Chinese Tech Firm Defends Bathroom Break Toilet Timers

A tech firm in China has defended its introduction of timers in its toilets.

Pictures widely circulated on social media show digital timers above toilet cubicles at the office of Kuaishou, a Beijing-based company with a video-sharing app that boasts 200 million users.

Weibo

The toilet timers were heavily condemned, with one person commenting: "Now people don't even have the freedom to take a s***?"

Another added: "This is outrageous. They want you to do your work quickly and also take a dump quickly!"

However, Kuaishou has denied that the clocks are designed to monitor the length of toilet breaks; rather they have been implemented as part of plans to tackle a toilet shortage in the building, with the clocks used to calculate how many toilets are needed to accommodate the needs of employees.

In a statement shared on Weibo, the company said: "The fact is that there are currently a limited number of toilets on the site, and there is a serious problem of employees queuing to go to the toilet.

"But because of the building's construction layout, it is extremely difficult to build new toilet cubicles within the building."

This isn't the first time that people have kicked up a stink about employers tampering with toilet time.

Last year, the creation of the 'StandardToilet' sent shockwaves through the leisurely work dump community.

Backed by the British Toilet Association (BTA), the bog is designed to encourage employees to spend less time on the porcelain throne.

The seat is angled at 13 degrees, mimicking squat thrusts and therefore dissuading users from lingering in the plop shop.

StandardToilet

Mahabir Gill from StandardToilet said: "It is estimated that in the United Kingdom alone, extended employee breaks costs industry and commerce an £4 billion per annum.

"With the advent of flexible zero hour contracts it is easy to see why our StandardToilet can be an asset to a business."

But while it may sound like a fairly Orwellian measure, Mahabir insisted it brings wider health benefits, such as improved posture.

He said: "Medical studies have suggested that using the traditional WC can cause swollen haemorrhoids and weakening of pelvic muscles.

"The StandardToilet provides increased comfort through promoting the engagement of upper and lower leg muscles which helps reduce musculoskeletan disorders.

"Thirteen degrees is not too inconvenient, but you'd soon want to get off the seat. Anything higher would cause wider problems."

Little did Mahabir know that 2020 would be the year of working from home, with on-shift poo time at an all time high.

Topics: Viral, China

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey