Boss sparks debate for monitoring employee's bathroom breaks and criticizing him for taking too long

It's one thing to be micromanaged, but to have a boss who keeps track of employees' bathroom breaks makes the workplace quite frustrating. Recently, employee u/AmphibianGood2743 shared on Reddit one such irksome experience he had at his workplace. "My manager called me into his office today to tell me that I take way too long in the bathroom," he titled his ordeal. Turns out, the manager gave the employee an embarrassing time pointing out his lengthy bathroom breaks. When the employee resorted to the Internet's advice, it sparked a debate in the comments.

Having stalked the employee's bathroom usage for a while, the boss decided to have a one-on-one with him. "He said that the amount of times I use the bathroom in a day and the length is getting ridiculous," the employee mentioned and added, "Now I feel like he’s watching and timing every time I use the bathroom even though his accusations are inaccurate." The employee agreed to the fact that he, at times had to take 10-15 minutes of bathroom breaks twice a day because of his digestive issues. But what he cannot fathom was how the boss perceived it to be "unreasonable." The employee also emphasized that these breaks never interfered with his completion of everyday tasks at work.

"He said it is disruptive because whenever I’m in the bathroom, he’s looking for me or needs me for something," the employee pointed out and added, "He also said, there is only one stall and if others have to use the bathroom they have to wait on me." Hearing these unfair accusations, the employee offered he would use the bathroom across the way to "not inconvenience anyone else." However, the boss stuck to his argument that the employee's bathroom breaks were too long. Not sure about how to respond to this embarrassing accusation, the employee reasoned out to the boss that he couldn't help control the time he needed for his bathroom break.

After this "embarrassing and degrading" rapport, the employee felt like he wanted to "quit on the spot and put him (boss) on blast in front of everyone." However, he chose to resume his work and asked the audience of his post about how he should handle this situation. While many found the boss's accusation unfair and insensitive, some argued that the employee had to get his digestive issue sorted out.

"Document the meeting by sending an email recapping the conversation from your perspective. Ask what company policy says about your bathroom use and whether it’s appropriate for managers to ask about such personal topics. Ask for specific citations of the employee handbook or posted policies. Copy HR on the message and request any follow-up conversations occur in the presence of HR or another 3rd party," suggested u/Simple_Reception4091. "Start looking for another job. My experience has told me if you are already on the potty time monitoring it's getting close to the end. When you have secured new employment just tell him if you can't deal with my s**t I can't deal with yours, later!" commented u/heavygauge3.

"It sounds like you may have IBS. You need to explore this with your PCP, and then provide paperwork to your employer substantiating your claim and then how they are legally obligated to reasonably accommodate your disability," wrote u/flushbunking. When u/lego_vader commented, "Do you have health issues? That might explain if you go to the bathroom too often. You might need to change your diet. GI issues are a handicap and are protected disability rights," the employee agreed to their point saying, "My diet is fine but I’ve had these issues since I was a kid and have seen doctors about it. I’m going to go back though to get documentation."