I never expected my coworker to see *that*...

[desh]

OK, help settle a ridiculously overanalyzed debate at work.

Assume you wish to enter a restroom you know to be a single-person restroom not restricted to any particular gender. The door is closed and you can't easily ascertain whether the light's on, and therefore whether someone's in it, or whether the door was just accidentally closed. Assuming the following additional information, do do you test the handle to see if it's locked (and open the door if it's not), or do you knock first (and then test the handle if you don't hear an answer)?

[Poll #1511654]

Comments

[janinedog]

I said knock, but what I actually do is a combo of the two if I'm in a situation where I don't think my knock will be heard and/or I won't be able to hear a reply:

1. Try knob slowly; if locked, stop.
2. If unlocked, open the door a crack and knock at the same time, so that the person will hear me and I will hear them.
3. If no reply, open door slowly until I'm sure no one's there. ;)

[desh]

Yeah. What I actually do at work is:

1. Check to see if there's a light on by looking under the door (an option I eliminated for purposes of this poll)
2. If no light, knock
3. If no answer, try knob slowly
4. If unlocked, open slowly and listen for someone screaming

[(Anonymous)]

If the light is on do you just stand and wait? What if someone forgot to shut off the light?

[desh]

Eventually I'll knock, yeah. Usually another option will have presented itself by then.