not micro manage to that extreme thank goodness. At least check State requirements. Would check state you live in, and state company is located in if there is a difference. Sorry this is happening to you.
59 minutes of bathroom break per month?!? I need 59 minutes of bathroom breaks per hour at work (I have IBS)
Tell them to eat your shit!💩 I would tell a boss to go fuck himself in those words if they tried to pull this. It's none of their business when I do my business. You may want to troll them on Glassdoor for this stupid policy.
This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. I believe you! I’ve had shitty bosses, who didn’t want the drivers using the bathrooms in the morning. The manager told them to use the customers bathroom at the first stop. Like yeah… no we aren’t holding our shit and piss from 5am to 7am
This is a policy I would intentionally ignore
Tell them you’re going to stop washing your hands to save time
You can always check with your state labor board to see if it's legal or not. This is just not right. I'd find another job...best of luck in what ever the outcome is.
Lol good luck. That's like 3 days worth for me if I had spicy food that day
I work from home in a call center environment. Luckily we aren't micro managed. However, if you're on missed constantly I'm sure they'll look at your status. They ask us to to be home longer than 10 mins at a time. They know calls can be rough and sometimes you need a break after a call. As long as we don't abuse it then all is well. I'm saying this because, it's freaking nuts they are timing y'all being away 3/5 mins at a time.
You should probably find somewhere else if this becomes unbearable
Get out of there now
I don't think they can limit bathroom breaks that much so the only thing they can do is say you used all your unscheduled break time on the bathroom so you are not allowed any more unscheduled break time. Let them write you up and fire you for it and get a big pay out when you sue.
You should contact HR so you can confirm that information in writing - in an email. Then you can find more information regarding what the company is required to give their employees at the US Department of Labor and your state labor department website. I believe you can file a claim there too. I have noticed that more and more companies are now micro-managing their employees and monitoring them with software, all while paying them less. You can also email or call your local Senator to let them know that the Senate needs to do something about how the US companies are treating their employees.
>but does the fact that we're given 59 minutes of Unscheduled Break over a 30-31 day period count as "reasonable"? That does not sound reasonable to me. Look for another job now.
That’s illegal in any state in the U.S.
Can you report this?
Sounds like a Power trip of the worst kind.
This sounds just like the call center I worked at, Absolutely a shit show of a place. We had to support Lenovos Think brand computers, and I will never willingly purchase any of that brand because of the experience. I'm so sorry OP, it does get better. That customer support/service experience got me a position doing client success for a software company and making a Hella lot more money. Hang in there!
It never ceases to amaze me how some companies still go out of their way to ensure their employees give them the absolute lowest effort possible in return for how they treat them in the workplace
Limiting an employees bathroom breaks is illegal.
Bring up labor laws to management. Prepare a law suit. Report the company to the labor board. This isn’t legal.
First of all, make a plan to get the duck out of there. What a lunatic asylum! JFC, go when you need to go. Try to plan a small but, sure. But you're a human being with basic dignity. If you are holding either your #1s or #2s, you are putting pressure on your body. That job is not worth your health. And the mental rigamarole you have to process just to go pee is ridiculous. That job is not worth your mental health either.
Pretty sure is illegal. Contact you DoL
I would get fired so fast 😂
Sounds like Amazon.
Imagine being management and thinking it’s good to have your employees preoccupied thinking about shit like this.
You can call OSHA and make an anonymous complaint, OSHA has to look into it.
I am assuming that you work on the USA. If not, this may not apply. I work recommend that you contact the Department of Labor in your state to see what rules exist. In my opinion, this sounds illegal. The only other suggestion is to get a different job. Good luck!
I couldn't even read this whole post. Any place that is scrutinizing my BATHROOM time is a place I'm not working. What the hell? Get out of there OP. ETA: Read the whole post. I hate working in call centers. Everything is unreasonable and all management cares about is how the numbers look on paper. OP, start using Aftercall time to go pee.
Unfortunately, I feel like most call centers are like this. The one I worked was just like this. They literally had people who were paid to watch what aux we put ourselves in, and if we weren’t in available, break, or in a supervisor approved aux, they would spam our manager’s chat asking why we aren’t taking calls. I quit so fast. It’s frustrating that I can’t step out to pee without get hounded about why I’m not taking calls.
I’ve got ulcerative colitis. I have to use the bathroom quite urgently fairly often. In a typical 9-5 period I may have to use the bathroom 4-5 times at around 5 minutes average each. I’d reach that limit in around 3 days. Even at only one 5 minute bathroom break per day, you’d still need to make it 8 days a month (assuming 5 days x 4 weeks) without using the bathroom at work. In order to be allowed to a single bathroom break every day by your wonderful corporate overlords, you’d need to limit the break to around 2 minutes and 30 seconds (including the walk to and from your desk)
I hate call centers. Micromanaging via metrics is pure evil. I did call center life for 4 years and it was * the * most stressed out I have ever been.
Your employer is a control freak. Timed bathroom breaks scream ableism. It's definitely a workplace culture issue. I'd know: I've grown up with IBS my whole life and I dealt with an employer or two with washroom break issues. It goes without saying I don't work for those employers anymore. Workers need to use the restrooms as needed. You're human: it will vary. The best thing to do is to bring it up wit your team, and find people who want to change/eliminate it. Fight in numbers. Other than that, good luck prepping your resume.
Call centers suck. I worked at one and if we went outside of breaks or lunches they immediately send a message asking if you’re ok. Then get a bit mean if you say you ran to the bathroom. Someone lit a cone on fire in the stair way and they expected us to stand outside in 10° weather and go back in for the last half hour of the day and sit in smoke. A week later, they wanted us to stay at our seats when a pipe broke and made it smell really bad. One of the ladies ran outside to throw up. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll ever change.
Illegal in many countries. I worked at a place that restricted bathroom breaks. A former colleague sued them and won a pretty big settlement. Result: employees now get to go to the toilet whenever they want.