According to the 2017 Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Corporation: It is businesses who either pay the ultimate price for having unpleasant bathroom conditions, or, reap the rewards and benefits for having an ideal bathroom experiences.
Restrooms are everywhere, but they are not created equally.
Close to 70% of Americans responded to the 2017 Healthy Handwashing Survey saying they’ve had a particularly unpleasant experience in a restroom due to the condition of the facility.
Visitors Will Be Unlikely to Return
According to the survey, more than half of Americans (56%) said they are unlikely to return to a business after experiencing unpleasant restrooms. This does not include the other disheartened visitors who will tell a friend, complain the management, post a negative comment on social media, or leave right away without ever completing their business.
Nearly all Americans (92%) see a direct relationship between the quality of a company’s services or products with the quality of their restrooms. Nearly 90% (88%) of Americans believe that if a restaurant has unclean restrooms, the kitchen is likely also unclean. That’s a really bad correlation for your customers to make about the sanitation and quality of your business!
Take it from Jon Dommisse, director of global marketing and strategic development for Bradley Corp., who said
“Depending on their condition, public restrooms can become significant business liabilities—or ringing endorsements…Most everyone has had a bad restroom experience and, unfortunately, it’s usually something you don’t forget. “
Our Toilet Partitions Leave Visitors and Business Owners Satisfied
When doing business with Fast Partitions: You can forget about the 3rd biggest aggravation in public restrooms according to the 2017 Healthy Healthy Handwashing Survey, “Partition doors do not latch closed”.
We at Fast Partitions are committed to quality, integrity and service — limiting our products to only materials we can proudly stand behind without question. Our high-quality partitions are crafted with some of the most durable materials in the industry — built to suit a wide range of environments. All of our toilet partitions (Stainless Steel, Solid Plastic, or Powder Coated Metal) are guaranteed to latch close properly.
Americans Require High Quality Bathrooms
When building a proper bathroom, you must consider all pieces to the puzzle. It’s important to consider the visitors’ experience from start to finish.
For male restrooms, the urinal screens must be recognized as nearly as important as toilet partitions by providing privacy and preventing anxiety inducing situations.
Help Visitors Make The Right Decision About Sanitation
Sometimes even with the best bathroom conditions, it’s people who turn visitors away. More than half of Americans say the presence of other people causes them to adjust their actions in one of two ways: 1) They either make sure to wash their hands, or 2) they’ll wash longer or more thoroughly.
Another shocking statistic is how much a written reminder posted in a bathroom can influence behavior. Close to 40% of Americans admit they’re more likely to wash their hands after seeing a sign which requires employees to wash their hands before returning to work.
Setting Your Bathroom Up for Success
It might be surprising but there is actually a lot that you need know about bathrooms if you’re a small business owner.
Aside from the from your storefront, your facilities restroom can have an outsized impact on your customer’s perception of your business. If your floors are sticky, your toilet partitions are improperly installed and you’re out of toilet paper it’s going to diminish their experience with your business.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind as you set up your bathroom for success.
- You need to consider that “planned obsolesence” in your bathroom fixtures means that you may need to replace paper towel & soap dispensers.
- Planned daily maintenance schedules for your workers can improve cleanliness
- Regardless of wether you choose a hand dryer or paper towel, actually providing soap to wash their hands is the greatest way to help fight bacteria.
- Adding a simple to maintain indoor plant can greatly improve your restroom’s air quality and ambiance.
- Many men experience high levels of anxiety when using restrooms without proper(or any) urinal dividers.
- You should consider anchoring your partitions into wood and not into drywall.
- Certain types of partitions are easier to clean than others. Materials like phenolic and frp aren't sensitive to water and can be heavily washed without fear of resulting water damage.
- Poor bathroom conditions don’t just impact customers but also impact your employee morale.
- You should know when to choose metal over plastic toilet partitions.
- Churches, Schools, Public Venues, Bars & restaurants all use the SAME partitions, but people almost always search for them based on where they’re being installed.
Partitioned Bathrooms vs Single Occupant
Any business owner or commercial property owner will tell you that the bathrooms of any particular building could easily be deemed as one of the most important features in a public place. The simple fact of the matter is, without the proper restroom facilities, everything about a place of business and how it functions can be compromised.
However, there is always one question that business owners have about the restrooms in their building: will single-occupant bathrooms suffice or is a partitioned bathroom with multiple stalls necessary?
Take a look at some of the advantages that come along with a partitioned bathroom over a single-occupant bathroom in a business setting.
Partitioned Bathrooms and Families
Consider certain types of visitors, such as the mother or father who shops in your store with their young children or the elderly individual who needs a little help using the restroom in your office.
If you only have a single-occupant restroom, it can make these types of situations uncomfortable for those using the facility. Partitioned bathrooms with multiple stalls and an open waiting area are much more family-friendly in their design.
Partitioned bathrooms better cater to employees customers, patients, or clients
If all you have is one bathroom available, it will mean anyone who pays a visit to the facility when nature calls could be left waiting in line to get in. For your employees, this can slow down production and productivity. With customers, this can mean that they simply leave when they need a restroom because they don't want to wait.
With a partitioned bathroom with multiple stalls, your restroom has the capacity to cater to several individuals at one time, which is much more logical in a business setting. Furthermore, having multiple stalls can be a life saver should a plumbing issue arise that takes one toilet out of commission for a few hours or a day.
Partitioned bathrooms are easier to make accommodating for handicapped visitors
It is always a must that you be mindful of those with mobility issues at various points in your public building, including the restroom.
If all you have are single-occupant bathrooms, being mindful of those with mobility issues will mean you have to make a space that can cater to both typical customers and those in a wheelchair. With a partitioned bathroom, you can designate one single stall as the accessible one and give it features like a wider entrance and taller toilet.
What types of businesses could benefit most from partitioned bathrooms?
After seeing the advantages, it is easy to see that pretty much any public establishment that caters to more than just a handful of people on a daily basis could benefit from making the change from a single-occupant bathroom to a partitioned bathroom with multiple stalls. A few examples of those that would benefit the most include:
- retail businesses
- industrial tool rentals
- medical offices and care facilities
- educational centers
- government offices that serve the public
- recreational businesses, such as theaters and fitness centers
- restaurants
Making the change from a single-occupant bathroom in your place of business to a partitioned restroom with multiple stalls is a huge step in the right direction. Make sure you take the time to get familiar with the multiple bathroom partition options available to make the best choice for your business.