Dear Prudence,
Our office shares a double restroom with another company that occupies the floor of our building. This has never been an issue because 10 women work in our office and no women worked at the other company. Then they hired a new female employee. A few weeks ago, I noticed that every single time I used the restroom, she was already occupying the other stall and stayed after I left. I understand that some trips take a bit longer, but even when I would leave the restroom to give her privacy, coming back after as long as 30 minutes, she would still be in the other stall. This has become such a frequent occurrence that every single other woman I work with has mentioned it, initially as a joke. But it’s turning into a very weird and protracted issue. Oftentimes we can hear her music (she wears giant over-ear headphones during these trips) and see the screen from her iPhone as she spends up to 40 minutes in a stall. We’re left to awkwardly schedule the use of the other stall around the rare occasions she leaves the restroom. Recognizing that this could be health-related, is there any hope of solving this problem? The issue comes up multiple times a day, but none of us can see a solution to this beyond leaving a ridiculously awkward note in the bathroom. Are we all stuck playing hide-and-go-seek with a stranger?
—Restroom Relaxation