We want everyone working at Carnival UK to feel valued and that they belong. We also want everyone to Respect and Protect what makes their colleagues unique – we’re immensely proud of our diverse workforce.
To continue our commitment to creating an ideal organisational culture built on inclusion and the power of diversity, through the support of Spectrum – your LGBT+ & Friends employee-network – we’ve introduced inclusive, gender-neutral toilets in the Atrium at Carnival House.
All other toilet facilities at Carnival House remain female / male designated for colleagues who, for personal, cultural or religious reasons, would prefer to use these types of facilities. Alternative female / male ground floor toilets can be found behind the Atrium Café.
Nonbinary benefits
Gender-neutral toilets are inclusive for transgender and nonbinary* people as many are forced to make a choice that doesn’t align with their gender-identity, and fear confrontation for being perceived to be in the ‘wrong’ toilet. There’s also lots of evidence on the benefits nonbinary facilities bring to a business and the people who work there.
*Nonbinary people have a gender identity that does not fit into the male/female binary. They are often included under the umbrella term of transgender, a community that refers to people whose gender identity does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth.
In addition to the above, gender-neutral toilets at Carnival House:
- Support visitors – the Atrium facilities are accessible to guests within the building
- Are inclusive for parents/carers with dependents of a different gender – Carnival House welcomes friends and family members to the Atrium. (This is on hold for the moment as part of our current Covid-19 protocols.)
- Reduce wait times for women – research shows that the average wait for female facilities is on average 34 times longer than for male ones.
A personal perspective
We encourage everyone at Carnival UK to Be curious, be you, belong and to bring their whole selves to work. Gender-neutral toilets are one of the ways we’re empowering colleagues to do this.
”As female with a largely masculine appearance and dress sense, I am regularly misgendered accidently by people who don’t know me. This is most uncomfortable when it concerns use of public toilets, and even more so on formal occasions when I would wear a suit and tie.
“I continue to use the ladies bathroom, but it is often an uncomfortable experience. Sometimes it might be as simple as confused or surprised looks, but other times it can be much more overt such as tutting, muttering, or being pointed in the direction of the men’s bathroom. On cruise black tie nights, I generally try to go back to my cabin to use the bathroom to avoid any discomfort (often mutual) or confrontation, or at least get in and out of the bathroom as quickly as possible if it’s quiet.
Gender neutral bathrooms completely eliminates any of this, both for people like me, and for others who often become embarrassed and uncomfortable when they realise their mistake.
“In the increasing number of places where I’ve been able to use gender neutral bathrooms, there has been zero issue, confusion, or indeed any downside at all. We all have the privacy of a cubical, and it certainly doesn’t matter to me who I wash my hands beside!
“I fully support the introduction of gender neutral toilets at Carnival House and feel this is a great step towards better inclusion in our business.”
Em North, Digital Acquisition Manger
The new gender-neutral toilets replace the current female, male and disabled toilets in Carnival House Atrium. (The disabled toilets are gender-neutral by default rather than as a result of a considered and purposeful gender-inclusive decision.)
The toilets have private cubicles with shared handwashing stations. The disabled toilet features a handwashing station within the cubicle.
All other toilet facilities at Carnival House remain female / male designated for colleagues who, for personal, cultural or religious reasons, would prefer to use these types of facilities. Alternative female / male ground floor toilets can be found behind the Atrium Café.