In the bustling ecosystem of India’s corporate sector, diversity and inclusion have slowly but surely garnered due attention. Companies now understand that creating an environment of belonging is imperative for employee satisfaction and productivity, and for attracting the best and brightest out there. However, there is a significant collective blindspot in our diversity efforts.
Let’s illustrate this with a thought experiment. Let’s imagine that you’re a woman. Imagine if your workplace told you that they took gender equality seriously, and that they were working hard to fix glass ceilings for women and pay gap issues… and yet, they built no toilets for women.
Would you take them seriously?
Now, let’s use the same thought experiment, and imagine that you identify as transgender, intersex or non-binary. Your workplace makes the same promises. You have a job, but every day, you have to go through the stress of deciding whether to use the men’s toilet or the women’s toilet. You spend a considerable amount of time and attention on timing your toilet breaks, to avoid crowds. Even when it’s not crowded, it’s an extremely stressful situation for you – you never know when someone will take offence to you being there. You don’t know who will confront you for using the ‘wrong’ toilet, who will insult you, harass you, threaten you, or call security to have you escorted out of the premises.
And when this happens, everyone finds out through the office grapevine. Now you have to work with these people, who know about your humiliation. The worst part: you still don’t know where to go to the toilet. Would you believe that diversity and inclusion are important to your workplace? Would you like to work here?
The first step in ensuring inclusive toilet facilities is understanding the diverse needs of the LGBTQ+ community. For transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, using the men’s or women’s toilet can be distressing and even unsafe. Inclusive facilities that don’t discriminate on the basis of traditional gender norms create an environment where LGBTQ+ employees can feel respected and secure.
The Positive Impact of Inclusive Toilets
Besides taking a concrete step towards making inclusion a reality in the workplace, inclusive toilets have a number of tangible benefits too.
Employee Well-being and Mental Health:
Inclusive toilet facilities contribute to the overall well-being and mental health of LGBTQ+ employees. When workplaces offer safe spaces, employees don’t need to fear discrimination or harassment and can focus on their work. This contributes to an overall decline in stress levels and an improvement in mental health.
Transgender, intersex and non-binary people often avoid going to the toilet altogether, preferring to ‘hold it’ and limit their intake of food and water. This creates enormous stress on their bodies, leading to a variety of physical ailments ranging from urinary tract infections, to kidney problems, constipation and even dehydration. When toilets are safe for everyone to use, these issues become a thing of the past.
Increased Productivity:
Without the additional stress of having to worry about when and where to go to the toilet, employees are more likely to be engaged and productive. The assurance that their workplace respects and supports their identity allows them to bring their best to work.
Enriching Organisational Culture:
Inclusivity goes beyond physical spaces. When companies make an effort to accommodate the needs of all employees, it sends a strong message that diversity is valued. This, in turn, helps in cultivating a culture that is compassionate, open, and accepting of differences. In these workplaces, people from a wide variety of backgrounds can contribute to discussions and decision making, leading to fewer assumptions, fewer blindspots and much better informed decisions. These, in turn lead to stronger performing teams and businesses.
Attracting and Retaining Talent:
Workplaces that prioritise diversity and inclusion are more likely to attract a larger talent pool. Places where LGBTQ+ rights are valued make everyone feel safer and more included. These places tend to suffer fewer biases and are less likely to indulge in stereotyping – all indicators of a workplace that treats people fairly. So, of course, they attract the best and brightest.
Implementing Gender Inclusive Toilets is Easy
That’s the best part: implementing gender inclusive toilets doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. In most offices, the facilities already exist – male toilets have urinals, which can be sectioned off, and female toilets have facilities like sanitary products dispensers and collection bins, which can be duplicated in other stalls. The central handwashing area doesn’t need to be disturbed.
Here’s what needs to be added:
- Clear and respectful signage that indicates that they are open to everyone. Clearly mark areas by function – if you are retaining the urinals, call them out. Clear signage should point to stalls that are wheelchair friendly. Similarly, sanitary products dispensers must be clearly marked.
- Adequate privacy and security measures, such as locks and partitions. Panic buttons that summon security make everyone feel safer, especially in workplaces where phobic or hateful attacks have occurred.
- Provide accessible features for people with disabilities, such as grab bars, ramps, or lower sinks.
- Keep the toilet stocked (soap, sanitary products, paper towels, etc) and well-maintained.
- Ensure that toilet attendants have been through sensitivity training.
It really is as simple as that.
Creating an Environment of Respect
Toilet attendants aren’t the only ones who need sensitivity training. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, it’s better to err on the side of caution. Our workplaces mirror the societies we come from. If we live in a culture that is deeply patriarchal and sets up gender as a binary of men and women, then that’s what comes to work too. We can’t create diverse workplaces just by hiring from a gender diverse pool, we have to create spaces that feel safe and welcoming.
As anyone who has been on the receiving end of office politics knows, discrimination is rarely made obvious. It operates in the grey areas – the project that wasn’t assigned to you, the client meeting you weren’t invited to, the team whatsapp group that you were ‘accidentally’ not included in, the ‘jokes’ made at your expense, and of course, the way your mistakes were corrected.
Workplaces where diversity thrives are those where gender diverse people thrive. It’s not just about eliminating discrimination, but creating conditions where women and people from the LGBTQ+ communities are seen as being just as capable, just as committed and just as willing to go the extra mile as their male colleagues.
Understanding and Empathy Starts With Education
Sensitivity training aside, there are many resources that help build understanding and empathy within our workplaces. For instance, workplaces can benefit from collaborating with NGOs and experts specialising in LGBTQ+ rights. Through partnerships, companies can gain insights into best practices for creating inclusive environments.
Mission Swachhta aur Paani, a remarkable collaboration between Harpic and News 18, has been instrumental in creating platforms that bring together policy makers, doctors, activists, NGOs and key govt stakeholders together on issues that need cohesive action from all these stakeholders together. By turning their attention to the issue of gender inclusivity in toilets, Harpic and News18’s Mission Swachhta aur Paani is creating a collection of knowledge articles, videos and other materials that are helping build an appreciation for the challenges that the intersex, transgender and non-binary community go through, just to go to the toilet.
As a brand renowned for its commitment to cleanliness, Harpic has embraced this call for change. With open hearts and a deep understanding, the brand has taken remarkable strides to ensure that its products cater to the rich tapestry of society, which includes the LGBTQ+ community. Recognizing that education is the key to transforming attitudes, Harpic has launched inspiring campaigns that illuminate the diversity of gender identities.
The point here is to spark the right conversations. To create an environment of allyship, start with educating yourself. Understanding the issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, particularly with regard to access to public toilets is a great starting point. Learn about the different gender identities and expressions, and the unique challenges faced by each. Harpic and News18’s Mission Swachhta aur Paani initiative has some great content you can dip into.
Then, talk to your colleagues and gather support. Talk to HR. Talk to the people leading your company’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts. Find other allies, and get involved. Even if you succeed in creating just one gender inclusive toilet in just that one office of your large organisation, you’ve moved the needle! More importantly, you’ve set the precedent. Once a company has one gender inclusive toilet, it paves the way for others to follow.
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