Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
It's <em>Still</em> National Etiquette Week: Here's How To Use The Office Bathroom
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 13, 2011
Modified May 13, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 13, 2011
Modified May 13, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This week we've all learned so much about etiquette: how to act at a museum, and eleven other tips on how to behave while roaming the city. And now, to close it out, here are some tips on how to use your office bathroom. Women's Health provided some tips on this, and we've included some of those with some of our own below. It's absurd that grown adults need to be reminded of these things, but we've seen enough passive-aggressive notes to prove that some office mates just don't get it.
- Clean up after yourself. (Game: try not to leave behind any trace of your bodily fluids!)
- Always flush the toilet.
- If there are several open stalls, try to choose one that's not right directly next to one someone else is using.
- Don't hang out and chat in the bathroom.
- Did you drop a paper towel or toilet paper on the floor? Pick it up and throw it in the trash.
- Are you a man in the ladies room? Okay, but put the seat down please.
- Hey, there's your coworker next to you. Look around, are you in a bathroom standing at a urinal? Then be quiet.
- And it wouldn't kill you to familiarize yourself with the International Choice of Urinal Protocol, men.
And of course, always wash your leather-gloved hands after attempting to strangle a coworker.
Tagged
bathroom
etiquette
national etiquette week
office
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .