Mall operator for Marina One The Heart quick to apologise for toilet notice

M+S, developer and mall operator of the Marina One The Heart, the retail podium of the Marine One integrated development, has apologised after a recent image of its toilet notice made its rounds online, drawing a mixed response.The image, which was taken by netizen Martha Lee, saw the mall management putting up a notice telling contractors and workers that they were disallowed from using the toilets at level one and two. Those who did not heed the notice would be imposed a financial penalty of SG$107, inclusive of GST. Instead, contractors and workers were told to use the toilets on basement two.The post, which garnered over 460 reactions and 1,713 shares at the time of writing, saw netizens criticising the mall management for imposing the fine and for the tone of the notice. The post also saw the netizens jumping in and defending why the call was made.In a statement to Marketing, M+S said the company apologises for any concern the sign may have caused.“As per industry practice, when there are still contractors and workers on site at a newly completed development, we brief contractors and workers to refrain from using certain toilet facilities and instead to use the facilities designated for them. Signages serve as a visual reminder of the same instructions,” the M+S statement read.It added that this practice ensures that there isn’t any confusion for those needing to use the toilets, who may think that contractors are there to fix an issue. It also keeps out any construction dust from these facilities, for the comfort of the users. The company has since reworded the signage as it understands this may have caused some concern. New signs were put in place on 8 June 2018, reading:“Contractors please note all contractors are reminded to use the designated toilets in basement 2. Thank you.”(Photo courtesy: Martha Tara Lee)