Some toxic workplaces demand that you stay glued to your work seat with eyes fixed on the laptop from 9-5. While taking frequent breaks can impact productivity, cause distractions and lead to errors, sitting for long hours also takes a serious toll on physical and mental health. Once in a while, employees need to leave their chairs, take a walk, sip a coffee, and have a brief chat with colleagues before resuming their professional duties. But recently, an employee found himself in a tough spot after his manager objected to his bathroom breaks.
Manager questions employee’s frequent bathroom breaks
According to a X-post by career coach Simon Ingari, the employee, during his hiring, had already informed the organisation that he suffered from Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causing long-term swelling and irritation anywhere along the digestive tract. However, the manager turned a deaf ear to his genuine concern.
The issue surfaced when the manager unexpectedly called out the employee for his frequent absences from the desk. The employee initially appeared confused, insisting that he only took his regular breaks and spent most of the workday at his desk. However, the manager alleged that colleagues had observed a pattern and said he had personally monitored the employee’s movements that morning, noting that he had left his desk multiple times.
Chronic disease triggers workplace conflict
As the conversation progressed, the employee revealed that the repeated bathroom trips were not an attempt to avoid work but were triggered by a flare-up of his Crohn’s disease. He explained that the chronic digestive condition occasionally requires urgent and frequent bathroom visits. He even reminded the manager that the diagnosis was previously disclosed during the hiring process and documented in the HR records.
Despite the explanation, the manager put the employee at fault, claiming that the professional had not informed him about the medical condition directly. The manager suggested that the employee should notify him whenever the condition affected his day-to-day routine at work. The employee, however, pushed back, maintaining that his medical condition was not impacting his productivity and that all assignments were being completed on time.
Employee’s response sparks debate
When the manager argued that repeatedly leaving the desk itself affected work performance, the employee firmly responded that using the bathroom was not something he could ‘negotiate’, since the flare-ups were not in his control. The manager, however, requested advance notice on days when symptoms flared up, describing it as a professional courtesy.
The employee refused to comply, stating that he could not reasonably be expected to report every medical episode. He politely pointed out that the situation could have been avoided had the manager reviewed his employee’s file before raising concerns about the medical ailment. The dispute has since sparked widespread discussion online about employee privacy, reasonable accommodations, and how managers should handle health-related disclosures.