What do you look for before using a public toilet? If you’re like me, it will be cleanliness along with the availability of toilet tissue, running water and soap. Multi-award winning Tokyo architect Shigeru Ban has brought something else into the mix: whether anyone else might already be inside. Worth consideration in this day and age, don’t you think? Cleverly, he’s engineered facilities that are completely see-through when unlocked, but which turn opaque when locked, allowing potential users to check from the outside both the cleanliness and that no-one’s lurking inside. At night, the toilets light up, so are easy to find. I love them! 

https://tokyotoilet.jp/en/haruno_ogawa/

  

Finally, I’m well aware that there’s something of an air of ‘doom & gloom’ around currently, with a lot of people struggling to keep their own morale boosted, let alone that of colleagues and employees (not to mention those who are struggling to keep their businesses running!). It is perhaps timely then that the UK Government’s launched a training initiative designed to help small businesses tackle the challenges of mental ill-health and disability. That it’s also free to take part is a good thing – particularly as the majority of those I speak to are blaming the Government and its many changes to employment legislation for their ills! The Institution of Occupational Safety & Health’s 1-day ‘Managing Occupational Health & Wellbeing’ course is being delivered by digital learning provider International Workplace in three formats: online self-study; virtual classroom (via MS Teams); and in person at one of 12 regional venues. Although the normal cost is £149-£249 depending on the format, anyone can study for free, provided they: work for a business with fewer than 250 employees, manage at least one person, register before 31st March, and haven’t taken part in the course in the last three years. There’s no restriction on the number of people from the same business who can study and gain their IOSH certification, either. 

  

“Our role is to allocate and deliver the training to line managers in industry sectors with a high prevalence of SMEs, hence why we’re keen to share this initiative with the soft FM, cleaning and security sectors,” says CEO David Sharp, who can be contacted via T: +44 (0)333 210 1995 . “We’ve produced a campaign pack which explains more about the initiative and how potential partners can get involved. It’s available for download here.