Office-mates and B.O.

[dubc80]

I know of a similar issue occuring at my work last year, except it was with a guy in our group with notoriously bad breath.

Someone told our team lead and a "business etiquette" topic was added as an agenda item on our next monthly team meeting.

This gave the boss a chance to address general etiquette issues and bring up the topic of personal hygene anonymously. He did a great job mixing it with other stuff, like email etiquette, dress code, meeting etioquette, timeliness, etc.

It worked really well and brought the issue to the table without direct confrontation.

[shane_c]

Send them an anonymous email....
http://www.annoyingcoworker.com/

[return to the red]

don't shower yourself till you get a good rank on and continuously hang around him

when he says something to you point and say "now you know how we feel!"

seriously though the "business etiquette" idea is the best

[troutman]

Let's have a smell, all right? Oh, everyone likes their own brand, don't they? Oh, this is magic! Hmmm, wafting, wafting. Ok, analysis. Ooh, smells like carrots in throw-up! Oh that could gag a maggot! I smell like hot sick... ass in a dead carcass! Even stink would say that stinks! You know when you go into an apartment building and you smell the other people's cooking on each floor and you go "What are they cookin'?" That, plus crap!

[burnin_vernon]

Some people have chronic problems that no amount of deodorant can help. These people can try meds but may have to resort to surgery, which, I imagine, probably isn't covered by healthcare. Just prepare for that kind of response if you confront him, because it would be even more awkward then.

[troutman]

New Rule: Stop pretending that air fresheners actually freshen the air. Americans are a paradox. We're the nation most obsessed with smelling pleasant, while at the same time, we eat crap that makes our bodies emit clouds of toxic gas. Here's a hint. When you fart and your canary dies, you have a problem that's beyond the capabilities of the Airwick Corporation. - Bill Maher

[HockeyPuck]

Start calling him Smelly McStinky. He'll probably appreciate your subtleness.

[GoFlambe]

Originally Posted by ken0042

- If the person has lived for 30 or 40 years without using chemicals on their skin; the deoderant can often cause a rash, and they stop using it. Sometimes they need a friend to show them different types and how they work differently (ie- anti-persperant and deoderant are two very different products.) Or sometimes they need to be taught non-chemical ways of covering up that odor. (Baby powder for example.)

For people like this (who I am one of them and yes, I'm a guy, and no, I'm not that old), I highly recommend either this or this. It really works without irritating the skin.

I used to wear nothing but Old Spice for years ('cuz I liked the smell) until one day, I developed a rash. Bought a new stick, same thing. Thought I was SOL until I found this stuff.

One bar of the stuff will last you a year, seriously. They sell it at Market Mall, or if you're too embarrassed to step into that store (like I am), you can get from their on-line store.

And thus ends my Public Service Announcement.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Get some co-workers and get him Calgary style. Swarming attack - with Febreze!

[CubicleGeek]

Talk about him/her with other coworkers around the watercooler. Make sure it's just loud enough for that individual to hear...

J/K.

I believe escalation is the proper way to handle this. The problem with confrontation is that there are some people that will take it personally regardless of how well the message is delivered. And as sad as this sounds, it may negatively impact any future work relations. When a 3rd party such as a manager/human resources/personnel committee takes care of it, it provides anonymity for both the personal raising the complaint and the person in question. And it is the job of a functional manager to handle these issues. This is no different than handling ethical issues around the office. If an individual is acting unethically, you should never under any circumstances do personal policing, it should be reported.

We had a similar situation in our office with people playing soccer during lunch hours and not showering. It was sent out as a memo through our site committee and resolved without hurting anyone's feelings.

[Dion]

Then there's the smokers whose clothes, breath, and hair reek of tobaccoo smoke. I find that just as offensive as BO. Unfortunatley society deems that smell to be acceptable

[habernac]

One of the most difficult things I ever had to do at work was tell a coworker he needed to work on personal hygeine. Poor guy was so embarassed.

[HOZ]

Apply nose plugs when he approaches!