If you think your front office, meeting spaces and boardrooms say a lot about you, consider what your office bathrooms tell people. Your staff and visitors form an indelible impression of your commitment to excellence when they visit the washroom. A bad one is incredibly hard to erase.
All that rhetoric about people being your most important resource, attention to detail, and caring about safety and hygiene, can go straight down the drain.
Stop for a moment, and consider your office bathrooms. Are they the image you want to present? Do they even meet the main criteria that every bathroom must:
- Safety
- Hygiene
- Privacy
- Accessibility for all
- Suitability for the purpose. (Sufficient number of urinals and cubicles with toilet partitions designed for privacy, vanities and hand drying facilities etc.)
Now, consider whether your bathrooms meet current standards for other factors.
Thinking about bathrooms has changed
In the last few years, there’s been a shift in thinking as far as an office goes, including, executive, public space bathrooms and washrooms. Many businesses and organisations are opting for gender-neutral bathroom designs, and every bathroom needs to have proper accessibility for people with disabilities.
Beyond that, there is a trend towards viewing the bathroom and washroom as an essential asset that can ensure people feel valued, and clients are impressed by the care and attention paid to every aspect, from the toilet partitions to the vanities. Given that everything you do contributes to your brand perception, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that the colouring and decor should form part of your branding plan.
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Getting practical about bathrooms
In addition to the stylistic and social changes you may consider, there are practical reasons for upgrading or renewing your office bathrooms and washrooms.
The first of these is hygiene. The older a facility is, the more likely it is to have cracks that can harbour harmful mould and bacteria. Therefore, cleaning becomes more difficult and less efficient, and health issues can arise. Modern materials such as compact laminate toilet partitions are easier to clean and stay cleaner for longer, as well as being more durable and less susceptible to cracks and knocks.
Also read: How to Clean Your Toilet and Shower Partitions
Energy efficiency can also be an issue with older installations. The addition of features such as skylights, LED lighting, motion-activated lighting, and new generation hand drying machines, you can significantly reduce ongoing costs. Mirrors can enlarge the space and provide higher reflectivity so you can save on lighting. Care and maintenance can be enhanced by concealed panel access to plumbing and electrical conduits, as well as improving appearance.
There’s nothing to be embarrassed about
As a business owner or manager, no one expects you to be an expert on bathrooms. It’s just not the kind of subject that comes up often. So the smart thing to do is get professional help. Talk to a washroom specialist who can help you understand the advances in materials. With expertise, you can revolutinize the designs and facilities in your business.
We’re sure it will surprise you how far bathrooms and washrooms have come.
Contact Cubispec on 1800 951 235 for a free consultation. It’s easy and affordable to create a new look, feel and future for your office bathroom.
