Company Blog

Bathroom Etiquette

In a multicultural society such as ours in the UK, you can understand that there would be some cultural differences, however toilet habits wouldn’t be on many people’s minds, presuming people would know how to go to the toilet. But that’s clearly not the case as recently Lloyds Bank has issued instructions to its foreign staff on how to use British loos. Turns out not everyone does their business in the same manor. The diagram has gone up in the toilets of the Old Broad Street branch of Lloyds in central London, explaining for the overseas workers, who work there how it is customary to go to the toilet in the UK. Such as not to sit on the toilet, how to flush the toilet and what you can and can’t put in the toilet. The sign also shows how to use a sink, apparently you should never use your feet to turn on the tap not plug the sink hole with paper.

UK Bathroom etiquette

So for those who come from abroad, you can easily work out how to use a toilet in the UK. I imagine it can be quite confusing, considering all the different ways to go to the loo there are in the world. In continental Europe, it was the norm until very recently to squat over a ‘hole-in-the-ground’ toilet. This still happen in other countries around the world. And in South America, it is common to put used toilet roll into a bin beside the loo because their drains can’t handle paper waste. Also in some African and Asian countries it’s customary to use your left hand to wipe your bum rather than toilet paper. Squat loos are gaining popularity in the UK, many companies hiring a large portion of European workers have installed them as for many it’s the way they ‘do their businesses. It may be wrong to us Brits, however some doctors claim that the squatting posture brings health benefits. Apparently it’s the most natural position for us and could protect against disease. As of yet though ukBathrooms has no plans to stock squat toilets.  

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