Changing Areas at work in Colorado

[Hellicon]

Not sure if this constitutes a question about employment law, but I have been trying to find what constitutes as an appropriate changing area into a uniform at work that does not necessarily match the requirements for suitable changing areas due to harsh work environments. The issue at hand would be more of having to change into a uniform, no the employer does not require arriving to work dressed or require to change at work either, but there is no changing area other than being told to go to the restroom and the kind of work is in the retail/services sector. Outside of this, I know most people think changing in the bathroom is fine, but one issue at hand would be that outside of having something to hang clothes or a bag on, there are no suitable areas to place the clothes on that is not the floor or the sink/sink counter. Also, this would include that there is a "standard" of how the clothes look or are presentable for assumed patron and work "standards". Just trying to find information to determine how or if there is anything to be done about any such situation when the "locker room" is the break room that just has lockers in it and being approached by very select few coworkers and very aggressively being told, "This is not a locker room! Use the bathroom!"

 

[quincy]

Why can't you come to work wearing your uniform? What sort of uniform are you required to wear?

 

[Hellicon]

Whether or not I could arrive to work dressed or not is not actually the issue for just me, but as far as it goes, I more often than not, about 95% of the time, am coming not from home, but from elsewhere out and about that I would have to bring my work clothes and items in a garment bag and backpack. Also not to mention, between taking public transit and other coworkers carpooling, the uniforms are pretty much more or less formal attire, I can not just wear my work shoes due having bad feet and needing to use arch supports in a more support tennis shoe when not working, and at work, specifically for my case and some fellow coworkers, we work at the Broadway theater and symphony concert hall. So wearing our work clothes in, based on that not very person is the same in regards to body type, I sweat a lot even if it is 50 degrees F, do not want to wear my clothes to work because of the possible transfer of excessive body odor to my work clothes, the work clothes being drenched in sweat would not be acceptable for attire "standards", and the factor of soiling of the clothes because it is formal looking is my main reason for changing at work as a necessity. As far as other fellow coworkers needing or wanting to change at work, some similar reasons to mine are possible.

 

[adjusterjack]

Sorry, but you aren't going to find any laws compelling your employer to make the rest rooms more convenient to you.

Are there other employees that feel the same way as you do where you can ask, nicely, for clothing hooks to be installed in the restrooms, or is it just you.

If it's just you, bring some self adhesive, removable, clothing hooks to work and ask if you can hang then in the restroom.

https://www.walmart.com/search/?cat_id=0&query=self+adhesive+clothing+hooks

 

[Hellicon]

One, I am not asking for anything to compel my employer to make the restrooms more convenient. Two, as far as doing something like bringing things in to modify the doors, that is an impossibility as the building/venue is a city property and any such modifications would be on the city to be done. Three, my employer is event staffing and is contracted to be working the building/venue, so whether it was my company or another company working there, the same problem would occur regardless and most definitely other coworkers feel the similar.

As far as what we have to wear, it is more formal attire, i.e. black dress slacks, white tuxedo shirt, and a vest. We have had coworkers sent home or
written up because their attire was "not up to standards". So the changing in the bathrooms with no valid area to set our stuff down, because not everything can be hung up to accomplish this, the floor is an unacceptable area, and the sink/sink counter would also be unacceptable due to the it can make our clothes unacceptable to "the standards".

Now the reason I am looking for information, as to my original post, is because of course there is no laws I can find for anything for this, but to find what can be considered a more suitable changing area since there is no "locker room", but that "the locker room" is the break room where there are lockers and coat racks and tables that would be more suitable to placing belongings on that should not be placed on the floor or sink/sink counters.

To top that off, Just trying to find information to determine how or if there is anything to be done about any such situation when the "locker room" is the break room that just has lockers in it and being approached by very select few coworkers and very aggressively being told, "This is not a locker room! Use the bathroom!" is a problem because of being somewhat harassment at this point based on how our main supervisors at this point have repeatedly said in the past that as long as nobody was being indecent, the break room was acceptable, but as of working last night with such an incident taking place, namely I had to bear this, mind that I was actually putting my work clothes on over my street clothes at this point, not even stripping down to do so, one of the other supervisors, only 4 coworkers two of which are supervisors, but not the main ones with the above judgment have been on this path of being so aggressive about not being able to change where we were told we could change but instead must go to "unacceptable" areas if you look at the overall picture.

 

[quincy]

What are the lockers in the break room used for?

You could buy an over-the-door hanger (no installation required) and use that in the restroom and then store everything that is not being worn in one of the lockers.

What exactly are you hoping we can tell you?

 

[cbg]

Perhaps the reason you are unable to find any legal definitions for "changing rooms" is that there are none.

Ya think maybe?

 

[Zigner]

The OP seems dead-set against doing anything to help himself.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Just trying to find information to determine how or if there is anything to be done about any such situation when the "locker room" is the break room that just has lockers in it and being approached by very select few coworkers and very aggressively being told, "This is not a locker room! Use the bathroom!"

There is no federal or Colorado law that defines what a changing room must have, or that prohibits a bathroom from being used for changing clothes, or that even requires an employer to provide a changing area. If the employer allows you to arrive dressed for work then there is no need for the employer to provide a changing area.

So what this comes down to is that you and other interested co-workers will need to approach the employer about this issue and see if you can convince the employer to create something more to your liking for changing clothes. If there is enough interest among employees, you could also try forming union to address this and other workplace issues. Bottom line: this is an issue you have to negotiate with management.