On difficult days, I try to figure out if they are getting worse from the stress. Companies should take notice. It costs very little to pump in some mellow music and add lounge chairs. Those touches also create an atmosphere in which employees are more willing to talk to co-workers and bosses. Gaetano, who also is vice president of corporate human resources at USFilter, a Palm Desert, Calif., water-treatment company, said bathrooms serve as natural places to interact, producing an environment where the chain of command doesn't matter.
Employees are more willing to discuss problems or brainstorm ideas.
Although USFilter executives don't go out of their way to decorate its bathrooms, Gaetano said the company does recognize the importance of the office washroom. Some may have a couple of plants, but that's it. Still, we know that our employees will use the bathrooms to discuss things they can't discuss in front of others. We respect that. Some corporate architects are designing workplace bathrooms that can double as lounges.