Australian firm resents employee spending too much time in the loo

A firm in Australia has sought advice on Reddit, the social news aggregation and discussion platform, on dealing with an employee who spends too much time in the toilet at the workplace.

While the employer admits that the employee is very good at his job, his spending most of the day inside the toilet is irking the organisation.

The firm details that the said employee spends 20 minutes in the loo immediately after he reaches office, which means he starts work at least half an hour late, and also half an hour before closing time. He then visits the washroom at least two to three times in between, that is, during the day, each time spending at least 20 minutes.

Therefore, as per the calculations of the employer, the said worker spends four days every week on work and one day inside the toilet. So, technically, he is being paid extra, for the time that he spends in the washroom, which is one whole day’s pay.

The employer admits that the quality of work delivered by the employee is good and that he does not really deserve to be fired. Besides, the powerful Australian labour laws will not allow them to terminate his employment.

Suggestions and opinions have poured in from everywhere. Some people feel that the said employee is probably suffering from a medical condition, which requires him to visit the washroom several times. Others say he is probably taking breaks to smoke.

Many feel it is stressful for employees if their employers start keeping track of the number of times they visit the toilet, and that such kind of monitoring may lead to resentment amongst the staff.

There are others who advise that the employer should focus on the said employee’s quality of work and efficiency and not try to interfere with the way he manages his time, pointing out that not all employees work the same way.