Boss wants employees to sign out for bathroom breaks

After going through the Reddit post, an individual suggested, “There's no way HR is cool with this policy, but you have to complain without complaining.”

A man’s post about his boss’ new rule asking employees to sign out when they take bathroom breaks or go for lunch has created a chatter. He shared that he is contemplating going to HR about the issue and asked Redditors if that is the correct step to take.

When the Redditor refused to sign out for bathroom breaks, the boss said she would write up for ‘insubordination’ or, in better terms, ‘failing to follow instructions’. (Representational Image/Pexels: Christina Morillo)

“My new boss wants us to sign out anytime we go to the bathroom or take lunch. I refuse to do so and have been threatened to be written up. What should I do?” the man wrote. In the next few lines, he explained the new rule and his reaction to it in detail.

“So I’ve been at this company for 18 years now. I’m a high-performing senior member of my team. My boss just took another job, and my new boss is a hard ass when it comes to knowing where we are at all times. I’m almost 40 years old, and I’m not about to walk over to his cubicle, slide my dot to the left to signal I’m going to the bathroom. Maybe I could see that while taking lunch. But we have a set 30-minute lunch every day so it’s not really a thing in my opinion,” he wrote.

“Since I refuse to sign out when I go to the bathroom, my boss has told me she would write me up for ‘insubordination’ or, in better terms, ‘failing to follow instructions’. I’m contemplating quitting, but I make way more than most in my engineering design field, and my benefits are good, not to mention I get 5 weeks of vacation per year. I’m tempted to go to HR if this can’t be resolved. What would you do?” he further explained.

Take a look at this workplace-related Reddit post:

My new boss wants us to sign out anytime we go to bathroom or take lunch. I refuse to do so and have been threatened to be written up. What do I do?
by u/Maleficent_Ad7033 in antiwork

The post was shared two days ago. Since being posted, it has accumulated close to 22,000 upvotes, and the numbers are only increasing. The share has further gathered tons of comments.

Here’s what Reddit users suggested to the man:

“There's no way HR is cool with this policy, but you have to complain without complaining,” suggested a Reddit user. “It is all about power, it has nothing to do with bathroom breaks,” added another. “I don't see how the manager could possibly be efficient at their job if they're monitoring bathroom breaks. They are a control freak,” joined a third. “Be careful here. With 18 years seniority you could be one of their more expensive employees. This could be the start of a process to drive you out. Start a diary,” wrote a fourth.