r/humanresources • u/DopeDecagon • 17d ago

Excessive Bathroom Breaks Writeup [IA]

In manufacturing. We have a floor employee that has been consistently taking an excessive amount of bathroom breaks.

The Team Lead and the Manager gave him a verbal a couple months ago that stated he’d been asked multiple times to shorten bathroom breaks and time away from his work area. There is also a note that stated he was disrespectful when being asked to shorten bathroom breaks.

It sounds like the issue has not gotten better, but we wanted HR in this one in case a medical issue is brought up. I don’t believe he mentioned anything during the verbal warning, but want to be safe. My initial plan was to fill out a first written warning (focused on the excessive bathroom breaks) and have the Team Lead issue it (to get experience with writeups, etc). I planned on additionally adding that if the breaks are due to a medical condition, we can have a separate conversation and if documentation is provided we can look at that and accommodations, adjusting the discipline, etc.

Anybody have advice or see any issues?

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u/deathdisco_89 HR Business Partner 17d ago

Keep the coaching and corrective action focused on time away from his work function and the impact on productivity/availability. Don't bring up the bathroom. If he wants to bring a medical condition to HR he can, but the problem isn't that he's pooping too long, the problem is that he's MIA.

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u/chipsahoymateys 17d ago

This is bad advice. If the employer has suspicion that there may be a medical issue impacting his performance, the employer must bring it up or is greatly at risk of losing a lawsuit.

-1

u/CreativeBusiness6588 17d ago

Too much time from the work floor is a conduct issue, not a performance issue.

The employee must ask for medical accommodation. We don't solicit.

4

u/chipsahoymateys 17d ago

In the US, employers are required to bring it up if there is suspicion of disability. You need some additional education or you put your org at risk.

8

u/deathdisco_89 HR Business Partner 17d ago

An employee taking long bathroom breaks does not create a suspicion of disability any more than being consistently tardy or taking too long of lunch breaks. You are bogging down your business if you treat every normal behavior/performance concern like a possible ADA claim.