lobbying for shower facilities at work

[mjd1988]

Hi folks

Apologies if this has been answered before, couldn't find anything in particular.

Keen to incorporate more commutes to work; there are zero shower facilities were I work and i'd be keen to lobby for some, just wondering if anyone had any experience with this? Honestly there are not huge amounts of people likely to use such facilities so probably a longshot - but given its an NHS organisation i work in that has lots of sustainable travel policies and is in the cycle to work scheme i'm going to try and impress the positives for mental and physical wellbeing (and hinting towards monetary gains of a happier healthier workforce).

It isn't a huge building of people, probably 30-50 pre-covid and definitely at the lower end at the moment. Its also an older building so am realistic that they may not be able to identify a decent space for it.

any advice experience/welcome

 

[vickster]

presumably you’ve looked at NHS workplace policies on such things?
I’d just talk to manager or HR, but if there’s nowhere to put one...otherwise just take a flannel to work and sink wash?

How far is your commute? I’ve never bothered showering after a commute (up to an hour), shower before, deodorant and change, job done

 

[matticus]

Over the years I've noticed that lunch-time runners et al use showers just as much as the cycle-commuters. Could be worth "leveragin" that angle? Is there are any sort of work sports/social club already?
(these are often a Build it and they will come! thing ... )

 

[Arjimlad]

My place had old showers which were out of use so it was not v costly to get one, and then two, up & running. Reducing pressure on the staff car park seemed to be a killer point in favour. Also a number of people enjoy running at lunchtime.

Your organisation sounds bigger, so I hope the relevant policy can be dusted off to support your request.

 

[KnittyNorah]

In another world and another life, and far far away ... seriously, it was another world as things have changed there SO MUCH ... anyway, I worked overseas and lots of my patients came from outdoor pastoral lives with minimal water available for washing, and they always wore a lot of clothes. Their clothes STANK. They would, quite often, literally stand up by themselves when taken off.
But the patients themselves never did, the only time they smelled was as a direct result of an illness.
The little washing water available was used to wash themselves - pits, groin, feet, hands, face-and-neck and other folding places of skin, grime and sweat.
A flannel-and-basin wash, or even just a few-damp-flannels wash if there isn't a basin you can hog and splash around in, and clean fresh clothes, not forgetting underclothes, and you should be good to go. Perhaps you could take a week's supply of clean underclothes and a dozen clean dry flannels in on a Monday, and just bring back that day's used ones each day - then there's never a bag full of stinky stuff in your locker or whatever you use for storage?

The other option I can think of, is that if you are adjoining or adjacent to a clinical department, ask there if there any showers you could use. There might well be a shower there for purposes you have no idea about, which the department might (I emphasise might) let you use.

 

[mjd1988]

Thanks for replies folks.

It isn't a particularly long commute, I reckon just over 30 minutes at a decent pace. I am a sweater at the best of times though but maybe I need to at least try the flannel route!

There are probably a few more people who would run but not a big pool of people, but I agree worth having as many voices as possible.

 

[Milkfloat]

I saw a recent report saying that commuting by bike is going to triple post Covid compared to pre, so that might a good angle to try. In our office we managed to get a shower by sheer demand, by far the majority of us cycled or walked to work, we organised a week when everybody cycled every day and got it publicised on the company intranet and it literally forced facilities to allow us to install a shower.

 

[icowden]

Honestly there are not huge amounts of people likely to use such facilities so probably a longshot - but given its an NHS organisation i work in that has lots of sustainable travel policies and is in the cycle to work

It'll depend on the resource available and a suitable place to put them, but most NHS Trusts (in my experience) usually have some sort of shower facility somewhere. At Guys and St Thomas last time I worked there, facilities were available in both main hospital buildings and in both buildings used for IT and support staff.

As others have said- these will be of benefit to runners also. What you may find, post-covid is that if you aren't clinical they try to move you offsite and get rid of the building. I'd imagine a lot of Trusts are trying to reduce their property portfolio at the moment having discovered that working from home is actually a lot more cost effective than they thought it was.

 

[matticus]

A flannel-and-basin wash, or even just a few-damp-flannels wash if there isn't a basin you can hog and splash around in, and clean fresh clothes, not forgetting underclothes, and you should be good to go.

Have you ever done this in a shared work bathroom? I think it would take a lot of nerve, and a lot of people would complain about a colleague doing this. Sadly.

(I'd recommend the wet-wipe route as a compromise - despite the environmental issues. There are probably greener less convenient options out there. My approach - for 5 years - has been to keep the effort right down on the morning ride, and maybe put fresh under-crackers on when I get here!)

 

[vickster]

I've used disabled toilet cubicles for changing - more spacious and not shared

 

[Drago]

Bizarrely, in the last building I worked in we had showers but no changing room. I also used the very serious adjacent disabled lavvy for changing. It was either that, or do so in the shared locker room.

 

[midlife]

Is there any clinical activity in your building ?

 

[si_c]

I've worked in a place where there were no shower facilities, it's not ideal but manageable. Try turning the 30 minute ride into 45 and then use baby wipes.

I used to get changed when arriving and had a towel and deodorant in my bag to freshen up, it works even if like me you sweat easily.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Have you ever done this in a shared work bathroom? I think it would take a lot of nerve, and a lot of people would complain about a colleague doing this. Sadly.

(I'd recommend the wet-wipe route as a compromise - despite the environmental issues. There are probably greener less convenient options out there. My approach - for 5 years - has been to keep the effort right down on the morning ride, and maybe put fresh under-crackers on when I get here!)

That's why I made the suggestion of several damp flannels if there isn't a suitable basin to splash around in. It can easily be done with several damp flannels in just the same way as one would do it with wet-wipes- and in a much more environmentally-friendly way.

 

[fossyant]

I managed for years with wet wipes and toilet cubicles, or if lucky, a disabled loo. Only once got shouted at to 'hurry' up by someone with a hobble who wanted to wash her mug in there - she's walked to the loo. We only got showers in our new building. Just remember, clothes for cycling in, and clothes to work in. Drying kit is another issue. Not nice getting into damp clothing that's been in a bag all day as there is no-where to dry it.