- A British startup called StandardToilet designed a toilet with a slanted seat, intended to make it less comfortable for workers to hang out in the bathroom for extended periods.
- The toilet has a 13-degree slope that makes it painful to sit on for more than five minutes, the startup’s founder, Mahabir Gill, told Wired.
- The toilet is going mildly viral on Twitter, where people are reacting with nearly universal horror.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Bosses who are fed up with workers taking too long on the toilet may have a new weapon in their arsenal.
A toilet designed by a British startup called StandardToilet has a downward-sloping seat designed to make it painful to spend more than five minutes on, the startup’s founder, Mahabir Gill, told Wired on Monday.
StandardToilet’s website says the toilet, which costs $200 to $650, is meant to improve efficiency at companies, promising that the uncomfortable seat will discourage employees from using social media while in the bathroom.
“In modern times, the workplace toilet has become private texting and social media usage space,” StandardToilet lamented in its press release. It added that “with the advent of flexible zero hour contracts it is easy to see why our StandardToilet can be an asset to a business.”
People across the internet have reacted to the toilet mostly with indignation.
https://twitter.com/WhaleHorned/status/1207034407363710985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/WhaleHorned/status/1207034407363710985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
i will have my ass go numb out of spite https://t.co/SpiJG4UPW6
— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) December 17, 2019
StandardToilet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.